Jun 12, 2013; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) participates in minicamp practice at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

One of the things we don’t cover very well here at 12MR is the fantasy football side of things. I simply am not knowledgable on that subject, and lack any desire to put in the work needed to become so.

Rather than faking it and generating poor analysis on the subject, I’ve invited Kurt Turner from Fantasy Knuckleheads an to give us a forecast on the fantasy value on a few key Seahawks. Luckily for us, he agreed. Check out his take below, and click the link above to his analysis on then entire Fantasy Football spectrum.

Seahawks Fantasy Football Forecast

“Homer” picks can get you into trouble during the fantasy football draft. But if you’re Seahawks fan there’s more than a couple options come draft time that can lead your team to a fantasy football championship. Keep in mind that you should never reach to make that homer pick. Having a cheat sheet with projections and current ADP (average draft position) available during the draft can help keep your emotions out of the process and spare you from over paying. Let’s take a look at some of the highly drafted options on the Seattle Seahawks roster.

Russell Wilson recently made the NFL Network’s Top 100 list, voted number 51 overall, 11th among quarterbacks. Wilson tied Peyton Manning for most regular season touchdown passes (26) by a rookie and finished the final 10 games with an outstanding 19:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio while rushing for 380 yards and 4 touchdowns. Entering the 2013 season Wilson now has one of the NFL’s most promising wide-outs in Percy Harvin and much of his supporting cast remains intact. I’d look for a slightly stronger statistical performance out of Wilson due to Harvin’s arrival alone. His current ADP is round 7, I repeat round 7. If you follow a two QB draft strategy Wilson is a great low risk option where you can play him based on matchups thereby maximizing your weekly output from your QB slot.  

Percy Harvin accumulated 149 receptions for 1,644 yards, and nine TDs in only 25 games with Christian Ponder, and should achieve career best numbers while collecting passes from a far superior passer, Russell Wilson. However, Harvin is being drafted in the early 3rd round, making him a bit of a risk in my opinion. We haven’t seen him excel in this system and he was never consistent in the past, and I look for consistency when drafting in the top 4 rounds. Roddy White, Andre Johnson and Vincent Jackson are all being drafted after Harvin, on average, and are safer picks. Not to say Harvin won’t finish as a top 10 WR, I just don’t want to chance it that early in the draft. Give him to me in the late 3rd and I’m singing a different tune. 

Marshawn Lynch doesn’t need an introduction, I need not tell you how his Skittle powered runs like this one (video also embedded below) are a testament to his undeniable highlight real play making ability. Currently being drafted as the 5th overall pick (1.5), Lynch is sure to please in touchdown only leagues. In PPR leagues I prefer Ray Rice at 1.5, sue me I’m not making a homer pick, remember?

Richard Sherman is currently being drafted as the first CB selected in IDP league drafts, average draft position is pick 168. Hard to argue that position considering his past performances however he’s on my PED alert list. If he was indeed using performance enhancing drugs I’d tend to think that will stop now, and his performance could dip accordingly.

Quick Hits for all you article skimmers:

1. Don’t reach when making that homer pick, it wont pay off.
   
2. Wilson is an exceptional value in round 7 (his current ADP).
   
3. So long as Skittles is in business, Lynch is a lock.
   
4. Harvin is a stud, but high risk at his current ADP of 3.1.
   
5. Sherman is on my PED list, avoid drafting as the top CB. 

Read more Fantasy Football Advice at Fantasy Knuckleheads, you can follow them on Twitter.

Jan 13, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) scrambles with the ball against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter of the NFC divisional playoff game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Russell Wilson was a guest on ESPN’s Mike and Mike last week. Of course I missed it, since I don’t tend to listen to that East Coast hype nonsense, but luckily someone was nice enough to point me to a podcast of the interview.

It’s mostly the usual meaningless sounds bites, but Wilson had some very interesting things to say about being a running “running QB” that I felt to be worth mentioning. (Here’s a link to the actual audio.)

To be honest with you, I don’t really like running. I’d rather throw the ball to guys and let the true playmakers make the plays.

Part of this is just Wilson being Wilson. He’s a humble guy, and one that knows it’s best to praise your teammates instead of yourself. He’s just gets it, and always looks for every opportunity to talk about how awesome the other Seahawks are.

That said, I don’t think he’s lying either.  The tape shows that he’d prefer not to run. His eyes are always downfield looking for an open receiver. Wilson isn’t like Cam Newton or Robert Griffin, who seem to always being looking for opportunities to pull the ball down and take off. Wilson is a passer first.

Yet we all know that Wilson can run, and he does when he has to. It is this next part that shows why it’s not a bad thing:

When I have to run to get a first down, I’ll do that. If something extra happens, that is always good, too. But the key is protecting yourself — getting down, being smart in certain situations, getting out of bounds, not taking any extra hits. I avoided a bunch of hits last year in terms of running once I got downfield. That is the decision making you have to have when you are running the football.

Wilson is being a little bit modest here. He avoided a ton of hits by juking people out of their shoes. He knows he can, and he uses it to his advantage. He has a knack for avoiding hits. His lateral agility, vision, and instincts will serve him well in terms of his ability to stay healthy.

Put all of that together, and you’ll see why I don’t mind that the read-option is part of Seattle’s offense. With most QBs, designed QB runs are just asking for a QB injury. Wilson’s mindset and abilities make such an injury much more unlikely.

I guess this makes Wilson the “running QB who doesn’t like to run.” He simply continues to defy all conventions, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Jan. 1, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks fans cheer and hold a twelfth man flag prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

As the Seahawks gear up for a new season, so shall we at 12th Man Rising. To do that, we’re hoping to add some additional staff to help us add to the depth of our coverage of all things Seahawks.

Part of the mission of the FanSided Network is to encourage the sharing of opinions and thoughts by fans about their favorite teams. We want to give you the best coverage and opinions on your favorite team from the fan perspective that is so often missing from traditional sports media. We believe sports coverage doesn’t have to be dry, boring and without opinion.

Staff Writers

12th Man Rising is dedicated to bringing to the best Seahawks coverage on the web. In order to  step up our game, we are expanding our staff here at 12th Man Rising to give you more content and a broader perspective, and thus are accepting applications for contributing writers.

Contributing writers are expected to submit at least one article per week on a deadline. These deadlines are individually set for each staff writer, and with that staff writer’s schedule in mind.

These positions are not paid, although many of our contributing writers move into paid staff positions as vacancies and opportunities arise. Being a contributing writer for a FanSided blog also offers excellent exposure and a chance to sharpen not only your writing skills but your view of your favorite team. There is tremendous opportunity for growth within FanSided to those who seek it.

I have no maximum number of writers in mind at this time. What we are looking for is knowledgeable and passionate Seahawks fans who are capable of producing writing of a certain quality. If that is you, then I very much hope to hear from you.

Those interested in becoming a contributor for 12th Man Rising, please submit a writing sample about anything concerning the Seahawks that is at least 250 words.

Please send all submissions to: 12thmanrising.fansided@gmail.com

Copy Editor

If you’re one of those people who love the content here at 12thMR, but hate dealing with all of my typos and grammar mistakes, then this is the position for you. We are looking to add 1-2 copy editors to help this site become as professional and polished as possible.

Copy editors will be responsible for editing all new content submitted for publication on scheduled days. The site’s copy editors will also have the option to write for the site as well, though that will not be a requirement.

Like all positions on the staff of 12th Man Rising, this isn’t a paying job. Those of us that contribute do so as a hobby and because we love the Seahawks.

Since being able to edit well is predicated on first being able to write, we’d like you to submit a writing sample over 250 words about anything relating to the Seahawks. After that, Hanley will contact you and have you edit something, most likely one of my typo-filled articles.

Please send all submissions to: 12thmanrising.fansided@gmail.com and be sure to indicate that you’re interested in becoming a copy editor.

Thanks and Go Seahawks!

4 of us are taking turns on twitter drafting the greatest Seahawks of all time. The goal is for each of us to try and create the best team possible. Here’s the basic rules:

• Serpentine draft order (order reverses after every round)
• We’re only picking starters, so no stashing players on the bench to keep them from another team.
• We’re drafting players during their “Seahawks years.” So that means that for players like Jerry Rice, John Randle or Warren Moon, we’re talking about the “old” version of them, not the “in their prime” version.
• For players who were with the Seahawks for most or all of their careers, we’re selecting them for their best years in a Seattle uniform. So we’re talking about the 2004-2005 Shaun Alexander, not the later version who could be tackled by a slight breeze.

We’re only through 5 rounds so far, but the results have been very interesting.

My team is shaping up to be mostly players from the 80′s so far: Steve Largent, Jacob Greene, Joe Nash, John L. Williams, etc. That hasn’t been intentional, but that’s what’s been happening.

Hanley, on the other hand, appears to be rebuilding the Super Bowl team from 2005. He already has 3 members of that offensive line to go with Shaun Alexander running the ball. I wonder if he’s going to try and take the rest of the that team as well, even Jeremy Stevens.

I’m also picking a team of the anti-greatest ever players: Dan McGwire, Aaron Curry, Brian Bozworth, etc. So far this has been harder than I expected. So many bad players to choose from; it tough to make sure I’m getting the worst of them.

If you want to follow along on twitter, we’re using the #GSoAT hashtag. (That’s Greatest Seahawks of All Time, in case you didn’t figure that out on your own.) Also, be sure to follow @hbonynge @Asthmagirl @BigHeadDave12 and @12thManMyers, which you should be doing anyways!

For those of you who aren’t on twitter (you really should be!), you can follow along using the widget below. You wont be able to give us crap for our picks, but at least you can see how things are unfolding.

Tweets about “#GSoAT”

Jan. 1, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback (7) Tarvaris Jackson throws a pass in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

As I wrote yesterday , it’s official that Tarvaris Jackson is once again a Seattle Seahawk. While there is bound to be some resistance, I support the move.

Which is weird because normally I’d hate it. The words “veteran backup” usually makes my skin crawl. Backup jobs should be reserved for young players with potential. Paying an old guy extra (vets cost more) to sit on the sidelines when you know they’re never going to be more than they are, just doesn’t make much sense to me.

So what’s the difference here? There’s simply no young player on the roster that seems to have enough potential to warrant my usual outrage.

Brady Quinn isn’t young, and he certainly doesn’t have any untapped potential. That ship sailed a long time ago.

Jerrod Johnson is young, but the extent of his potential is both unknown and highly questionable. He went undrafted, and both the Eagles and Steelers (two teams that could have used a talented young QB project) have had him in camp and then cut him.

The Seahawks will get a very good look at Johnson in training camp, but if they come to the same conclusion that his previous teams did, then there’s no reason to waste a roster spot on him just because he’s younger than the other two QBs. If the potential isn’t there, then age doesn’t matter.

So with no young project QB on the roster, and seemingly none available to acquire at this point, why not sign Jackson? He’s clearly an upgrade over Quinn in almost every way. He knows the offense. He knows the receivers, or at least most of them. He’s also well respected by both the coaches and the other players, and is a known hard worker both on and off the field.

So what’s the downside here? If there is one, I just don’t see it. He’s not an ideal QB, sure, but he’s better than the other options available right now. It’s not like he’s coming in to play and lead this team. He’s hear to backup Wilson and run the scout team in practice. He can do that. And it’s only a one year deal.

If the unthinkable happens and Wilson does get hurt, Jackson is clearly (at least in my opinion) the best of the three options to come in and try and stop the ship from sinking while Wilson heals. I don’t believe Quinn or Johnson is capable of doing so.

Ultimately though, this needs to be a one year thing. Jackson is fine as a stop-gap, but the team needs to draft a young project next year to develop behind Wilson.

Jan. 1, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback (7) Tarvaris Jackson throws a pass against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Seahawks 23-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

About 10 months after trading him to Buffalo Bills, the Seattle Seahawks have signed QB Tarvaris Jackson to a one year deal. Jackson will compete with Jerod Johnson and Brady Quinn to be the backup to starter Russell Wilson.

In 2011, Jackson was a team captain. He had the respect of everyone in the locker room even before he played through a painful torn pectoral muscle. Jackson missed less than 2 games with an injury that would put many players on injured reserve.

Jackson also led the team to just 7 wins, even though the roster was almost identical to the one that managed 11 wins, and other in the playoffs, last season. Jackson failures were mostly in the 4th quarter, where he seemed to wilt under the pressure of the moment.

This is a move that is likely to be very polarizing. There is a minority segment of 12s out there that want absolutely nothing to do with Jackson. Other want nothing to do with Quinn, and will gladly welcome any alternative.

We need to keep in mind that Jackson is here to compete for the backup job. He is unlikely to play much at all. Try and remember that before you get into an internet argument with a fellow 12 over the merits of this roster move.

Jan. 1, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback (7) Tarvaris Jackson drops back to pass against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Seahawks 23-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Sometimes, I tend to over-think things. It’s a sad fact, but it’s true. The idea of Tarvaris Jackson coming in to be the backup QB just made too much sense. Clearly, we were all missing something.

Then it dawned on me. We were missing something. No matter how much sense it made in terms of roster organization, or x’s and o’s, we forget that these are people. People tend to remember the way they were treated. The whole idea led me to write this:

Yesterday, I suggested that the Seahawks should bring in QB Tarvaris Jackson to compete for the backup QB job. It’s a good idea, and it makes a lot of sense for both the Seahawks and Jackson. The problem is, it’s simply unlikely to happen.

“Why” you ask? We’ll it’s rather simple. The two parties didn’t exactly part ways in an amiable manner.

Jackson believes that he was never given the chance to compete for the starting job a year ago. That belief is supported by the fact that Jackson never got a chance to appear in a pre-season game until after it was leaked out that he was already on the trading block. It’s tough to argue with him there.

Of course, it didn’t help when he took some shots at Pete Carroll and the Seahawks a few weeks later. That couldn’t have sat well with anyone at the VMAC

Of course, knowing John Schneider, as soon as I publish this it’ll happen. He has a way of being awesome like that.

There were links to find and add, facts to check, edits to do, but that was going to be the basic idea of an article. Too bad it’s all wrong.

I mean, the details are correct. Jackson did feel slighted, and he did have some unpleasant things to say about the way the “competition” went down. The thing is, neither he nor the Seahawks seem to care.

ESPN (both Mike Sando and John Clayton) is reporting that Jackson is on his way to Seattle, and is expected to sign with the team.

It still might not happen. Jackson is likely going to attract some attention. He might get a better offer, or a chance to be a backup behind a QB who he expects will struggle, giving him a chance to play. We’ll see, but he is coming in for a visit, and that’s meaningful.

And what it means, is that I was over-thinking things again.

Dec 24, 2011; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson (7) passes the ball during the 2nd half against the San Francisco 49ers at CenturyLink Field. San Francisco defeated Seattle 19-17. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Now the he who shall not be named has signed with the Patriots (I promised I wouldn’t write about him, so I’m not even going to use his name here), we can finally do this without him being brought up in the comments. There are still some quality free agents out there, and while the Seahawk’s roster is stacked at most positions, there is still room for some additional depth at others.

Here’s my list of 5 free agents the Seahawks should strongly consider bringing in before the start of training camp:

1. Eric Winston – One of the game’s best RTs last year, Winston has apparently priced himself out of a job so far. Hopefully he’s now realized that his price tag was too high, and is willing to take less just to get a job. With OT currently being the thinest position of the team, Winston would be a great addition to add depth and injury insurance heading into training camp.
2. Dallas Clark – Clark’s best years are clearly behind him at this point, but the Seahawks currently one have 1 TE on the roster who’s played more than 15 professional snaps. The Seahawks are one Zach Miller injury away from a catastrophe at the position. Even if Clark doesn’t make the 53 man roster, having him in camp as injury insurance makes a tremendous amount of sense.
3. Evan Rodriguez – Rodriquez was just released by the Bears yesterday. He’s a do-everything FB/TE/special teamer who’s got plenty of talent. I’ve been told that he was released because the Bears no longer wanted to deal with his off-field issues. See the explanation after Dallas Clark for why he’d make sense for the Seattle, and Pete Carroll has never worried about a player’s off-field troubles when looking for talent.
4. John Abraham – The Seahawks have already lost Bruce Irvin for the first 4 games, and Chris Clemons’s status for those same weeks wont be known until we get there. In the mean time, the Seahawks could use another body at the position to make sure they’re set once the games begin. He might be getting up there in age, but you could do much worse than Abraham.
5. Tarvaris Jackson – Released by the Bills yesterday, Seattle’s former starting QB is in need of a job. The Seahawks are still auditioning players to be Russell Wilson’s backup. We know that Jackson isn’t particularly good, but he did show that he can win half his games in this offense, which is all you can ever ask from a backup QB, and something that Brady Quinn has never done.

Obviously, no player on this list is going to make or break the 2013 season, but all of them offer depth in places where the team could use it.

Dec 23, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; A fan wears a New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow (15) mask during the second half at MetLIfe Stadium. The Chargers defeated the Jets 27-17. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

If you haven’t heard already, the infamous Tim Tebow is joining the New England Patriots. The result will, unfortunately, be wall to wall Tebow nausea being force fed to all of us by every major media outlet for the next few weeks.

I understand that by writing this, I am contributing to the stupidity. For that, I am sorry. I can guarantee that this will be the only Tebow related article I’ll write for the next few months.

The media coverage of this signing is going to be disgusting over the next week. It’s going to be painful, and we’re all going to have to live through it. But hey, let keep things positive. There are some silver linings here, and I would be remiss not to point them out.

1) People can finally stop making the completely asinine suggestion that the Seahawks should sign him.

2) The Seahawks don’t play the Patriots this year, so we don’t have to hear about him non-stop for a full week this year.

3) Anyone dumb enough to suggest that the Patriots bench Tom Brady for that bozo is just letting us know that we can, and should, ignore them. It is also an invitation to block them on twitter.

4) Bill Belichick limits media access more than any other coach in the NFL. Hopefully ESPN and the other media outlets will find it impossible to inundate us with new ways to cover this “story” and give up. Hopefully. (I’m not counting on it though)

5) I can think of worse things than to have the Tebow circus drag down the Patriots. I don’t hate them as much a couple other teams, but it’s not like I’ll be sad if they get torn apart by internal strife like Timmy has done to his past teams.

6) And finally: People can finally stop making the completely asinine suggestion that the Seahawks should sign him. I already wrote that? too bad. It’s true. They idea was pure stupidity from the beginning, and now we don’t have to deal with it any more.

It sure looks like Pete likes the idea, doesn’t it? Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

For the Seahawks, it’s all about being bigger, stronger, and faster, right? Isn’t that the mantra we keep hearing from Pete Carroll and John Schneider? Well, there’s some new evidence that suggests that perhaps that has all just be lip service.

I’m talking of course, about the coaching staff. How can anyone say that the Seahawks care about being “bigger” when the team only has 21 coaches. That puts them right in the middle of the NFL, which is the very definition of mediocrity.

Where’s the spread game coordinator, like the the Chiefs have in Brad Childress?

Where’s the sports science coordinator like the Eagles now have?

It’s as is the Seahawks aren’t even trying.

The largest staffs in the league belong to Tampa Bay, Jacksonville and Kansas city. That alone should tell you the impact that having more coaches can have on a football team.

The smallest coaching staff? Those belong to Pittsburg and New England. It’s pretty obvious that the lack have coaches has had an extremely negative impact on those teams.

Unlike other sports, the NFL doesn’t put any limits on the size of the coaching staff. There’s simply no need to limit the size of the stuff to 21 like the Seahawks are doing. 30? 40? 50? why not?

Why not have a coach for each player? Clearly all the 1 on 1 attention would be good for the development and learning of this young team. But why stop there?

With Robert Turbin, Christine Michael and Chris Harper all the squad, the Seahawks obviously are in need of an offensive bicep coordinator. Marshawn Lynch, plus Richard Sherman and the rest of the Legion of Boom all being on this team suggests that the team could definitely use a dreadlock specialist.

There’s also no need to only look inward when figuring out what tasks are currently unfilled. For example, the Seahawks play Justin Smith and 49ers twice every season, so finding a defensive holding analyst is must. I bet if I put my mind to it, I bet I could come up with 100 new coaching positions for this team.

Come on Pete. It’s time to get it together. You know this needs to happen.

May 10, 2013; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Michael Bowie (73, middle) and guard Ryan Seymour (62) participate in a rookie minicamp practice at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Breno Giacomini missed another OTA with an injured knee. Pete Carroll says it’s nothing serious, but Giacomini wasn’t even present for the workouts. He was in New York getting getting the knee checked out by a specialist.

Rookie Michael Bowie, a 7th round pick, is taking full advantage of the situation. Bowie has been getting all the first team reps in the workouts, and is likely to continue to get them in the team’s mini-camp next week.

This is a situation to keep an eye for a number of reasons.

For starters, if Giacomini continues to have problems with his knee, it could signal that the problem is worse than is currently believed. The Seahawks are already thin at OT, and losing a presumed starter certainly would help that situation.

Plus, Giacomini isn’t exactly entrenched as the starter. His exact value is debated, but there have been multiple reports that the team wanted to draft his replacement in the 2nd round of the draft, but that all their targets were gone before the Seahawks had a chance to pick.

Giacomini is entering the final year of his contract, and is due $3.5 million this season. While the team clearly isn’t dying to get rid of Giacomini, they’d certainly love to save that cap space to be used to re-sign Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas next offseason.

While the team is already thin at the position, it’s much easier to find a backup than it is to find a starter. If Bowie can pass Giacomini on the depth chart, be that through injury or on-field performance, then don’t be surprised if Giacomini is released. The Seahawks would then have to find a new backup, or preferably, re-sign Giacomini to a contract more fitting his talent level.

Of course, all of this matters very little if Bowie can’t show that he’s ready for playing time. So far he’s decently, but he’s also shown he has a way to go. The talent is there, but playing his senior year at a tiny school that no one had heard of before the draft certainly didn’t help things.

This remains a situation that will be interesting to watch. Hopefully things will be much more settled early in training camp.

Dec 16, 2012; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Seattle Seahawks guard J.R. Sweezy (64) in play against the Buffalo Bills at the Rogers Centre. Seahawks beat the Bills 50-17. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

JR Sweezy isn’t exactly a popular Seahawk. His feel-good story from training camp in 2012 quickly turned into a nightmare for Seahawks fans. Sweezy worked hard and did his best, but a guy who’d never played on the offensive line in his life had no business starting at RG for the Seahawks.

Sweezy was a drive killer in 2012. He couldn’t pass block, and often blocked the wrong player in the running game, especially early in the season. Unfortunately, that is what happens when you ask a defensive tackle to play offensive guard.

But that was last year.

I’ve read a number of comments where Sweezy is referred to as a “failed experiment. That is simply untrue. The experiment wont be over until the 2014 season. At this point we’re still in the early stages of things, and so far things are looking pretty good for the converted DT.

This likely wont be a popular opinion, but I expect Sweezy to win the starting RG job during training camp. And I don’t mean he’ll be handed the position either. Paul McQuistan and John Moffitt both have a stake in this process, but I expect the job to belong to Sweezy when when the games finally begin.

Sweezy simply possesses an athleticism that none of the other options at RG possess. He stronger, quicker and more powerful. What he lacks is technique, experience, and general know-how for the position Those are 3 things where Sweezy will be much improved 2013.

This time last year, Sweezy was just learning the basics (and I mean BASICS! Like where to line up, who to block on the simple plans, etc.). That’s no longer an issue this time around. He can now concentrate on technique details like footwork and how to use his hand properly, as well as blocking assignments on the more complex blitz situations.

This 2nd training camp is going to be huge for his development as an offensive player. I expect that we’ll see him take a major step forward as a player, and once that happens he’s going to hold that starting RG job for very long time.

August 18 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Korey Toomer (59) during the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday, I asked the 12s on twitter who they believed would be “breakout player” for the 2013 Seattle Seahawks. The responses I got were incredibly interesting, and I’ve included some of them below.

There are a lot of good options, but my pick to have a breakout year is linebacker Korey Toomer. After failing to make the roster a year ago even though he was a 5th round pick, my choice of Toomer might be considered a “long shot” pick. It’s not even certain that Toomer will make the roster, especially considering the ultra-competitive roster battle that the linebacker position is shaping up to be.

The thing is, if Toomer makes the roster, it’s going to be very difficult for the team to not get him on the field. Toomer is an exceptional athlete. He’s got the size, speed and strength to be an amazing player. What’s held him back thus far has been his lack understanding of the the mental parts of the game.

As a rookie, Toomer reminded me a lot of Aaron Curry, and that’s not a compliment. He then spent almost the entire year on the practice squad. He had a chance to watch, learn, and study with some of the best players and coaches in the NFL. Pete Carroll said after the most recent OTA that Toomer is the team’s most improved player.

All that adds up to a boom or bust situation for Toomer. He’s either going to fail to make the team again, or he’s going to be very difficult to keep off the field. I’ll bet on the latter.

Apparently I wasn’t the only person who thought of Toomer with this question.

James Carpenter was an unexpected answer. I hadn’t thought of him for some reason, but I really like this answer. If Camp can finally get and stay healthy, he should have an amazing year.

I checked. It turns out that Russell Wilson did have a breakout year in 2012. Who knew? Walter Thurmond was by far the most popular pick. Here is a small sampling of those people who suggested Thurmond would have a breakout year:

Then there were a couple others with Thurmond, but also mentioned other players:

Sweezy is another good suggestion. This season, he should finally have some technique and a little experience to go along with his athleticism.

There were a few rookies who got nods from fans.

Christine Michael is an interesting choice. I wonder if people are expecting him to cut into Marshawn Lynch’s carries more than I think he will.

Lane is an interesting choice. The talent is there, and I think he’s ready to step in for a larger role. The problem is that he’ll have to find a way onto the field, and with Sherman, Browner, Thurmond, and Winfield ahead of him on the depth chart, that’s not going to be easy.

KJ is under-appreciated, but I’m not sure he can “break out” since he’s already a huge contributor to the defense.

Miller is already a huge contributor, but his receiving stats can certainly make large improvements over the past couple seasons. He just needs the O-line to be able to hold up on its own, and not need his help all the time.

So what can we learn from this? Well, I learned that I need to follow some more 12s on twitter. That’s something I’ll fix as soon as I’m done writing this.

Other than that, I think it’s pretty clear that we’re all very exciting for this season to begin. Is it August yet?

May 20, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) participates in organized team activities at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

For the second straight year, HBO has asked the Seahawks to be the team represented in the show “Hard Knocks,” and for the second straight year Seattle has said “no.”

The access that Hard Knocks offers would have been great for fans, but ultimately it’s better that the team decided against it. The show is a distraction that Seattle doesn’t need. While there are a couple exceptions, most of the team’s that have been on Hard Knocks have seen a large reduction in their win total the year they participate.

Last year, the Seahawks were one of many teams who turned down HBO when invited to appear on the show. There was concern that the show would have to be cancelled since no team was willing to let cameras in on every aspect of the team’s training camp. The Miami Dolphins accepted the invite at the last second.

It is uncertain at this point if any team will be willing to be on the show this August, but I wouldn’t bet against it. There are always teams that cave in, no matter how bad of an idea it is. Guys like Dallas’s Jerry Jones simply have a tough time staying out of the spotlight, even if being in it is bad for their football team.

NOV 25, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) runs with the ball after an interception of Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (not pictured) in the first quarter at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

If the Seahawks have a “secret superstar,” it’s middle linebacker Bobby Wagner. The kid had an amazing rookie season in 2012, and not nearly enough people are talking about it.

Despite playing only half-time for the first 4 games as the Seahawks eased him into the NFL, as well as losing considerable time to backups in the 3 blowout wins, Wagner still finished the year with 139 tackles, 7th most in the entire NFL. He also 58 stops (tackles made in the backfield or within 2 yards of the ling of scrimmage), which was 5th most in the NFL.

That’s an amazing season for anyone, but to do that as a rookie is another thing entirely. That’s the type of season that deserved Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, though sadly Wagner was overlooked by the voters.

So what should we expect from Wagner in 2013? I expect him to be better now that he has a year under his belt, but seriously, how much better can he be?

It is entirely possible that Wagner will play better in 2013, but actually have worse stats to show for it. That’s the thing about defensive stats, so much is dependant on the score and the opposing offense’s play calling, things that are out of the control of players like Wagner.

Besides, Seattle’s D-line run stuffers will be healthy again. When Red Bryant and company are dominating up front, there’s just no reason for teams to try and run the ball the ball. That will likely lead to less chances for tackles for linebackers like Wagner.

Ultimately, the area where we’re likely to see the most improvement out of Wagner is in his pass coverage skills. While this wasn’t a weakness for him, it’s the one area where there is ample room for growth.