Seattle Seahawks make a trade and other Friday notes
By Lee Vowell
Seahawks trade Kevin Pierre-Louis to the Chiefs for another linebacker
On Friday, Seattle picked up linebacker D.J. Armstrong from the Kansas City Chiefs for fourth-year pro Pierre-Louis. The money is not great on either side, but Seattle could control Armstrong for the the next three seasons for no more than $755,563. Plus, Armstrong made the Pro Bowl last season for special teams.
Basically, both Pierre-Louis and Armstrong do the same things. Both are backup linebackers who are not really expected to ever take on great roles as starters. However, both also have the ability to make an impact on special teams. That Armstrong is under contract for the next three years, while Pierre-Louis is not signed beyond 2017, the Seahawks may have assured themselves a solid special teams player at a cheap rate.
MMQB attempts to explain Russell Wilson’s ranking
Andy Benoit of MMQB recently came out with his top-400-players-in-the-NFL list. There was a lot to like about the list and much to dislike. One ranking that seemed too low was Wilson being ranked at the 12th-best quarterback. (And if you want to read more about Benoit’s explanation of Wilson’s ranking – and trust me, it will not make 12s happy – do so here.)
Benoit admits to judging quarterbacks through an old-school lens. He likes drop-back quarterbacks. Benoit says, “It is markedly easier to craft a playbook for a pocket passer than for a run-around guy.”
Related Story: Todd Vandenberg's brain broke over Wilson's ranking
This last part is probably true. But just because Wilson is not a class pocket-passer has not and will not make him less effective and dangerous. Wilson can do things other quarterbacks cannot do, like create greatness from chaos. Maybe Wilson is not Eli Manning (Benoit brings up the Manning-Wilson comparison), but Manning is also not Wilson. Those two quarterbacks each do different things well. And both have won championships.
In fact, maybe Benoit needs to remember that Seattle’s short quarterback (yes, Benoit also points out Wilson’s height) has won one Super Bowl, been to another and could still make a few more.