Monday, September 2, 2013

Will Rob return?

Professional obligations prevented me from seeing the first 3 exhibition games, though I did get to witness the last preseason beatdown of the hapless Raiders. Oakland has been bad for so long, it shouldn't still be fun to defeat them, but it is... even after a decade in different divisions, the memory of 25 years as division rivals remains strong, even in games that don't really count. Seattle's backups dominated their starters, and their backups couldn't handle our third and fourth string players.

Carroll and Schneider continue to astonish with the sheer ruthlessness of their personnel decisions. It looks like they cut Pro Bowl fullback Michael Robinson basically because he got sick. Even for sometimes soulless Great Collabor-haters, that's a remarkably ice-cold dismissal of an athlete who is 1) an inspirational team leader, 2) a human battering ram and 3) one of the league's most viable emergency quarterbacks.

I refuse to believe that Rob's separation from the team is permanent. Since he's too sick to play for Seattle at this point, he's probably also too sick to try out for or sign with another franchise. Many teams don't even use fullbacks anymore, so there may not be many suitors for his services.

Thus, Seattle can evaluate Derrick Coleman and Spencer Ware to see if they can satisfactorily replace Rob. If Coleman and Ware disappoint, then the Seahawks could probably reclaim Robinson at a reduced rate by offering him a modest short-term contract.

The Seahawks are carrying an unusually large number of defensive linemen, because so many members of that unit are banged up and in questionable health. Perhaps, as that position group solidifies, the team would find room for Rob. The fullback's ability to play quarterback has historically freed Seattle from needing to carry a third quarterback on their roster. Now that the Jets have signed Brady Quinn, Seattle doesn't have a trained backup to call on if Wilson or T-Jack get hurt.

Similarly, I wonder if Antoine Winfield's decision to retire is really a stratagem to avoid getting picked up by a bad team, so he can remain available as an injury replacement for Seattle.

4 comments:

  1. Cutting Robinson just emphasizes the lack of sentimentality the Carroll-Schneider regime has. It's as much about future salary cap considerations and a habitual "youth movement" as anything else.

    If Coleman and/or Ware fail to work out, I think it's unlikely Robinson would be hired back except with a substantial pay-cut...and that might be too much of a blow to the veteran's pride to accept (see Lofa Tatupu). T-Jack's still fuming about his release, but he really had nowhere else to go after being cut by the Bills.

    It's tough, it's tragic...but it's business. I just hope he doesn't end up in San Francisco.

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  2. Rob is evidently healthy enough to try out now. He visited Tennessee earlier this week, but remains unsigned.

    Rob would probably play for anyone who'd pay him. I'm sure he knows that no one is going to pay him the $2.5 million he would have made in Seattle if he hadn't been cut.

    He would probably prefer to join a team with playoff potential. As players age, they often become willing to earn less money on a good team if they might win a ring in the bargain. (See Antoine Winfield.)

    I'm nervous because we're only carrying 2 quarterbacks on the roster, there's no emergency quarterback, we don't have a quarterback on the practice squad, and the only quarterback who finished the preseason with the team is now a Jet. If we were to lose one or both quarterbacks to injury, then we'd be reduced to signing free agents off the street. There are decent free agents available for hire, but it takes time to learn the system and develop chemistry.

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  3. If we lose two QBs, our season would probably be done regardless. Deep as Seattle is at other positions, the NFC is too strong to make much of a play-off run with only a 3rd string QB...and at this point, I think that getting to the Championship match is really what the team is going for.

    Really. I mean, they've already achieved "respectability" and "contender" status. At this point, I think Carroll and company are in all or nothing mode. Which means shoring up that defensive line with as many extra bodies as possible pending the return of our injured and suspended starters.

    I'm a might anxious about today's game...you'll notice I'm still up at 1 in the morning.
    : )

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  4. I think the plan was to keep Brady Quinn in the wings. I think it's sensible to keep a quarterback on the practice squad, at least, in case of emergency.

    We saw the pass rush we wanted against San Francisco.

    Our defense and running game could be good enough to get us to the Super Bowl even with subpar quarterbacking (1972 Dolphins, 2000 Ravens). We have an excellent chance with Wilson, a good chance for T-Jack, and we'd have a decent chance with a practice squad QB, if we had one.

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