: Russell Wilson
Jimmy Graham tore the patellar tendon in his right knee...
Jimmy Graham tore the patellar tendon in his right knee in the fourth quarter of the Seahawks' win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He'll have surgery, coach Pete Carroll said, and likely faces a long road to recovery that will extend deep into the offseason.
Graham caught 48 passes for 605 yards and two touchdowns. He's averaged 55 yards per game, which ranks ninth among tight ends. But there are a couple of areas where the Seahawks will need to make up for his production.
One is on third down. On Sunday, Russell Wilson hit Graham for a pair of 18-yard gains on third down. On the season, he's targeted Graham more than any other receiver (24 times) on third down, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Sixteen of those passes have resulted in completions, but Wilson will now have to look elsewhere.
The other area to keep an eye on is explosive plays. Graham has produced 11 gains of 20-plus yards, which is three more than he had all of last year with the New Orleans Saints. Graham ranks third among tight ends in explosive plays and leads the Seahawks.
The story said not much will change for the Seattle offense. Luke Willson will take over as the starting TE. Based on Graham's production, Wilson could have some lower TE1 fantasy value.
For all the issues the Seattle Seahawks still have to work out on offense, the chemistry between their quarterback and top pass-catcher isn't one of them.
It was again evident Friday night in Seattle's 14-13 preseason loss to Kansas City. Jimmy Graham caught all three passes that Russell Wilson threw his way during the two quarters in which the Seahawks' offensive starters played, but one of them stood out.
Lined up in the slot on second-and-18, Graham released up the seam against tight coverage from safety Ron Parker. Graham wasn't open when Wilson delivered a perfectly placed pass toward his back shoulder for a 21-yard gain. Then again, he didn't need to be.
"He's hard to miss, being 6-7 and being able to show up and run as fast as he can," Wilson told reporters.
Call it whatever you'd like -- chemistry, trust, rapport -- but Wilson and Graham certainly seem to have built plenty of it already, the story said. It's good news for those who were worried about Graham switching offenses. It sure looks like he's going to be a key part of the Seattle offense, too, and is of course one of the top TEs in fantasy drafts.
It's a good thing for the Seattle Seahawks' offensive l...
It's a good thing for the Seattle Seahawks' offensive line that the games don't start counting for another month. The starting group isn't settled, and Friday night's preseason opener supplemented ample evidence that there's plenty of work to be done before the line is regular-season ready.
The first unit -- featuring Lemuel Jeanpierre at center and Alvin Bailey at left guard -- played two series, the first of which lasted all of two plays as right tackle Justin Britt was beaten by Von Miller for a fumble-causing sack. The Seahawks allowed a sack on their second possession, Russell Wilson had to escape another and Jeanpierre -- the center -- was penalized for a false start.
Wilson was either sacked or pressured on four of his five drop-backs. Each time, the Seahawks had at least one more player in pass protection than Denver had rushing.
Some of those issues are to be expected, not only because it's early but because but of how the Seahawks have been rotating players at center and left guard while trying to determine a winner in the competitions for those spots. It doesn't look like those competitions are close to being settled.
Another thing the story noted was TE Jimmy Graham's willingness to block, something he wasn't asked to do very much with the Saints. It's something he'll be counted on to do a little more this year, though, which should help set up play action passing.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports Seahawks QB Russell Wilson agreed to a four-year, $87.6 million extension, per a source involved in the negotiations. The deal includes a $31 million signing bonus and $60 million in guarantees.
By signing just a four-year extension, Wilson will enter the final year of his deal at just 30 years old, giving him an opportunity for another big payday. The shorter deal was a concession by the Seahawks.
Now that his contract negotiations are behind him, Wilson can once again focus fully on football. He has finished #9, #8 and #3 in his first three seasons, and the Seahawks are slowly letting him throw the ball more. They traded for tight end Jimmy Graham, who will serve as the best weapon that Wilson has had since he entered the NFL.
Per Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune, the Seahawks...
Per Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune, the Seahawks may begin to groom Gary Gilliam at left tackle as the season progresses, given that Russell Okung is in the last year of his contract. Also, rookie Mark Glowinski eventually could push J.R. Sweezy at right guard.
Regardless of who plays in 2015, they’ll need to play better than they have.
The story pointed out some who could be directly affected by poor line play if it continues, mentioning quarterback Russell Wilson has faced consistent pressure in passing situations, which could make it difficult for the Seahawks to take full advantage of tight end Jimmy Graham. And it could make running back Marshawn Lynch more likely to call it quits following a season of getting banged around by defenders that the offensive line fails to keep away from him.
ESPN Jets beat writer Rich Cimini answer a question abo...
ESPN Jets beat writer Rich Cimini answer a question about rookie Bryce Petty beating out Geno Smith for the starting QB job.
Cimini: I'll tell you what I've seen from Bryce Petty: arm talent. His arm is good enough to make all the throws. But, as you know from watching Geno Smith, it takes more than a good arm to be an effective quarterback. We won't know about Petty's intangibles until we see him in game conditions, facing a live pass rush. Some fans might be hoping he pulls a Russell Wilson, a middle-round pick who blows away everyone from day one. The Jets would love to see that happen, but Wilson's advantage was that he already was well-versed in the Seattle Seahawks' offense, having played in a West Coast system in college. That's not the case with Petty, who played in an up-tempo spread at Baylor. There will be a steep learning curve.
Cimini went on to add the Jets coaches like Petty's moxie and believe he has that "it" factor. But there's a long way to go before the season. Ryan Fitzpatrick could also be a factor in the Jets QB job.
During OTAs Graham has reportedly been unstoppable and gives Russell Wilson a pass-catcher he can target even when it appears he's not open.
"Throwing to him is easy," Wilson said last week, via the Seattle Times.
The back-shoulder throws and timing patterns that make him a menace to defensive backs -- especially in the red zone --will take time to coalesce between the 6-foot-7 tight end and quarterback, but Graham said he and Wilson are already ahead of the pace.
"That stuff takes time," Graham said, "but honestly me and Russ have been on kind of this accelerated learning curve. He just gets it up and gives you an opportunity to be great. We'll be keep working on that, and we'll be just fine come the season, because that's a big thing. That's all about the connection, that's all about knowing what each other is going to do and what each other likes."
Graham finished with 85 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns, but his season was somewhat disappointing, especially down the stretch. He averaged 4.0 catches for 44 yards and 0.2 TD in his final five games, including a weird zero-target goose egg in Week 13 against Pittsburgh. Now he heads to Seattle, where the Seahawks have been looking to upgrade at tight end for a while. Graham's value takes a minor hit as he heads to the run-oriented Seahawks, though he'll continue to be a target hog given the current state of the Seattle receiving corps. His 14.6 PPR fantasy points was second at his position, and he's likely to be the second tight end off the board in 2015 fantasy drafts.
"No. 1, with maybe multiple tight end sets, that's gonna just open it up," Seahawks TE Jimmy Graham told the Seattle Times. "These last couple of years for me, playing against guys who aren't concerned about the run at all. They know I will try to do a double move and run this go route. It makes it more difficult. So this will just make my job easier when it comes to the passing game."
Graham's height and downfield ability have made him a feared weapon, but now paired with Russell Wilson, the tight end foresees a new dynamic in his game, which could lead to increased production.
"Russ’s ability to extend a play is unbelievable. Out there in New Orleans, everything was about timing so when you hit that step, that ball is coming ... And now when you hit a step and look back, maybe he saw something and now he’s scrambling so there’s a second opportunity.
"This offense and this team is dangerous on those second opportunities. When he gets out of the pocket and he’s able to work and kind of play street ball, which I’ve always been pretty good at, the offense is extremely explosive.”
Graham finished with 85 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns, but his season was somewhat disappointing, especially down the stretch. He averaged 4.0 catches for 44 yards and 0.2 TD in his final five games, including a weird zero-target goose egg in Week 13 against Pittsburgh. Now he heads to Seattle, where the Seahawks have been looking to upgrade at tight end for a while. Graham's value takes a minor hit as he heads to the run-oriented Seahawks, though he'll continue to be a target hog given the current state of the Seattle receiving corps. His 14.6 PPR fantasy points was second at his position to Rob Gronkowski, and he's likely to be the second tight end off the board in 2015 fantasy drafts.
Jimmy Graham put on a one-man show during red zone drills in practice with the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday.
The Seahawks newest addition on offense was practically unstoppable near the goal line in the team’s first workout open to the media with Graham participating since the trade to acquire him from New Orleans in March.
Graham caught four touchdown passes in 7-on-7 drills and added another in full team drills. Any time Graham got singled up on a defender, Russell Wilson was throwing Graham’s direction and finding success in doing so.
“He’s a superstar, he’s going to be one for a long time, and my goal is to help him continue to grow,” Wilson said. “He looked great today, as you guys saw, and that’s how he looks every day, so it’s a spectacular thing.”
Graham finished with 85 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns, but his season was somewhat disappointing, especially down the stretch. He averaged 4.0 catches for 44 yards and 0.2 TD in his final five games, including a weird zero-target goose egg in Week 13 against Pittsburgh. Now he heads to Seattle, where the Seahawks have been looking to upgrade at tight end for a while. Graham's value takes a minor hit as he heads to the run-oriented Seahawks, though he'll continue to be a target hog given the current state of the Seattle receiving corps. His 14.6 PPR fantasy points was second at his position to Rob Gronkowski, and he's likely to be the second tight end off the board in 2015 fantasy drafts, especially if his shoulder injury is fully behind him.
Trade final: Jimmy Graham to Seattle, per Seahawks official.
Jay Glazer reported that the deal sends Seattle's first round pick and C Max Unger to the Saints. The Seahawks have been looking to upgrade at tight end for a while now, and they finally got their guy. Graham's value takes a minor hit as he heads to the run-oriented Seahawks, though he'll continue to be a target hog given the current state of the Seattle receiving corps. The move is a big upgrade for Russell Wilson, who was the #3 QB in 2014 despite a serious lack of playmakers in the passing game. Conversely, it's a major downgrade for Drew Brees, who loses his top target in the passing game. Unger's arrival is good news for the recently re-signed Mark Ingram, while the Seahawks will have to find a way to replace one of the best centers in the game. The loss of Unger will have a negative impact on Marshawn Lynch. Also, TE Josh Hill could step into a big role for the Saints.
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