The Crumpler dael seemed to be all good as of Thursday, but I think the Hawks did'nt quite put up the $$'s and years that Alge and his agent were looking for. The stories from his camp seemed to back track all the sudden from Thursady to Friday. We'll see - I do think Alge would like to come here, as he reportedly called our own Jim Mora right after he was released from the Bucs, and later set an appointment to come up here of his own will - not the Hawks asking. It may yet happen but it's obvious we did'nt do enough for him to sign up, and it is'nt near a done deal.
Our free agents. Well for starters I do think losing Josh Brown will be tough. Yes you can replace kickers somewhat easily but the one thing that's not easy to find in regards to kickers is one that can make long feild goals regularly, and that is what made Brown so good IMO - if we were looking at a 48 - 55 yard field goal then he was brought out to kick without question every time, the Hawks came to count on that. Many teams wish they had that kind of luxury beleive me. Also I think it has the potential to set a bad precedent for kickers in general for the Hawks - supposedly we offered to make him the highest payed kicker in the NFL(qouting 950 KJR) and he still choose to move on, with the main reason of rumor to be that the wet and windy weather/climate in Seattle was very tough to kick in. Yeah you can call him a puss and all, but I bet there is a lot of truth to what he says - think about how hard it is to hit homers next door at Safeco and why? "They" say it's because of the heavy marine air and wind coming off the sound. He could go to a dome and become a ridiculously good kicker - especially in regards to long feild goals. I really hope he lands in KC and not the Rams.
Hackett? Well he definately wants too much money from anyone - and it's probably why his name was'nt mentioned in any talks at all during the first day of free agency. I do beleive that if healthy he is an almost perfect fit for Hasselback who IMO loves to throw down the middle of the field, and definately likes REC's and TE's with hieght. Problem is the dude has proven one thing - that he's made of glass, and that just does'nt cut the cake in the NFL. He and his agent will get less than they had planned on heading into free agency for sure - sources say he is looking for around 5 mil a year.
Mr. Alexander. The Hawks giant open sore, they know he is'nt worth a dime in this league anymore, but they paid him the mega bucks and would have to admit a gargantuan gaff with one of Seattles EX most cherished players if they cut him. I say it's an almost certainty that he will be released after June 1(better cap deal then) - why? Well first and foremost they know darn well he can't(or does'nt have the heart to)play well anymore - most especially for the dough he would be making. I think the proof is in the details - if they were going to keep him then they would have allready coerced him into a pay cut/contract restructuring, especially since they could really use the money for FA's. No they are biding thier time to bite the bullet and give him the boot after June 1st and just be done with the chump. Besides whether they get a RB in the first round or not, they will gat a RB that can at the very least put up numbers that Alexander would this season - so why pay the heartless over the hill vet big bucks when you can match or better his production from a draft pick? Nope he's gone and we'll get an RB that has better speed and can catch the ball well out of the backfield!
Last but not least Mr. Trufant. Ho boy I think this could get somewhat ugly. I really think that Trufant(or his agent) will only sign something if it has ridiculously huge dollar numbers on it. Just from alot of the things he said even some weeks ago - he seems to be ALL about the show me the money(and therefore respect??) deal. I really really think the Hawks are in the right here, before last year the guy was not what anyone would consider an elite corner. Then one good year against some piss poor quarterbacks almost throughout the entire season, and aided by a much improved pass rush and better safety play/help - alot of his picks were desperation throws by lame QB's that were thrown right to him and not the reciever. Yes he is a good cornerback without doubt, but no part of me thinks he is an elite cornerback - the guy has given up waaay too many 3rd down conversions in his carreer, not to mention he plays so far back off the line of scrimmage that he regularly concedes 8 - 12 yard passes all day especially in the years before last. One good year should'nt equal a crazy dollar contract for many years.
