‘Hawk Talk’ highlights: What will Sidney Rice’s role be?
Apr 18, 2014, 12:09 PM | Updated: 12:12 pm
By Brent Stecker
Highlights from the latest edition of “Hawk Talk” with Danny O’Neil:
Jdoster06 asked if 50 catches is the best case for newly re-signed wide receiver Sidney Rice in 2014.
 Danny O’Neil said the role of the recently re-signed Sidney Rice Seahawks receiving corps in 2014 will depend on where Jermaine Kearse is placed on the depth chart. (AP) |
O’Neil: Best case? Fifty is a lot. That would presume two things: He’s healthy; He’s ahead of Jermaine Kearse on the depth chart.
tom page asked if the Pete Carroll would be interested in bringing in trouble 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith if he were released.
O’Neil: Aldon Smith is an incredibly intriguing player though someone who is very likely going to be facing league discipline before the start of the year. The short answer: Yes, I think the Seahawks would be interested. He’s an elite pass rusher, and Pete has shown a willingness to give guys a second chance. The one thing we haven’t seen him do is take second chances on guys with documented substance-abuse issues.
good idea at the time asked what can be expected, if anything, from offensive guard James Carpenter this year?
O’Neil: I’ve started hearing the annual “he’s in better shape” rumblings. Which I’ve taken with three grains of salt I will then use to season a hamburger.
BlatantChipmunk asked how many touches running back Christine Michael should be expected to get next season.
O’Neil: Too soon to tell. If he doesn’t average 3-5 carries over the course of this season, I think we can conclude that he hasn’t progressed the way the team hoped when it chose him in the second round last season.
Buckminster Fuller asked if Danny can recall past Seahawks offseason workouts that had the same level of participation as quarterback Russell Wilson’s in California.
O’Neil: Well, during the lockout, everybody was all gaga over how Drew Breese orchestrated his team’s workouts. I think that Russell Wilson does indeed help set a tone and provide some continuity. But that’s like Reason No. 12 or Reason No. 13 on why he’s the right quarterback. I generally think offseason workouts like that are vastly overblown.
Hawker asked who will replace Golden Tate as the Seahawks’ main punt returner.
O’Neil: (I) am very interested to see who they try there. I’ve always thought Doug Baldwin would make a great candidate with his hands and fearlessness. Jeremy Lane worked some at kickoff.
Conner asked who the Seahawks value more at the linebacker position moving into the future: Bobby Wagner or K.J. Wright.
O’Neil: Bobby Wagner because of the position he plays in the middle of the defense.
Line guy asked if offensive tackle Russell Okung will be get re-signed after next season, considering his injury history, or if Carroll and general manager John Schneider will let him walk.
O’Neil: I truly don’t know. I think that Russell Okung might be the biggest question in terms of long-term value, even more so than linebacker. I am reasonably certain that Seattle values (highly) Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Russell Wilson. Now, whether the team’s value is high enough to sign them remains to be seen.
