Brock Huard grades Seahawks for performances in preseason opener
Aug 16, 2016, 2:40 PM | Updated: 3:29 pm
The Seahawks received their grade sheet from coaches Tuesday after Seattle’s 17-16 win over Kansas City, and 710 ESPN Seattle’s Brock Huard expects that many of the rookies saw more criticism than they’d ever seen before. Huard doled out his own report card for performances on a variety of players, mainly rookies but also a second-year player, free-agent addition and returning veteran.
Germain Ifedi, OT: B
Huard: “He got beat on some edges in pass protection. It’s going to come down to his conditioning and attention to detail, a little bit like James Carpenter late in his career. From the neck up, as a young player, he’s much more advanced than Carpenter was. But you saw Carpenter late in his career, before signing the lucrative contract in New York, where there would be two or three plays a game where you’d say, ‘Dude, move your feet and get your big body in front.’ There is no reason for Ifedi to punch and guess. That will be a work in progress but a B is a pretty positive grade for the first time out.”
Jarran Reed, DT: B
“He started the game with his pad level a bit high but you also saw some of that power and punch. He was in command when he got his hands on the offensive lineman first. I don’t think he was in any way overwhelmed. It’s a little easier for defensive linemen to do their job functionally well than an offensive lineman.”
CJ Prosise, RB: PLP (People Losing Patience)
“It was very good that he got himself on the practice field.”
Nick Vannett, TE: C-
“I had to go back and actually look at the game a second time to find his highlights. They need him to continue to get lots of reps. He also played high in his blocking, which is something you can get away with in college but you can’t do at this level. He’s not going to be nearly as quick and fast as he looks in practice because he’s still thinking too much.”
Quinton Jefferson, DT: C
“Played with even higher pad level than Reed. That’s not good because he’s such a long guy at 6 foot 5. He has got to get down.”
Alex Collins, RB: B-
“Limited snaps, limited opportunities. No doubt he will get more chances on Thursday against the Vikings.”
Joey Hunt, C: C
“I hate to see him miss a snap. He should never and can’t afford to do that. As offensive line coach Tom Cable said, Hunt knows what he can and can’t do well. He’s pushing Patrick Lewis.”
Kenny Lawler, WR: C+
“Bless his heart that he and Paul Richardson were trying to do special teams. He did not cover a punt or kick in college.”
Trevone Boykin, QB: B+ or B
“If you miss calls and butcher plays from the beginning, especially a fourth and 1, that’s an intense critical error. But it’s hard to ignore going 88 yards in 62 seconds and giving your receivers a chance to win a game.”
Tyvis Powell, S: A-
“Highest grade of anybody. Shouldn’t be a surprise. Pete Carroll bragged about him Monday.”
George Fant, OT: D-
“Not quite a failing grade. I’ll give the kid some effort for his try-hard, but he gets the lowest grade. He’s a long way off. You play hardly any snaps of college football at Western Kentucky and you go play left tackle in this league and that’s a recipe for an NC, which stands for No Chance.”
Brandon Browner, CB/S: C
“I thought I’d see him tackle better. He missed a few tackles in the open field and on special teams that were surprising. To be fair, he’s in a slightly new spot and there are new angles. He did come up and jam the tight end and set the edge in the run game but Powell is going to be pushing him over the next couple weeks.”
Bradley Sowell, OT: B+
“Loved his effort, loved his want-to and you should get that every week. I know that whatever he is asked to do, he is going to do it. Can he do it at a high enough level week in and week out? That is TBD.”
Frank Clark, DL: B to B+
“Notice how much he played? That should have stood out. He has not totally arrived yet. He is not Cliff Avril or Michael Bennett and he needs to play and needs to play a lot.”
