NFC West Position-by-Position: Offensive Guards
Arizona Cardinals Community Blog - Fanster.com - Voice of the Cardinals — ... Gulls Seattle has no starting guards. It instead has the field. Let's twitterize them. Mike Wahle: Once good and can still run block, but bad in pass-pro and broken down. Shoulder might fall off. Rob Sims: Pec goes pop, Seahawks flop, this semi-promising guard fails to develop. Good pass-block, bad feet. Mansfield Wrotto: Mean ass brother used to play DT and blocks like it. Tech coming, but until then: Smash. Steve Vallos: Upside: Tom Ashworth. Ray Willis: More ...

NFC West Position-by-Position: Guards
Niners Nation — ... Morgan Seattle has no starting guards. It instead has the field. Let’s twitterize them. Mike Wahle: Once good and can still run block, but bad in pass-pro and broken down. Shoulder might fall off. Rob Sims: Pec goes pop, Seahawks flop, this semi-promising guard fails to develop. Good pass-block, bad feet. Mansfield Wrotto: Mean ass brother used to play DT and blocks like it. Tech coming, but until then: Smash. Steve Vallos: Upside: Tom Ashworth. Ray Willis: More ...

NFC West Roundtable: Offensive Guard
Field Gulls — ... Morgan Seattle has no starting guards. It instead has the field. Let’s twitterize them. Mike Wahle: Once good and can still run block, but bad in pass-pro and broken down. Shoulder might fall off. Rob Sims: Pec goes pop, Seahawks flop, this semi-promising guard fails to develop. Good pass-block, bad feet. Mansfield Wrotto: Mean ass brother used to play DT and blocks like it. Tech coming, but until then: Smash. Steve Vallos: Upside: Tom Ashworth. Ray Willis: More ...

NFC West position review: Guarded optimism for Rams guards
Turf Show Times — ... Gulls Seattle has no starting guards. It instead has the field. Let's twitterize them. Mike Wahle: Once good and can still run block, but bad in pass-pro and broken down. Shoulder might fall off. Rob Sims: Pec goes pop, Seahawks flop, this semi-promising guard fails to develop. Good pass-block, bad feet. Mansfield Wrotto: Mean ass brother used to play DT and blocks like it. Tech coming, but until then: Smash. Steve Vallos: Upside: Tom Ashworth. Ray Willis: More valuable at ...

2008 Season Retrospective: Steve Vallos
Field Gulls — ... 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Overview: Steve Vallos received a crash course in training camp on playing center. ...

Seattle Works Out Centers Cory Withrow and Grey Ruegamer
Field Gulls — Adam Caplan is reporting that Seattle is hosting centers Cory Withrow and Grey Ruegamer today. This is mostly interesting because both are centers, and at 287 and 299 respectively, neither are ideal candidates for other positions. Seattle is stacked at center. Chris Spencer is a former first round pick and now a seasoned veteran. Max Unger is this year's second round pick and considered a top prospect. The team also has Steve Vallos as depth and Mansfield Wrotto as emergency depth. Withrow and Ruegamer are career journeymen ...

The Top Ten Storylines for the Seattle Seahawks 2009 Training Camp and Preseason
Field Gulls — ... here's Seattle's top ten storylines entering training camp. 10. Is Jon Ryan uncontested at punter? Ryan isn't very good, but Seattle hasn't yet signed any competition. It will be interesting to see if this position is settled or just further down the priorities list. 9. What part-time Hawks are nearing the chopping block? Players like linebacker Lance Laury, defensive tackle Brandon Miller, fullback David Kirtman, center Steve Vallos, tight end Joe Newton, cornerbacks Marquis Floyd, ...

Mansfield Wrotto Out Means Max Unger Likely to Start
Field Gulls — ... Everyone but Spencer should see reps for most of the first half. Though the move from Spencer to Steve Vallos weakens the interior, Vallos is comparable to Spencer in what he can do within the system. So the quality will change, but the playbook shouldn't. This should be very interesting. ...

Seattle Seahawks Offensive Line at San Diego
Field Gulls — ... should he start. I hope he does and I hope he gets a few drives in before Seattle refreezes him in carbonite. Steve Vallos, well, I hope Vallos takes to this system. The ...

Quadriceps Tear Expected to Sideline Chris Spencer Four to Six Weeks
Field Gulls — ... The remaining question isn't about Spencer's long-term future, but his short-term future with the team. Seattle would be daft not to slot Unger in at first team center. I expect a production, deference to Steve Vallos' service, high-sounding speech about Unger earning it, but Unger is a center. He's a pro ready center and could be better than Spencer this season. If he is, and the unit begins to gel with him in the middle, can Seattle justify shaking its line up when Spencer recovers? ...

Sean Locklear Sacks Matt Hasselbeck for a Loss of Seven
Field Gulls — ... 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Seattle couldn't stand up to Denver's stunts. Whenever a Bronco stunted, a Seahawk lapsed on his assignment. Some recovered. Others did not. At the snap, left defensive end Carlton Powell (97) stunts hard towards center Steve Vallos and right offensive guard Max Unger. Kenny ...

Game Thread
Field Gulls — ... : The faster Max Unger can replace Steve Vallos at center, the better. As soon as he is substituted in at center, hope he excels. A middle O-line of ...

Seattle Seahawks 14 - Kansas City Chiefs 10 (Winners and Losers)
Field Gulls — ... and broke for an impressive near-pick before defending the ball from his back. Derek Walker: Made impressive plays in garbage time to protect him from the cut to 75. Losers Devin Moore: Cut is a lock, but does Seattle bother with the practice squad? Logan Payne, Jordan Kent, Brian Hass and Michael Bumpus: Will, short of injury,  not make the roster. Jeff Rowe: Camp days coming to an end. Steve Vallos: Enough of a problem at center that Seattle will entertain free ...

Matt Hasselbeck Hits Mike Vrabel for Six the Other Way
Field Gulls — ... Let's jump back to just after the snap. When Carlson and Locklear were creating the edge and Jones was just approaching. Steve Vallos snaps and struggles to fight into the second level. He can't angle Mays and isn't strong enough to effectively reach block him. Mays runs past Vallos and towards the left end. He caps Jones' seam and tackles him after six. ...

Projecting the Seattle Seahawks 53-Man Roster
Field Gulls — ... Griffith Wide Receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh Deion Branch Nate Burleson Deon Butler Courtney Taylor Ben Obomanu Tight End John Carlson John Owens Joe Newton Offensive Line Sean Locklear Rob Sims Chris Spencer Max Unger Mansfield Wrotto Ray Willis Steve Vallos Kyle Williams Defensive Line Patrick ...

Tyson Jackson Overpowers and Outskills Ray Willis
Field Gulls — ... Hasselbeck takes the snap, looks right and then pump fakes. He looks up and then right again. The line is crumbling around him. Carlson is completely overmatched by Vrabel and he's struggling just to stay in front of him. Locklear is sustaining but sagging, not allowing Hali around him but not stonewalling him either. Steve Vallos has engaged and single-handedly frozen Alex Magee. Jackson has swam past and blown through Willis. ...

Seahawks Error into Stalled Drive: Growing Pains or Harbinger of Pains to Come?
Field Gulls — ... ran twice for two and then confusion stalled the drive. Steve Vallos missed his signal from Hasselbeck. That caused a delay of game, and a reasonable third and six became a problematic third and 11. Jones received for seven on a screen. Vallos had no trouble pulling this time and Seattle set a good wedge for Jones to run behind. Kansas City was defending the first down marker. ...

Winners, Losers and Projecting Seattle's 53 Man Roster
Field Gulls — ... Julius Jones Edgerrin James Justin Forsett Fullback Justin Griffith Owen Schmitt Wide Receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh Nate Burleson Deion Branch Deon Butler Ben Obomanu Tight End John Carlson John Owens Joe Newton Offensive Line Sean Locklear Rob Sims Steve Vallos Max Unger Ray Willis ...

Seattle Seahawks Sack Oakland Raiders 31-21 to Sweep Preseason
Field Gulls — ... Julius Jones Edgerrin James Justin Forsett Fullback Justin Griffith Owen Schmitt Wide Receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh Nate Burleson Deion Branch Deon Butler Ben Obomanu Tight End John Carlson John Owens Joe Newton Offensive Line Sean Locklear Rob Sims Steve Vallos Max Unger Ray Willis ...

Seattle Seahawks Announce 53 Man Roster, Marcus Trufant to PUP List
Field Gulls — ... Max Unger Rob Sims T.J. Houshmandzadeh Deon Butler John Owens Steve Vallos Chris Spencer Ben Obomanu   ...

St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks Open Thread
Field Gulls — ... , protect Steve Vallos. The skeleton key to winning any game is to outscore your opponent, and the most effective way to do that is to pass effectively and effectively stop your opponents' passing game. That should decide today's matchup and if you're looking for a game within the game, watch how Seattle's pass block and pass rush perform. We'll call those keys to the season. ...

Nate Burleson Barely Avoids an Interception
Field Gulls — ... stretch right, but Steve Vallos is driven deep into the pocket and Jones must break a tackle well before reaching the line. Vobora and ...

The Origin of SeaCat: Matt Hasselbeck to Seneca Wallace for 24
Field Gulls — ... Oh yeah, and Hasselbeck at wide out. 4. Edgerrin James was free on the right, but you do not improvise in the middle of a trick play. 5. John Carlson was running into triple coverage. That's the power of a playmaker away from the ball. 6. There wasn't a key block. The closest thing to a key block was Rey Willis blocking right corner Jonathan Wade, but Wallace was likely to pass Wade anyway. 7. Max Unger cut blocked. James chipped and Steve Vallos fell on O.J. Otogwe, but to little effect. Deception ...

Seattle Seahawks First Scoring Drive: From Stretch to Screen
Field Gulls — ... throws a wicked push block on Clifton Ryan and uses that separation to run towards the left flat. Steve Vallos drops his double team with Unger and runs a more vertical route into the second level but towards the third. ...

Matt Hasselbeck Audibles to Beat the Blitz
Field Gulls — ... moves forward and cut blocks the right defensive tackle and obstructs the right end. Steve Vallos blocks Laurinaitis, then attempts to screen and run past him. ...

The Late Emergence of Julius Jones
Field Gulls — ... was bullying Steve Vallos and the initial hole was all but closed when Jones arrived. Jones faced his left shoulder and got skinny, juking through the hole. He landed, exploded into his second gear and turned a couple modest lead blocks into a break away into the third level. Once upon a time, Jones had a third gear to rival almost anyone in the NFL, but enough is left that he's still a breakout threat. If he can consistently transition a field move into a second gear burst, he could regain his big play potential. ...

Greg Knapp Survives an Executed Drive
Field Gulls — ... . Again, the play call worked and Seattle converted the first. Steve Vallos chipped Franklin and pulled out. Vallos was unbelievably bad last year. He has looked serviceable to average in Greg Knapp's zone blocking scheme. ...

Nate Burleson's Personal Three and Out
Field Gulls — ... Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} In between shots of Frank Gore toweling himself off, Seattle ran a drive. Steve Vallos and Rob Sims powered through Aubrayo Franklin and ...

Updating the Seattle Seahawks Injury Status
Field Gulls — ... : Spencer would be higher on the list, but zounds, Steve Vallos is playing good football. Funny the life of an analyst. I helped create Vallos' bad reputation, and now, after he snapped his way into the bad graces of Seahawks fans, I find myself defending him for what was a solid game despite the bush league snapping. ...

The Seahawks Short Drive Long
Field Gulls — ... Seattle resorts to a stock formation: A wide receiver on each side, Carlson right and the back in "I" formation. The Niners set in a 3-4. Off the snap, Steve Vallos and ...

Step One: Chris Spencer and Max Unger's Vital Role
Field Gulls — ... The more likely mistake is that Spencer and Unger do not achieve sufficient push on Robinson for Spencer to pull into the second level and block out the right inside linebacker. With that linebacker free to seal off the outside, Jones is blocked from running outside and sealed off from cutting back by the left inside linebacker. This mistake has beset Seattle this year, but Spencer is an upgrade over Steve Vallos both athletically and at powering the tackle off the line. Robinson can succeed either by pushing back Unger and Spencer, or by disrupting Spencer ...

Matchups: Chris Spencer, Max Unger and Steve Vallos/Mansfield Wrotto V. Bryan Robinson, Alan Branch, Darnell Dockett and Gabe Watson
Field Gulls — ... Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} With the stages of execution described, we can now explore the matchups that will determine if that execution is successful. The many individual matchups that must be won explain why teams do not break long runs on every attempt. In a way, the stages help determine the -1 to 2 yards, 0 to 5 yards, and 5 to n yards of the run. Chris Spencer, Max Unger and Steve Vallos/Mansfield Wrotto versus Bryan Robinson, ...

The Offensive Line Part 1: Ruskell the Rookie
Field Gulls — ... I didn't need to see it to know that starting Kyle Williams beside Steve Vallos was going to be a problem. It was a not so subtle and not so brief reminder that football coaches can overvalue intelligence and intangibles. Vallos chemistry with Williams didn't make it off the practice field. The more important matter is how did Seattle's line get so bad? Could it be significantly better? And is there still hope for improvement? ...

The Offensive Line Part 3: The Healthy Year
Field Gulls — ... The year that Ruskell's plan was its most effective was also the year Ruskell's plan looked most ominous. Seattle didn't land one of that free agent class's big name guards and didn't acquire talent that could start in a pinch. Had the same injuries occurred that year as have this, Seattle was thinner and weaker and more likely to collapse with Tom Ashworth, Mansfield Wrotto and Steve Vallos thrust into action than even Kyle Williams, modern Wrotto and modern Vallos. ...

The Offensive Line Part 4: A Failure Not Earned
Field Gulls — ... 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Offensive line, right? It's a joke made thousands of times since 2005. From what little I saw of yesterday's game, the line was bad enough to kill the offense itself. The Seahawks week six line, Kyle Williams - Steve Vallos - Chris Spencer - Max Unger - Ray Willis, is ...

Auditing the Seahawks Roster: Left Tackle
Field Gulls — ... did to Steve Vallos. Vallos returned the next season and proved he could provide depth at center. Frye could return next season and start. ...

Auditing the Seahawks Roster: Left Guard
Field Gulls — ... zone lineman. He isn't tripping over his own feet anymore like he did in 2007, but he's not pulling out and commanding a position the way Wahle did in 2008, either. This is a position Seattle can get better at. I've often thought of Sims as a right guard, regardless of where he played at Ohio State. But this isn't a position Seattle must upgrade to succeed. Sims is young, developing, a good pass blocker and, for at least one more season, cheap. Mansfield Wrotto: Steve Vallos started over Wrotto last Sunday. Mr. Wrotto, say hello to ...

Auditting the Seahawks Roster: Center
Field Gulls — ... Steve Vallos: When Spencer missed the first two games of the season, Vallos started at center ahead of Unger. Vallos started at left guard in week six, so Vallos did not start ahead of Unger because the team did not trust Vallos to play guard. ...

The Seattle Seahawks are Playing for 2010 in 2009
Field Gulls — ... slows the ends. Mebane is healthy. A rickshaw starting at left tackle grounds the run game. Seattle imported a healthy left tackle. A Steve Vallos mucks everything up. ...

Surviving Jay Ratliff Starts with Chris Spencer
Field Gulls — ... Wade Philips runs a single-gap 3-4. It emphasizes disruption. Seattle ran out Steve Vallos at center last season against the ...