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Seahawks Blog |
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February 2008
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Now that the Pro Bowl is over (does anyone really watch the game?), all eyes in the NFL can turn to Redskins' head coach Jim Zorn's fumbled first news conference...wait. How about... free agency. For Seahawks fans, FA No.1 is likely Marcus Trufant, commonly known as Mr. Elite Cornerback. 411mania.com has Tru ranked as the number one free agent on the market. And realfootball365 believes Mora's hiring was part and parcel in trying to keep Marcus. So, what will the Seahawks do? Offer a contract slightly below market value and if Tru says no, tag him? The "buzz" at the Pro Bowl, according to the Denver Post was..."Trufant is going to cash in big in free agency and could surpass Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey as the highest-paid cornerback in the league." Whew. Well, if they can't sign him, would the Seahawks franchise Trufant? It'd cost. Something around $9.5 million. 7 Comments |
we need him lets ditch locklear if anyone
do whatever we can to keep him without getting ridiculous! get rid of Alexander if needed.
Pay him. Plain and simple. He's an elite corner, a fan favortie and a local guy active in the community. We want to keep telling all the other NFL teams, "You can't handle the Truf!"
(Wow, did I just say that?)
Yes he was an elite corner......this year. His free agency year. You remember "Tru" before this year? The guy that got beat deep regularly. I don't think it's a coincidence he stepped up in his FA year and it seems to me we had a league MVP a couple years ago do the same thing. Hmmmm what did he do this year? I'm not saying the same would happen if you sign Trufant. But this team has thrived on not having a superstar. To overpay and give him that status on this team could very well have a detrimental impact on our defense. You don't need to look much further than our running game for a pretty solid example.
Sure it's a safe point to make that he stepped it up in his contract year. But it's also not a coincidence that he took a major step forward when Jim Mora became his coach. Also, a lot can be said when you have a strong supporting cast in the secondary, which is something the team had this past season. Greater confidence, teammanship and coaching. Trufant is the real deal. He just needed some new direction and he got it. Comparing Trufant to Shaun is like comparing apples to padlocks.
I wasn't comparing Trufant to Shaun. Rather the our top running back with a huge contract and no incentive to compete at a high level with the potential for a huge salary for Trufant and the possibility of the same result. I bet you would have said Shaun was the real deal 2 years ago too. Don't get me wrong, Mora was a great addition and one of the reasons our secondary improved. But c'mon...Brian Russel for Hamlin (not a pro bowler!) and Deon Grant for Boulware/Babineaux. That had a little bit to do with it. Isn't it reasonable to assume that Mora could help out a newcomer if Marcus leaves for more money and we don't fall off that much? Last I checked Champ Bailey wasn't leading the broncos to the promised land.
Trufant is also a couple years younger than Champ Bailey. Broncos not going to the promised land isn't just because of Champ Bailey, they had some offensive issues that sealed their fate. I think Trufant is the real deal. He had some blown coverages in previous years but he's always been a quality CB, nobody's perfect. Even moreso after Mora got on board. Quality CB's can last for years, so comparing his FA year to Alexander's FA just isn't the same. Trufant's got potential for far more good years in him than Alexander did in his FA year.