A Grip on Sports: The NFL season may be a while away but when training camp blasts off this week, our eyes will turn to the Seahawks
A GRIP ON SPORTS • There is a clock ticking. Not one you can hear, and not because most clocks these days are digital. It’s one of those in-your-head clocks. A countdown one, like NASA used to use back in the day. What’s about to blast off? Football season.
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• We’ll give the Mariners two more days. If they can’t inspire the Northwest fan base by then, they are out of time. On Wednesday, the Seahawks open training camp. And it will take something special from T-Mobile to wrest back the Northwest’s focus.
We have all heard the NFL called the 500-pound gorilla of sports leagues. Whatever it wants, it gets. But I’m not sure I see it that way in this part of the country. The Hawks are more akin to King Kong. Or Godzilla. And everything else is just the equivalent of 1950s Tokyo, crushed underfoot as the sport rampages through our collective consciousness.
The M’s are regional. And, with a World Series run, could possibly capture the Northwest’s attention in a way the Seahawks never did. Even in the Legion of Boom days. But that’s pretty easy to dismiss, what with the franchise’s track record and an ownership group seemingly committed more to profit than wins.
A championship seems more like science fiction than even the latest King of the Monsters flick.
Which brings us to Wednesday. In Renton. The second year of the Mike Macdonald era. Or “Era,” if the wins start to pile up.
Macdonald’s first team won 10 times. Good. Missed the playoffs. Bad. Played defense with passion and success after a midseason shakeup. Good. Had all the same offensive issues as Pete Carroll’s final team. Bad. Made a major offseason change, jettisoning quarterback Geno Smith and signing free agent Sam Darnold. Good? Or bad?
Everyone starts to find out Wednesday. Well, sort of. Practice is, well, practice. And yes, you can say that like Allen Iverson would.
No one will be sure Darnold is an improvement until October at the earliest. Though that won’t stop anyone from making snap judgments based on only a few snaps against competition. Judgments that actually may be predicated on how well the five (or six or seven, depending on the formation) guys up front are protecting the $100 million man.
The key to training camp – and the season – may just be how well offensive line coach John Benton can turn the group into an asset, not a liability. If it comes together, fits well with coordinator Klint Kubiak’s scheme and helps Darnold succeed, then there is hope for the regular season. If not, Macdonald’s defense will be overstressed and the 12s’ hopes overmatched.
If you are lucky enough to be at camp when the doors open for fans Friday, watch that group run through its paces. Observe the interaction between the players and Benton, between the line and Darnold, between the group’s members themselves. If there are a lot of quizzical looks, consistent finger pointing and way-too-visible frustration, race to the nearest sports book and put a quid down on the win-total’s under.
If not? Then have hope. No need to reserve a room in the Bay Area for early February just yet, sure, but maybe you can ask your aunt in Fremont if the guest room might be available then. If needed.
• What could the M’s do to wrest back the spotlight this month?
Other than making a deal, or deals, that would show the fanbase they are committed to winning in this season which lacks a clear-cut favorite? Not sure any of us think that will happen.
How about snapping Milwaukee’s winning streak, for starters? The Brewers come to T-Mobile for three games. And they come in as MLB’s hottest team, having won 10 consecutive times. Tied the Cubs for the National League Central lead. Just swept a three-game series at Dodger Stadium for the first time.
Taking a series with the Brewers, then heading to California and winning against the Angels and A’s would seem to buoy the concept buying at the deadline is a must. Add a bat and a bullpen arm or two before returning home to face the Rangers, White Sox and Rays.
The bottom line? Just keep winning. And hope the Hawks’ offensive line looks like a hot mess against the Raiders on Aug. 7.
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WSU: Yes, we know college football begins soon too. But it does not unite the region the same way the Seahawks do. Your cousin in Beaverton may root for the Ducks and make fun of your crimson sweatshirt, but you both may have a Richard Sherman jersey stored somewhere. Which illustrates Wednesday is for everyone. A week later, when camp kicks off in Pullman? That’s for the Cougar faithful. Even if tight end Andre Dollar won’t be there. Greg Woods shares the news Dollar, the senior member of the position group, is no longer with the team. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, recruiting doesn’t stop. Not for the Huskies. … Neither do the Oregon State position previews in the Oregonian, today’s covering the wide receivers. … There is also one on Arizona’s running backs. … Will there ever be pay equity among college football teams? Probably not. … A Utah player did not answer the call to leave for more money. … There has already been changes at Utah State under new coach Bronco Mendenhall. … If you want to watch San Diego State play in person before the Aztecs visit Pullman, tickets go on sale today. … The Mountain West’s focus isn’t in the moment, no matter what the commissioner is selling.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, we can pass along the preseason all-conference football team members from a lot of schools, including Eastern and Idaho. … Montana and Montana State had 11 combined, including five Bobcats. … We also pass along releases from Northern Arizona, Cal Poly, Portland State and UC Davis. … Recruiting has not stopped for the Griz.
Velocity: Midfielder Nil Vinyals was involved with Project Inspire at its beginning, when the idea of a professional league for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities was just a dream. Last week, he was at the tryouts as a Spokane group took shape, a key part in turning the dream into a four-team reality. So was Matthew Callaghan, who has this story in the S-R.
Indians: Spokane finished its quick trip to Vancouver with a 6-4 win Sunday. Dave Nichols followed along and has this coverage.
Mariners: For all the goodwill winning the first two games of the series with A.L. West-leading Houston engendered, Sunday’s game was a crucial one for the standings and the race ahead. When the M’s raced ahead to a three-run lead with Bryan Woo on the mound, things looked promising. But the Astros scored the last 11 runs and rolled. As a result, instead of being just two games back, Seattle is four heading into tonight’s visit from the Brewers. … Despite Sunday’s loss, Matt Calkins doesn’t believe the Mariners will falter down the stretch. … The starting pitching for the Brewers’ series is set. … Here is a good summary of the M’s recent draft.
Seahawks: The guy who started at tight end last season, Noah Fant, won’t be the starter when camp opens Wednesday. Fant was cut Sunday, saving the Hawks cap space and a bunch of dollar bills. With the amount of money involved, the move was not unexpected. … Here is a list of the season’s key dates.
Reign: Seattle hosted the Japanese club, Urawa Red Diamonds, on Sunday in a friendly. And won 2-1, thanks to Sofia Huerta’s two goals. Huerta had been out with an injury recently.
Golf: Yes, there was a major championship nominally decided Sunday. But before we get there, we want to highlight the local professional tournament. The Rosauers Open Invitational at Indian Canyon. Jim Meehan was at the final round and has this story of Daniel Campbell’s second win in the event. … The chances Scottie Scheffler would squander his 54-hole lead in the 153rd Open Championship on Sunday? Not zero, sure. But low enough we focused yesterday, before he even teed it up, on what the win would mean to his legacy. That’s the thrust of today’s coverage from around the world, including in the S-R. … There are also a few stories on what the results down the leaderboard mean for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. The competition is later this summer.
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• We will not be here tomorrow. Being on the road means schedules can be crowded and Tuesday’s just happens to be that way. Wednesday may be as well but I don’t know just yet. Until later …