Aaron Curry at WLB (1 Viewer)

[Jene Bramel]

Most observers seemed to suggest that Leroy Hill would play ROLB or WLB this year, with Curry stuck to the strong side.

Against the Chargers in the first preseason game, Curry played WLB exclusively during the first two series. No ROLB/LOLB business either, Curry at Will, Hill at Sam. The news isn't all rosy, however, as Hill was the second nickel backer and I didn't see Curry taking any snaps as a pass rusher.

Still, it's big news for Curry's short and long term prospects.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Good points on Curry, Jene.2 notes on Leroy Hill... he easily looked the best of the 3 LBs out there (agree?) ... he played mlb on a couple nickle packages. (Didnt see any dime packages early on tho.)

I've always felt that Hill has been one of the more active guys out there. A couple of nagging injuries, a lot of competition for tackles and too much time on the strong side has kept him from being consistent enough to get much IDP love.Nickel package is going to tell the tale here.For now, these developments should drop Hill out of the recent LB3 upside/sleeper discussion and make Curry a priority waiver target in redraft leagues the moment he earns nickel time. Curry's dynasty owners should be pretty excited, too, obviously.

 

[Bdub]

Bump...

I didn't get a chance to see the Kansas City game this past weekend, did anyone get a good look at Curry? Did he play WLB exclusively, and did he get any nickel work?

 

[Larry Thomas]

Bump...

I didn't get a chance to see the Kansas City game this past weekend, did anyone get a good look at Curry? Did he play WLB exclusively, and did he get any nickel work?

Have it recorded, but haven't had a chance to see it yet.

 

[Bdub]

Jene, anybody? If we don't hear much more before the time comes, can we safely start him week 1? Maybe as a LB4?

 

[Jene Bramel]

Jene, anybody? If we don't hear much more before the time comes, can we safely start him week 1? Maybe as a LB4?

Last week was a working weekend for me and I'm deep in redraft silliness, so I'm a little behind on game reviews this week. I don't see anything in the Gamebook or the local news that would suggest Curry moved to SLB or had a larger nickel role, but I'll add something if I see differently.Curry's week-to-week value will depend on his matchups if he remains a base defensive only linebacker. Similar to when Curtis Lofton was startable last year, though there are some OLB/ILB differences in expectation.

 

[Bdub]

Thanks for the info Jene. Mora said that Curry was going to get some extensive action this weekend. Maybe we'll get a chance to see his nickel skills if they give him a shot.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Thanks for the info Jene. Mora said that Curry was going to get some extensive action this weekend. Maybe we'll get a chance to see his nickel skills if they give him a shot.

I would agree with this, but I wouldn't use this week to determine his regular season role. Most teams don't play their starters much in the last preseason game. Curry being a rookie is why he would play more rather than anything to do with his regular season role.

 

[Bdub]

Curry had 4 solo's, a sack, and forced fumble last night in the first half. I know it was against mostly scrubs, but still very nice to see.

 

[Bdub]

On their first series, Curry looked awesome. On the first play, Hawthorne's sack was just as much Curry's if you ask me, but he didn't get credit for it. 2nd down he was on the line and rushed again. On third down he was out in coverage on #18, whoever that was, and came back to tackle Bush. He looks like their leader (in due time) and plays with some serious emotion. Very fired up, waving his hands up and down often.

 

[sdseagles]

Most observers seemed to suggest that Leroy Hill would play ROLB or WLB this year, with Curry stuck to the strong side.Against the Chargers in the first preseason game, Curry played WLB exclusively during the first two series. No ROLB/LOLB business either, Curry at Will, Hill at Sam. The news isn't all rosy, however, as Hill was the second nickel backer and I didn't see Curry taking any snaps as a pass rusher.Still, it's big news for Curry's short and long term prospects.

Jene, do you have a link to that? I can't find anything to confirm Curry starting on the weakside. And the game books only show "OLB". If this is true, this is BIG news and could be a huge surprise in fantasy leagues. Whaddsyagot?

 

[Jene Bramel]

Most observers seemed to suggest that Leroy Hill would play ROLB or WLB this year, with Curry stuck to the strong side.Against the Chargers in the first preseason game, Curry played WLB exclusively during the first two series. No ROLB/LOLB business either, Curry at Will, Hill at Sam. The news isn't all rosy, however, as Hill was the second nickel backer and I didn't see Curry taking any snaps as a pass rusher.Still, it's big news for Curry's short and long term prospects.

Jene, do you have a link to that? I can't find anything to confirm Curry starting on the weakside. And the game books only show "OLB". If this is true, this is BIG news and could be a huge surprise in fantasy leagues. Whaddsyagot?

There was no link for the observations in the first post. It was something I noted while watching the game. I haven't seen anything written in print, though I haven't searched for anything over the past week.Since that post, Curry missed the second preseason game. Hill was aligned to the strong side (with DD Lewis on the weak side) in that one, too. Still trying to get caught up on the W3 and W4 DVR, but I'd be surprised if things were different.

 

[Bdub]

Most observers seemed to suggest that Leroy Hill would play ROLB or WLB this year, with Curry stuck to the strong side.Against the Chargers in the first preseason game, Curry played WLB exclusively during the first two series. No ROLB/LOLB business either, Curry at Will, Hill at Sam. The news isn't all rosy, however, as Hill was the second nickel backer and I didn't see Curry taking any snaps as a pass rusher.Still, it's big news for Curry's short and long term prospects.

Jene, do you have a link to that? I can't find anything to confirm Curry starting on the weakside. And the game books only show "OLB". If this is true, this is BIG news and could be a huge surprise in fantasy leagues. Whaddsyagot?

There was no link for the observations in the first post. It was something I noted while watching the game. I haven't seen anything written in print, though I haven't searched for anything over the past week.Since that post, Curry missed the second preseason game. Hill was aligned to the strong side (with DD Lewis on the weak side) in that one, too. Still trying to get caught up on the W3 and W4 DVR, but I'd be surprised if things were different.

I just watched week 4 and he lined up on the weak side every play, did not come off the field, was in coverage plenty, and blitzed a ton. I'm sure they did that to get him extra practice reps, but he looks like a major stud in the making.

 

[JHicks22]

Bumping this thread because of Curry's performance this past weekend. OUTSTANDING. Was that his breakout game, and can any Seahawks homers chime in on what they expect for the rest of this year?

 

[GROMS]

Bumping this thread because of Curry's performance this past weekend. OUTSTANDING. Was that his breakout game, and can any Seahawks homers chime in on what they expect for the rest of this year?

I'm interested in this as well.

 

[RushHour]

And not just last week - the last 3 three games he's had 7 tackles. Those are consistently good numbers.

(I'm also surprised we haven't heard much about Cushing, who has had a great start to his career as well).

 

[JHicks22]

And not just last week - the last 3 three games he's had 7 tackles. Those are consistently good numbers.(I'm also surprised we haven't heard much about Cushing, who has had a great start to his career as well).

Agreed. He's been very impressive over the last 3-4 game stretch. I personally thought he was the 1st or 2nd best player available in the draft last year. You would think with such a high pedigree more people would be talking about Curry. Are people really sleeping on this guy? I think he can have a Patrick Willis type impact on this Seahawks squad.

 

[sgtrobo]

i'm starting to wonder if he won't end up being Willis-like as well.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Not sure folks have been sleeping on him. We noted very early in the preseason that he had an increased expectation after reporting that Seattle was aligning him to the weak side despite earlier offseason hints that he'd play on the strong side. Then, after LeRoy Hill went down, his expectation jumped again with the new every-down role. He's also being helped somewhat by the hamstring injury that's limited Lofa Tatupu (Hawthorne outtackled him in Weeks 2 and 3 and a limited Tatupu outtackled him in W4) and the inconsistent secondary tacklers.

No question he looks like a burgeoning NFL stud and he's made the most of his every-down opportunity. Right now, he deserves consideration as a strong LB2 option. But, before we anoint him the next Keith Bulluck, much less the next Patrick Willis, he'll need to continue his production with a healthy LB unit and remain an every-down player.

 

[hotlanta]

Jene, will Curry remain an every down player when Hill comes back? I assume he will stay at WLB, with Tatupu in the middle, and Hill at SLB?

 

[Jene Bramel]

Jene, will Curry remain an every down player when Hill comes back? I assume he will stay at WLB, with Tatupu in the middle, and Hill at SLB?

With his strong play, there's a much higher likelihood that Curry remains an every-down player when Hill is healthy, but we may not get confirmation either way until both are in the lineup again. Curry has been a WLB since the beginning in the base defense; I don't see his role changing there.

 

[Bdub]

Jene, will Curry remain an every down player when Hill comes back? I assume he will stay at WLB, with Tatupu in the middle, and Hill at SLB?

With his strong play, there's a much higher likelihood that Curry remains an every-down player when Hill is healthy, but we may not get confirmation either way until both are in the lineup again. Curry has been a WLB since the beginning in the base defense; I don't see his role changing there.

Bump...I've noticed Curry has had a rather sharp decline in his solo tackles over the past 3 weeks, and has had no big plays at all. With Hawthorne and Hill in there now, is he off the field on third down? He was out there for awhile but I haven't seen any Seattle games for awhile. Anybody know what's going on? I'm not losing patience with Curry, he's an animal and his time will come, but is he startable for the rest of the season if I've got better options? I guess I was getting spoiled there for awhile, his IDP value was awesome.

 

[Kal]

Jene, will Curry remain an every down player when Hill comes back? I assume he will stay at WLB, with Tatupu in the middle, and Hill at SLB?

With his strong play, there's a much higher likelihood that Curry remains an every-down player when Hill is healthy, but we may not get confirmation either way until both are in the lineup again. Curry has been a WLB since the beginning in the base defense; I don't see his role changing there.

Bump...I've noticed Curry has had a rather sharp decline in his solo tackles over the past 3 weeks, and has had no big plays at all. With Hawthorne and Hill in there now, is he off the field on third down? He was out there for awhile but I haven't seen any Seattle games for awhile. Anybody know what's going on? I'm not losing patience with Curry, he's an animal and his time will come, but is he startable for the rest of the season if I've got better options?

I guess I was getting spoiled there for awhile, his IDP value was awesome.

He's still in the nickel (as of the Dallas game/ havent looked at the Lions game yet)http://www.profootballfocus.com/pheader.php?gameid=1500

I did this game and noticed Hill came out, though this may change as he gets back to fitness.

 

[Bdub]

Jene, will Curry remain an every down player when Hill comes back? I assume he will stay at WLB, with Tatupu in the middle, and Hill at SLB?

With his strong play, there's a much higher likelihood that Curry remains an every-down player when Hill is healthy, but we may not get confirmation either way until both are in the lineup again. Curry has been a WLB since the beginning in the base defense; I don't see his role changing there.

Bump...I've noticed Curry has had a rather sharp decline in his solo tackles over the past 3 weeks, and has had no big plays at all. With Hawthorne and Hill in there now, is he off the field on third down? He was out there for awhile but I haven't seen any Seattle games for awhile. Anybody know what's going on? I'm not losing patience with Curry, he's an animal and his time will come, but is he startable for the rest of the season if I've got better options?

I guess I was getting spoiled there for awhile, his IDP value was awesome.

He's still in the nickel (as of the Dallas game/ havent looked at the Lions game yet)http://www.profootballfocus.com/pheader.php?gameid=1500

I did this game and noticed Hill came out, though this may change as he gets back to fitness.

Bump....Looks like Curry is out of their nickel packages, which explains his poor production over the past month.

Per Rotoworld:

Rookie SLB Aaron Curry has been removed from the Seahawks' nickel package.

Now only a mere early-down linebacker, Curry is barely averaging five tackles a game. The No. 4 overall pick hasn't been nearly as effective as No. 16 overall pick Brian Cushing for the Texans. Seahawks GM Tim Ruskell should be kicking himself for drafting Curry over Eugene Monroe in April.

He's pretty much unstartable right now, and that's fine with me because I didn't draft him in a dynasty league to be my LB1. However, next year is going to be very interesting when Lofa is back, Hawthorne is clearly a beast, and then we have Curry in his second year. What could be hope to get out of him next year? Is he on the right team, in the right position, in the right system to become a LB1 next year?

 

[Anthony Borbely]

If you listen to the IDP Roundtable, they mentioned this a few weeks ago.

 

[Bdub]

If you listen to the IDP Roundtable, they mentioned this a few weeks ago.

For those of us that don't listen to that, is he toast this year and what can we hope for next year?

 

[Anthony Borbely]

If you listen to the IDP Roundtable, they mentioned this a few weeks ago.

For those of us that don't listen to that, is he toast this year and what can we hope for next year?

It's hard to say. Seattle's defense is pretty bad so nothing can be etched in stone. The Vikings TEs ate them up last week so maybe Curry was not the problem. My guess is Curry will play every down later in the year to gain experience, but that is just a guess. Next year I have to think Curry plays every down, but that is just an opinion. I don't think they drafted him 4th overall to be a 2 down LB and he has the athletic ability and skills to not only play every down, but to excel.

 

[Jene Bramel]

I'm with Tony.

I don't necessarily subscribe to the "rookie wall" theory, but it's been clear that Curry hasn't been as disruptive and quick to the ball over the past month. Curry has flashed enough this year, though, to suggest that he'll can consistently become the every-down, all-around player the Seahawks thought they were getting this year. I'd expect him to have good value in future years and he may yet work himself back into a larger role in 2009.

It'll definitely be interesting to see how the Seahawks approach this offseason with four strong linebackers. Especially given the salary issues for the projected starters -- all are signed long term and have played well -- since Hawthorne is arguably playing better than any of the projected starters.