A Tail of Two Practice Squaders (cont.)

Finishing up my thoughts on some practice squaders, Justin Forsett seems to be making quite an impression with his energy and work ethic. When he was drafted in the seventh round this year, I thought he'd end up as a fun story with no shot at the NFL. The typical Forsett analysis: He's too small. I completely bought into it, and I should have known better, given that Tim Ruskell is building this team. Turns out Forsett is the high-motor, high-character (assuming this one - haven't heard any bad stories, and he certainly hasn't been involved in any hit-and-runs like certain other Cal running backs) player that Ruskell loves, and that other teams tend to pass on because of their size.

I love what Ruskell has done with the defense, which was built with 'undersized' players like Tatupu, Mebane, Tapp, and Jennings, just to name a few. But can that philosophy work just as well on offense, especially at running back, where speed can only get you so far (see Bush, Reggie)? On the other hand, Ruskell also signed T.J. Duckett, who is monstrous. This comes from the other Ruskell trend - signing former Falcons and Buccaneers players that had played for him previously.

So, where does Forsett fit in? The consensus is that if five running backs are kept, those five will be Jones, Morris, Weaver, Duckett, and Schmidt. I would be surprised if six running backs were kept, as virtually every other position group will be fighting to keep an additional player (see receivers previously, safeties below). I could even see only four running backs kept if Duckett learns enough of the fullback duties to allow Schmidt to spend a year on the practice squad. But Forsett isn't competing with the fullbacks for a roster spot, with the possible exception of Schmidt being redundant. For the most part, Forsett would fill the same role as Morris.

Would the Seahawks cut Morris (5'11", 216) in favor of Forsett (5'8", 190)? I doubt it. Morris has the most experience of any of the running backs, knows the system, and, most importantly, Holmgren knows what he has with Morris, even if that known is limited at being a number two, change of pace back. Forsett could have additional value as a punt/kick returner, but the Seahawks already have a bunch of other potential returners, so I don't know how much of that value would be realized. My guess is the Seahawks would like to stash Forsett on the practice squad for a year and then let him take over Morris's spot next year should they choose not to resign Morris. I'm keeping my fingers crossed he makes it onto the practice squad.

Quickly, there's now a third practice squader I've taken an interest in - Jamar Adams, an undrafted safety out of Michigan. Word was that he was once considered a second- or third-round pick before he slipped all the way out of the draft. Huh. Jim Mora was plenty excited that the Seahawks were able to pick him up, and Adams has shown potential in camp. The Seattle P.I. has an article about the Seahawks maybe keeping nine defensive backs, rather than their normal eight. I really need to find Sando's roster analysis for historical trends by position group so that I can make better-informed statements about roster spots. Anyway, Adams is pushing, and I'm going to keep an eye on him.