Tuesday, February 21, 2012 @ 3:45pm

What to make of changes in Mariners' lineup

Jim Moore and Steve Sandmeyer weigh in on the news that Chone Figgins will hit leadoff for the Mariners while Ichiro will drop down to third.

Monday, February 20, 2012 @ 2:02pm

ESPN's McShay weighs in on Ryan Tannehill, Seahawks

The Seahawks apparently won't add a quarterback this offseason simply to address their need for a long-term solution at the position. General manager John Schneider said as much last week, telling Clare Farnsworth of Seahawks.com that "I just know if you panic at the position, it can set the organization back. So we're not going to do that."

Schneider's comments suggest that the Seahawks won't reach for a quarterback, i.e., drafting one well head of where their grade on him merits. That thinking comes to mind when discussing the possibility of Seattle using its first-round pick on Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill, who, by most accounts, is one of the top quarterbacks in the draft but perhaps not one whose resume and ability would justify a top-15 selection.

Ryan Tannehill has just 19 starts at quarterback, having played receiver for his first two and a half seasons at Texas A&M. (AP)

McShay cited the Vikings' selection of Christian Ponder with the 12th overall pick last year as an example of how a team's need at quarterback can lead it to draft a player who would otherwise likely be taken much later.

"And that's why it won't surprise me, even though most teams will have a later first-, early second-round grade on Tannehill, or some teams I've talked to even think he's later second-round and are convinced," McShay said. "So there's a wide array of opinions on him, but it wouldn't shock me if we wound up seeing Tannehill. I do think he's the third best quarterback, so if he comes off the board at 11 or 12 it certainly would be no greater shock than Christian Ponder a year ago to the Vikings."

Tannehill began his college career at receiver after failing to win the team's starting quarterback job during camp. He led the Aggies in receiving as a freshman and sophomore before taking over as the starting quarterback midway through his junior season. In 13 games last season, Tannehill completed 61.6 percent of his passes and threw for 3,744 yards, 29 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

Tannehill has just 19 career starts at quarterback, leading McShay to believe that he has plenty of room to develop.

"He still has a lot to learn in an offense that struggled this year at times and was very inconsistent in terms of the supporting cast," McShay said, "but I think with his athleticism, his arm, his ability to make throws on the run and create after the initial play breaks down, there's a lot of potential there. And certainly if you have time to develop him properly he has a chance to be a really good starter in the NFL."

Drafting Tannehill in the first round wouldn't necessarily force the Seahawks to make him their starter right away. Incumbent starter Tarvaris Jackson is under contract for another season, and at a reasonable price. The consensus is that he will at least be on the roster next season, possibly as the team's starter.

Follow Brady Henderson on Twitter @BradyHenderson

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Friday, February 17, 2012 @ 7:26pm

McShay: Alameda Ta'amu could still go in 2nd round

An underwhelming senior season at Washington might not hurt Alameda Ta'amu's draft stock as significantly as some assume.

That was the word from ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay, whose conversation this week with "The Kevin Calabro Show" included the topic of where the former Husky defensive tackle projects to be taken in April's draft.

"It won't surprise me if he is still a second-round pick," McShay said. "It's so hard to find guys that are, what, 341 pounds that can move a little bit and can be very disruptive in the middle. So I think when it's all said and done, even though his stock quote, unquote 'dropped' a little bit, I still think he winds up in the second-round range."

McShay said that "maybe is a little bit lower than we expected going into the year but it's not a huge drop."

Ta'amu capped off a strong finish to his junior season with a dominant performance in the Huskies' Holiday Bowl win over Nebraska. That, combined with his 6-foot-3, 337-pound frame, led to the notion that Ta'amu could be a first-round pick following his senior season at Washington.

He was never the dominant force he was expected to be, though, posting 30 tackles and 3.5 sacks. At one point in the season, defensive coordinator Nick Holt said a hand injury was likely affecting Ta'amu's play.

"He didn't play as well this past year as he did in years past," McShay said. "I can't figure out why it is other than the obvious of maybe players don't want to get injured or maybe they're thinking too much about their pro careers or maybe it's the fact that teams are preparing for them, but I've seen a lot of defensive linemen this year -- (Quinton) Coples, Brandon Thompson from Clemson, a defensive tackle -- a lot of these guys did not play as well in 2011 as they did earlier in their careers. And I think with Ta'amu that's the same case."

Ta'amu drew mixed reviews during the Senior Bowl, some noting his physical tools but questioning his leverage. McShay said he liked what he saw.

"He played really well during the week of practice and I thought he was the most dominant interior defensive lineman in the game," he said. "So he still has the skills there."

McShay added that he pegs former Husky Senio Kelemete as a fourth-round pick, possibly the sixth or seventh guard to be taken. Kelemete played left tackle at Washington.

Follow Brady Henderson on Twitter @BradyHenderson

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Friday, February 17, 2012 @ 10:54am

Hoping proposed Seattle arena deal doesn't fall through

Amid all of the excitement for a proposed arena in Seattle is this important tidbit from yesterday's news conference -- it won't be built until an NBA and NHL team are secured.

I was working under the hopeful assumption that Chris Hansen, the private-investing hedge-fund hero dude, had plans to build the arena without a firm commitment from an NBA and/or an NHL team.

That, of course, was naive on my part. I was just thinking that Hansen would bet on the come, going ahead with the project regardless, knowing that financially strapped NBA and NHL teams would be Seattle-bound at some point in the near future. They would be even more apt to show up here if a new arena were empty and ready for them to move in.

Mayor Mike McGinn, right, and Executive Dow Constantine, left, announced a proposal for a new arena on Thursday. (AP)

So even though I remain wildly optimistic about the NBA returning to Seattle and the NHL showing up for the first time since the Metropolitans disappeared 90-some years ago, the details and time frame are rather sketchy.

I like to think Hansen is privy to behind-the-scenes stuff that tells him, for instance, that the Kings won't be able to come up with a financial plan for a new arena, prompting a move to Seattle.

I also like to think that he knows something about the situation in Phoenix, suggesting that a move by the Coyotes is imminent because they're not going to be able to find local ownership.

And if they can't find local ownership, there's a rich guy in Chicago, Don Levin, who said he'd be interested in owning an NHL team in Seattle, which would be perfect because Hansen is interested in owning an NBA team but not an NHL team.

Or maybe he knows something about the fragility of other teams such as the New Orleans Hornets. But it was just the other day that NBA commissioner David Stern said the league was committed to staying in New Orleans and has two or three prospective buyers that will be required to keep them there.

I sit here and assume that Hansen is a brilliant man who has his ducks in a row, but then I wonder if he does. I have no doubts about the financing of the project, but what if Sacramento announces on March 1 that it has come up with a feasible financial plan of its own for a new arena?

And what if the Hornets find a buyer who signs a lease extension at the New Orleans Arena? And the Coyotes get a local bigwig to buy the team and keep it in Glendale, Ariz.?

Then what? Do the shovel-wielders and backhoe drivers in Seattle sit on their hands and wait two or three or even four years before the first cubic yard of dirt is moved?

When you're wildly optimistic like I am, you don't want to become slightly pessimistic because that would be a contradiction in terms, not to mention not much fun. The definition of not much fun is having this arena plan in place with no prospective tenants.

I would have much rather heard Mayor Mike McGinn say that the project will start when one team is secured in Seattle. Because here's the thing -- even those of us in the wildly optimistic camp have to invest in blind faith to think that the arrival of two teams will magically coincide with each other.

I mean, isn't there a chance that Seattle gets either the Kings or the Coyotes but not both? What happens then? What if the Kings want to move to Seattle and are fine with playing in KeyArena for two years while the new arena is built.

But will they move here if an NHL team doesn't join them right away in Seattle? Maybe there's some wiggle room, and maybe there would be assurances from the NHL that an expansion team would be coming in the future, but would Hansen be able to proceed with his plans with one firm commitment and one that's not as solid?

Given his background as a big Sonics fan, Hansen is more interested in acquiring an NBA team. But what if an NHL team comes here first?

I read a story in the Globe and Mail yesterday that said that KeyArena will be less than adequate as a temporary home for the NHL. It would have 11,000 seats, 2,000 of which would have obstructed views. The story said an NHL owner at the Key would take a financial bath, especially if the team played there for two years, presumably lessening the chances that a team would want to make the move here. Maybe the Tacoma Dome would be a better temporary option for hockey.

But again, I'm assuming that Hansen must have a handle on all of these scenarios, positive and negative. Just like him, I'm hoping for the former because when you're wildly optimistic, you want no part of the latter.

Jim Moore also writes for his website, www.jimmoorethego2guy.com, and his columns appear every Monday in the Kitsap Sun. You can reach the Go 2 Guy at jimmoorethego2guy@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @cougsgo.

Thursday, February 16, 2012 @ 7:36pm

McShay: DE Quinton Coples could fall to Seahawks

The Seahawks have identified pass-rush as an area they'll look to improve, no surprise given that their 33 sacks last season put them in a tie for 19th in the NFL.

ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay joined "The Kevin Calabro Show" this week and spoke extensively about one player that could help in that department, Quinton Coples.

Todd McShay considers former North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples the fifth-best player in the draft. (AP)

"The talent is top-five," McShay said. "I mean, it's hard to really debate that when you look at his size, his quickness, his ability to turn speed to power as a pass-rusher, his ability to seal off the edge and really defend the running game with some power, size and strength, he can do it all."

Coples' resume includes 24 sacks, 40.5 tackles for loss and two first-team All-ACC selections in four seasons at North Carolina. McShay ranks him as the draft's top defensive end and fifth-best overall player. ESPN Scouts Inc. ranks him as the No. 3 player in the draft. Coples is just under 6-foot-6 and weighs 281 pounds.

Why would a player like that fall out of the top 10?

"You go back and study him in 2010, I thought he gave a more consistent effort and played with more urgency in 2010," McShay said. "Then you watch the Senior Bowl, all the practices and then the game, and that's the guy that you see on tape back in 2010. It's not the same player you see all the time in 2011, so there's some concern there."

A coin flip at the scouting combine later this month will determine whether the Seahawks pick 11th or 12th overall. McShay thinks misgivings about Coples' inconsistent effort combined with alternatives in Melvin Ingram and Courtney Upshaw -- -- both of whom McShay deems worthy of a top-12 pick -- may cause teams drafting ahead of Seattle to pass on Coples.

McShay also didn't rule out the possibility of Seattle taking either Ingram or Upshaw, instead.

"If that's the route they decide to take ... I'd have to think they're going to get a good football player," he said.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012 @ 7:58pm

ESPN's Todd McShay isn't sold on Chris Polk's speed

Chris Polk put an exclamation point on his career at Washington, rushing for 147 yards and a touchdown in the Huskies' Alamo Bowl loss to Baylor.

When he announced he was entering the NFL, it seemed like a realistic possibility that Polk would hear his name called in the late-first or early-second round of April's draft. ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay told "The Kevin Calabro Show" Wednesday that since then, Polk's stock has fallen.

"I think, certainly, he loves the game," McShay said. "The passion is there, but I just don't know how explosive he's going to be and that's kind of the big question. So I think he has a chance to come off the board probably in the, at best, late second (round), but probably third-round rage."

Polk finished his career at Washington second on the school's all-time rushing list, just 57 yards shy of Napoleon Kaufman's career record of 4,106.

Polk's performance at the Senior Bowl, both in practice and the game, raised questions about his overall explosiveness. He rushed for 15 yards on six carries in the game.

"I don't think he was quite as quick as you see on tape," McShay said of Polk at the Senior Bowl. "And I guess I was just a little bit caught off guard because it didn't seem like he was the same exact player that I saw, but I went back and watched more tape from this year and that's the one part of his game that I'm not convinced of, is that initial burst and the lateral quickness."

But there is some upside in Polk, according to McShay. He mentioned vision, patience, strength and pass-catching ability as some of Polk's attributes that could translate to success in the NFL. That success is relative, though, McShay said.

"I think at best he's probably going to be a decent starter that shares a lot of reps," McShay said. "But more likely probably a back-up that is a contributor in all facets of the game."

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Wednesday, February 15, 2012 @ 3:44pm

NFL draft, 'Monday Night Football' and more

The Seahawks' options in the NFL draft and Ron Jaworski's removal from the "Monday Night Football" broadcast booth were topics on Wednesday's edition of the Warmup.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012 @ 3:33pm

Is 19 too young to grace cover of SI swimsuit edition?

What do Jim Moore's and Steve Sandmeyer's bodies have in common with the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition?

Thankfully, nothing other than that they were both topics in Tuesday's Warmup video.