Happy Tuesday, everyone. Hopefully everyone has been enjoying the holiday season and a bunch of random bowl games this week. The Seahawks are back to work this week preparing for the Jets, a must-win for their playoff chances, but before we turn our attention to that matchup, it's time once again to answer questions from you, the fans. As always, thanks to everyone who asked questions this week, and apologies if I wasn't able to get to yours this time around. And remember, in addition to asking on Twitter, you can also submit questions online at Seahawks.com/mailbag.
Let's get to it…
@nancygates72 asks, "How is Tyler Lockett, and is it known if he will play or not?"
A: I briefly ran into Lockett in the building this morning, and he seemed to be in a good mood, so I'd say Lockett is doing well today.
Oh, you meant his hand, not his general state of being, huh?
Well in that case, no, it is not known if he will play this week. When Lockett had surgery last week on his hand, he did so in hopes that he could return as soon as this week, and as of Monday Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said the veteran receiver is still hoping for that outcome. But until Lockett starts catching passes and seeing how his surgically-repaired hand holds up to that, he and the team won't know how quickly a return can happen.
"I don't know that yet," Carroll said Monday when asked if Lockett could play against the Jets Sunday. "I know what he wants to do, he wants to play, so we'll see… He needs to find out, is he comfortable with being able to catch the football and hold onto it and all that kind of stuff."
Carroll said Lockett's status likely won't be known until late in the week, but did note that a player as experienced as Lockett could in theory play on Sunday without practicing during the week.
"He does not need to necessarily practice," Carroll said. "If anybody could go through the game plan in the walkthroughs and all that kind of stuff, because he won't miss any of that; he can run around. The question will be what it feels like to catch the football and hang on to it. We're going to take all the time that we can, so we might not know that answer until way late in the week, but he'll be ready to go otherwise as far as the game plan."
@kmasterman asks, "What is the favorite holiday movie in the Boyle household and have the kids seen Diehard a million times?"
A: You're just jumping right past the "Is Diehard a Christmas movie?" debate, I see. (For the record, I say if you like watching Diehard at Christmas, then to you it's a Christmas movie, and that's all that matters. Also, it's a Christmas movie.) And no, my kids most definitely have not seen it. Our oldest is only 7, so I feel like that'd be some pretty irresponsible parenting ("Daddy, what does 'Yippee Ki-Yay, (expletive)' mean?")
As for a favorite, I don't have one go-to movie I have to watch every holiday season, but plenty that I enjoy (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Elf, Bad Santa, etc). I will say that I very much enjoy that Netflix has jumped into the Hallmark Channel cheesy-Christmas movie realm. Are most of those movies actually good? Not really, but there's something about tuning in and wondering if the protagonist will find love and/or save the family's Christmas-themed business from an evil developer and/or have the holiday spirit change their perspective and make them realize there are more important things in life than the career that is making them miserable.
Spoiler alert: the answer to all of those things is yes.
Chuck Doubek from Normandy Park asks, "Did the Seahawks have the opportunity to prevent the Packers from signing Bo Melton off the practice squad by signing them to their own 53-man roster?"
A: First, if you missed it, Chuck is referring to the fact that the Packers signed Melton, a seventh-round pick in this year's draft, off Seattle's practice squad and onto their 53-man roster on Tuesday. So, could the Seahawks have stopped it? The short answer is no. If a team comes offering a job on the 53-man roster, that practice squad player is essentially a free agent and can take it. Sometimes teams do counter by offering to sign a player to keep them from leaving, and often times a player would take that choice given the familiarity with the team/system etc., but they're under no obligation to do so.
And ultimately even if the Seahawks offered Melton a spot on the 53, he may have decided to pursue another opportunity. Melton has been on the practice squad the entire season while fellow seventh-rounder Dareke Young is on the 53-man roster, and he has also seen Laquon Treadwell and Cade Johnson elevated on gameday ahead of him. None of that is to say Melton can't someday become a productive NFL player and have a long career, but as of now at least, he wasn't getting that chance in Seattle, so if the Packers were offering a shot at being on the roster, he might see that as his best chance to get on the field soon.
@Rjones3438 asks, "Currently, the Seahawks pick from the Broncos is No. 3 overall. As of today, if you had to predict, how would the Seahawks use it? Is there a need worth the No. 3 pick? Trade back for multiple picks?" Frank Jones from New York City also asked about what the Seahawks might do with a top pick.
A: This question is going to come up until the day the 2023 draft kicks off, because it's hard for a fanbase not to get excited about a Top 5 pick, which the Seahawks are set to have thanks to the trade that sent Russell Wilson to Denver, one that will also give the Seahawks Denver's pick near the top of the second round.
As for what they'll do with it, there are just way too many variables at play between now and then to make a good guess. For starters, we don't know what the Seahawks think of the top draft prospects, or if those opinions might change as the pre-draft process plays out, and secondly, we don't know what will happen in free agency, most notably whether or not the Seahawks will be able to re-sign Geno Smith (the franchise tag could also be a possibility if a long-term deal doesn't get done).
I've seen fans clamoring for a top defensive lineman, and if a true game-wrecker is available, it's hard to argue against that idea, but again, we just don't know what the Seahawks think of the players at the top of the draft. That element of the unknown also makes it tough to know if the Seahawks will be inclined to trade back, depending on who is available. Of course, teams always need a willing partner to move back, but the other big factor is who and? what players are available at that pick, and who might be available wherever they could hypothetically move back. If, for example, the Seahawks were on the clock at No. 3 and had three players they really liked almost equally, and had a chance to add extra picks by going back two slots, then moving back and getting one of those three players would make a lot of sense. If, however, the offer was to move back six spots and the Seahawks saw a significant drop-off after those three players, then it might be too risky to move back. That is basically the scenario that played out this year with the No. 9 pick. The Seahawks really wanted Charles Cross when they were up with that pick, which was also acquired in the Wilson trade, but while they were on the clock they got a call about trading back. There was some discussion, but ultimately John Schneider and company decided it wasn’t worth the risk of losing Cross by moving, so they said no and got their left tackle of the future.
@michaelpherman asks, "Which player throws the best New Year's Eve bash?"
A: Seeing as the Seahawks play on New Year's Day, I'm guessing there will be no New Year's Eve bash. If there were one though, I think I'd go with Nick Bellore. It'd be weird, but funny… and possibly awkward if you don't have a very dry sense of humor. Just a good time all around.
