this:He’s 12 and he’s making himself available for a screen pass. I..." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteField Gullsa Seattle Seahawks communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsSeahawksOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections VideosCoffee and CigarettesGame AnalysisThe Numbers GameCigar ThoughtsFiled under:The DriveThe Drive: Gary Jennings smokin’ SoonersNew Chris Carson Color Rush Jersey ,7commentsPDTShareTweetShareShareThe Drive: Gary Jennings smokin’ SoonersBen Queen-USA TODAY SportsGary Jennings Jr. spent much of the first quarter doing this:He’s 12 and he’s making himself available for a screen pass. I started to wonder whether Jennings’ route tree were a krummholz.Jennings was only intermittently on the field. He seemed to be behind both David Sills and Marcus Simms on the depth chart. Sills was the Mountaineer’s clear number one receiver. Simms suffered a concussion partway through the first quarter. Yet Jennings continued to spend a lot of time on the sideline and when he did see the field, it was as a decoy.Early in the second corner Will Grier targeted Jennings and Jennings scored a touchdown. But Sills committed offensive pass interference and the play was called back. Apart from seeing Jennings turn his krummholz into a flag tree—he ran a slurvey out-and-up—what little I could glean from this illegal play was not terribly heartening. This balletic move by Jennings was the culmination of an awful lot of rising action for a ten yard pass to a wide open receiver.Easy receptions should be accomplished easily, I think. Feats of athleticism in service of what, thanks to a little cheating, was essentially pitch and catch, do not excite me. Now I may conclude my weekly column. Jennings was buried on the depth chart. Jennings turned a wide open reception into such a twisting, turning ordeal that he failed even to get two feet down. Jennings, on the next drive, ran a crossing route which lazily bobbed twice and intersected with an official. Nothing else of interest happened this game. Boo-urns. Boo-urns. I was saying Boo-urns. Oh wait.Jennings received for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Right.This play is simple and filthy and does not require a great deal of analysis.Will Grier, who looks both like the fusion of Mac and Baker Mayfield () and a promising quarterback prospect, was able to get a good pass off right before taking a hit. And Jennings shed Brendan Radley-Hiles with the very smallest of jukes—not even a euro step but a single false step diagonally in.It’s hard to capture in a still. But to me it’s a testament to the value of deep speed. The threat that Jennings might plant and cut into a post, and thus run right past Radley-Hiles, is so dangerous that even a very subtle move stops Radley-Hiles from maintaining his deep cushion. The fact that Jennings can run past Radley-Hiles turned a single false step into totally blown defense.Radley-Hiles was a five-star recruit and is listed as running anywhere between a 4.32 and a 4.55 40. Those are NFL-caliber numbers for a safety. The throw came in pretty flat George Fant Color Rush Jersey , and Jennings had to wait for it to arrive. Luckily, between one second and another, he gave himself and his quarterback three yards of cushion.He slows to not overrun the pass without breaking stride. He reaches behind his momentum without breaking stride. He turns back up field and his center of gravity shifts a bit too far over his feet, but he runs himself upright, barely losing speed. It is good tape, I think. Let us see a bit more of that.Outside linebacker Caleb Kelly should not be matched against Jennings.Apart from the mismatched assignment, Kelly reacts slowly, and so this is more a busted coverage than an achievement by Jennings. That said, a couple fun things happen.Jennings turns his go route into something of a post. Grier changed the play pre-snap, and Jennings was savvy to his quarterback’s read. That results in Jennings angling in toward the space created by the split safeties.Safety Delarrin Turner-Yell (#32) works a good angle of intercept and begins to tackle Jennings at the 15-yard line.Begins, mind you.Jennings doesn’t score.Three minutes later he would.Free release.Subtle plant out followed by skinny-post-like in cut.And the kind of second gear which makes defensive backs trip over their own feet.The Sooners fielded one of the worst defenses in FBS, but they were merely mediocre at defending “explosive” plays. Hakeem Butler nailed them for 5, 174 and 2 touchdowns. Jalen Hurd: 9 Rashaad Penny Color Rush Jersey , 104, and 1. Some secondaries were destined to appear on the mix tape of opposing wide receivers. It’s good to see Jennings do well. We won’t soon know what that means for his pro career.Jennings worked mostly from the slot but he’s built like a flanker. It does not seem to me that he will have the necessary agility to be a slot receiver. He gets a lot of separation from relatively subtle moves, and I think that’s a good sign. It means he’s deceptive. It means at least the Sooners defensive backs were scared of his deep speed. He’s quick off the blocks and he has separation speed from a full stride. He seems to track the ball well, but there seems to be an occasional disconnect between his eyes and his hands. Passes eat him up, sometimes. Sometimes he suffers an unprovoked drop. Who doesn’t? But it’s something to watch. Defenders will be closer; even in the preseason. How will Jennings react when he begins to catch the ball and the closing defender is not 0.2 seconds away, or whatever, but 0.1 seconds away? Can he continue to thrive depending on a route tree that is half krummholz and half lodgepole pine? Or maybe that was just a function of Dana Holgorsen’s Air Raid offense. Whatever the case, Jennings is not Doug Baldwin or anything like Doug Baldwin. His greatest talent is his deep speed. He’s not going to put anyone on skates with his crossover moves. If he is to succeed, he must amplify the impact of his subtle moves through the threat of his deep speed. I don’t foresee him carving up the middle. I don’t expect him to gut out a tough reception to move the sticks—at least not as a primary responsibility. Which is to say, guys don’t really ever replace other guys. No one will replace Baldwin, and if Seattle really did intend to replace Baldwin with Jennings, it would be a tremendous mis-evaluation, I think. But Jennings has his own game Doug Baldwin Color Rush Jersey , his own set of dazzling tools and his own position to define. For now we wait and wonder which safety will be chasing Jennings this August, this September, if any. K.J. Wright Is Back; But Several Seahawks Starters Questionable For Sunday’s Game vs ChiefsInjury updates from Seahawks coach Pete Carroll ahead of Sunday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.Tedric Thompson out, 2 more Seahawks DBs questionable for KC | The News TribuneFree safety Tedric Thompson is out. Fellow starting defensive backs Shaquill Griffin and Bradley McDougald are questionable, as are the right side of the offensive line and other starters. Sunday night’s task against the soaring Chiefs is getting even tougher.Seahawks have the perfect offense to beat the Chiefs. But......the big question for the Seahawks this week is if their defense can hold up. If the version that faced the Vikings plays, the answer is a definite yes.Sunday Night Football: Seahawks host Chiefs as underdogsTied for the AFC West lead, the Chiefs are 2.5-point road favorites on the NFL odds against the Seahawks with a 54.5-point total in their Sunday Night Football matchup at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.Keys to the Game: Can the Seahawks slow down Patrick Mahomes at all? Can the Seattle offense keep up? | The Seattle TimesSeattle's defense will have a big challenge in slowing down Mahomes, who leads the NFL with 45 touchdown passe --- 11 more than anyone else in the league.Baldwin still showing up for Seahawks in injury-filled season | Q13 FOX NewsDoug Baldwin knows he's fortunate to have spent eight years in the NFL and to have established himself as one of the better players on several elite teams. He also knows he's fortunate to have gotten this far without having a season defined by obvious injuries affecting his play — until this year.Three Key Matchups: Seahawks vs ChiefsTaking a look at three matchups that could make the difference in Sunday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.Seahawks Host 2018 CenturyLink High School Athletes of the WeekThe Seahawks, CenturyLink, and KIRO Radio 97.3 FM partnered to host this year’s standout student-athletes for a leadership summitCliff Avril Hosts Holiday Shopping Surprise With Jacob Martin And Poona FordAlongside Jacob Martin and Poona Ford, Cliff Avril surprised unsuspecting shoppers at Target and Fred Meyer, covering their shopping expenses and spreading holiday cheer.Rams RB Todd Gurley game-time decision vs. Cards - NFL.comLos Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley is a game-time decision ahead of Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, coach Sean McVay told reporters.Matt Barkley signs 2-year contract extension with Bills - NFL.comSigned off of his couch by the Bills earlier this season C. J. Prosise Color Rush Jersey , Matt Barkley can now move the rest of his furniture to Orchard Park. Buffalo handed Barkley a two-year contract extension through 2020 on Friday.Falcons' Julio Jones 'game-time decision' vs. Panthers - NFL.comJulio Jones' availability for Sunday is up in the air. Falcons coach Dan Quinn told reporters that the wide receiver will be a game-time decision against the Panthers.Frank Gore intends to return for 15th NFL season - NFL.comFrank Gore's season might be over, but his career is not. The Dolphins running back will not need surgery on his injured foot and intends to play a 15th season in 2019.Injuries: Lamar Miller 'has a chance to play' vs. Eagles - NFL.comTexans running back Lamar Miller (ankle) has a chance to play Sunday against the Eagles. Miller was limited in practice the past two days. Plus, other injuries we're tracking on Friday.Sean Payton wants to increase game-day rosters - NFL.comNew Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton recently advocated for the 46-man roster on game day to increase. The Saints had two offensive lineman exit with injuries in last week's Week 15 matchup.Leonard Fournette admits he 'could be in better shape' - NFL.comA hamstring sidelined Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette for six weeks. Ahead of Sunday's Week 16 game, Fournette indicated he could be in better shape at this point in the 2018 season.Washington’s Montae Nicholson had previously unreported DUI – ProFootballTalkWashington safety Montae Nicholson, who was arrested in Virginia this week for assault and battery and public intoxication, had a previously unreported drunk driving arrest. FOX 5 in D.C. reports that Nicholson was arrested for driving under the influence in Pennsylvania in 2017.Seahawks won’t back off if they can’t clinch with a win on Sunday night – ProFootballTalkThe Seahawks will be playing to win on Sunday night, no matter what. As if there was ever any doubt about that. A reporter asked coach Pete Carroll on Friday whether the Seahawks would rest starters on Sunday night against the Chiefs if other results earlier in the day would prevent Seattle from ...Geoff Swaim headed to IR – ProFootballTalkThe Cowboys apparently have given up on Geoff Swaim returning this season. The team is expected to place its starting tight end on injured reserve Saturday, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Running back Darius Jackson will get the call-up from the practice squad.