Clemons Playing Dangerous Game With Seahawks

Chris Clemons a no-show at the Seahawks minicamp after head coach Pete Carroll assured the media that he would most likely be present.

This is a very tenuous situation for Chris Clemons and if he doesn't play this one right, it could come back to bite him in the backside if it doesn't go how he thinks it will. Clemons is in the last year of his current contract and is currently making approximately $4 million in 2012. What makes this obvious protest dangerous for him is that he has 30 years old and the Seahawks drafted a player to ultimately take his place when he leaves or retires. Carroll has already said that he feels comfortable starting Bruce Irvin if Chris Clemons decides to hold out long term. One of the other major problems for Clemens is that he plays a position that is unique in all the Seattle Seahawks defensive scheme. There are few teams who played the same style as the Seahawks five or six technique with a "LEO" end to bring pressure on the quarterback from the edges. One of the things that makes the position unique is the physical characteristics of the player necessary to excel with this particular scheme. Like Irvin, a LEO doesn't carry a lot of bulk like most of the other defensive end positions in 3-4 defenses and even 4-3 do. The usual size for a prototypical defensive end is over 300 pounds. A LEO is much lighter, say 225 to 250 pounds. The LEO is lightning quick on the "get off" and able to run around the edge and attack the quarterback on the perimeter. If the offensive tackle cheats toward the outside to stop the LEO, he will use on underneath countermove inside to exploit the overplay. This can be a nightmare matchup for some teams and if Seattle is able to implement a double LEO with Irvin on one side and Clemens on the other, the offense cannot double-team and it could create opportunities to get to the quarterback. Tall body and long arms are also the hallmark of a LEO. Chris Clemons also has the perfect body to play the position, but may not possess the same elite speed that  Irvin was drafted for. When Clemons played for the Redskins, Raiders and Eagles he tallied just 20 sacks in his five-year career, with eight in one year. Since coming to the Seahawks and playing in the five and six technique, it has revolutionized and revitalized a career that was a very average one elsewhere. Who's saying that Chris Clemons will attract any attention with other teams, especially those not playing this style of defense that the Seahawks do? It's unlikely they will be a huge rush for a 6'3", 234 pound defensive end. He is even light for linebacker standards and Clemons has never proved to be effective at that position. Truth said, Clemons has a lot to thank the Seahawks for, in particular, Pete Carroll and Gus Bradley, the Seahawks defensive coordinator. What they did for Red Bryant's career, they have also done for Clemons. The difference here is that Clemons is 30 years old and will be 31 years old when he signs his next contract. This is a nightmare scenario for him in terms of trying to get a long-term deal with anyone. Other teams are going to say that he is too old and one-dimensional. Outside of the Seattle Seahawks defensive strategy, Clemons and Irvin are next to useless and at best, one trick ponies. I think that Chris Clemons deserves a raise and perhaps a one-year deal past his current contract, but not showing up for the team's mandatory minicamp is not the way I would do it and it's not the way his agent should recommend he handle this problem. If Clemons is absent from all three days of this current minicamp, he will be subject to a $60,000 fine and when the normal training camp comes, if he's not there, it could bankrupt him if he decides to play without a new contract. The Seahawks also drafted two defensive ends and have signed Jason Jones to a free-agent contract as well. Competition for the Seahawks defensive end position will be very active and Clemons better consider all these factors if he wants to have a career at all. I don't see Seattle surrendering a lot of money or a long-term contract for Clemons to play with the Seahawks. He is due $4 million this year and I think he should play out his contract and tried to get a one-year extension throughout the season. If he and Bruce Irvin put as much pressure on the quarterback as expected, he would have a much better position to negotiate than he does now. His 11 sacks in 2010 and 2011 are impressive, but not enough to give him a love of leverage to force the Seahawks hand.

Be careful Chris, this is a team on the rise and I don't think they are going to be squeezed into offering you a long-term contract for much more money.