Brandon Browner's Role, Dodgeball, O-Line Size and More in This Week's Seahawks Q&A

It’s time once again to answer Seahawks questions from you the fans. As always, thanks to everyone who submitted a question this week, and apologies if I wasn’t able to get to yours this time around.@JoshHarris1997 asks, “Will Brandon Browner make the team, and what role will he play?” A: First off, Browner knows as well as anyone having been a Seahawk for three years that there are no guarantees of jobs or playing time in Pete Carroll’s “Always Compete” world. That being said, Browner was able to come from the CFL in 2011 and not just win a roster spot, but a starting job, so he knows what kind of attitude and work ethic he’ll need to bring with him to training camp. Furthermore, Carroll recently talked about a pretty specific role his team has in mind for Browner during an interview on 710 ESPN Seattle, something that would seem to indicate Browner has a good chance of being on the team. So if we’re assuming for a moment that Browner is indeed on the roster come September, then his role could be an interesting one. As Carroll said in that radio interview, Browner could have a hybrid role, playing more like a safety at times, while being a match-up player in the slot and on tight ends in nickel or dime packages. “We’re going to play him at safety in base downs, and then in nickel we’re going to use him to match up at different spots playing inside,” Carroll said. “So we may be able to develop a really unique role for him. Back to his New England days, they used him quite a bit inside and he really matched up on tight ends and slot receivers and things like that, and he matched up well. We’ll see how that develops.” We’re a long ways from seeing exactly what that will look like, but Browner will definitely be an interesting player to watch in camp. @MatthewCirino1 asks, “When do the Seahawks sign practice-squad players?” A: NFL teams can’t form a practice squad until after the 53-man rosters are set prior to the first game of the season. Generally, you see teams sign a practice squad shortly after making the final round of roster cuts, with a lot of those practice squad players coming from the list of players just cut. So while there’s no practice squad this time of year, some of the players who will start the season on the practice squad might already be on the 90-man roster. @Tacotimetimmy asks, “What Seahawks player would you want on your dodgeball team?” A: I’m no dodgeball expert, but I’d guess a good player needs some combination of throwing ability, agility in order to, well, dodge ball, and hands to catch the ball. For throwing, the obvious answer is Russell Wilson, who not only has a cannon, but an accurate arm. He also has pretty good hands from his time as a middle infielder, and catching a shotgun snap in bad weather isn’t easy either. And to paraphrase from the movie “Dodgeball” if you can dodge an Arizona Cardinals defensive back, you can dodge a ball. If not Wilson, I’d probably go with Doug Baldwin. I’m not sure about Baldwin’s throwing arm, but he has tremendous hands and quick feet, making him the ideal teammate to avoid or catch opponent’s throws. Kam Chancellor, who played quarterback in high school, likely has quite the cannon, too. Plus, he's just an extremely intimidating individual. @DavidShipp253 asks, “What is your favorite Seahawks game and why? Mine is the 2014 NFC Championship game. That win was amazing.” A: What makes this a great question is that whether David means the NFC championship game from the 2014 season—Seattle’s overtime win over Green Bay—or the NFC championship game that actually took place in 2014—the win over San Francisco to earn a trip to Super Bowl XLVIII—it’s a great choice either way.And as crazy and improbable as that win over the Packers was, I might have to pick the win over the 49ers from the year before. Not only did that game send the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl in nearly a decade, the game was against a division rival, and turned into a thriller in a second half with big plays and lead changes leading to an iconic play to secure the win, with Richard Sherman turning a potential game-winning pass for San Francisco into a game-clinching interception for the Seahawks. For non-playoff games, last year’s high-scoring, back-and-forth affair against the Steelers is a good choice.@thegreatchazbot asks, “Any possible chance I can get a game-worn, autographed Jon Ryan tube sock? I’ll settle for a practice sock, if necessary.” A: Gross. @ImTheSaiyanGod asks, “Where is your favorite place to eat on a special occasion?” A: I’m assuming this question means locally, because if we expand this to everywhere I’ve ever been, I could spend all day answering the question. So if we’re just narrowing this down to the Seattle area, here are a few I like, though it’s worth noting I have a 1-year-old, so I’m not exactly up to date on the hottest restaurants. My wife and I are big fans of sushi, and Mashiko in West Seattle is a favorite of ours. Let’s see, where else have we eaten recently that we liked? This is far from a complete list, but the Walrus and the Carpenter, Salted Sea, La Medusa, Sitka and Spruce, the Corson Building, Purple and Ray’s Boathouse have all provided excellent “special occasion” meals in the past. Or, if you’re on a budget, go to Marination Ma Kai, grab some sliders or tacos and a drink and enjoy an awesome view. @TruthisTold2U asks, “Any chance Mark Glowinski could compete at center? Especially if Rees Odhiambo looks good at guard?” A: You can never rule anything out with this coaching staff, but I’d be pretty surprised if Glowinski didn’t stay at guard. For starters, the Seahawks have a lot of players already competing at center with Patrick Lewis trying to keep his starting role and Justin Britt, Joey Hunt and Kristjan Sokoli all battling to take it from him. At some point, it’s hard to know what any one player can bring to the position if there are too many people splitting reps. And more significant to this question, the Seahawks really like Glowinski as a guard. Yes, Odhiambo will compete at left guard, but Glowinski has an extra year in the system, played well in one start last year, and unlike Odhiambo, who was a tackle in college, Glowinski has a lot of experience at guard. That doesn’t mean Odhiambo can’t eventually win a starting job, but even if he is pushing Glowinski for that spot at some point, the Seahawks would want Glowinski as part of that competition until that were to happen. @DonFowlerIII asks, “If Steven Hauschka somehow ends up injured, do you think a 31-year-old same-athletic guy with no kicking experience can win a job? A: Short answer? No. Longer answer? No, because A. there are more experienced NFL kickers than jobs, so there are always players available in the case of an injury, and B. watch out for those rookie linemen if a kicking vacancy opens up:@controlsdesign asks, “Is Wisconsin’s O-line or the new Seahawks O-line bigger?” A: I don’t know how big Wisconsin’s line will be in 2016, but even if the Badgers are known for having a big, physical line, it’s tough to imagine it will be bigger than what the Seahawks might have on the field this season, or at least taller. That’s especially true with the right side of the line, which could very well feature J’Marcus Webb (6-7, 331) at tackle and Germain Ifedi (6-5, 325) at guard. The two likely options at left tackle, Garry Gilliam (6-4, 315) and Bradley Sowell (6-7, 309) are also have size and length, as do the left guard candidates, Glowinski (6-4, 310) and Odhiambo (6-4, 315). At center, the size could vary a lot depending on who wins the job. If Britt (6-6, 315) or Sokoli (6-5, 300) prevailed in that competition, the entire line could be huge, while if Lewis (6-1, 305) or Hunt (6-2, 299) were to win the job, the Seahawks would be smaller at that spot.@football18795 asks, “Who do you want to win the NBA championship? I want the Warriors or Raptors. A: This came up in last week’s Q&A as well, and I’m sticking with my pick of the Warriors. Not only does Golden State play an attractive brand of basketball, the Warriors winning also would come at the expense of the Oklahoma City Thunder, which just about everyone around these parts can get behind. Also, my college roommate, Jeremy, is from the Bay Area and was a Warriors fan back when the Warriors were pretty awful, so I’ll pull for them for him as well.

Brandon Browner's Role, Dodgeball, O-Line Size and More in This Week's Seahawks Q&A

You had Seahawks questions, we have answers.