Updated Feb 1, 2013 - 2:31 pm
Ravens' Kruger is one to watch in Super Bowl XLVII
Paul Kruger will be coming after 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick during Super Bowl XLVII Sunday, attempting to add to the 2.5 sacks he's totaled during the postseason.
He'll also be dropping into coverage, another tool that adds to Kruger's versatility.
 Paul Kruger |
The Seahawks will be looking for pass-rush help. Breer singled out Kruger when asked about a group of pending free agents that also includes Lions defensive end Cliff Avril and Dolphins defensive tackle Randy Starks.
"Avril is more of kind of a standard defensive end; Kruger's able to do a few more things because of the way the Baltimore Ravens employ their outside linebacker/defensive end players. So you're going to be getting a more of a versatile type of player if you go and you bring in a Paul Kruger, a guy Pete Carroll could move around his defensive front and use as kind of a joker type of weapon," Breer told "Brock and Salk" Friday.
"If you go back and you look at Pete Carroll's history, he's had players like that. When he was at USC I think they used Clay Matthews in a lot of different roles. Willie McGinest would be a good example of it when he was with the Patriots. So he's had those types of players in the past."
I wrote about Kruger as a potential target for the Seahawks last week, noting that there is no precedent suggesting the current regime is willing to give a lucrative long-term contract to a free-agent defensive player from another team.
Kruger's youth (he's 26) and the fact that he's coming off a career year (nine regular-season sacks) puts him in position to command such a deal.
A tight salary-cap situation could make it hard for the Ravens to lock up Kruger. The franchise tag is usually an option in such situations, but Breer doesn't envision that happening for two reasons: his position would carry an untenably high figure and the Ravens may have to reserve the franchise tag if they can't reach a long-term deal with quarterback Joe Flacco, who's a bigger priority.
The video below includes additional thoughts from Brock Huard and Mike Salk on Kruger and the Seahawks.
You can listen to Friday's show here.
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RWIII wrote...KrugerFebruary 1, 2013 1:53 pm{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }- Reply
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Derrol_o wrote...Huge plus that he's only 26February 1, 2013 8:47 pm{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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peter_upnya wrote...HENRY MELTONFebruary 3, 2013 8:29 am{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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Derrol_o wrote...MeltonFebruary 3, 2013 11:39 am{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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Derrol_o wrote...Stat line for KrugerFebruary 3, 2013 8:17 pm{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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RWIII wrote...9 deep on the defensive lineFebruary 4, 2013 8:11 am{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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clevesside wrote...After Super Bowl performance....February 4, 2013 10:30 am{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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The Real Me wrote...Bolden & Kruger Package Deal!February 4, 2013 12:38 pm{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }- Reply
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Brock Huard has co-hosted the show since 2009. After earning Gatorade Player of the Year honors at Puyallup High School, Brock went on to a record-setting career at Washington and then spent six years in the NFL, including four with the Seahawks. Brock also works for ESPN as a college football analyst in the booth and the studio. He makes his home on the Eastside with his wife Molly and their three young children.
Danny O'Neil, the new co-host of "Brock and Danny", is the son of a logger, a graduate of the University of Washington and has been a working journalist in Seattle since 1999, first at newspapers and since 2012 at 710 ESPN Seattle. He is married to Sharon Pian Chan, associate opinions editor at The Seattle Times. They live on Capitol Hill with their wrinkled, smelly dog.
