Seattle Seahawks news, rumors, links, info, interviews, analysis. You name it, I got it here for you. Here at Field Gulls, not only do I provide you my own Pulitzer-caliber content .. cough, I also introduce you to some reading material that you may not have had the pleasure of making an acquaintance with just yet.
NFL.com news: Quality guards won't come cheap once lockout is lifted: "Robert Gallery turned down a deal to stay with the Oakland Raiders and was willing to take his chances in free agency. It was probably a good business decision, but things will change quickly if players with four and five years of experience are free depending on the new CBA. The quality of players in this group is excellent: Justin Blalock and Harvey Dahl of the Falcons would enter the market, as well as Davin Joseph (Tampa Bay), Deuce Lutui (Arizona), Daryn Colledge (Green Bay), and Marshal Yanda (Baltimore). Any team looking for a guard will love this list, but they might not like the type of money it'll take to get them." This maaaaaay have something to do with the Seahawks as we venture into free agency.
Rookie Spotlight - Richard Sherman: Tony Ventrella talks to GM John Schneider about new CB Richard Sherman.
One More Vote For Matt Hasselebeck To Leave Seahawks - SBNation.com: "Will Matt Hasselbeck return to the Seattle Seahawks? At least one reporter is skeptical." Check out the SB Nation storystream on the ongoing Matt Hasselbeck drama.
NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive La Canfora: A feeling Hasselbeck lands with Titans: "Although some view Kerry Collins as the best option for the Titans, Hasselbeck has ties to the organization, and NFL Network information man Jason La Canfora sees Tennessee as a solid option if he doesn’t return to Seattle. "I have a feeling maybe Hasselbeck lands in Tennessee when all is said and done," La Canfora told fans during his live chat. "(The) market for him will be soft both in terms of quantity and quality of the offers out there, but we’ll find out for sure after the lockout.""
Peter King Says Matt Hasselbeck Could Be In Play For Minnesota - Daily Norseman: "The Seattle signal caller might be an option for Minnesota if they plan on bringing in a veteran quarterback." Apparently we're not the only ones that talk about Matt Hasselbeck.
Overrated-underrated: Polamalu can't cover; Pack's' Williams can - NFL - CBSSports.com Football: "Seattle Seahawks Overrated: WR Mike Williams. OK, so he was a nice story. But he doesn't run well enough to truly be a No. 1 receiver. You watch. Underrated: DT Brandon Mebane. Playing in the Northwest, he doesn't get a lot of love. But he's a heck of a player who could become a free agent. He's about to get paid." Great.
Don’t worry, fans – Goodell says that the lockout is for your own good! - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports: "To put it as bluntly as possible, this is the biggest load of crap I have ever heard or read in my entire life. The man running the same league that treats Super Bowl nosebleed seat attendees about as well as Guantanamo residents has absolutely no business whatsoever trying to equate a power move that threw thousands of people into open-ended unemployment with no insurance, medical assistance, or known future with some sort of nebulous fan interest. The man running the league that tried to hoard $4 billion in TV money to break the NFLPA once and for all offends the base intelligence of the dumbest person in creation when he tries to insist that the lockout is about anything but a craven money-grab that would make the producer of a reality TV show blush."
Could Hasselbeck be Locker's mentor in Tennessee? - CBSSports.com: "There's a sense among some in the media that once the labor issues are resolved, the Seahawks will choose not to re-sign Hasselbeck and instead move forward with Charlie Whitehurst at quarterback. That doesn't mean there won't be a market for him, though. Sports Illustrated's Peter King and Jim Trotter think that Tennessee is a "sensible" landing spot; the Titans will jettison Vince Young before the season, and it would be both cruel and inhumane to throw rookie Jake Locker into the starting job with no OTAs or minicamp -- and possibly an abbreviated training camp."
Jake Locker Already Leading Tennessee Titans NFL Lockout Workouts - The Daily Drip - SB Nation Seattle: "Jake Locker has already taken on a leadership role with the Tennessee Titans and has been organizing the team's workouts during the NFL lockout." Brian Floyd of SBNation's Seattle site checks in with Jake Locker's situation out in Tennessee. It's definitely something that I'm going to be keeping an eye on this season.
NFL.com news: Titans are Locker's team once he's ready to take charge: "Rookie quarterback Jake Locker stood well behind what was the best version of a first-team offense that could be assembled Wednesday during the first day of a two-day minicamp organized by Titans players. He watched Rusty Smith take several snaps before the huddle was turned over to Brett Ratliff.
When he wasn't comparing what he saw on the field with his playbook, Locker watched. He finally got his turn and did OK in his first on-field meet-and-greet with most of his teammates. Locker has spent the past few weeks training with a dozen or so players on the same high school field, but for this gathering there were 48 Titans, plus Ravens wideout Derrick Mason, Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate and Jets wideout Patrick Turner, who all live in Nashville." Included here is the fact that Golden Tate is still working out in Nashville with Locker and the Titans. Speaking of that...
The Day in Sports - USATODAY.com Photos: "Seattle Seahawks receiver Golden Tate pulls in a pass during a practice organized by Tennessee Titans players at Father Ryan High School in Nashville."
The Daily Shoutout - CBSSports.com: "MEETINGS END: The second round of super duper califragilistic secret meetings between NFL players and owners have ended. Few details are emerging from the meetings but that doesn't mean no details are known. Based on interviews late Wednesday night with several sources from both sides that have knowledge of the talks this is what I've gathered:" Details after the jump...
NFL.com news: Packers, Saints share votes as NFL's most explosive offense: "Statistically, a handful of NFL teams can stake claim to being the most difficult to stop and giving opposing coaches nightmares over figuring out how to defend. But which offense is really the NFL's most explosive?"
NFL.com news: These backup QBs show potential to start in the future: "Matt Flynn, Green Bay Packers It would be easy to cast Flynn as a "one-hit wonder" after watching his surprising performance in his debut start against the Patriots last season, but he appears to have skills built for the long haul. As an efficient passer with above average arm strength, Flynn is capable of making all of the throws in most pro-style offenses.
His accuracy and touch are also pretty impressive for an inexperienced player. Although one game doesn't make a career, Flynn's solid performance against the Patriots has opened several eyes across the league and placed him squarely on the radar of teams searching for a future franchise quarterback." Topical because if Hasselbeck leaves, and Whitehurst struggles, these players could all possibly be trade options.
Inside the playbook: beating the Bears zone blitz | National Football Post: "Can you stop it? Of course, and it starts with pressure. I have the Bears showing a Cover 2 shell in their pre-snap alignment and rolling to the blitz. You expect pressure to get home, but if the O-Line can adjust, you have to be sound in the coverage aspect of the defense. The SS has to force the ball to go to the flat--and that happens only by holding off the vertical release by Y and reacting once the ball is dumped off to the FB." Interesting read here by Matt Bowen. I really enjoy this series, but this article in particular is pertinent to the Hawks because they run a similar Tampa-2 defense and blitz philosophy as described above.
Twitter / @Eric_Edholm: #Seahawks DE Raheem Brock, ...:"#Seahawks DE Raheem Brock, a free agent, tells PFW on lockout/his situation: "It's tough, but I think I will end up back in Seattle anyway."" Nice. I like Brock.
Michael Turner's best days could be behind him - CBSSports.com: "Running backs are fungible. We've been beating that drum for years now, and basically the theory goes something like this: Don't draft a running back with a top 15 pick unless you're certain he's the next Barry Sanders or Jim Brown. There are exceptions, but the thinking is that teams can find productive backs in later rounds (and often among the undrafted), which frees them up to use early picks on positions that are tougher to fill -- like left tackle and cornerback. This applies to free agency, too. An example that immediately comes to mind: the Seahawks re-signing Shaun Alexander to an eight-year, $62 million deal in 2006, six years into his career. At the time, it was the largest contract ever signed by a running back. Alexander, who had 370 carries for 1,880 yards (27 TDs) in '05, managed just 896 yards on 252 carries (7 TDs) in '06. He gained 716 yards a year later, and by 2008 he was out of the league."
NFL.com news: Pryor not interested in joining Canadian Football League: "James said the 6-foot-6, 233-pounder's first choice is to go in a supplemental draft. "He's definitely looking at the supplemental draft," James said, adding that Pryor is in the process of hiring a trainer and an agent. Pryor was one of five Ohio State players suspended last December for the first five games of the 2011 season for accepting improper benefits from a Columbus tattoo-parlor owner.
Ohio State's career rushing leader among quarterbacks with 2,164 yards, Pryor ranks fifth in the school's record book for passing yards with 6,177. His 57 touchdown passes matches the Ohio State mark also held by Bobby Hoying." Let me just go on record to say that I'd be thrilled to see Pryor come here to play wide receiver. Not quarterback though.
Pryor comparisons: College QBs who made NFL position switches - NFL - Sporting News: "Michael Robinson, RB, Seahawks (6-1, 223). Four years after Randle El won Big Ten MVP, Robinson earned the same honor for his terrific 2005 season at Penn State. Quickly after he was drafted in the fourth round by the 49ers, he became Frank Gore’s top backup and later a fill-in fullback -- the position at which he's currently listed as the starter in Seattle."
Notable NFL Supplemental Draft picks - NFL - Yahoo! Sports: "3. Brian Bosworth - 1987 Bosworth is one of the most colorful personalities in football history. The Oklahoma star did not declare until after the draft, meaning he was part of the Supplemental Draft. The Seattle Seahawks selected him in the first round. Bosworth signed a huge contract with Seattle but never lived up to it. He was done with football just a few games into the 1989 season, done in by poor play, an even worse attitude, and a shoulder injury. A mediocre acting career followed."
Shamblee headed to CFL after Danger finale > The Independent > Sports > Danger: "Shamblee, a former Fresno State player, has already been somewhere most of the Danger players would love to be. Shamblee signed with the New York Giants as a free agent in 2008 and later also played for the Seattle Seahawks as a special teams player and outside linebacker." "I got a taste of the big leagues," Shamblee said. "It’s fun. Real fun. Everybody is fast, everybody is strong. When you’re at that high a level, you play at a high intensity as well. You up the level of your game.""
Arizona QB Foles gets 7th RD-UFA preseason grade - CBSSports.com: "The low score, however, is indicative of the fact that Foles is not viewed as the top prospect that his statistics (67% completion rate, 20 TDs/10 INTs) and hype might lead you to believe. Though I have spoken to talent evaluators who graded Foles as high as a 2nd round talent, like so many of the more productive quarterbacks in today's college football, Foles operates out of a spread attack that rarely attacks deep downfield.
The primary concern scouts (and I) have about Foles is questionable accuracy and arm strength for a more traditional pro-style offense. Considering that he is 6-5, 245 pounds, Foles would appear to have the physical characteristics teams are looking for at the position, but he obviously he has some work to do if he is to improve his standing with scouts." More on Foles, a guy that some people will inevitably link to the Hawks because they run WCO principles on offense.
Team Pass Protection Rankings, Part 1 | ProFootballFocus.com: "Khaled Elsayed of Pro Football Focus unveils the first half of the 2010 team pass protection rankings." Bottom half of the league is addressed in part one and Seattle is absent; which means the Seahawks are in the top half of the league in Pass Pro, according to Elsayed's calculations.
Musgrave builds an offense, just needs the players | StarTribune.com: ""We've had a number of meetings this offseason as a staff, devoting ways to get the ball into Percy [Harvin's] hands, ways to get the ball into Shank's [Visanthe Shiancoe's] hands, ways to get the ball into Adrian [Peterson's] hands -- whether it be conventional or unconventional ways," Musgrave said."
Sports | Video | Meet Pete Carroll | Seattle Times Newspaper: "Seahawks coach Pete Carroll discusses everything from last month's draft to the team's offseason schedule during a speech at the Associated Press Sports Editors regional conference hosted at The Seattle Times."
NFL Power Rankings: Toughest Venue - ESPN Video - ESPN: "ESPN.com bloggers tell you the toughest stadium to play at in the NFL."