Seattle Seahawks news, rumors, links, info, interviews, analysis. You name it, I got it here for you. Happy Monday y'all. Hope you had a good weekend, here are some great things to read with your morning cup of coffee.
When lockout ends, NFL faces free agent quandary - Mocking The Draft: "Which should come first, the veteran free agent or the undrafted free agent? Or both at the same time? That's the question the league will have to consider when the lockout mercifully concludes."
Scouts grade WR Criner a bit higher than QB Foles - CBSSports.com: "A few days ago I reported that the National scouts had splashed a little bit of cold water on the stock of Arizona quarterback Nick Foles, giving him a 5.0 grade that is much lower than his hype would lead some to believe. The news is only slightly better for Foles' favorite receiver -- wideout Juron Criner -- who was given a 5.3 grade, NFLDraftScout.com has learned. A 5.3 grade is a late round (6th-7th round) projection. Wide receivers earning a 5.3 during the preseason grades last year included James Cleveland (Houston), Lavon Brazill (Ohio), Jeremy Kerley (TCU). Of the three, Kerley was the only one drafted. He was selected by the Jets with the 22nd pick of the fifth round; No. 153 overall."
Higher Education: The best third-down running backs - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports: The 10 most efficient third-down running backs, based on FO's DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) metric. FO's efficiency metrics are opponent-adjusted and based on every play in a season. DVOA is one of the two primary stats; DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement) will be discussed in future installments. The quick way to differentiate the two stats is to think of DVOA as a percentage reflecting value above average on a per-play basis; and DYAR as a point value that indicates the cumulative value over average based on every play. When dealing with stats that feature small sample sizes, it's better to use DVOA, because of the per-play dynamic. So, here are the 10 most efficient backs on third downs with a minimum of 15 third-down carries. We've also included the Success Rate of each back, which indicates the percentage of plays in which a back gained the necessary yardage for a first-down conversion on third down. In all cases, we've thrown in the rare fourth-down carries as well."
Luck and Moore lead pro-style quarterbacks - Stats & Info Blog - ESPN:: "Although a record 38 Heisman Trophy winners have been running backs, quarterbacks have dominated the award recently, winning nine times since 2000. Two pro-style signal-callers go into 2011 as front-runners for this season's Heisman Trophy."
NFP Sunday Blitz | National Football Post: "*Whether or not 2009 first round pick Aaron Maybin continues his career in Buffalo may depend on what the scale says in training camp. Maybin got down to about 235 pounds at the end of last year, which was way too light. The Bills want to see him at 255 so he has the sufficient bulk and strength to take on blockers as a jack linebacker and pass rusher in their defensive scheme. An underweight Maybin may have a difficult time surviving the final cut."
NFL.com news: Report: Relations between NFLAA, NFLPA remain strained: "George Martin, the former New York Giants standout and director of the NFL Alumni Association, released his frustrations in a recent internal memo obtained by Pro Football Talk. The memo, sent to the alumni association's board of directors and its 32 chapter heads, detailed Martin's impressions after a recent sitdown with NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and NFLPA retired player advocates Nolan Harrison and Cornelius Bennett. Explaining his view of the meeting, Martin wrote that the "atmosphere was very defiant, accusatory, and outright disrespectful.""
Rookie Spotlight - Kris Durham: A continuing series where Tony Ventrella interviews John Schneider about the Seahawks 2011 draft picks.
NFL.com news: Players 'know who won' 2004 BCS title, Carroll says: "The Seahawks, who used their first two draft picks on Alabama OT James Carpenter (No. 25) and Wisconsin G John Moffitt (No. 75) in April's draft, will do the best they can to get ready once football activities resume. Carroll -- while staying mum on the team's plans at quarterback -- acknowledged it might be harder for younger teams to catch up. "We're building a program," he said. "We've got issues across the board as we transition our approach and trying to put this team together. There's a lot of concerns. We really need free agency to help us. We love the draft as it came out, and got to put a lot of focus on the offensive line and some young skills guys to give us some speed and competitive players."
Breaking down Ed Reed's playmaking ability | National Football Post: "We know Reed is a playmaker (and the best at tracking the ball in the secondary), but focusing on his pre-snap read and technique will give us a better idea of why he is always making plays from the middle of the field. Check out the video of Reed’s pick-six off of Carson Palmer from the ’09 season and then we will get into some coaching points." Thought I would include this because Earl Thomas has been compared to Ed Reed in his playmaking, ball hawking abilities.
NFP On Campus | National Football Post: "Eighty-four days until the first college football Saturday of the 2011 season. Enough said. So let’s open up the college notebook and see what’s happening on campuses across the country."
Seahawks Fandamonium: 10 Reasons ‘Hawks Fans Hate the Steelers " 12th Man Rising | A Seattle Seahawks Blog: "Am I the only one that became a huge Green Bay Packers fan last Super Bowl? I am convinced that I am not the only one, so I have made a list of 10 reasons why Hawk fans hate the Steelers. This way we won’t forget why during this long "off-season" with no "on-season" in sight."
Settling debate over Pro Bowl receivers - NFC West Blog - ESPN: "Josh from Redding, Calif., could use some help settling an argument."
Deciphering the Matt Hasselbeck Rhetoric " Seahawks Gab: "In an off-season slowed by a drudging lockout it’s no wonder the only newsworthy bits that pique any interest involve potential free agent speculation. Usually, we’re three months past the opening of free agency and fans are discussing their new acquisitions, currently, a squabble over a massive $9 billion pool of money has haulted all league activity. When it comes to Seattle, the most talked about free agent is Matt Hasselbeck, and courtesy of Peter King, speculation is becoming increasingly rampant that Hasselbeck has played his last down in Seatttle."
Plaxico Burress A Seattle Seahawk " Seahawks Gab: "This ones going to get mixed reactions, but I simply wouldn’t put this in the same category as a Michael Vick in terms of the potential risks of signing a recent prison releasee. He shot himself in the leg, he didn’t shoot and do other things to certain other creatures that have four of those. It’s anybodys guess where Plaxico Burress will end up, he will definitely have plenty of teams interested in pursuing him and many point to Philadelphia as a landing spot even before he gave an obvious shout out to the city by wearing a Phillies cap upon his release from prison. It’s no surprise that at least one prominent name in sports media has thrown the Seahawks into the Burress ring:"
Seahawks Spotlight: Should the ‘Hawks Pursue Mathias Kiwanuka? " 12th Man Rising | A Seattle Seahawks Blog: A look at Kiwanuka.
NFL's best: Troy Polamalu and the top 10 safeties of 2011 - USATODAY.com: "The position is still called safety, a throwback to bygone football times when those who played it primarily were safety nets, rear guards and last lines of defense. ...Others receiving votes: Earl Thomas, Seahawks (9);"
Quick-hit thoughts around NFL & Pats - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston: "I view the informal workouts as good for team bonding/chemistry, and keeping players sharp mentally, but when considering that Ravens receiver Derrick Mason, Seahawks receiver Golden Tate and Jets receiver Patrick Turner participated in the Titans' workouts last week, it's a reminder that these "practices" are different from the norm."
Arizona Cardinals Need to Think Younger, Not Older With QB Position " Raising Zona | An Arizona Cardinals Blog: "Latest rumor out there has the Cardinals possibly looking at Matt Hasselbeck, who has still not decided if he is going to return to the Seattle Seahawks or not. Personally, I think he is definitely better than what the Cards have now. However, he is injury prone and another quarterback at the tail end of a career. If they get Hasselbeck, just for how long do they get him?"
USC's Keary Colbert Signs With UFL's Sacramento Mountain Lions | LostLettermen.com: "Former USC star wide receiver Keary Colbert is leaving coaching after just one season. Why? Because he still thinks he can play. Colbert, 29, has been added to the roster of the UFL’s Sacramento Mountain Lions. He last played in 2009 with the UFL’s Florida Tuskers. In 2010, he was a Trojans graduate assistant who worked with tight ends. A second-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2004, Colbert played for the Panthers, Broncos, Seahawks and Lions from 2004-08 before trying his hand in the UFL and, eventually, the coaching ranks."