Seattle Seahawks news, rumors, links, info, interviews, analysis. You name it, I got it here for you.
Morning links: A few minutes with Carroll | Seahawks Insider: "The message was consistent with what Carroll emphasized with his players during his first season Seattle, as he focused on helping other coaches develop their own coaching philosophy. Always compete. Do it the best that it’s ever been done before. Protect the team. No whining, no complaining, no excuses. It’s all about the ball. Be on time. However, it’s was interesting to see Carroll operating in his element with people he’s worked with for years in the Win Forever program sponsored by Nike, showing an impressive ability to relate and interact with fellow coaches. I would have liked to have attended a Carroll-led seminar with more emphasis on Xs and Os, but the night provided another glimpse inside Carroll’s inner circle."
Defense By the Numbers | June: "To get a read on how the defense performed last year, I figured the best way to go was to delve into some statistics. More specifically, I took the season averages for each offense the Seahawks faced in 2010 and compared those stats to the numbers they put up against Seattle, the idea being that if an offense put up lower stats than their seasonal average then the Seahawks’ defenders probably did an okay job in that game. Conversely, if an offense managed higher than average stats, then the defense probably didn’t do so well. Simplistic, I know, but given the team’s struggles the last few years I don’t think that looking at whether or not the defense performed at least better than average in a given game is setting the bar too low here."
Texas reportedly "would love" to have Matt Leinart back | ProFootballTalk: "Apparently the Texans are open to bringing Leinart back. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle writes the team "would love" to do just that. McClain just doesn’t see the scenario as particularly likely. "Leinart wants to play for a team that’ll give him a chance to start. I see him being reunited with Pete Carroll," McClain writes. We doubt that chance to start is out there. And while the Texans "would love" to have Leinart back, it would probably be for a third quarterback’s salary. They’d let him compete with Orlovsky."
Carroll’s ‘Win Forever’ seminars answer some questions, occlude others - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports: "A few football notes: Before the seminar, Carroll spoke with the media about how this offseason has been different for him. "Well, it's been different in that we're not working with the players — that's just the most obvious thing. Other than that, we've just been patient in supporting the whole process of the lockout, and we'll just wait and see what happens. We're ready for anything, and we're just going to wait until the announcements come out. Camp is ready to go, and if there's time for minicamps and OTAs, we'll just jump in as soon as we can. Our guys are on call to do that.""
Hasselbeck reportedly was offered $7 million from Seahawks | ProFootballTalk: "Speaking on ESPN 710 AM radio John Clayton doubted the Titans would sign Hasselbeck because of the pricetag. "[The Titans] are not gonna offer $7 million — which is what Hasselbeck’s been offered [by Seattle] — and then have $14 million tied up in the quarterback position, and then really just have Matt as a transitional guy," Clayton said. "I think Kerry Collins would be willing to accept $3, 4 or 5 million.""
After brush with law Seahawks’ Raheem Brock extends help to teens | AHN: "After being arrested in his hometown Philadelphia Thursday night following a dispute at a restaurant over an unpaid bar tab, Seattle Seahawks’ Raheem Brock extended help to teens at a football clinic in Nicetown Saturday. Brock, 33, a Dobbins High School grad and former Temple star, gave a talk to about 300 juniors and seniors at the Legends of the Pub Football Camp in Hunting Park."
Don't worry, there will be an NFL season - Daily Pilot: "I would like to provide a community service for all NFL fans living on Don't worry, there will be an NFL season the West Coast, to help drop the anxiety level dramatically. Yes, there will be a normal NFL season! Pigs will fly and the world will end before the NFL commits a monumental act of self destruction. Promising discussions between the players and the NFL have begun again and the lockout may end soon. The NFL is the dominant form of sports entertainment in this country in every poll by a two-to-one margin. It is America's passion. This popularity rests in large measure on the fact that there has been uninterrupted play since 1987. All of the energy of owners and the NFLPA has gone into building the brand of the NFL and creating incredible ancillary revenue streams — NFL Network, Direct TV's Season Ticket, naming rights, overseas play, fantasy football. The strikes and labor hassles which have crippled other sports, driving away fans and retarding their development, is a lesson that the NFL has learned."
NFL Labor Situation: Rift Between The Owners May Indicate Deal Is Near - Niners Nation: "In short, the NFL and the NFLPA have made significant strides over the course of the last couple weeks. Strides that many of us didn't believe was possible just last month. The quickness of the turnaround has caused some owners to question the validity of moving forward at such a fast pace. However, the majority of owners seem ready to come to a conclusion that will enable football to begin on time. The owners meeting set for next week will not only place into question the central leadership of Roger Goodell but they could lead to an ultimate conclusion to the labor issue or threaten to break apart the progress made over these last couple of weeks."
NFL labor talks: NFL labor deal expected to be complex - latimes.com: "Getting the required 24 of 32 owners to agree on anything can be difficult, let alone something as complex as a collective bargaining agreement. And there has been enough pushback from owners familiar with those proposals that progress made recently might not lead to an agreement in the next few weeks. Still, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations, the faction of unhappy owners that exists is not yet large enough to derail an agreement. That could lead to heavy lobbying in Chicago at the first owners' meeting specifically scheduled to deal with the lockout."
Distrustful owners hold the key to unlocking the lockout - NFL - CBSSports.com Football: "In fact, in many ways, this story has been dealt with in too many corners as a shining example of "This stuff is boring and we don't really care about the details, so just give us training camp please," which is how we all end up missing the central theme that has been before us all along: More on NFL labor Analysis Clark Judge There's no deadline for the NFL to complete negotiations with its players ... More >> Related links Judge: Talk is cheap ... and not always positive Report: Some owners resistant to new deal Timeline of milestones in labor dispute Points of disagreement for owners, players Eye on Football: Latest news, notes on lockout The owners like each other far less than they like the players, and trust each other not at all. It's why all the reports of an imminent settlement always sound more like begging than fact-finding."
Despite differences among owners, coaches on alert for late July - NFL - CBSSports.com Football: "There's no deadline for the NFL to complete negotiations with its players, but coaches across the league have been alerted business could resume anywhere from mid- to late July, with two sources telling me there's a feeling that late July is more likely. That tells us two things: 1) that management believes a settlement is probable, and 2) that it still acknowledges there is substantial work to be completed before players and owners complete an agreement. Cam Newton and first-year coach Ron Rivera figure to be at a disadvantage with the lockout. (US Presswire) "As long as we get six weeks to prepare for the season opener, we'll be fine," one coach said. "But I don't think you'll see anything happen before the end of July.""
NFL.com news: Goodell: HGH testing critical to 'credible' drug program: "Earlier this week, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell responded to a letter he and NFL Players Association chief DeMaurice Smith received from two congressmen calling for the NFL to adopt a "thorough testing program for HGH." Goodell said in his reply dated June 13 that testing for HGH "is a critical element of an effective and credible drug testing program" and the league is insisting on "immediate implementation of HGH testing" in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. The NFL and NFLPA also discussed the policy before the union decertified March 11 and league owners imposed a lockout March 12."
Chicago meetings pivotal for Goodell - NFL - Yahoo! Sports: "If there are nine – the total number of owners out of 32 needed to block the approval of a deal with the players and keep the lockout going – what will it mean to the short-term future of the 2011 NFL season? Just as important, what could such a snag mean to the long-term prospects of Roger Goodell as the league’s commissioner and several others in the league office? "There’s a lot on the line [next] week," one owner said Friday. "I don’t envy Roger’s position because he has to make a lot of people happy. I think there’s enough common sense out there that we’ll get something done, but there are also some [owners] who still want to fight.""