In case you've been too busy to keep up with the daily comings and goings here at Field Gulls (and shame on you if that's true!), I've assembled a list of some of the things we've been writing about and discussing.
The Seahawks' 4-3 Under Player Types: Cornerbacks - Field Gulls: There seems to be a very specific set of criteria the Hawks front office uses when selecting their cornerbacks, and it's one they've stuck to for the most part. I'll try and lay that out a little bit here and attempt to give you an idea of why they hold that belief.
1980: The Season of Pain - Field Gulls: For the Seahawks era of playoff runs, people say 1984 was the pinnacle of success for Chuck Knox, the second half of 2002 becomes the season that began the peak offense of the Seahawks superbowl run under Holmgren. These are two seasons alone that define so much of this teams successes and history.
What Makes You Cheer? - Field Gulls: The NBA Finals has forced me to examine why I cheer and how that relates to the Seahawks.
Two Tight End Sets in the Seahawks Offense - Field Gulls: It remains to be seen how different the Hawks offense will be from the one Jeremy Bates captained last season, but if we believe Pete Carroll, then it will not stray much. That means we're going to continue to see tight end heavy sets, H-backs lining up in the backfield, tight ends lining up on the wing and motioning in, and tight ends lined up in-line and motioning out.
Seahawks in re-build (Part Two): The successful failure of year one - Field Gulls: Seattle's 2010 season - Pete Carroll's first as Head Coach - is largely considered a success due to one night against the defending Champs. Overall, do the numbers tell a different story?
The Replay Booth: Two Tight End Set Versatility in the Seahawks' Offense - Field Gulls: I have talked about 2 & 3 tight end sets and how prevalent they are in the Seahawks' offense. I wanted to point out a play and break it down to show you the practical use of two tight ends in the passing offense as used by the Seahawks.
NFC West Position Rankings, Quarterbacks: Sam Bradford Gets a Unanimous Vote of Confidence - Field Gulls: NFC West SB Nation writers at the Turf Show Times, Niners' Nation, Revenge of the Birds and I have collaborated recently to vote on the best players at each position in the division and naturally we started out with QB.
Assessing the Seahawks' Roster: Tight Ends/H-Backs - Field Gulls: I've been talking about the Seahawks tight end position the last couple of days so I figured I would cap that off with a look at the talent we have on our roster and some possible free agents to pursue.
Seahawks' Scouting: Oregon WR Jeff Maehl - Field Gulls: Oregon's Jeff Maehl is an UDFA wide receiver that I could see the Seahawks having interest in for a number of reasons and principal among them is his precise route running.
Matt Hasselbeck & His Rumored Connection to the Tennesee Titans - Field Gulls: NFL.com's Michael Fabiano is the latest in a long string of respected NFL writers to jump on the bandwagon that's taking Matt Hasselbeck to the Tennesee Titans this summer.
Seahawks Scouting: More on QB Josh Portis - Field Gulls: As Chris Sullivan and Danny O'Neil pointed out, Josh Portis was a guy that was on the Seahawks' radar during the draft and may still be once rookie free agency starts. With the possibility that Portis could be Hawks UDFA signing, I thought I'd pass a little bit of information on about the QB out of California (PA).
The Replay Booth: The Value of a Dedicated Fullback - Field Gulls: For those of you that are regular readers here you probably already know I've got a soft spot for the old-school, big, huge bruising fullbacks like Mack Strong and often will lament here on Field Gulls the fact that the Seahawks don't have anyone like that on the roster.
Seahawks' Pete Carroll Looks Back at 2010 Season - Field Gulls: Pete Carroll met with ESPN Friday, just before the final Win Forever event at the VMAC, (which yours truly attended), and had some interesting stuff to say.
Seahawks "Caption This" Contest of the Day - Field Gulls: You know how it works kids. Funny captions on three! One two three break.
Re-Live Glory Monday: 2007 Seahawks Win Wild Card Game Against Dallas - Field Gulls: January 6, 2007 is a day that will be forever remembered with glee by Seahawks fans and forever live in infamy for Dallas Cowboys fans - all because of one bobbled snap.
NOW, in case you'd like to experience the nostalgia of going back over the week's NFL Lockout Updates and Non-Undates, here's a timeline of what was going on. Or not going on.
NFL Lockout Update: New Deal By July 4th "Increasingly Realistic" - Field Gulls: According to several sources and first reported by Adam Schefter, NFL Owners received a memo from the NFL asking that they plan to stay in Chicago till at least June 22nd in case league meetings from the 21st run long. This is an indication that the negotiations are very serious and a vote may be taking place on a new CBA at those meetings.
NFL Lockout Update: Meetings Adjourned For Now; The Lawyers Almost Blew It; Hope Floats; Just A Bunch Of Rumors - Field Gulls: The most unclandestine of clandestine meetings to ever take place ended today with explosive anticlimacticness. Due to a gag order over the entire proceedings, all we can do as 'journalists' *cough* is speculate on what went on behind closed doors.
NFL Lockout Update: Small Group of Owners Holding Up Settlement Agreement - Field Gulls: I've been trying to provide summary updates of what people are saying about the recent Lockout Settlement Talks and the perceived progress being made and some interesting things have been stated this morning.
NFL Lockout: Owner Rift Nothing New, But Might Signal Progress - Field Gulls: There have been rumblings today that suggest this recent rift or minority pushback in the owners group is actually a good thing, and could signal that talks are getting very close to wrapping up.
NFL Lockout: Senator Arlen Specter Calls for Congress to Intervene - Field Gulls: Former long-serving Senator Arlen Specter penned an op-ed piece in the New York Times on Friday that called for Congress to intervene in the NFL Lockout negotiations. The former Pennsylvania Senator from 1981 to 2011 called for this intervention because of the potential economic damage a lasting stalemate could create.