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Interview: Marcus Trufant, Seattle Seahawks Cornerback | Articles: "SeaTown Sports got the opportunity to interview Marcus Trufant after his appearance on Cliqvue's Sports Talk Show, "Off the Cuff with Moore and Huff." What follows is a quick conversaition with Trufant about his offseason and a couple of other topics. Read the interview after the jump."
Pete Carroll Wins Forever, The NFL Lockout Is A Roller Coaster, And The Week In Seahawks Fandom - SB Nation Seattle: Pete Carroll doesn't want to be the best one doing something, he wants to be the only one doing it.
NFL: Supplemental drafts are tricky - ESPN: "Q: Do you expect to see Golden Tate get more opportunities with the ball in his hands for the Seahawks next season? For a second-round pick, it seemed like his role in the offense was pretty limited last year. I was hoping the Hawks would use him in the same fashion that the Vikings use Percy Harvin, with a lot of WR screens, short slants, etc. Were there some issues that I may not have heard about preventing him from getting touches last season? Injuries? Discipline? Route running ability? Etc.? Thanks! Nick in Seattle
A: I don't know if this will be a breakout season for Tate, but I really like what he can do for this offense. He has great run-after-the-catch ability along with good hands and great speed. You get the feeling he didn't seem to fit in with former Seahawks offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates. There are some thoughts that he didn't pick up the offense as quickly as Bates wanted, but Pete Carroll changed coordinators and let Bates go. Tate will have to work harder to learn the new offense, but he has the talent to be a good one."
Tanier: Lockout sure to burn blitzing, complex defenses - NFL- NBC Sports: "In football, confusion favors the defense. If you need evidence, watch the fourth quarter of a preseason game. When the rookies and roster fodder are on the field, the disorganized offense rarely gets anything done. The defense is disorganized too, but they can make basic calls, win one-on-one matchups, be athletes, and wait for the offense to trip over its own feet. Simplified football is usually low-scoring football, and defenses can still be effective when coaches just tell players to "go get ‘em.""
NFL.com news: All the pieces fit for Washington to strike early deal in Seattle: "And he especially likes the fact that Carroll is at the helm. "He's along the lines of a Rex Ryan of being a players' coach, a guy who can really motivate his team to play," Washington said. "I love the philosophy that he has with the competition, (saying) 'In everything we do, we compete and we're going to get better.' "Just talking with him after (last) season about my role in the offense as my career progresses and (establishing that) my role on special teams is going to be the same, I just felt comfortable that I could spend the rest of my career there.""
NFL owners to discuss labor talks Tuesday - ESPN: "One day of owners' meetings could turn into two. Whether that's a sign of progress toward the end of the lockout and labor peace is debatable. NFL owners will gather Tuesday, and perhaps into Wednesday, to discuss the status of negotiations with the players for a new collective bargaining agreement. This is the first meeting called by the league strictly for labor matters, and the 32 team owners and representatives who will be on hand were advised last week to prepare to stay an extra day."
NFL lockout takes toll on the American economy - The League - The Washington Post: "Consider that for the average city hosting an NFL team, a regular season accounts for the employment of about 3,739 people, according to an Edgeworth Economics report commissioned by the NFL Players Association. That’s 115,000 jobs across the entire country. Each community that hosts an NFL team would suffer a loss of approximately $160 million in economic activity, about $5 billion spread across the 31 communities that NFL teams call home."
NFL owners push rookie wage scale in agreement - USATODAY.com: "Under the old rules, Cam Newton might've commanded a rookie contract including up to $60 million in guaranteed money before taking an NFL snap. By Chuck Burton,, AP Cam Newton, the No. 1 overall pick of the Panthers in April's draft, enjoys Steve Smith's youth football camp in Charlotte on Friday. With the NFL pushing for a rookie wage scale as part of a new labor deal, the quarterback chosen No. 1 overall by the Carolina Panthers and other high draft picks are undoubtedly braced to feel the effects of a major landscape change."
Rookie wage scale still needs to be addressed - CBSSports.com: "Though the issue of a rookie wage scale likely won’t keep a new CBA from coming together -- there’s still, for instance, that tiny issue of how to split up $9 billion -- it still is a topic on which the owners and the players will have to reach consensus in order to end the lockout. According to Jarrett Bell of USA Today, sources tell him that a rookie scale "could limit contract length for non-quarterback first-round picks to four years while other draftees could sign three-year deals, allowing a faster track to free agency (albeit restricted free agency in some cases). Another provision could eliminate option bonuses and other triggers that stretch salary cap dollars.""
Moderates Kraft, Mara will be key if season is saved - NFL - CBSSports.com Football: "The two men have been a soothing force. When temperatures during negotiations have risen, they've calmed them. When the tone turned an ugly corner, they've helped pull things back from the edge. Most of all, owners Robert Kraft and John Mara have earned the trust of the players. Two men are going to save the NFL owners from themselves. Save the owners from the extremists and the selfish among them. The owners who would burn down the season for a few extra pieces of gold bullion despite the fact they swim naked in cash for giggles. Kraft (Patriots) and Mara (Giants) are proving to be the cool heads in a chemically imbalanced owner mix of testosterone, absurdly large egos and billable hours.:"
Adam Schefter Blog - ESPN: "Q: If Kevin Kolb ends up going to the Arizona Cardinals, how good do you think the team can actually be? They still have some serious issues on defense, including lack of a pass rush. -- Jon (R.I.)
A: No question, Jon. The draft didn't unfold the way Arizona expected, but the Cardinals still came away with great players in what looked like a great draft. They didn't get the pass-rusher they needed and they still could use help on the offensive line. But ultimately, my sense is they will be able to trade for Kolb. And if they do, there's no reason in that division that the Cardinals couldn't come away as the NFC West champs. If they get Kolb, that division is going to be a lot more interesting than it was last year. Sam Bradford will be better in St. Louis in Year 2, San Francisco with Jim Harbaugh will be better and Seattle was the only team in the division last season to win a playoff game. So the NFC West might be a lot more intriguing than people think. But no question, Arizona still has some questions to address. Then again, we haven't had free agency yet, so let's reassess them after free agency."
Leinart could reunite with Carroll in Seattle - CBSSports.com: "Nothing like a lockout to artificially inflate Matt Leinart's value. The former Cardinals first-round pick in the 2006 draft, Leinart has been underwhelming by any measure. After five starts as a rookie, he toiled mostly as a backup. Leinart was also occasionally characterized as disgruntled, and that eventually led to Arizona releasing him before the 2010 season. "In fairness to Matt, I think that it would be a tough position for him to be in a backup role," coach Ken Whisenhunt said at the time. "Maybe a fresh start for him is what would be a good thing, for all of us.""
Breaking down wide receivers: Arizona - NFC West Blog - ESPN: "Scouts Inc.'s Matt Williamson breaks down the wide receivers of each NFC West team. Today: Arizona Cardinals."
Three Years of Pass Rushing Productivity: Edge Rushers | ProFootballFocus.com: "Khaled Elsyaed of Pro Football Focus digs into the numbers to shine light on the top edge rushers in the NFL in the last three years."
NFL.com news: Tangle of hope, pessimism surround owners talks in Chicago: "The NFL's owners will convene a meeting Tuesday that is the first of its kind: Called specifically to address a lockout that's now in its fourth month. Previous summits in New Orleans and Indianapolis were labor heavy, to be sure, but were in concert with the normal league schedule. So this one -- in addition to the monthly meetings set from now until the dispute with the players is resolved -- is indeed different and reflective of the calendar. And the hope is that as the owners break new ground in Chicago this week, they'll blaze a much more important path, paving the way to a new labor agreement sometime in the coming weeks."
Vikings' Webb continues to adapt to NFL style: "Vikings QB Joe Webb is caught in the middle of a position battle, while learning a brand-new offense."
Clayton and Trotter, getting a deal done - Blog - MyNorthwest.com: "Jim Trotter of SI.com joined The John Clayton Show on Saturday to discuss the rumors and rumblings that the players and owners are moving quickly toward an acceptable labor agreement. "We are settling this thing in the next two to three weeks... aren't we?" asked Clayton. "That's what I've been hearing for a few weeks now," said Trotter, "Middle of July, so I'm going to stick to that"."
Remove The Beer Goggles (A Sober Look at Terrelle Pryor) " The Rookie Scouting Portfolio: "I’m going to give you a ton of analysis on Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor. But if you subscribe to the "Keep It Simple Stupid," approach, here’s an executive summary: All NFL prospects have physical talent. All NFL starters have technical skill. However, few NFL prospects in a given year become NFL starters because they don’t develop the techniques to play the position beyond the college level. The problem this presents to NFL personnel staff is that they have to project a player’s potential and physical talent. It is a significant part of that equation. As we have seen year after year, physical talent can be intoxicating if taken in large doses. And if you’ve ever been drunk, you understand how your judgment deteriorates."
Seahawks Fandamonium: 10 Reasons I Don’t Have to Get Over Super Bowl XL: "Last week I posted "10 Reasons ‘Hawk Fans Hate The Steelers" and some people said that I need to get over it. After considering all the reasonable arguments I heard from Steeler fans and my wife about "letting it go", I decided that Steeler fans and my wife never make reasonable arguments and that I needed to write this."