Happy Friday everyone, a lot of good reading this morning, a lot going on in the NFL; I hear there's rumors on the internets. Let's just all thank Al Gore for inventing it.
With a Labor Deal in Limbo, N.F.L. May Expand Rosters - NYTimes.com: "Expanding rosters would give coaches extra time to evaluate rookies, many of whom have not yet received playbooks."
Sullivan: Mike Teel's rolling the dice with Las Vegas of the UFL - NorthJersey.com: "Former Don Bosco and Rutgers quarterback hoping this will start him on a road back to the NFL."
Seahawks | Seahawks players gather at UW indoor facility for informal workout | Seattle Times Newspaper: "It started with Justin Forsett. Through constant emails, text messages and phone calls, the Seahawks running back connected with teammates and coordinated their schedules so they could gather and train during the NFL lockout."
Large group of Seahawks, free agents work out in Seattle - NFL - CBSSports.com Football: "Whitehurst's presence was notable considering he is the only Seattle quarterback under contract for the 2011 season. He flew in from Atlanta to participate in the largest gathering so far of Seahawks or Seattle-based players, although the workouts have been going on informally for a couple of months. Hasselbeck has been the leader at many of those since he lives year-round in the Seattle area, even though his future with the Seahawks is unknown. "I'm always looking for a chance to get together with the guys I'm going to throw to," Whitehurst said. "I don't know if it matters what position you play, but the guys who came felt it was important. Quarterbacks, obviously every opportunity we get, we're going to take it."
Miles left to travel, but real progress made in NFL talks - NFL - CBSSports.com Football: "In essence, what tore the two sides apart -- money -- might bring them back together. Initially, the fight was about owners and players wanting to keep more of it. Now, they've become civil over the fear of losing it. These recent talks have been more productive than all the other discussions and mediations combined, the official said. This has allowed the two sides to proceed at a more urgent pace than before. Jerry Jones is likely eager to get a deal done to avoid lost gate receipts that can help pay for his stadium. (AP) What could slow the progress is the ruling of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals expected sometime in early July. I'm told both sides may want to wait and see how the court rules on the lockout before finalizing any deal. Progress might also be delayed by good, old-fashioned distrust, which could raise its ugly head at any time."
NFL.com news: When it comes to the all-time quarterbacks, who is the winner?: "NFC West x - San Francisco 49ers (Joe Montana, Steve Young, John Brodie, Jeff Garcia, Y.A. Tittle) St. Louis Rams (Kurt Warner, Roman Gabriel, Jim Everett, Pat Haden, Marc Bulger) Arizona Cardinals (Jim Hart, Neil Lomax, Kurt Warner, Jake Plummer, Charley Johnson) Seattle Seahawks (Matt Hasselbeck, Dave Krieg, Jim Zorn, Warren Moon, Jon Kitna)"
NFL.com news: Reactions to NFLCA's brief range from surprise to anger: "Add Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid and Kansas City Chiefs coach Todd Haley to the growing list of staff leaders publicly distancing themselves from the NFL Coaches Association's brief filed with the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals."
In Arena League, They’re Ready for Some Football - NYTimes.com: "With the N.F.L. players locked out for the foreseeable future, Arena Football League teams like the Philadelphia Soul are looking for a much needed boost."
Slot Receivers | ProFootballFocus.com: "Pro Football Focus' Khaled Elsayed sifts through the NFL's slot receiver numbers for 2010." Brandon Stokley, not surprisingly, is a very good slot receiver.
Breaking down the Saints red zone Cover 2 | National Football Post: Matt Bowen breaks down some cover-2 coaching points, including Tampa-2 points. An interesting read considering the Seahawks will often run a defense very similar to this.
Tricky offenses could be casualties of lockout - NFL- NBC Sports: "Screens. Screen passes don’t seem that difficult — your local high school runs them — but they require precise timing for offensive linemen (and for receivers on wideout screens). Some teams, such as the Broncos (70) and Eagles (65), were very dependent on the screen game. Others, such as the Seahawks (25) and Titans (26) are not. Reduced practice time means reduced time to focus on screen fundamentals, so a team that wants to run four or five of them per game could be in trouble."
I included this post for those of you who are frustrated that the Seahawks don't run more screens, and when they do run them, they're bad at them.
Womack headlines B&G Club camp " Sports " starherald.net - Kosciusko, MS: "A week from Thursday, veteran NFL lineman Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack will be giving area youngsters personal instruction in some of the skill that have made it possible for the former Mississippi State standout to play in the league for 10 years."
Ravens' Hardy healthy, hopeful to have impact on team - Carroll County Times: Local: "Hardy spent all of last season trying to get back on an NFL roster. He tried out for the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts and the Seattle Seahawks last fall, but was never signed." I mentioned this guy last week in a Coffee and Cigarettes post but I didn't realize that he actually tried out with the Seahawks last season. Interesting to see if he would get another go this season if he's dropped from the Ravens.
Parcells reflects back on final game with Cowboys: "Obviously that is a memory that is a difficult one for me," Parcells told WXOS 101.1 FM in St. Louis. "I remember flying back from Seattle and I was at the age of 66 or so. It's another off-season, regular season, pre-season, just to get to that opportunity and when you've been doing it since 1964 and it's 2006 … that's a long time. I've been very fortunate to be able to do it. I wouldn't say that that one game really had much to do with anything. It just was…I just think it was time to stop coaching because you have to get off the train sometime and I had a difficult time doing that because I do love the game, but I think as far as coaching, it's a young man's game and it's for someone else now."
In Depth Analysis of the Cincinnati Bengals 2011 Regular Season Schedule: Games 5-8 - Cincy Jungle: "Sunday Oct. 30 (4:15 p.m.): Cincinnati Bengals at Seattle Seahawks Weirdly, the Bengals have either scored 20 or 21 points each of the last five times they've played the Seahawks. Unfortunately, in the last five times the Bengals have played in Seattle, they've gone 2-3, kind of proving that whole idea that the Bengals aren't too good on the west coast. In their last five games in Seattle, the Bengals have averaged 20.6 points per game compared to the Seahawks' 21. Cincinnati has averaged 395 total yards per game, 116.6 rushing yards per game and 287.4 passing yards per game. They Bengals also averaged 2.2 turnovers per game compared to Seattle's 1.6."
2011 Pittsburgh Steelers Season Preview – Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh " Nice Pick, Cowher | A Pittsburgh Steelers Blog: A look at the Steelers upcoming season, specifically the game against the Seahawks.