Seattle Seahawks news, rumors, links, info, interviews, analysis, and more! Happy Friday everyone. One day closer to the end of the lockout, theoretically?
Greg Cosell, Unheralded Maestro of N.F.L. 'Matchup' - NYTimes.com: "Greg is just a brilliant man when it comes to" the strategic and personnel facets of the league, Raiders offensive coordinator Al Saunders said. "Tremendous insight, a tremendous knowledge of personnel, a great command of the intricacies of the game from a strategic standpoint." "For a guy who isn’t a coach, isn’t a general manager, and was never a player," the NFL.com senior writer Vic Carucci said, "the depth of his knowledge and his ability to explain it is as strong as anything I’ve come across. And I like to think I’ve been around some of the brightest football people in the modern era." The business card answer to Who is this guy? says "Greg Cosell: senior producer, NFL Films." But business cards also say things like "Grigori Rasputin: religious counselor" or "Karl Rove: political consultant." In other words, titles can be understating."
Don't forget about the undrafted rookies | National Football Post: "While we continue to wait for the NFL lockout to officially end, speculation runs high when it comes to the top tier free agents and possible trades once veteran player movement takes off. Names like Eagles’ QB Kevin Kolb, the future of Carson Palmer in Cincy and the team that is going to open up their wallets for CB Nnamdi Asomugha. However, don’t forget about the amount of undrafted rookie free agents that will end up on opening day rosters around the league. Because many of these players (waiting to find their new home) will contribute to an NFL club."
Sports Radio Interviews " Blog Archive " Ken Whisenhunt Is Excited to Find His Quarterback After the Lockout Ends: "How anxious he is to finally find a quarterback: "Absolutely. I don’t know if anxious is the right word. I’m excited to do that, to get the opportunity. I feel confident that when we get the opportunity to do that we’re gonna have success and we’re gonna be excited about that just because I think we present a good opportunity for a quarterback. With our receivers and some of the things that we do. The one thing as a coach you want to have your team. You want to know what your team looks like, you want to know what challenges you face with that specific team going in and we’re not there yet. We have a number of areas that we would like to address. We’d like to be aggressive and improve our football team and that’s what we’re going to do. You would certainly like for that to be happening right now because you’re just excited about wanting to get started and wanting to get everyone up to speed.""
It Is What It Is " Randy Moss has a ‘chip on shoulder’ and is ready to show he ain’t done yet: ""Randy has been working out, two-a-days, all spring and summer in West Virginia," Segal told the NFL Network. "He is determined, motivated and quite frankly has a huge chip on his shoulder. Whatever team ends up getting Randy, they’re going to know they’re getting the old Randy Moss. He’s not just coming in to be on the team, he’s going to be Randy Moss — a difference maker.""
NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Data Points: Lackluster offenses in NFC West ": "Two barometers of offensive production are yards per attempt and points per game. The first category ranks how much real estate a passer is picking up every time the ball leaves his hands. None of the four NFC West teams ranked in the top 10 in the league in that category last season, and the division as a whole fared even worse in offensive points per game. The Cardinals (31st), 49ers (25th), Rams (23rd) and Seahawks (26th) all struggled to score points and ranked in the bottom third of the league."
The 25 Least Valuable Players in the NFL - The Triangle Blog: "16. Tyler Polumbus, offensive tackle, Seahawks Speaking of Dumervil, his season ended when he tore a muscle tangling with Polumbus in a training camp drill, quashing Denver's playoff hopes. That came after Polumbus was almost unquestionably the worst starter in the league during the second half of 2009. He moved onto Seattle after camp and actually was decent as a fill-in lineman, so there is hope."
This Dumervil injury thing seems like a really obscure reason to rank Polumbus #16 on the LVP list... but ok? I, for one, think he's got a lot of potential.
Rookie wage scale not a major sticking point in NFL negotiations - ESPN: "However it's ultimately worked out in the new collective bargaining agreement, the reduced salaries for rookies will be an interesting change in the game. It can't be forgotten that the NFL installed a rookie pool that was supposed to hold down rookie salaries. Smart agents destroyed it quickly, starting when the Seahawks gave an option bonus to quarterback Rick Mirer in 1993. The system was set up for rookies to get 3 percent of the salary cap. Option bonuses allowed guaranteed money for first-rounders to explode."
Seahawks receiver says NASCAR drivers aren’t athletes - From the Marbles - NASCAR Blog - Yahoo! Sports: "That's Golden Tate, a second-year receiver for the Seattle Seahawks, talking smack about Johnson, who's a five-time champion and former AP Athlete of the Year. (Unless, of course, he was talking about the former Cowboys coach, in which case I'd agree that he shouldn't be up for best athlete.)"
2014-2016 biggest stars NFC - NFL Nation Blog - ESPN: "Russell Okung, Seahawks tackle: By now regular visitors to the NFC West blog have read plenty about the talent that makes Okung such a bright prospect at left tackle. Some Rams fans have heard enough about Okung and think their team's young left tackle, Rodger Saffold, should get stronger consideration after exceeding expectations as the 33rd player chosen in the 2010 draft. I won't bore them with more generalities. Instead, let's consider a few specific examples suggesting Okung has the temperament, not just the talent, to excel for years to come. Three examples of Okung's aggressiveness stand out as I look back on his rookie season: the way Okung drove back and ultimately ticked off Chicago's Brian Urlacher during Justin Forsett's touchdown run in Week 6; the way Okung clobbered Kansas City's Mike Vrabel in Week 12 when it wasn't really necessary; and the way Okung blasted Carolina's Captain Muderlyn during an interception return in Week 13."
Following up: When teams brought heat - NFC West Blog - ESPN: "There's nothing magical about first-and-10, but it's a situation teams face frequently and one where blitzing seems most optional. I'll check out other situations as well, particularly if anything jumps out."
Seattle Seahawks Blog - Hawk Blogger: Chances of Winning a Super Bowl With Kevin Kolb...0%??: "Kevin Kolb is a constant source of discussion among any NFL fan base looking for their next franchise QB. He was a superb college player, has been groomed by one of the best in the biz in Andy Reid, and has flashed some great talent in his brief pro playing career. Many fans would be thrilled to hear their team traded a 1st and 3rd round pick to acquire Kolb in the hopes that he would lead them to a future championship. It is possible that could happen, but it's far more likely any team that acquires Kolb via trade will never win a Super Bowl with him at the helm."
Offseason rewind: More press coverage | Seahawks Insider: ""The hardest thing is when you’re playing press man (to man)," Gray said. "You’re not going to get as many (interceptions). Most of the guys that play off, they’ve got vision to break (to the ball) and they … will get a lot more interceptions because, again, the rush is going to get there and they’re going to throw the ball faster. But when you’re playing … with your back turned, it’s hard to get picks." Carroll wants to play more press coverage because it takes away the quick, rhythm passing game and forces the offense to make tougher throws down the field and outside the numbers."
Dashon Goldson - San Francisco 49ers - 2011 Player Profile - Rotoworld.com: "GM Trent Baalke revealed that the 49ers do not plan to aggressively pursue outside free agents this summer. "From a philosophical standpoint," explained Baalke, "we're not going to be major players in free agency." Baalke will try to keep most of his own free agents, confirming that FS Dashon Goldson is the highest priority. He's fully expecting some kind of window to negotiate before free agency is opened to a "free-for-all.""
Caleb King Supplemental Draft Notes - Mocking The Draft: "King is a good looking athlete with the potential to be a productive running back. He is quick through the hole while still showing enough patience to let his blocks develop. King's ability to press the hole insures that he rarely misses the open lane. His lateral quickness and balanced running style allows him to make defenders miss. This also helps him avoid loosing yards in the backfield. King does a nice job running behind his pads exposing as little of his body as possible. This allows him to break tackles and end runs going forward."
YouTube - Caleb King
http://www.draftbreakdown.com
NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Data Points: Offensive points per game for 2010 ": "Offensive points per game is an important category, one that doesn’t include interceptions returned for touchdowns, punt returns for touchdowns, or any other miscellaneous scoring. Most fans only see points per game, which include all the various types of scoring. But OPPG is the oldest, simplest way of determining the productivity of an offense. Who cares about total yards if an offense consistently sputters in the red zone?"
Where NFC West franchises rank - NFC West Blog - ESPN: "If NFL owners cared only about money and not all the other benefits that come with their standing in the sports world, most of them would sell."
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