Coffee and Cigarettes: Seahawks Links for Tuesday

Seattle Seahawks news, rumors, links, info, interviews, analysis, and more!

Seattle's Mark LeGree: from construction to NFL - NFL - Yahoo! Sports: All the work leading up to the NFL draft was over. Mark LeGree(notes), despite playing at Appalachian State, knew he would get a shot at playing in the pros after being taken in the fifth round by the Seattle Seahawks. There was just the pesky lockout delaying the start of his professional career and blocking any money from coming into his wallet. "I had a little bit of money left over and I was waiting for the lockout to end but I was getting low on my funds," LeGree said. "I was like `I have to find a job."’

Mac's Football Blog: Saints Release OT Jon Stinchcomb: New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton announced that the team has released veteran offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb, Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune reports.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Four Downs: NFC West: According to our defensive numbers, the Seahawks were 14th against opposing team’s No. 1 receivers, but dead last against No. 2s and 28th against all other wideouts. There’s a severe lack of secondary depth here, but Seattle added no cornerbacks in the draft or free agency (unless you count sixth-rounder Byron Maxwell, a longshot to make the team) and actually lost a valuable contributor when safety/nickelback Jordan Babineaux signed with Tennessee.

Why I keep talking about Bucs QB Josh Johnson | National Football Post: I understand how valuable Josh Freeman is to the Tampa offense (and I also expect him to develop even more in 2011), but don’t forget about what the Bucs have on the QB depth chart—because Johnson has talent. And if I go back and analyze all of the preseason football I saw over the weekend, Johnson is the one of the players that I keep talking about.

I'll admit it. I'm a Josh Johnson fan. I celebrate the man's entire catalog. 

NFL.com news: Rookie QBs show promise in first preseason action: Dalton: Not a good start Bengals rookie Andy Dalton struggled Friday night in Detroit -- and that is being kind. He did not look decisive with the football, nor did he have a great command. He was under pressure from the Lions' front, but he was not impressive with his arm or location of the football. From his first pass of the game -- which was intercepted -- to his last, Dalton never looked like a pure thrower. He did not look like someone who could drive the ball when the pocket closed on him. I am confident Dalton will be better next week with more work, but whether he can make all the throws the NFL game requires is yet to be determined.

NFL.com news: Veteran Hasselbeck reveals he chose Titans over 49ers: While Titans coach Mike Munchak was pleased with Jake Locker's NFL debut Saturday night against the Minnesota Vikings, the starting quarterback competition appears all but over in Tennessee. That's because Munchak hopes to give Locker time to develop while veteran Matt Hasselbeck leads the Titans into the fray of the regular season, the Tennessean reported Monday.

NFL.com news: Colts release former Ball State QB Davis: Nate Davis' attempt to make the Colts roster has ended. Watch preseason games LIVE online in HD. Get the Back to Football special at NFL.com/preseasonlive. Indianapolis waived the former Ball State quarterback Monday, just two days after he played sparingly in Saturday's 33-10 loss to St. Louis. Davis was 3 of 7 for 36 yards in the game.

Dave Krieg's Strike Beard: Ambivalence: That's Matt Hasselbeck. OUR Matt Hasselbeck, playing for the Tennessee Titans Saturday night. I hear he played well, but I'm not itching to go out of my way to watch the highlights. I feel like I'm not where I should be about the whole "Matt Hasselbeck leaving the Seahawks" thing. On one side, you have a lot of people who are fairly HAPPY to see him go- Yes, a lot of them preface their fusillades against Matthew by saying the right things about his "Seahawks legacy," but the bottom line is that they couldn't be happier that they don't have to watch another snap with #8 leading the Seahawks. At the other pole are the people SO devoted to Hasselbeck that they are furious at PCJS for not giving Matthew a gaudy multi-year deal to stay in Seattle. These are the people who talk about not being able to root for the Seahawks after this horrible betrayal, and how they might just go become Titans fans!

A few minutes with Jeron Johnson | Seahawks Insider: Motivation Jeron Johnson, the hard-hitting safety out of Boise State was expected to be a middle-round prospect in this year’s draft, but instead went undrafted and signed with the Seattle Seahawks as a rookie free agent. Johnson, 21, entered Seattle’s safety competition with something to prove. So far, he has proved he belongs, posting a tackle for a loss and two pass deflections in a 24-17 win over San Diego, including a pass deflection late to seal the victory. "I’ve always had a lot of motivation when it comes to football, with people saying what I can and can’t do," he said. "So not being drafted is definitely motivation."

17 Power, A Seattle Seahawks Blog: On Tarvaris Jackson, Part 3: First off: I am posting numbers comparing Tarvaris Jackson against Matt Hasselbeck, not to start more anger or debate about Hasselbeck's decision to go elsewhere, but because many here are very familiar with the progression of his career and the improvement he began to show in year 4 of it. Tarvaris Jackson and the recently departed Great Bald One have some astounding similarities to their careers. All the following stats are from the first 4 years of Matt's career and the first 5 of Tarvaris'. This is because the number of attempts are roughly similar.

Seahawks LB Curry ready to live up to expectations - Seahawks News - MyNorthwest.com:: High expectations come with high draft picks, especially when you're the highest-picked player at your position in nearly a decade. That's what happened to Wake Forest outside linebacker Aaron Curry when the Seattle Seahawks selected him fourth overall in the 2009 draft.

Josh Portis combine info & Knile Davis injury news " Seahawks Draft Blog: I thought it’d be worth trying to locate some information on Josh Portis’ combine performance to learn more about him. You can see highlights of his work out by clicking here. It’s interesting to note that Portis had the highest vertical jump ever registered by a quarterback at the combine.

Hawks’ Rice reels in catches, praise - Seahawks - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington news, weather and sports: If you’re looking for Sidney Rice to provide some bulletin-board material, don’t bother. The 24-year-old receiver was all gum drops and rainbows in talking about his former team, the Minnesota Vikings, who by coincidence will be the opponent in his first game with the Seattle Seahawks. The Vikings travel to Seattle for Saturday’s second exhibition game for both teams, at CenturyLink Field. "It’s football," he said. "No matter who’s on the other side, I’m a Seahawk now. And I’m going to war with those guys and the 12th Man this week. So that’s all that matters."

Mobility of Seahawks quarterback to be tested in 2011: A fan's take - NFL - Yahoo! Sports: Maybe the Seattle Seahawks didn't replace Matt Hasselbeck(notes) with Tarvaris Jackson(notes) because they thought he was a better quarterback. Maybe they got him simply because he is a better runner. Now that Russell Okung(notes) has ankle issues (again), the Seahawks might have trouble protecting their quarterback from the left side and Jackson (or Whitehurst) may be on the run. Carroll is optimistic about Okung's return, but I'm guessing that most of the fan base is not convinced. Okung missed a lot of his rookie campaign with these types of injuries, and hurting his ankle on the very first series is not a good sign. Will Okung really return and play a full season, or will the left tackle position be a revolving door?

Sports Radio Interviews " Blog Archive " Matt Hasselbeck On Leaving The Seattle Seahawks: "It’s like if you have ever been dumped by your girlfriend, but a little worse.": The NFL can be a cold hard business. Just ask Matt Hasselbeck the newest member of the Tennessee Titans. The man who gave every ounce of pride, spirit and heart to the city of Seattle for ten years found out a few weeks ago that Pete Carroll and John Schneider we’re moving in a different direction. It may be a baffling direction with Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst, but Hasselbeck was getting the sense that his time was up in the "Emerald City" by the start of free agency when he didn’t receive an early phone call. The man who played in in 14 games last season, throwing for 3,001 yards, 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions while completing 59.9 percent of his passes uses an interesting analogy to compare the feeling of being told he was no longer wanted in Seattle, but you can empathize with the feeling that it hurts to know when you aren’t wanted especially when you are a professional athlete. Mike Reinfeldt and the Tennessee Titans came calling immediately as the organization that wanted to make the the 35-year-old quarterback feel wanted again and Hasselbeck couldn’t have sounded any happier about reuniting with a familiar face that he knew from his days back in Green Bay and Seattle. In the following interview with KJR in Seattle, Hasselbeck speaks glowingly of the opportunity he has in Tennessee to work with such a great offensive line and the chance to mentor a young kid in Jake Locker. After listening to Hasselbeck you get a growing sense of respect for the veteran quarterback who is looking to make an impact in helping a young rookie, who happened to meet his mentor when he was a college kid back in Washington.

Seattle Seahawks Blog - Hawk Blogger: Secondary To None: One of the best parts about being a sports fan is when you know something before the casual fans, superficial local media, and national experts. You know this thing, not because you are smarter than those folks, but because you are interested enough to pay attention to details while others simply regurgitate. The state of the Seahawks secondary may be the best example of this right now. Ask any national expert, and they will tell you the Seahawks should have signed Jonathan Joseph or Antonio Cromartie. They will tell you they have no depth at the CB position. The casual fan and radio show host will see Kelly Jennings out there and think it's more of the same crap we've seen the past few years. They are all wrong. Pete Carroll and John Schneider have made over the blindingly bad roster they inherited in 2009, and no place demonstrates the shift more than the secondary. 

Observations From First Preseason Game – The Offense | The Blue Bird Herd: QBs Tarvaris Jackson struggled to find an open receiver.  It may have had something to do with the fact that there really weren’t any. Isaiah Stanback and Golden Tate were starting on the edges…’Nuff said (always wanted to type that somewhere).  However, a QB can still be decisive when receivers aren’t open, and can maintain rhythm by getting out of the pocket and throwing the ball away.

Jerry Brewer | Seahawks' Earl Thomas is taking the danger out of his safety job | Seattle Times Newspaper: For a player with Earl Thomas' talent, the football field must seem like an open highway without a speed limit. He can do anything out there. He puts the "elect" in electric; thrills are always on his ballot. It's his greatest gift. And it's his biggest flaw.

Lynch still has freedom in run game | Seahawks Insider: Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch talked to reporters for the first time during training camp today. Picked up during Week 4 of last season, the Oakland native said he was pleased to be in Seattle for the start of training camp. "That first meeting is where they lay down the foundation of what you’re going to be looking for, for the rest of the season. So coming in this year and actually being able to be part of that first meeting, where they did lay down the foundation, I got a better sense of where they’re coming from."

Seahawks.com Blog | Camp Carroll: Day 19 ": FOCUS ON Russell Okung. On Thursday night, the team’s left tackle was taken to the locker room at Qualcomm Stadium on a cart after spraining his left ankle during the first series of the preseason opener. Today, Okung was back on the practice field. Sort of. His handful of snaps came in the earliest portion of the 1 hour, 45 minute session that was held in the indoor practice facility at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Rather than a helmet, Okung was wearing a Seahawks hat – backwards. Rather than full pads, he had no pads.

Reporter, QB impressed by rookie WR Doug Baldwin - Daily Links Blog - MyNorthwest.com: With so many big names and so much talent in the Seahawks' group of wide receivers, it's understandable that a diminutive, unheralded rookie could go unnoticed by most fans. But Doug Baldwin has caught the eye of one Seahawks beat writer.

Landry Jones: further tape, analysis to come " Seahawks Draft Blog: TMB Draft has done a good job grouping positive/negative tape from several games into packages such as below. I wanted to take a further look at Landry Jones (QB, Oklahoma). A lot of people are particularly high on Jones, but I’m still not completely convinced. He’s got the physical tools but plays completely within himself allowing a productive scheme to do the talking. Sam Bradford dominated in this scheme but still shone through it, whilst Jones has coasted along riding it’s coat tails.

A different Golden Tate - Blog - MyNorthwest.com: Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate has found some direction. "I think last year I just came in and was kind of an athlete - you know, just out making plays," Tate said after practice on Sunday. "Coaches didn't know what they were going to get from me. They knew that, 'you throw it up - he'll go get it - but we don't know if he's going to run the right route or if he knows what he's doing.'"

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