Seattle Seahawks news, rumors, links, info, interviews, analysis, and more! Happy Tuesday everyone!! That's all I got.
Winners! The five teams which improved the most in free agency - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports: 3. Seattle Seahawks. History suggests that there's not much of a future in being a big-money wide receiver signing with the Seahawks, but Sidney Rice hopes to reverse that trend. He'll have to do it with the help of Charlie Whitehurst or Tarvaris Jackson, but we'll save that for another day. This is a post for optimism. Robert Galleryis a nice addition at guard, too, and keeping Brandon Mebane in town was big. One gets the feeling that Seattle is moving in the right direction.
With Tatupu gone, what about Trufant? - NFC West Blog - ESPN: Jeremy from Houston thinks the Seattle Seahawks will decide during the exhibition season that their young cornerbacks are roughly as good as veteran Marcus Trufant. He thinks the Seahawks will try to trade Trufant for draft picks to a team outside the division.
Gallery says toughness key to good O-line play | Seahawks Insider: And Gallery said he’s embraced his role as the veteran leader for Seattle’s young line. "I’ve been lucky to be under some great veteran guys in my career, and it’s my time to help lead these guys," Gallery said. "I know this offense. I know what it takes to be good in this system and how you have to play, and the type of person you have to be, to be a good lineman in Coach Cable’s system. And I take pride in that. And I look forward to helping these young guys because there were guys that helped me when I was younger, and now it’s my turn."
Seahawks Blog | Camp Carroll 2.0 (Day 4) | Seattle Times Newspaper: Play of the day: Marshawn Lynch's signature isn't his elusiveness. He's known for his power and willingness to run through first contact, but he put a move on rookie linebacker Malcolm Smith in the morning drills that drew, "Ooooohs." After catching a ball in the flat, Lynch made a cut that Smith simply was not ready for. He tried to react, but couldn't as he was caught off balance. If this were basketball, announcer Bill Raftery would have declared, "Lingerie on the deck."
Why Zach Miller makes sense for Seahawks - NFC West Blog - ESPN: A possible resurgence from tight end John Carlson arose in my mind as an angle to pursue with Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell following practice Sunday. Bevell is implementing an offense similar to the one Mike Holmgren ran in Seattle when Holmgren pushed the team to make Carlson a second-round draft choice.
Seahawks.com Blog | Camp Carroll: Day 4 ": FOCUS ON Leon Washington. A year ago, he was coming off surgery to repair a severely broken leg and "just surviving," as coach Pete Carroll put it.
17 Power, A Seattle Seahawks Blog: Grading Seattle's Free Agency: Defense and Special Teams: Brandon Mebane (#92): A In an stunning turn of events, I actually managed to be right about something. Not only did Seattle re-sign DT Brandon Mebane, they announced today that he'd be moving back to his natural 1-tech position, something I'd guessed at yesterday. A stud run-stuffer from any position, Mebane has a record of success at collapsing the pocket, that greatest single unsung component of all strong D-lines. The entire line could reap good results from this.
ESPN's Mortensen impressed with Seahawks' free agent moves - Blog - MyNorthwest.com: ESPN's Chris Mortensen is one of the few national analysts that has been impressed by the Seahawks free agent moves over the past week. Mortensen said that he likes the three biggest additions of Tarvaris Jackson, Robert Gallery and Sidney Rice. He said both Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst will fit well into the offensive scheme created by new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and offensive line coach Tom Cable.
Tarvaris Jackson feels wanted in Seattle - Seahawks News - MyNorthwest.com: To call Tarvaris Jackson's five-year NFL career 'tumultuous' is quite an understatement. Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2006 draft, Jackson never had the job security warranted by such a high draft pick. His first three seasons were mired by injury and questionable decision-making, and head coach Brad Childress never gave him the vote of confidence a young quarterback desires. Then came Brett Favre.
The Philadelphia Eagles are winning free agency while the San Francicso 49ers move backward - ESPN: Losers San Francisco 49ers The team went backwards in the first six days. They needed to re-sign offensive lineman David Baas to replace Eric Heitmann at center, but they lost Baas to the Giants. Linebacker Takeo Spikes left for the Chargers. They cut cornerback Nate Clements and failed to talk him into re-signing.
Bill Barnwell on Nnamdi Asomugha, the Eagles, and Day 4 of NFL free agency - Grantland: Quick Hits Another middle linebacker hit the market when the Seahawks released Lofa Tatupu, who made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons before falling off radar. Truthfully, Tatupu's never hit the peaks of his first season in Seattle, when he stepped straight into the starting lineup of a Super Bowl contender. More recently, he's struggled with injuries. In a market where superior players like Ruud and Tulloch were only able to get one-year deals, Tatupu is unlikely to see much more.
Who won QB derby involving Matt Hasselbeck, Kevin Kolb, Donovan McNabb - ESPN: Arizona Cardinals -- Traded with Philadelphia to acquire Kevin Kolb This might sound harsh, but Kolb's numbers from last year's don't exactly say he is a slam dunk improvement over Derek Anderson. Kolb's 6.2 overall yards per attempt (YPA) mark was the third lowest among quarterbacks with 175 or more pass attempts. (Note: The YPA totals throughout this article include penalty plays such as pass interference, illegal contact, etc.) He also fared quite poorly in the bad decision metric (a bad decision being defined as when a quarterback makes a mistake with the ball that leads to a turnover or a near turnover). His 4.0 percent showing in that category ranked tied for third highest in the league. To put those figures into perspective, consider that Anderson posted better marks in both categories (6.5 YPA, 2.6 percent bad decision rate) and did so without the benefit of playing with the explosive Philadelphia offense. To be fair, Kolb did have to make do with Eagles backups in Week 17, but overall his numbers fell well short of the expectations Arizona likely has for him. He obviously should benefit from some continuity week to week, something he'll experience for the first time. Better or worse off? Probably better, but still a wait-and-see proposition.
Seahawks Blog | Video: Meet Robert Gallery, your newest Seahawks | Seattle Times Newspaper: Robert Gallery hasn't practiced yet, but he's already made an impression with a beard he's kept growing since he entered the league seven years ago, and an understanding of what it takes to excel in Tom Cable's blocking system. He talks about what he'll bring to the Seahawks once he can start practicing.
Seahawks Blog | Video: Pete Carroll discusses Lofa Tatupu's departure | Seattle Times Newspaper: "We figured out this was something that's going to work out," coach Pete Carroll said. Yes, that is how he started while addressing the departure of Lofa Tatupu, who has been captain of Seattle's defense going back to the 2005 playoffs. He used the word "mutual" twice in addressing the decision to release Tatupu. So after all that, how did the team reach the point it decided to move on?
NFL Trade Rumors: Osi Umenyiora Given Permission To Work On Trade - SB Nation Seattle: The Osi Umenyiora saga continues, but there is some tangible progress on Monday morning. According to a report. the ball is now in Umenyiora's court, with the New York Giants reportedly giving him the green flag to work out a trade. Umenyiora may be interested in the Seattle Seahawks, with reports over the weekend indicating as much. For now, though, it looks like his time in a Giants uniform may be nearing an end. The report comes from Sal Paolantonio, and lays out what may be happening in the ongoing disagreement between Umenyiora and the Giants front office.
NFL roundup -- Lofa Tatupu visiting Oakland Raiders, source says - ESPN: Former Seattle Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu is visiting the Oakland Raiders on Monday, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Tatupu met with coach Pete Carroll on Saturday night and asked for his release after the Seahawks asked him to take a pay cut, ESPN sources have said.
Danny O'Neil | Lofa Tatupu's departure is tough for one reporter | Seattle Times Newspaper: Are you friends with the players? It is the question I am asked most often about my occupation. My answer is an inevitable disappointment as I begin droning on about professional obligations, the need for objectivity, and the reality that 24-year-old millionaires generally have better social options than hanging out with me.
Sports Radio Interviews " Blog Archive " Matt Hasselbeck Chose Tennessee In Part Because He’s Excited to Mentor Jake Locker: For the first time in more than a decade, we’re going to see quarterback Matt Hasselbeck in something other than a Seattle Seahawks uniform. Hasselbeck made quick work of picking the Tennessee Titans as the team he’d sign with once the NFL lockout was over. The Titans just picked up Jake Locker, a Washington product who was believed by many to be the potential No. 1 overall pick in 2010, but then chose to go back to school. Hasselbeck says the fact that he could work with Locker — who he obviously knows since they both last played their ball in the state of Washington — was a factor in his decision. Hasselbeck is being paid good money (three years, $21 million) to win ballgames, but also to mentor Locker as older guys did with him in the past.
A new man in the middle: For the past six seasons, no one played harder for the Seahawks - and few played better - than Lofa Tatupu.
No one had to remind coach Pete Carroll of that after the team released the three-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker Sunday, in what Carroll labeled a "mutual agreement" after he and Tatupu discussed the situation the past few days.
Bing Training Camp Recap - Day 4: The title says it all.
Tom Cable on the value of Robert Gallery - Blog - MyNorthwest.com: New offensive line coach Tom Cable spoke to the media at the VMAC on Monday regarding free agent acquisition Robert Gallery. "His experience in the last four years, he's kind of seen everything," said Cable. "From learning it in the beginning, to getting it to a point where it's the best in football, whether it's running or throwing, he's gotten through kind of all the ups and downs of having to put a system in and grow in it. "So his value is extreme."
Follow @FieldGulls on Twitter | Like Field Gulls on Facebook