Reality League!

Seahawks Sign Warrick to 1-year Deal!

From ESPN.com:

Wasting little time after his release by the Cincinnati Bengals one day earlier, wide receiver Peter Warrick on Wednesday afternoon signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks, despite avid interest from other teams.

The basic contract is worth $1.4 million, which includes a $500,000 signing bonus and a base salary of $900,000. But the five-year veteran can earn an additional $880,000 -- the difference between his deal with the Seahawks and the $2.28 million base salary that he was scheduled to make in Cincinnati -- through incentives.

[Full Story]

Looks like the battle at WR just got hotter!
Only time will tell if this is a "nice catch" or a "bungled deal"!

More Links
Post Intelligencer piece

Fantasy League

Ok guys here's the deal. I have created a fantasy league called 12seahawksstreet.blog at NFL.com. It's FREE, and enyone who wants to join just let me know here. Draft time will be Sept 1, 11:30 am ET. So that is like soon, like tomorrow soon. The password is the three best Seahawks of all time numbers Steve Largent, Cortez Kennedy, and Kenny Easley. If you can't figure that out email me. Anyway, let me know here if you want to play, and I will send you an official invite to the league K? Otherwise if no one wants to do this, oh well...it cost me nothing.

If there are too many scheduling conflicts let me know,I may be able to get another draft time, though I am not sure how this works very well yet, never done this before. My team name will be the Swingin Simians. Anyway let me know if there are problems, I will do the best I can to work something out.

Oh last thing, draft is live.

I Gotta Stop Taking Tuesdays Off!

Boulware Must-Read

"Boulware worked for three days at Rod Woodson's football camp in Fort Wayne, Ind., but he may have gotten more out of it than the kids."

sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Are we ready to go to Warrick?

ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli reports the following:

"Wide receiver Peter Warrick, the fourth player selected in the 2000 draft, was apprised Tuesday morning by the Cincinnati Bengals that he will be released later in the day as the club reduces its roster to the mandatory 65-player limit.

"On Monday, when he returned to practice for the first time in a week, Warrick made a public request that, if the Bengals were going to jettison him, they do so in this first round of cuts, rather than wait until the weekend, when rosters must be pared to 53 players, the NFL regular-season limit.

"It did not take long for Warrick to generate interest. ESPN.com confirmed that Warrick was already en route Tuesday evening to Seattle to visit with Seahawks coaches and team officials. He will also likely make visits in coming days with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants. Among the other teams that have indicated varying degrees of interest, but have not arranged visits, are Green Bay, New England and Indianapolis."

My Take? It's nothing we haven't heard before. He'll take his physical, I'm confident that Ruskell give him a fair offer and not overpay, and he will visit several other teams.

I say we've got a 30% chance.

But why should we be excited to enlist someone else's disappointment? Probably because the guy obviously wants to play. He thinks he has something to offer another team. He's getting over a disappointing season, marred by injury.

In any case, I think he would be a good fit into Holmies version of the WCO. He's not fast, but quick, and runs after the ball well.

Here's another good report on Warrick, from the offseason, taken from footballguys.com:

5. CIN - WR Warrick On Track To Play
Clipped from: Cincinnati Post article by Kevin Goheen, 5/12/05
There was no limp in Peter Warrick's walk as he meandered through the locker room at Paul Brown Stadium Wednesday. His goal now is to run without trouble when it counts.

Warrick has been away from the Bengals' voluntary offseason conditioning program the past few weeks, rehabbing in Florida from leg injuries that cost him 12 games in 2004. After a breakout season in 2003 in which the wide receiver set career highs in receptions, yardage and touchdowns, last season was a bitter disappointment that dampened Warrick's usually jovial attitude.

The Bengals will have the first four of 14 voluntary on-field coaching sessions beginning Tuesday and Warrick will be there, although not fully. He wants to be 100 percent healthy come the first practice of training camp on July 29 and overdoing workouts now won't help achieve that goal.

"I'm going to take my time and be smart about the situation," said Warrick.

Warrick has one season remaining on the contract he signed after the Bengals selected him with the fourth overall choice in the 2000 NFL draft. He's due a base salary of $2.6 million this season. Those economical facts combined with the Bengals drafting receivers Chris Henry and Tab Perry in the third and sixth rounds, respectively, of this year's draft have led to the speculation that Warrick's days in
Cincinnati could be numbered.

Should Warrick be released at any time before the start of the season, the Bengals would gain $2.6 million - the amount of his base salary - in salary cap space. The team won't release him simply to gain that accounting relief, however. A healthy Peter Warrick teamed with quarterback Carson Palmer, running back Rudi Johnson and receivers Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh would give the Bengals one of the NFL's most potent offenses.

[[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]
Warrick has had a generally disappointing career, having never lived up to his draft position (selected #4 overall in 2000). Before he was injured in the second game last season, however, he showed fine quickness, hands, and run-after-the-catch ability during the 2003 season. Warrick will probably never be the featured WR on an NFL team, but he has the skills to be very effective in a complimentary role operating out of the slot. If he can recover from last year's injury, the trio of Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Peter Warrick would present a terrific set of targets for QB Carson Palmer. If Warrick is not completely recovered by the start of the season, the Bengals are hoping that rookie third-round pick Chris Henry can fill the void.

Sounds like he's worth a shot to me!

BUT HE CAN'T USE #80. HEAR THAT, RUSKELL?

Cuts Like A Knife

Cue the Bryan Adams music. The following players were waived:

S Jamaal Brimmer, WR Marque Davis, DE Ronald Flemons, LS Tim Galloway, G Steven Gibbs, SS Terry Holley, G Matt Miller, TE Calen Powell, FS Junior Rosegreen, WR Jason Willis

The following veteran contracts were terminated:

DE Antonio Cochran, DE Otis Leverette

The following players were waived/injury:

RB Dante Brown (Shoulder), DT Ron Smith (Knee)

Will Alexander Play

I'm just curious how many people think SA shows up and plays to his potential. I think the one year contract was genius since he'll be looking to resign next year with someone else, but will Holmgren use him in goal line situation next year if he only needs 2 yards for the rushing title and a playoff spot is on the line?

Antonio Cochran Released Along With Jason Willis...Porkchop Out 6 Weeks.

The letter Seattle Seahawks president Tim Ruskell sent to players in March left little room for interpretation.
Participation in the team’s offseason workout program was one of his expectations. Some players showed up. Veteran defensive end Antonio Cochran chose to stay away, and on Sunday the Seahawks released him.

Cochran’s termination after six seasons with the team stemmed from factors that went beyond workouts, of course. The 29-year-old veteran stood to earn $1.5 million this season, and the team had decided to build its defense around smaller, quicker ends.

Whatever the reasoning, Cochran apparently did not fit. He leaves the Seahawks with 151/2 sacks in 82 games, including 61/2 sacks last season.

-From the Trib


wow guys...i actually believed Holmgren when he gave his reason for Cochran not playing...he said he wanted to see the younger guys...all credit goes to those few who assumed something DID happen...best of luck to Antonio and our Pass Rush

now what do we do? im definitely not comfortable with our pass rush now, Tubbs/Darby emergence or not.

also, with Porkchop out for 6 weeks (4 regular season games)...Locklear is taking his place

SIDE NOTE: The Eagles removed the franchise tag from Corey Simon, making him a free agent...the Seahawks will probably be interested, among a million other teams...BUT that is my thought...I would be shocked if they werent.

Alan's D.O.G vs. Kansas City

First a confession: I did a terrible job keeping tabs on this one. Didn't even game cast, as I wass out and about on Saturday night. But, when one is looking for a momentum changing drive, and not a play, one can get away with this.

Now to the D.O.G.

I love the third preseason game, because its as close to the regular season as we'll get until September. The regulars stay in longer, and the coaches have a good feel for their team.

And when the regulars stay in a bit longer and produce, well thats just great. The D.O.G goes to the 2nd half opening drive.

The essentials: 10 plays, 72 yards, 4:33 long. Result: Matt Hasselbeck to Shaun Alexander, 8 yard TD. Seattle 17 KC 14.

Why its the D.O.G.: I love ten play drives. The longer the drive, the better. Especially when you're playing in KC. Do you know how hot and humid it is there? This drive not only resulted in a go-ahead score, but it gave the defense four and a half minutes to recharge the batteries for the 2nd half. Considering how the game ended, the defense needed all the energy it could spare in this one.

This is similar to the DOG given out against New Orleans. The offense came out, played tough, drove the ball down the field, and scored. No second half lapse, they came out with energy and it resulted in a win.

You also have to love Seattl'es next possession. 13 plays, 75 yards 5:56,ending in a Josh Brown field goal. This comes from the second team offense. Their first series of the game, Seneca Wallace and co. made a statement with that drive. I believe the statement reads something like this:

Dear Sean Salisbury,

We have heart. We will win the NFC West. We have what it takes. You sucked at quarterback.

Sincerely,

The Seahawks.

The other scoring drive in the 2nd half ate up another 4:38, by the way. Basically, the Seahawks controlled the ball for an entire quarter on their three scoring drives. Long, sustained drives. This means, the offense isn't shooting itself in the foot, the chains are moving, and our big question mark, the defense, stays off the field.
.
So, this game's Extremely Corny Bronze Racecar goes to the opening drive of the 2nd half, but we'll see if we can get some good honerable mention ribbons to the other two scoring drives in the half

Until next week,

Alan

Moonlight Graham Award

This was a very difficult week to decide on a Moonlight Graham Award winner. First of all, I had to "watch" the game on NFL.com, but the 12SS Live Chat helped, even though hardly anyone there had the game on either.

Second of all, as the roster seems to be taking shape, there are not too many players toiling in obsurity any longer, as they're all doing whatever they can to fight for a job.

And Third of all, there were SO MANY good options to choose from.

To quote the piece on Seahawks.COM, Jerhemy Urban when "from Urban Blight to Urban Renewal" last night, making the cut down at the wide receiver position that much more difficult for the coaches. However, since he's already pocketed the "Morning After" award, and since I don't want to jinx him, he's not this week's MGA recipient.

Tracy White made a strong case not only for sticking around past cut day, but for the MGA too. Tied for the lead in tackles, good special teams play, and described as being "all over the field" by one of the chatters was good, but just not good enough.

I also thought of giving it to the entire coaching staff for the way they came out in the third quarter and marched the length of the field, or to Coach Holmgren specically, for actually WINNING a challenge that reversed a fumble by Matt. I even thought of giving the award to myself, since I pulled the trigger this morning on DirecTV and should be all set up by the Sept. 11th opener!

But this week's winner of the Moonlight Graham award is rcently signed RB/KR Josh Scobey, whose started his career with the Seahawks with two fumbles last week in training camp, but rose to the occasion at game time, returning each of his three opportunities over 20 yards, setting up great field position for the offense.

With the RB position pretty well locked up, and the battle at WR sure to take a return man slot, Mr. Scobey may not make it to the 53 man roster, but for one shining moment in pre-season, he provided the necessary spark to get the Seahawks back to their winning ways.

Congratulations, Josh. Some may say that winning a MGA in your first game as a Seahawk is "not too SHAGGY!" (Rooby, Rooby Roooo!)

[Wall of Fame!]

ADP's renamed 'The Morning After' Award

I remember loving you so much
So where were you and wheres your fatal touch?

Thats a clip from my 2nd favorite band ever, its Faith No More's "The Morning After'...perfectly describes the winner of this award.

I hate cowboys. I hate country. I dont get along with rednecks in general (though some of you are cool out there...). Then there was Jerheme Urban. A guy who MADE you like him, and MADE you want him on the team. Ah, yes, The Urban Cowboy.

The young WR gave his all every time out, and eventually climbed his way into the team's main roster picture. Everyone began rooting for him. Everyone began backing him. He had all the momentum in the world heading into Training Camp this year. Then there was two preseason games. And the momentum shifted. The clouds got darker. Drops galore, and failed catches, costly mistakes turned him for the worst---getting cut.

Then game 3 of the preseaosn came. Urban caught 4 passes for 66 yards. Pretty good. Very good when you need to make an impression. GREAT if your job is on the line. Jerheme Urban has earned The Morning After award for his refocus on the field, and for taking this game seperately from the others. Another words, he improved alot.

Could this be a sign that he got back on the wild horse? Ah yes, the Urban Cowboy.

Monkey's Banana Peel Award

OK OK I missed the first two weeks but I can still give the award for those weeks now, just a little late. I have decided to award one for both offense and defense.

Week 1 Offense: Seneca Wallace. You were expecting someone else? C'mon this guys has PROVEN that he deserves to be the #2.
Week 1 defense: Chuck Darby. This guy looks like an offseason STEAL to me.

Week 2 Offense: D.J. Hackett. He simply caught everything in sight, and I believe forced his way onto this roster. If we keep only 5 recievers I guarantee this guy is one of them.
Week 2 Defense: Marcus Tubbs. This one was a tough call because there were several solid defensive efforts against Dallas, including once again Chuck Darby, as well as a few others.

Week 3 Offense: Daryll Jackson. What a great game against a great conerback in Patrick Surtain. He made a top 5 cornerback look silly.
Week 3 Defense: Marcus Tubbs again. Got himself a sack and was the only guy not out of position most of the time.

Now a couple comments. I could have easily given the award offensively to Matt Hasselbeck every week, he looks like he is going to be playing in the probowl this year. He is making terrific reads, feeling the pocket well, and rifling the ball into tight places where only the recievers can make the catch. I really couldn't be more impressed with Matt than I am right now. If this continues, (and I believe it will) we will be making a serious run at the super bowl.
Our recieving corp looks pretty darn good overall to me. Bobby will do very well at the #2 position, Hackett, Urban, and Jurevicious are neck and neck from what I have seen. Pathon has been a HUGE dissapointment though, looks to me like he will be getting cut soon.

As I said before our DT position looks terrific, both Darby and Tubbs have played outstanding football so far. We have gotten better pass pressure from inside, than on the ends so far. As for our linebacking corp, the MLB position is still up in the air from what I can see. Lofa has done very well at times, but has looked tentative at others. Niko has been pushed out of position at times, but is absolutely SMACKING people out there, and to me, looks more polished.
We are really missing the attitude that Hamlin brings to the game in our secondary. When he is on the field our secondary plays much more aggressively. Babineaux has certainly come a long way from where he was last year, nice improvement there.

GAMEDAY: Seahawks vs. Chiefs

Where & When: Arrowhead Stadium, Saturday, August 27, 5:30 pm PST
TV: ABC (KOMO in Seattle)
Radio: KIRO (710 am)


LINKAGE:

>>> 12 SEAHAWK STREET LIVE GAMEDAY CHAT<<<
"Back" by popular demand, OPEN NOW

Seven Reasons To Play Golf
(something Seahawks-related to entertain you while waiting for the game!)

Holmgren on NFL Network
(nice piece, but for crissakes, he's been here 5 years, why all the Packer clips?)

Contributors: Please edit this list and post more links as you see fit.

See you on the Street!

A good thing to argue about

Ok, I'm going to try with all my might to use CAPITAL LETTERS where everyone think I ought to, because the last time I posted i wrote in my normal, nothing capitalized style and apparently it pissed everyone off, because the only comments i remember receiving were the ones taking issue with my "unprofessional" writing style, and it would be a shame for my timely and insightful commentary to be overlooked because of their personal biases in regards to... oh, nevermind.

So I'm dying to talk about our receivers. Jackson and Engram are the starters. Mr. Clavicle is our special teams ace, and I suppose a case could be made that he shouldn't even be counted as a receiver, but he's got one of the spots. I still don't know how to spell his name, but the big kid who used to play for the Bucs is pretty good, and I think he'll be a great number 3.

So that leaves 2 open spots, assuming that there will only be 6 total. And I'm also going to assume that DJ Hackett has one of those spots pretty much locked up. He's played well, held on to the ball, and he's a deep threat. Which leaves us (based on several assumptions) with Pathon and Urban battling for the last spot.

Here's my case for keeping Urban. I just think he's going to keep getting better, and we should hold on to him. We all know that whoever we cut will end up on someone else's team (probably the niners or the eagles), and I would be much more afraid of facing Urban than Pathon.

Since we're Seahawk fans, we have to talk about the "Drop Factor". So let me say this. Every single one of our receivers has dropped the ball. And Urban is no Koren Robinson. I think he will get past the few drops that he's had, because of his attitude and work ethic. And I'd like to point out that the "drop" he had in the end zone against the cowboys was tipped by the CB. Maybe nobody else saw it, but it was finally corraborated in the pi article. To make the adjustment and come up with the ball would have been a big feat, but he couldn't. But to infer that it hit him in the hands and fell to the ground is wrong and I wanted everyone to know.

And to be fair, I still don't know much about Pathon. But we know what we're getting with Urban. During the offseason, half of us were ready to annoint him as our new number 2 or 3 WR. This guy will work harder than most anybody on the team. Isn't that the kind of players they're trying to fill this team with?

There's still 2 pre-season games left, and my guess is that we will get to see both of them on the field a lot. So let the debate begin. As long as there are no comments on my grammar.

Thursdays With Idiots

Ok, I guess ill try this out...

The object of this is to guess who the player is. If this catches on, yay, if not, oh well...cant hurt to try eh? Ill give two clues for each picture, make your guess, and in the next week's edition, ill reveal the answer (if it doesnt catch on, ill jus respond in this thread)...it might not be a current Seahawk, so think...



Clue #1: I came into the league as an East Coast tackling hoarder, and now Mike Martz hates me because im 9 years older...

Clue #2: Now that im in Seattle, im no longer a virgin...im 239 pounds at 6' 3, i may not be virgin anymore...but i used to be...



Bonus Clue: In my heart, I will always be reliant, but now its my qwest to be defiant

Are you an idiot? Let me know if this is a decent idea or not...

That's INTertainment!

Click the picture or internal link for an inside look at Kelly Herndon, who recorded his first interception as a Seahawk in the Dallas game on Monday.

(if you'd like to leave comments, please do so on the sub-blog page - thanks!)

ADP's Soaring High Award

If you don't know who that is...you either can't read or you're on the wrong site.

Im giving the Soaring High award to Lofa Tatupu this week. Statistically he didn't do much, but overall he did what matters most: Be a leader. He clearly looked comfortable in his first game in a Seahawks uniform. Lofa was in around every play, and seemed to have his defense running with him. He reminded me of a LB version of Grant Wistrom, with the way he went about the game with a never-give-up-until-the-whistler-has-blown-attitude.

It was like watching a seasoned pro, seeing him fly from sidelines to sideline, leading a pursuit of Seahawks. It looked like he was teaching the VETERANS a few tricks. A lot of people were going on and on about how the defense was swarming with a good 8 or more players at the ball by the time the whistle blew the play over. Well, he seems to be the guy accountable for that. Its not every day you see a rookie in his first game fired up, leading a defense, showing off his instincts, and playing as hard as he did for the short amount he played.

Congratulations Lofa, you get to put this award next to your USC trophies (being the awards are on the same level ; ) )

PS: Like the picture I made?

Got tickets...was it worth it?

Its a quarter after seven. I wrapped up my third day of classes at Southern Illinois University. I'm watching the Cardinals because there's nothing else on.

And I feel sick.

Nauseus.

I just gave the St. Louis Rams money.

I had to go to their website.

All for two tickets to the October 9th game when Seattle comes to town. These tickets, from the looks of it, are located on the Arch.

Was it worth it? This literal feeling of doing something wrong. Knowing that I just aided, in even a small part, pay the salaries of men I despise?

I hope so. I think so.

It actually surprised me how bad I felt. It really was one of those things that you can't believe your doing it. Even though the ends justify the means.

They can really be justified with a win.

With the support of 12th Street, I think I can pull through.

Until then, I feel so dirty, I'm going to shower for a week.

Alan

PS: Look out for my account of this game when it rolls around. I have a feeling wearing my Trufant jersey should result in some interesting conversations...

This week's Moonlight Graham Award

Or should I rename it the "Day Late Graham" award, since it's late Wed. afternoon and I'm just getting around to bestowing it on someone!

Before you jump all over the selection committee though, BCS-style, you have to give me credit for having my priorities straight. I had a golf outing in New Jersey yesterday, which was 3 hours from Albany. I stayed home Monday to watch the game, left early Tuesday AM for Jersey, golfed, drank, ate, drank, and then we stopped for some cocktails! Crashed at my buddies house, got up at 4:00am to drive back to Albany for a 10:00am budget meeting with my boss. I'M TIRED!!!

But enough about me, cuz this award's not named "Red-Eyed Graham!"

Watching Jeremy Stevens catch everything, like some starry eyed Falcons fan after spending a night with Ron Mexico, my first though was that he'd be a shoe-in for my award. Then I realized that it's supposed to be for a player stepping up from obscurity, and figured that a former #1 pick would have a pretty hard time making the "obscurity" test, even if did have a disappointing rookie season.

So then my adopted Seahawk Kelly Herndon steps up and intercepts his first ball, so he was looking good for some Moonlight Iron. However, a stupid mistake on his part kept a drive alive on a bad pass interference call, so I had to temper my enthusiasm a bit. (you're always toughest on your own kids!)

Now anyone who was on the GameDay chat with me knows that in an attempt to "will" the Seahawks to victory, I started making "bold predictions", one of which was "The Seahawks will win this game on a defensive TD". Two plays later, Jamaal Brimmer introduced himself to Cowboys running back Marion Barber, dislodging the ball in the process, and Jordan Babineaux scooped it up and made a bee-line for the endzone, putting on some nifty moves on route to scoring what was believed to be a momentum changing touchdown!

Even though the TD was called back on an inconsequential block in the back by Omare Lowe (leading candidate for the "Sunset" award in recognition of the path is Seahawks career is heading), I got to give Babineaux his props for stepping up big-time and making the play.

I think this play will solidy his role on the team, and energized an otherwise lackluster performance by the Seahawks.

[Wall of Fame!]

What Would Scooby Doo?

I'm stealing this from a bumper sticker that I saw paraphrasing the familiar religion question, but now that the Seahawks have signed RB/KR Josh Scobey from the Cardinals, it seems to be a very topical thing to ponder today!

Obviously, the front office didn't see enough from Lumsden, or his injuries are worse than expected, and they're still trying to figure out this kick returner position.

Personally, I'd like to see Mo-Mo or Pathon or someone else step up, so we can save a special teams roster spot for fan favorites like Jerhemy Urban or Kaz. However, if this kid can come in and be the second coming of Dante Hall, then I'm all for it!

On a somewhat related note, it's odd enough that there would be two people in the NFL with the name Josh Scobee, but really freaky that one's a kicker and one's a kick returner!

This Week's BFD Award

So who get's this week's BlueFoot Destroyer award?

Runner up goes to Lofa Tatupu. I don't remember which quarter it was, but on one occasion Dallas called a run play behind all-decade left guard Larry Allen (check his profile), led by the fullback. Allen fired out to block Lofa about three yards past the line of scrimmage. While I was watching this on tape, I winced. It looked like Allen blew Lofa up. It was obvious the way Allen's 325 lb. Michelin-inspired body continued moving forward after the collision that Tatupu had received a big fat 'welcome to the NFL'. I replayed it a couple of times, and actually felt pity for the slightly undersized linebacker.

My pity was misplaced. After playing the tape through, there he is, #51, much to my surprise, tackling the running back at the line of scrimmage. At first I thought I had the numbers wrong, but no, somehow Lofa got under his block, scraped off from the monstrous, enveloping freight train disguised as a blimp, and let him go on by.

I was truly astonished. I still don't see how he did it.

While this was a great play, largely unnoticed by most persons, this was not the kind of HIT I was looking for, to merit the award.

Enter Drew Bledsoe. With 2:13 remaining in the 1st quarter, he runs out of the pocket to the right on 3rd and 9. Getting close to the first down marker, he foolishly elects to dive headfirst for the reset.

Enter Isaiah Kacyvenski. Coming from his zone in pass coverage, Isaiah mirrored Bledsoe's headfirst trajectory and with an outstanding helmet and shoulder pad 'pop', redirected the quarterback's dive backwards, and two yards short of the first down.

Congratulations, Isaiah Kacyvenski. You won your first (and quite possily last) BFD award.

You've come a long way, baby.

Pre- season game 2 thoughts

After watching last nights game against Dallas ....I have come away with mixed impressions of the 05 Hawks. So I thought I would open a dialog to see what I might have missed...what other people's impressions of the team were...and general thoughts about what happened.

My 3 stars of the game for the Hawks would have to be:
Hass
Engram
Darby

My goats:
Holmgren
Urban
Hawks D (in Second Half)

Others who stood out include Tubbs, Lofa, Alexander.... While it was great that the first unit pushed Dallas around...it seems that Wallace has a long way to go before he will be a good backup...granted he was under preasure all night (note my first goat, for failing to find a way to protect his QB's) he just seemed to be forcing the passes to much. I still have some concerns about the D...although if Darby and Tubbs can keep playing like that...it could be a great front 4.

While I dont want to bash Holmgren...I cant understand how as a head coach.... you dont have your team ready to play there first home game of the season. To many mistakes and a zero effort to adjust the blocking against the Dallas blitz...And whats up with the dropped balls??? are they teaching the WR's to drop the ball? I am getting really sick of seeing sure TD's being dropped by open WR's! I guess ...all those empty seats caused the WR's to think that they were playing highscholl football instead of being in the NFL! How bad did that look ??and yes I will bash Seattle for their lack of support for the team! Saturday night Tampa played Jacksonville in Tampa...and the stadium was almost sold out and all in red!

The Referees Blow!

Alan's D.O.G. vs. Dallas

This drive had no competition at all. The touchdown scoring drive...

The essentials:

8 plays, 80 yards, 4:26. Results in a D.J. Hackett TD from Matt Hasselbeck from 7 yards out. Oh yeah, Matt was 8-8 on the drive. It was most awesome.

Why its the DOG: Because it was the only drive that actually resulted in a touchdown.

This game kind of went to pot after that touchdown. The Seahawks 1st team offense had chances to bury this game, but didn't take advantage. the defense gave us chances to build a two touchdown lead, but the offense stopped clicking.

A close 2nd for DOG goes to John Madden whenever he pulls onto I-90. He was real, real bad tonight.

But, I figure that the Extremely Corny Bronze Racecar was too shiny for Mr. Madden to handle, so I'll give it to Matt Hasselbeck and the 1st team offense.

GAMEDAY: Seahawks vs Cowboys

Where & When: Qwest Field, Monday, August 22 5:00 pm PST
TV: ABC (KOMO in Seattle) LOCAL BLACKOUT PENDING
Radio: KIRO (710 am)


LINKAGE:

>>>SEAHAWKS STREET LIVE GAMEDAY CHAT<<<
Back by popular demand, OPEN NOW

Seahawks.com: Game Preview

HeraldNet: Prime-time matchup stirs memories of Seahawks' meltdown
  The blackout comes 81/2 months too late...

The Trib: Despite no TV, battle for roster spots continues
  A look at a few of the more competitive battles

Cowboys.com: Opposition's View
  (they even have our old logo!)

No annoying and uninteresting 'Bledsoe-Parcells reunion' links here!

Contributors: Please edit this list and post more links as you see fit.

See you on the Street!

That's a Wrap!

The Seahawks wrap up training camp today, and there's a closing interview on Seahawks.com with Coach Holmgren. He doesn't say much other than it was a good camp, the guys worked hard, and he likes being in Cheney.

There's also a good video interview with Marcus Trufant.

Looking forward to the MNF game, the final preseason games, and for getting this season kicked off already!

Sophia? So Gooda!

According to this article in the News Tribune, when asked who he would invite, after being informed of Bill Parcells inviting actor Kevin Costner to Cowboys training camp, Mike Holmgren replied, "I’ve always been rather partial to Sophia Loren, she has been my all-time favorite!"

At lunchtime the clones on the Jim Rome radio show were taking pot shots at Holmy, sending email offers from the likes of Liz Taylor, Julie Andrews and Charro, the "coochie-coochie" girl!

While his tastes may run to an older vintage, one thing is for sure, just like offensive tackles and full backs, Mike likes the big ones!

Preseason...why?

I want to step outside the Seahawks for just a moment, if I may.

Currently on OTL Nightly, they are discussing the neccesity of the preseason. This is probably one of those shows they can do every year if they want, and still get people to watch. Its kind of like when the news does a story on potholes in the streets. You saw it last year, but you still watch, because you have to deal with them.

Preseason football is the weirdest thing in sports. Nobody cares, but it means everything. If the third string qb can't lead the 2 minute drill, fans jump off bandwagons because they're going 0-16. An exciting win raises the hopes of fans. And yet, these games are meaningless. You can go 0-4 in the preseason and make the playoffs. A 4-0 summer could mean a year in last place.

Fans pretend to not care, but stadiums sell out. We gladly pay full price to see our heroes play, if only for a quarter.

I, for one, despise the preseason. (Not to mention hate paying full price for preseason games. At least lower concession prices...) Like I said the games mean nothing, but they can mean everything in one way. Injuries.

When Rex Grossman got carried off the cart the other night, the Bears season went down the tubes. The Bears have no one else. I could play quarterback for this team better than the guys they threw out there. Not to mention that this would be the second straight year he'll miss significant playing time. This will probably shorten his career, and might affect his playing ability.

For a game that doesn't matter. To me, this doesn't seem fair.

This could happen to the Seahawks on Monday, or in the other three games of the summer. Right now, many fans around the league are thinking that it sucks for the Bears. Then they think, it better not happen here.

The league goes through this every year. Micheal Vick a few years ago, now Rex Grossman. A big piece to a team goes down. In this age of parity, every team has a chance. Now, in a meaningless game, the Bears' chances are practically toast.

There is the occasional good that comes out of a preseason injury. Kurt Warner got his chance to play after Trent Green went down. You all know the rest of the story. I don't think its ending is allowed to be printed here,

Every league has a preseason, and the NFL plays the fewest games by far. But, football is more violent and its players suffer more injuries than the other three major sports. Its a different game.

Since I despise columnists who complain about something but don't offer a solution, here's what I'd do.

2 preseason games, and an 18 game season. Allow teams to have larger rosters for the first few weeks of the regular season. (I'd also add one more game against each divisional opponent, but thats for another time). More games count, more fans are happy, and injuries at least happen in meaningful games.

This won't make the problem totally go away. Injuries happen in every game, and even in the two games I think would work, tmarquee names will still probably go down.

And not just the stars are affected. What about the fringe players who need to make a great impression on a coaching staff? Its hard to do when your hurt.

The games mean nothing, but they can mean everything.

Please, NFL. Limit these paradoxial games.

Staying Power!

Not much new here, but one paragraph from this SI article jumped out at me as being a significant area that we really haven't heard much about in camp - which is CONDITIONING!

Seattle outscored opponents 285-254 through the first three quarters of games. In the fourth quarter and overtime, however, they faded. They were outscored 119-86 during those periods, with their most notable meltdowns occurring when they blew double-digit, fourth-quarter leads to both Dallas and St. Louis.

Granted, some of this was because we had a corp of 2nd and 3rd string defenders in the game due to injury, but the one thing I want to see this year is for the Seahawks to develop the "killer instinct" and close teams out, not just sit on a lead and hope to win.

We need our defense to stiffen up, our offense to drive the ball long and hard in the fouth quarter, and just continue to pound and pound and pound, filling every gap and hole the opponent presents to us!

* while rare, Seahawks victories lasting for more than 3 hours may occur and require immediate medical attention!

Fighting Irish!

Click the picture or the external link for a new piece on the Kelly Herndon blog.

Ravens Defeat Seahawks In Peter Bowl...

Peter Boulware's unexpected return to the Ravens will become official Thursday if he passes a physical, the four-time Pro Bowl linebacker said Wednesday.The franchise's all-time sacks leader is scheduled to sign a one-year contract and suit up for Thursday's afternoon practice once he is cleared to play.

Boulware, 30, would fill the Ravens' major need for a pass rusher only three months after he was released for salary-cap reasons."I didn't think coming back was ever a possibility," Boulware said in a telephone interview. "I never even thought about it. Once I left here, I thought my time here was over and I had to go somewhere else. For this opportunity to come back, it's truly a blessing."


Credit to the Baltimore Sun



That puts an end to the saga, guys...now what? I guess we'll just rely on others already on the team unless something else happens...sorry to be the beared of bad news


Unfortunately, not even Mr. Moses can save us, as his brother, JJ, signed with the Bears (why?)

A new Clutch post

PLease click the external link to see the post, follow the links to the original Seattle Times article.
Also I have updated te Lofa site with a post that links to his "diary".
Sorry I've been slackin lately guys, too busy but I'll get back in the groove.

Amber Alert Ends Well!

An Amber Alert issued for a 2-year-old boy and his father, who is accused of taking the child without permission, was canceled late Monday night when the boy was safely returned to his mother. A search continues for the suspect in the case, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reported.

KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reported the suspect dropped off 2-year-old William Quezadaz with a relative at about 11 p.m. Monday. The boy was unhurt, but the suspect fled and is still at large.

Mutual Admiration

Below is an email response I got from Becky after complimenting her the her "Seahawks Almost Hall of Fame" page on her Beckys-Place.com Seahawks fan site:

Hi AlbaNYhawker!

OK, I'm losing my mind. Not sure whether or not I replied to your message because I've forwarded it to several people, but anyway, I'll answer this time just in case I hadn't written back to you yet!

No, I've never seen 12 Seahawks Street before! HOW AWESOME!!! I'll be glad to link you up to my site. I love the name of it -- 12 Seahawks Street! Wish I'd have thought of that! :-)

Have you come across the Mid West Sea Hawkers site yet? You might want to drop them a line and let them know about the link. Lots of displaced Seahawks fans right there (I'm a member, too!) and they're going to love your site!

Good luck and thanks for letting me know about your site! If you ever want to meet up with them for a game, they have awesome tailgate parties and events. Even though it's the MW, there are other fans from across the country in the club as well.

Becky

140,000 Football Fans Can't Be Wrong

This is funny. I'm going to Lamb Land, the land flowing with cheap dog food and cheaper beer, with this wonderful poll result from ESPN.com/nfl. I'll get you a link later. They're gonna blow a gasket.

I don't know why I like doing this so much.

Alan's Drive of the Game

Sorry for the delay, I was on the road driving to Carbondale, IL. Right in the middle of rams country. No worries though, I've gotten my shots.

At any rate, considering that I won't be able to watch most games, I decided to give an award for the Drive of the Game. I guess it doesn't go to a specific person, but hey, football's a team sport right?

Against the Saints, the Extremely Corny Bronze Racecar goes to the opening drive of the 2nd half.

The essentials: Plays: 14 Yards: 52 Possession: 5:08 Result: Josh Brown 30 yard field goal, Seahawks lead 27-3.

Alright, so the game is probably in hand even if we go three and out, but thats part of the reason why I like this drive. The Seahawks come out of the locker room leading by three touchdowns, then eat up five minutes of clock.

Yes, its the preseason, and yes, it was the 2nd team offense. But isn't it refreshing to see the team come out with desire and play it out the full 60 minutes? Anybody remember last year against the Rams and the total meltdown at the end? If this continues into the regular season, things will be good.

And that's Alan's Drive of the Game

(Does anyone have a cool name for this award? Please comment if you do)

Get Ready To Rummmmmmbbbbbllllleeeee!

From Seahawks.com:
The first fracas of camp came in the morning during a blocking drill with defensive tackle Chuck Darby and guard Andy King. It only lasted about 20 seconds, but it gave an indication of where these guys are at this point of camp. Most were surprised it had taken this long for a fight to break out. There was no harm, and it helps rid some of the anxiety considering how tired they are of hitting each other, and are ready for more games.

AMBER ALERT

AMBER Alert for William Quezadaz - Lake Stevens, WA on 08-15-2005
If you have information contact: Snohomish County Sheriffs
Phone: 425-388-3523

Abduction Information:
Date Last Seen: 08-15-2005
Time Last Seen: 08:30 AM
Location Last Seen: 4th St N. E. & 102nd Dr S. E. in Lake Stevens, WA
Incident Information: Suspect snuck into estranged wife's residence 0830 date took child without mother's permission while babysitter was sleeping.Suspect threatened to kill child if mother called police. Snohomish County deputies have been in cell phone contact with susp

Victim Name: William Quezadaz
Age: 2 years
Race: Hispanic
Gender/Sex: Male
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 2'0"
Weight: 20 lbs
Clothing: Victim was believed wearing blue t-shirt with car desgn and blue shorts

Suspect Name: Joel Quezadaz-Barajas
Age: 20 years
Race: White
Gender/Sex: Male
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 120lbs
Clothing: Suspect was believed wearing unknown clothing
Other: Suspect has short black hair with blond highlights may have mustache and short goatee unknown if any scars marks or tatoos.

Vehicle: Black 1991 Oldsmobile Bravada Suv
License: 318TFH
State: Wa

This One's on Check Award

In a state quite familiar to those of us loyal to the 'Hawks, as Saint's fans, you are going to suffer through a dreadfull season of underacheiving and expectations not met, watching a talented team lose games to lesser talented teams like the Bengals or the Browns.

Don't say I didn't warn you, I'm sure your flooding your blog sites with rediculous self deluded over optimistic hype about how a running back like the Deuce, and a high octane passing game, with one of the best D-lines in the league will certainly carry you to the playoffs. But don't forget, you all said the same thing last year, and look what happened.

I'm not ripping on you, I'm trying to comfort you, I understand the pain that you are still too optimistic to feel. So once again, I'm sorry Saints fans. I've seen it before, so I'll go ahead and quaff one with you, even though my 'Hawks whupped up on you, much like they did in the opener last year. So go ahead and gulp, feel the burn (ask your linebackers after trying to tackle Seneca Wallace on a scramble what a burn really feels like) and don't worry about the tab, cause this ones on me.

How can you NOT root for this guy?

I'm sure all of you folks have been reading this already, but it has been such an enjoyable piece, it stands to open this up for conversation.

Lofa Tatupu's Camp Diary has provided an insightful glimpse into a great player in the making. Lofa's attitude has shine through as team-first; confident but not assuming; the beginnings of a leader, but not without earning respect; agressive, but keeping his head.

Barring injury, I see this man taking hold of the Starting MLB position by season kickoff, and having the season Niko wished he'd had his rookie year.

Along that lines, I mentioned it in another thread, and was wondering what you think: I see Sharper starting on SOLB, Tatupu at MLB, and White on WOLB. I also see Hill taking the starting position from White by the end of the season.

That's my fearless prediction, anyway.

I know it's really early, but - any thoughts?

PauliePlaymaker

It would be easy to give the PauliePlaymaker award for preseason week 1 to Seneca Wallace. Between the spot on passes and the highlight reel runs, his play in Friday solidified his role as the #2 quarterback. The man that I’ve long called a “poor man’s Michael Vick” truly produced. But we must remember that he was playing the #2 defense. Therefore, the PauliePlaymaker award must go to...



Niko Koutouvides.

Other than position battles, the biggest question going into this season for the Seahawks was the defense. The Hawks started out strong last season, ranking #1 for the first few weeks, only to fall to the bottom third of the NFL by the end of the season. Ray Rhodes squad needed to come out swinging, to show that they were not a weak team in a weak division. They needed big plays and hard hits to prove that they belong in the discussion with the NFL’s best.

Niko provided both.

With less than two minutes gone in the first quarter, Koutouvides ended the Saints first possession by stripping the ball away from Deuce McAllister, whose recent contract extension puts him among the top paid runningbacks in the league. Michael Boulware picked up the fumble, and the turnover led to the Seahawks first score, a 13 yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck to Bobby Engram.

From that point, the #1 defense never turned back, giving up less than 100 yards and only 3 points in the first half.

While it’s too early too early to give nicknames or announce the arrival of the Hawks D, this first preseason game showed that as long as they have playmakers like Niko Koutouvides, they will produce.

Niko Koutouvides, congratulations.

Play on Playa.

ADP's Soaring High Award

In light of the recent sensitivity across the US, I scrapped the previous name for this award. The Funky Monkey award is no more. I don't want a lawsuit from monkeys across the USA who are offended by the name. And I don't want the name scrapped when the playoffs roll around either. Its either the whole season, or I'll change the name. My apologies to the primate republic.

That said, I am introducing the 'Soaring High' Award. This is given to the guy who has made the most progress from week A to week B. Since there was no game before the Saints game, I will use the beginning of training camp as the first measuring stick.

That said, the award goes to Marquis Weeks. It was said during this whole camp that he was doing just OK...and not spectacular. Well, I feel he deserves this award just because he isn't guaranteed to be on our roster this year. Hopefully he will add this to his resume, and earn a roster spot with consistency. 59 Yards on 8 carries is pretty good...but the most important aspect of the game, was that he kept the team from releasing its grip around the Saints' throats. That is something we desperately need...no more blown games. He enabled Leonard Weaver to add the exclamaition point with his chunky yardage. Also took the pressure off of David Greene.

Congratulations to the Marquee of the Week.

Note: Im going to be doing some 'nice things' with the pictures I post...but not this week...next week, expect to see some better pictures for this award

albaNY Hawker "Moonlight Graham" Award

I wasn't sure if I was going to do an award, since it's so hard for me to see the games, but after seeing Blue's effort on his award, I just knew I had to come up with something!

If anyone remembers, my first selection for the Adopt-a-Seahawk program was often hurt but momentarily dazzling fullback Chris Davis, who I nicknamed "Moonlight Graham", and then he was unceremoniously released by the Seahawks a few weeks later.

So, in memory of my dearly departed SIDs case - Seahawks Injury Dismissal - I am dedicating the albaNY Hawker "Moonlight Graham" Award, for the player who steps out of obscurity and does something special each week.

With the number of undrafted free agents, bargain basement ex-Buccaneer pickups, and fledgling rookies running around trying desperately to make the team, there should be no shortage of nominees for this award.

In reviewing the articles on the game, and great play-by-play provided by my 12 Seahawks Street co-contributors on the Super Flooble, this week's recipient of the albaNY Hawker "Moonlight Graham" award is rookie fullback Leonard Weaver, for his 40-yard thunderous TD run that put the exclamation point on the complete and total domination of the Saints in the first pre-season game.

Weaver was an easy choice, not only because he plays the same position as the inspiration for this award, but because he's a converted tight-end to boot!

Honorable mention goes to his roommate, Marquis Weeks, who also turned in an almost "Moonlight" worthy performance with a game high 59 yards on 8 carries, and of course, Seneca "AVIS" Wallace, who seems to be moving much closer to stardom and further away from obscurity.

I would also like to immediately bestow the "Old Timers" version of this award on Dan Doornink, who was a great Seahawks running back who went on to become a doctor. To paraphrase the famous Dr. Archibald "Moonlight" Graham line from the movie Field of Dreams, "playing football for only 5 minutes isn't a tragedy...had I only been able to be a doctor for 5 minutes, now THAT would have been a tragedy!"

The BlueFoot Destroyer Award goes to...

I have to tell you, I was worried for a while that I was going to have to give this award to a Saint. 258 lb. Fullback Mike Carney took Andre Dyson out of the game with his brutal impersonation of a Mack Truck cattle guard, but there were no outstanding physical hits coming from the Seahawks.

Then, in the second quarter, Seneca Wallace breaks loose for his 24 yard run, and who gets him that last block that springs him for the TD? None other than Joe Jurevicious, chicken-fighting with the last would-be tackler with a chance to prevent a touchdown.

But still, as good as that block was, that is not what this award is about. This is the BlueFoot Destroyer award, or BFD, and it warrants a violent collision, whether a block or a tackle. But nothing I saw in the first half even deserved honorable mention.

But then, in the third quarter, it happened. LT Wayne Hunter got a bee line on a Saints DE that was in full pursuit of Seneca, who was scrambling to the left. Hunter blind sided his @$$. He laid him out like a beach blanket.

Congratulations, Wayne Hunter. You win the first BFD ever. What are you going to do now?

Politically Incorrect?

ADP opened the topic (tongue-in-cheek) in his award thread, and it's an issue that I'm sure a lot of us have opinions on, so I thought this worthy of our blog, even though it doesn't directly effect our team.

I wanted to post this below the Awards too, so as not to steal the headling with thiis somewhat-off-topic item.

How do you feel about Indian/Native American team nicknames in general, and with the NCAA's recent directive banishing team logos and mascots from appearing during post season play?

Post Game Observations: Sehawks Beat New Orleans 34-15

What impressed me? Hasslebeck. The offensive line. The front four on defense performed well in obvious pass situations.

Darby is a stud. He's like trying to block a manhole cover.

And SENECA. Dude is a playmaker, period.

Areas of concern: The starting defensive front seven got pushed around a bit against the run. They got blocked well at the point of attack.

Other that a couple of dropped passes by Urban and Stevens, I was pretty impressed by the offense.


YOUR TURN [tag]

GAMEDAY - Seahawks vs. Saints

It's been a LOOONG offseason, with plenty of needed changes to the team, and TODAY we get to see them on the field. ENJOY!

LINKAGE:

Join in 12 Seahawks Street LIVE GAMEDAY CHAT on the fast loading, low-graphic SuperFlooble. All fans welcome, no registration required.

Seahawks.com: Seahawks vs. New Orleans preview

Mike Sando: Exhibition gives Wallace place to earn QB stripes

Danny O'Neil: Seahawks Notebook: Defense changes direction

Jose Miguel Romero: Camp Notebook: Rookie LB gets the call to start against Saints

Scott M. Johnson: Surprise! Seahawks deep at defensive tackle

Scott M. Johnson: Some answers coming Friday

Taylor Gombos: Saints v Seahawks Preview from PFC

Opponent Watch: www.nola.com

Contributors: Please edit this list and post more links as you see fit. Don't forget to post your award thread later. Also, you might want to see if your Adopt-A-Seahawk! player page needs a post regarding his performance today. Post-game topics in the main blog will be a free for all, as an experiment. We'll see how the chaos theory works this week.

See you in the Chat!

I know it's not Tuesday...

Great Nickname for the State of St. Loser

I've been haunted by the freaking Lambs all day, but it finally ended well when I came home and read this comic. (click first panel image for full comic strip)

Took the afternoon off to play golf, and actually won my match to put me in the championship round for our Wed. night league. Then stopped into my favorite watering hole for a few pints, and what should be on ESPN than a recap of the Rams 2004 season, and I walk in right at the clip of the blown 4th quarter lead.

Thankfully, I'm a regular so they understood when I demanded they change the channel!

After dinner at a friend's house and putting the kids to bed, I sit down to read the paper, and one of my favorite comic strips almost hits a home run with a great Misouri crackback.

The only thing that would have made it better would be if THIS were the final panel!

Pre-Sale Game Tickets

We're probably all subscribed to the HawkMail eNewsletter, but in case you're not, here's the link and codes for purchasing single game tickets before they go on sale to the masses:

16 Consecutive Sellouts and Counting. Get Your Seats Today!

As a valued Hawk Mail subscriber, you have PRIORITY to purchase
SEAHAWKS SINGLE GAME TICKETS before they go on sale to the
general public. Don’t miss the opportunity to watch your
2004 NFC West Champions defend their title this fall at Qwest
Field. Our ONLINE PRE-SALE begins TODAY, Wednesday, AUG. 10TH
@ 1:00PM and continues until Friday, Aug. 12TH @ 9:00PM.

CLICK HERE and use the password HAWKMAIL to PURCHASE TICKETS:

Tuesdays With Morons!

After a brief hyatus, I think it's time to resurrect Tuesdays With Morons!

Just like our favorite Seahawks players, we need to use the pre-season to get our wit and wisdom in shape, so this can be a championship winning blog come the regular season!

Click on the title or the picture of Coach Casullo for a full size version, and then let the captions start flowing!