Seahawks News Thread
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Thursday In Hawkville
A recap of the day’s activities at Virginia Mason Athletic Center:
FOCUS ON
Theme player of the day. Today was “Turnover Thursday” on the practice field, as the Seahawks continued to prepare for their regular-season opener against the 49ers in San Francisco on Sunday.
Strong safety Kam Chancellor took that very literally.
Chancellor, a fifth-round draft choice last year who is stepping in at the spot where Lawyer Milloy was the starter last season, intercepted a pass in the end zone early in practice and then added a second pick in the 7-on-7 drill.
The 6-foot-3, 232-pound Chancellor is a prototypical-plus strong safety, and teams with free safety Earl Thomas to give the Seahawks a last line of defense capable of making plays and playing together for seasons to come.
“Our guys are uniquely qualified,” coach Pete Carroll said. “You can’t get any bigger than Kam is and you can’t get any faster than Earl is, and those guys are very special in that regard. They are both aggressive, they both play well at the line of scrimmage and they both have good ball instincts.
“So we’re fortunate in that regard.”
It’s a combination that also gives the Seahawks flexibility.
“If you watch us carefully, you will see those guys moving around some,” Carroll said. “That’s kind of just the way we plan to take advantage of that when we can.”
With two more players who have “special qualities,” as Carroll puts it.
“I think it’s a good illustration that we’re not looking for cookie-cutter guys,” Carroll said. “We’re looking for guys that have special qualities. Without question, those guys are great examples of that. Earl has got a style that is very unique. Kam does as well – he’s 230-something pounds playing at strong safety. There’s not many guys like that in the league. And, he can run and cover, too.”
And, he also knows how to play to the coach’s theme of the day.
POSITION WATCH
Right tackle. Breno Giacomini continued to work there with the No. 1 line, because rookie James Carpenter continued to work at left guard for Robert Gallery, who’s sidelined after spraining a knee in Friday night’s preseason finale.
Carroll is not ruling Gallery out for Sunday’s opener against the 49ers, but Gallery likely would have to get some work in Friday’s practice to be able to play. If not, it’s Carpenter for Gallery and Giacomini for Carpenter.
“I just go out there and try to improve every day,” said Giacomini, who was splitting reps with Carpenter last week even before Gallery went down. “If I start, then I start. If I don’t, then I played my role.”
The 6-7, 318-pound Giacomini filled another role on the final play of the two-hour practice, catching a pass from holder Jon Ryan on a fake field goal.
IN AND OUT
Defensive end Chris Clemons sat out the afternoon practice after twisting an ankle during the morning walk-thru. Raheem Brock filled in for Clemons.
Wide receiver Sidney Rice also sat out with the same shoulder problem that has sidelined him the past two weeks. Ben Obomanu worked in his spot during practice.
Middle linebacker David Hawthorne was limited again, and got most of his reps with the No. 2 defense, because of the sore knee he got in the second preseason game. Rookie K.J. Wright worked at middle linebacker with the No. 1 defense.
“K.J. has been getting the majority of the reps and he’s been playing really well in the preseason,” defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. “I don’t know, with the trainers, what’s the latest with ‘Heater.’ But whatever the case, I think our team’s got a lot of confidence in K.J.”
STAT DU JOUR
Tarvaris Jackson will become the 21st quarterback to start a regular-season game for the Seahawks when the play the 49ers on Sunday. Here’s a look at how some of the more notable QBs did in their first starts:
Player (year) Att. Comp. Yds. TD Int. Rating
Jim Zorn (1976) 37 17 292 2 2 68.8
Dave Krieg (1981) 26 20 264 2 3 94.6
Rick Mirer (1993) 27 20 154 0 1 72.1
Warren Moon (1997) 33 20 222 1 1 78.1
Jon Kitna (1997) 37 23 283 1 2 72.4
Matt Hasselbeck (2001) 34 20 178 0 2 48.4
Note: Krieg (27-23 over the Jets), Kitna (22-21 over the Raiders) and Hasselbeck (9-6 over the Browns) won; Zorn (30-24 to the Cardinals), Mirer (18-12 to the Chargers) and Moon (35-14 to the Broncos) lost.
UP NEXT
The players will hold their final full practice of the week on Friday and then have a walk-thru on Saturday morning before the team flies to San Francisco for Sunday’s opener.
YOU DON’T SAY
“I’m not going to lie. I hated watching Seattle win that game. Oh man, I hated that. That was supposed to be us.” – 49ers running back Frank Gore, to the San Francisco Chronicle, on the Seahawks’ wild-card win over the Saints last season
^Lol
http://blog.seahawks.com/2011/09/08/thursday-in-hawkville-46/
A recap of the day’s activities at Virginia Mason Athletic Center:
FOCUS ON
Theme player of the day. Today was “Turnover Thursday” on the practice field, as the Seahawks continued to prepare for their regular-season opener against the 49ers in San Francisco on Sunday.
Strong safety Kam Chancellor took that very literally.
Chancellor, a fifth-round draft choice last year who is stepping in at the spot where Lawyer Milloy was the starter last season, intercepted a pass in the end zone early in practice and then added a second pick in the 7-on-7 drill.
The 6-foot-3, 232-pound Chancellor is a prototypical-plus strong safety, and teams with free safety Earl Thomas to give the Seahawks a last line of defense capable of making plays and playing together for seasons to come.
“Our guys are uniquely qualified,” coach Pete Carroll said. “You can’t get any bigger than Kam is and you can’t get any faster than Earl is, and those guys are very special in that regard. They are both aggressive, they both play well at the line of scrimmage and they both have good ball instincts.
“So we’re fortunate in that regard.”
It’s a combination that also gives the Seahawks flexibility.
“If you watch us carefully, you will see those guys moving around some,” Carroll said. “That’s kind of just the way we plan to take advantage of that when we can.”
With two more players who have “special qualities,” as Carroll puts it.
“I think it’s a good illustration that we’re not looking for cookie-cutter guys,” Carroll said. “We’re looking for guys that have special qualities. Without question, those guys are great examples of that. Earl has got a style that is very unique. Kam does as well – he’s 230-something pounds playing at strong safety. There’s not many guys like that in the league. And, he can run and cover, too.”
And, he also knows how to play to the coach’s theme of the day.
POSITION WATCH
Right tackle. Breno Giacomini continued to work there with the No. 1 line, because rookie James Carpenter continued to work at left guard for Robert Gallery, who’s sidelined after spraining a knee in Friday night’s preseason finale.
Carroll is not ruling Gallery out for Sunday’s opener against the 49ers, but Gallery likely would have to get some work in Friday’s practice to be able to play. If not, it’s Carpenter for Gallery and Giacomini for Carpenter.
“I just go out there and try to improve every day,” said Giacomini, who was splitting reps with Carpenter last week even before Gallery went down. “If I start, then I start. If I don’t, then I played my role.”
The 6-7, 318-pound Giacomini filled another role on the final play of the two-hour practice, catching a pass from holder Jon Ryan on a fake field goal.
IN AND OUT
Defensive end Chris Clemons sat out the afternoon practice after twisting an ankle during the morning walk-thru. Raheem Brock filled in for Clemons.
Wide receiver Sidney Rice also sat out with the same shoulder problem that has sidelined him the past two weeks. Ben Obomanu worked in his spot during practice.
Middle linebacker David Hawthorne was limited again, and got most of his reps with the No. 2 defense, because of the sore knee he got in the second preseason game. Rookie K.J. Wright worked at middle linebacker with the No. 1 defense.
“K.J. has been getting the majority of the reps and he’s been playing really well in the preseason,” defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. “I don’t know, with the trainers, what’s the latest with ‘Heater.’ But whatever the case, I think our team’s got a lot of confidence in K.J.”
STAT DU JOUR
Tarvaris Jackson will become the 21st quarterback to start a regular-season game for the Seahawks when the play the 49ers on Sunday. Here’s a look at how some of the more notable QBs did in their first starts:
Player (year) Att. Comp. Yds. TD Int. Rating
Jim Zorn (1976) 37 17 292 2 2 68.8
Dave Krieg (1981) 26 20 264 2 3 94.6
Rick Mirer (1993) 27 20 154 0 1 72.1
Warren Moon (1997) 33 20 222 1 1 78.1
Jon Kitna (1997) 37 23 283 1 2 72.4
Matt Hasselbeck (2001) 34 20 178 0 2 48.4
Note: Krieg (27-23 over the Jets), Kitna (22-21 over the Raiders) and Hasselbeck (9-6 over the Browns) won; Zorn (30-24 to the Cardinals), Mirer (18-12 to the Chargers) and Moon (35-14 to the Broncos) lost.
UP NEXT
The players will hold their final full practice of the week on Friday and then have a walk-thru on Saturday morning before the team flies to San Francisco for Sunday’s opener.
YOU DON’T SAY
“I’m not going to lie. I hated watching Seattle win that game. Oh man, I hated that. That was supposed to be us.” – 49ers running back Frank Gore, to the San Francisco Chronicle, on the Seahawks’ wild-card win over the Saints last season
^Lol
http://blog.seahawks.com/2011/09/08/thursday-in-hawkville-46/
if you dont have anything nice to say.. fuck it say it anyway lol
lots of penalties from the lock-out hangover, or just too young of an offensive line? we'll see as the season goes further
tavaris needs to get rid of the ball faster, or scramble more. he ran just as much or even less than a broken-down beat-up hasselbeck did last year, but didnt let the ball go. its so fuckin obvious that the seahawks tear it up when we run a very high-tempo offense.. shit was slower than fuck today.
i kept seeing marcus trufant giving up first downs... nothing new here.
o-line was absolute shit. marshawn lynch was beasting it up but nothing much he could do without the o-line there or the full-back.
special teams... well... lol they singlehandedly lost the game. i almost threw a beer at the tv when ryan punted it right to ginn again after that kickoff return
on the positive side our defense is looking pretty solid. earl thomas was a force out there. too bad they didnt get a chance to stop the niners or force a turnover when it was 17-19. i think they would have came up big and won the game. good to see golden tate finally get a touchdown... he coulda got a huge catch and possible touchdown later on too if it weren't for tavaris lobbing the ball about 10 yards over his head and out of bounds.
anything anybody else wants to add?
lots of penalties from the lock-out hangover, or just too young of an offensive line? we'll see as the season goes further
tavaris needs to get rid of the ball faster, or scramble more. he ran just as much or even less than a broken-down beat-up hasselbeck did last year, but didnt let the ball go. its so fuckin obvious that the seahawks tear it up when we run a very high-tempo offense.. shit was slower than fuck today.
i kept seeing marcus trufant giving up first downs... nothing new here.
o-line was absolute shit. marshawn lynch was beasting it up but nothing much he could do without the o-line there or the full-back.
special teams... well... lol they singlehandedly lost the game. i almost threw a beer at the tv when ryan punted it right to ginn again after that kickoff return
on the positive side our defense is looking pretty solid. earl thomas was a force out there. too bad they didnt get a chance to stop the niners or force a turnover when it was 17-19. i think they would have came up big and won the game. good to see golden tate finally get a touchdown... he coulda got a huge catch and possible touchdown later on too if it weren't for tavaris lobbing the ball about 10 yards over his head and out of bounds.
anything anybody else wants to add?
FOCUS ON
Finishing. As in playing 60 minutes – the full 60, from start to finish. That was a point of emphasis today when the coaches met with the players in the wake of Sunday’s 33-17 loss to the 49ers in the Seahawks’ season opener in San Francisco.
“It really is, it’s 60 minutes,” coach Pete Carroll said during his weekly day-after news conference. “You can play real well and it doesn’t matter, it’s how it ends up and how you finish. And our finish was not right yesterday.”
Sunday’s game wasn’t as lopsided as the final score indicated. The Seahawks pulled to within 19-17 on a 55-yard pass play from Tarvaris Jackson to rookie wide receiver Doug Baldwin for a touchdown with 3 minutes, 56 seconds left in the game. But kickoff and punt returns for scores in the next 59 seconds by Ted Ginn Jr. left the Seahawks kicking themselves, and wondering what could have been – if they had finished.
“That’s really where our focus has to go, is to do things right all the way till the ball game is over and see what happens,” Carroll said. “We didn’t get that done.
“So it’s frustrating in that we did make a comeback, but also there were some encouraging signs in there that we can build from and that’s what we plan to do.”
And this week, they need to do it quickly, as the team leaves Friday for Sunday’s game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
INJURY UPDATE
Fullback Michael Robinson and backup cornerback Byron Maxwell had to leave Sunday’s game with what Carroll has been told are second-degree ankle sprains. They’re not expected to play this week, but Carroll is not ready to predict how much time they might miss until he gets additional information.
“We’re going to have to wait and see how they respond,” Carroll said.
Losing Robinson in the first quarter hurt the running game because he is the only fullback on the roster. But his loss coupled with Maxwell going down on the second-half kickoff really impacted the special teams. Robinson is a co-captain on special teams, while Maxwell led the club in coverage tackles during the preseason and was what Carroll labeled “the most impacting player.”
“So those force us, not being available this week, to have to do some things and shuffle some stuff around,” Carroll said. “That will call for other guys who generally don’t have to be called on the first team of special teams to step up and play.”
The Seahawks also played Sunday without left guard Robert Gallery (knee) and middle linebacker David Hawthorne (knee). Carroll said Hawthorne will practice fully Wednesday when the players return from their off day. Gallery worked out today and will have another session Tuesday, which will help determine his status for this week.
STAT DU JOUR
The Seahawks emerged from Sunday ranked No. 2 in the NFL in defense, after allowing 209 yards to the 49ers. But the Seahawks lead the league in average gain allowed on first downs – 3.27 yards, or 72 yards on 22 plays.
UP NEXT
After being off Tuesday, the players will return to an East Coast schedule on Wednesday because they’re playing in Pittsburgh this week. The walk-thrus on Wednesday and Thursday will begin at 10:15 a.m. – or 1:15 p.m. EDT. Practice those days will start at 11:45.
YOU DON’T SAY
“How could you ignore the fact that they’re the Pittsburgh Steelers and what they’ve done and stood for? These guys have all grown up watching these guys. We haven’t matched up with these guys. But there won’t be any problem (motivating this team). So I’m not looking for any easy sell. But it’s as obvious as it gets.” – Carroll, when asked about having an easy sell when it comes to motivation for this week’s game
http://blog.seahawks.com/2011/09/12/monday-in-hawkville-47/
Finishing. As in playing 60 minutes – the full 60, from start to finish. That was a point of emphasis today when the coaches met with the players in the wake of Sunday’s 33-17 loss to the 49ers in the Seahawks’ season opener in San Francisco.
“It really is, it’s 60 minutes,” coach Pete Carroll said during his weekly day-after news conference. “You can play real well and it doesn’t matter, it’s how it ends up and how you finish. And our finish was not right yesterday.”
Sunday’s game wasn’t as lopsided as the final score indicated. The Seahawks pulled to within 19-17 on a 55-yard pass play from Tarvaris Jackson to rookie wide receiver Doug Baldwin for a touchdown with 3 minutes, 56 seconds left in the game. But kickoff and punt returns for scores in the next 59 seconds by Ted Ginn Jr. left the Seahawks kicking themselves, and wondering what could have been – if they had finished.
“That’s really where our focus has to go, is to do things right all the way till the ball game is over and see what happens,” Carroll said. “We didn’t get that done.
“So it’s frustrating in that we did make a comeback, but also there were some encouraging signs in there that we can build from and that’s what we plan to do.”
And this week, they need to do it quickly, as the team leaves Friday for Sunday’s game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
INJURY UPDATE
Fullback Michael Robinson and backup cornerback Byron Maxwell had to leave Sunday’s game with what Carroll has been told are second-degree ankle sprains. They’re not expected to play this week, but Carroll is not ready to predict how much time they might miss until he gets additional information.
“We’re going to have to wait and see how they respond,” Carroll said.
Losing Robinson in the first quarter hurt the running game because he is the only fullback on the roster. But his loss coupled with Maxwell going down on the second-half kickoff really impacted the special teams. Robinson is a co-captain on special teams, while Maxwell led the club in coverage tackles during the preseason and was what Carroll labeled “the most impacting player.”
“So those force us, not being available this week, to have to do some things and shuffle some stuff around,” Carroll said. “That will call for other guys who generally don’t have to be called on the first team of special teams to step up and play.”
The Seahawks also played Sunday without left guard Robert Gallery (knee) and middle linebacker David Hawthorne (knee). Carroll said Hawthorne will practice fully Wednesday when the players return from their off day. Gallery worked out today and will have another session Tuesday, which will help determine his status for this week.
STAT DU JOUR
The Seahawks emerged from Sunday ranked No. 2 in the NFL in defense, after allowing 209 yards to the 49ers. But the Seahawks lead the league in average gain allowed on first downs – 3.27 yards, or 72 yards on 22 plays.
UP NEXT
After being off Tuesday, the players will return to an East Coast schedule on Wednesday because they’re playing in Pittsburgh this week. The walk-thrus on Wednesday and Thursday will begin at 10:15 a.m. – or 1:15 p.m. EDT. Practice those days will start at 11:45.
YOU DON’T SAY
“How could you ignore the fact that they’re the Pittsburgh Steelers and what they’ve done and stood for? These guys have all grown up watching these guys. We haven’t matched up with these guys. But there won’t be any problem (motivating this team). So I’m not looking for any easy sell. But it’s as obvious as it gets.” – Carroll, when asked about having an easy sell when it comes to motivation for this week’s game
http://blog.seahawks.com/2011/09/12/monday-in-hawkville-47/
Fullback Signed
The Seahawks have addressed their problem at fullback by signing Eddie Williams off the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad, a necessary move because Michael Robinson is out indefinitely after spraining an ankle in Sunday’s season opener against the 49ers in San Francisco.
Robinson was the only fullback on the roster.
To clear a spot on the 53-man roster for Williams, tight end Dominique Byrd was released. Byrd caught seven passes during the preseason to rank second on the team.
The 6-foot-1, 242-pound Williams was a seventh-round draft choice by the Washington Redskins in 2009. He spent time on the active roster as well as the practice squad as a rookie, but was released in March of 2010. He then spent time with the Chicago Bears in 2010 and 2011 and was with the Browns in training camp this summer before being released and signed to the practice squad.
Williams played tight end at Idaho, where he was named team MVP as a senior after catching 54 passes for 687 yards and six touchdowns.
Entering the draft, one scouting service said Williams “looks like a fullback and plays like a receiver.”
The club also made a move with its practice squad, signing tight end Fendi Onobun and releasing guard Brent Osborne.
Onobun (6-6, 249) caught two passes in three games last season for the St. Louis Rams, who had drafted him in the sixth round. After playing basketball for four years at Arizona, Onobun played football at Houston in 2009.
http://blog.seahawks.com/2011/09/13/fullback-signed/
The Seahawks have addressed their problem at fullback by signing Eddie Williams off the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad, a necessary move because Michael Robinson is out indefinitely after spraining an ankle in Sunday’s season opener against the 49ers in San Francisco.
Robinson was the only fullback on the roster.
To clear a spot on the 53-man roster for Williams, tight end Dominique Byrd was released. Byrd caught seven passes during the preseason to rank second on the team.
The 6-foot-1, 242-pound Williams was a seventh-round draft choice by the Washington Redskins in 2009. He spent time on the active roster as well as the practice squad as a rookie, but was released in March of 2010. He then spent time with the Chicago Bears in 2010 and 2011 and was with the Browns in training camp this summer before being released and signed to the practice squad.
Williams played tight end at Idaho, where he was named team MVP as a senior after catching 54 passes for 687 yards and six touchdowns.
Entering the draft, one scouting service said Williams “looks like a fullback and plays like a receiver.”
The club also made a move with its practice squad, signing tight end Fendi Onobun and releasing guard Brent Osborne.
Onobun (6-6, 249) caught two passes in three games last season for the St. Louis Rams, who had drafted him in the sixth round. After playing basketball for four years at Arizona, Onobun played football at Houston in 2009.
http://blog.seahawks.com/2011/09/13/fullback-signed/
Heightened fears on Sidney Branch's shoulder
The Seattle Seahawks already knew a shoulder injury would prevent Sidney Rice from playing for them against Pittsburgh in Week 2.
The assumption, however, was that Rice, the Seahawks' biggest-ticket addition in free agency this offseason, would be ready the following week. But with Jay Glazer reporting that Rice is dealing with a torn labrum, the situation appears more serious than initially thought.
Players can sometimes play through labrum tears. Sometimes season-ending surgery is required, as the case was for Rice's teammate, tight end John Carlson.
Rice came to the Seahawks after recovering from hip surgery. There were never fears, to my knowledge, about anything related to his shoulder, which Rice injured during training camp.
I'm sure we'll hear from Seahawks coach Pete Carroll on this subject after the game Sunday.
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/45694/heightened-fears-on-sidney-rices-shoulder
The Seattle Seahawks already knew a shoulder injury would prevent Sidney Rice from playing for them against Pittsburgh in Week 2.
The assumption, however, was that Rice, the Seahawks' biggest-ticket addition in free agency this offseason, would be ready the following week. But with Jay Glazer reporting that Rice is dealing with a torn labrum, the situation appears more serious than initially thought.
Players can sometimes play through labrum tears. Sometimes season-ending surgery is required, as the case was for Rice's teammate, tight end John Carlson.
Rice came to the Seahawks after recovering from hip surgery. There were never fears, to my knowledge, about anything related to his shoulder, which Rice injured during training camp.
I'm sure we'll hear from Seahawks coach Pete Carroll on this subject after the game Sunday.
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/45694/heightened-fears-on-sidney-rices-shoulder
