Seahawks News Thread

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Feb 14, 2004
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It wasn’t exactly as Jim Mora drew it up, but the outcome was impressive nonetheless.

The Seahawks presented their first-year head coach with a 28-0 victory over the St. Louis Rams at Qwest Field in a regular-season opener that featured enough big plays – and bizarre plays – to fill a month of Sundays.

“I was just proud of our team,” Mora said after the Seahawks’ first shutout since they blanked the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10 of the 2007 season. “For us to be able to play with that maniacal attitude that we played with, and still maintain our poise, to me is a real indicator of the level of maturity that our men have.”

Mora, who was presented with the game ball in the locker room by owner Paul Allen, then cast a quick glance to the team’s Week 2 game against the 49ers in San Francisco and added, “We’ve got to validate what we did today next week.”

A quick glance at the stat sheets from Sunday shows that Matt Hasselbeck began his comeback campaign by throwing three touchdown passes; running back Julius Jones broke a 62-yard scoring run to cap his 117-yard afternoon; tight end John Carlson had TD catches of 1 and 33 yards; wide receiver Nate Burleson started and finished the opener – unlike last season, when he blew out a knee in Buffalo and missed the rest of the season – capping a seven-catch outing with a 12-yard TD reception; and an offensive line that featured as many backups as starters did not allow Hasselbeck to be sacked and paved the way for a 446-yard offensive showing.

Defensively, the Seahawks forced four three-and-out possessions and also threw in a red-zone stand after the Rams reached the Seattle 7-yard line in the fourth quarter; barely missed a beat after Will Herring and David Hawthorne had to step in for the injured linebacking duo of Leroy Hill (strained groin) and Lofa Tatupu (strained hamstring); got to Rams QB Marc Bulger for three sacks; and generally ignited the frustration level the entire game.

Mora, of course, looked beyond the obvious numbers.

That’s because the Seahawks started the game by turning the ball over three times in their first four possessions – two Hasselbeck interceptions and a Burleson fumble – and also got a 14-point swing when a Rams return of a blocked field goal for a touchdown was nullified because they had 12 men on the field.

“I was proud of the way we overcame early adversity,” Mora said. “When you turn the ball over three times in the first half, you don’t typically win a game like that.

“The odds are that you don’t win it.”

But then this was the kind of odd game that players, coaches and fans have gotten used to when the Rams and the Seahawks get together.

Heck, the Seahawks even broke out a little Wildcat – with Hasselbeck lining up as a wide receiver, taking a pass from backup QB Seneca Wallace and then throwing back to Wallace, who ran for 24 yards.

“Probably the Norfolk-Medfield-Millis Vikings, it took three towns to make up our team,” Hasselbeck said when asked the last time he has lined up at wide receiver. “So I was a little nervous.

“It was probably the most nervous I was about anything going into the day.”

Hasselbeck also had a request for the fans if the Seahawks show that formation again.

“The only thing is, we might have to tell the crowd to not get so loud when Seneca comes into the game,” he said. “That kind of gives it away.

“It is exciting. He comes in with those line-green shoes and everybody gets excited. It was definitely a momentum thing. But I learned from it – I was out of breath the play. I need to stay clam myself.”

Included in the unexpected, however, were indications of just how the Seahawks might be capable of playing this season as they look to atone for last year’s 4-12 record.

Like on Hasselbeck’s first TD pass to Carlson. With the Seahawks in a two-tight end formation at the 1-yard line, Hasselbeck used a play action fake to give Carlson the time he needed to curl into the back of the end zone.

“The safety and the linebacker sucked up on the run fake,” Carlson said. “That’s really what opened it up.”

Like on the 99-yard drive the first time the Seahawks touched the ball in the second half, a slick, seven-play series that ended with Hasselbeck’s 33-yard TD pass to Carlson. On that play, T.J. Houshmandzadeh was the inside receiver in a trips formation – three receivers clustered on one side of the line.

“T.J. ran across the safety’s face and the safety had to respect that, otherwise T.J. would have scored,” Carlson said. “So T.J. got me open.”

Like on Jones’ long TD, a simple run up the middle that became special because center Steve Vallos made the block to wall off the right side and fullback Justin Griffith’s lead block took care of the left side.

“Justin really set it up for me,” said Jones, who ran for 140 yards against the Rams at Qwest Field last season. “I ran right off of him and he kicked his guy out, and it was green grass after that.”

But no play was more bizarre than the Rams’ TD return of the blocked field goal that wasn’t at the end of the first half.

“That was a huge play,” Mora said. “You can’t discount how big that play was in the game. That was gigantic.”

In between the offensive fireworks, and the Rams’ special teams meltdown, it was the Seahawks defense that responded to one challenge after another.

“It was very big for the defense,” said rookie linebacker Aaron Curry, whose needle on the amped-up meter was in the red all afternoon. “To go out there and hold an NFL offense to no points is important.

“It’s amazing, especially for it to be our first game of the season and me being a rookie. To be part of that is amazing.”

The team’s first-round draft choice will get no argument from his head coach.

“It was especially emotional for me because there is some significance to it – I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that there was,” said Mora, who was a fan of the Seahawks while attending junior high and high school in Bellevue. “I have thought about this day for a long, long time. To go out there and listen to our crowd and see the effect that they had on the game, and the penalties, it was a surreal experience for me.

“It was great. It was perfect.”

Not to mention a rare shutout.
 
Feb 14, 2004
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LMAO @ Olindo Mare's stats not being fucked with on that blocked kick return for a touchdown!!!

Hey Rams, Y'all had the wrong 12th man on the field! LOL
 
Feb 14, 2004
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RENTON, Wash. (AP)—A person familiar with the deal says the Seattle Seahawks have brought back recently released linebacker D.D. Lewis(notes) to reinforce a hurting linebacking unit.

The deal lasts for the remainder of the season and is for the veteran minimum contract, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had yet to announce the deal.

The Seahawks lost starters Lofa Tatupu(notes) to a hamstring injury and Leroy Hill(notes) to a groin strain during their opening win Sunday against St. Louis.
 
Feb 14, 2004
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Found something on it:

Coach Mora announced on ESPN 710 that Leroy Hill will miss the next two weeks with a strain in his groin or abdominal area. Will Herring will fill in during Hill's absence. Herring is a good cover linebacker and a little age and a lot of conditioning have allowed him to bulk up his safety frame into a respectable, Tampa 2-style linebacker frame. Think Cato June. Herring will need assistance to sustain tackles, but if Sunday was the standard, swarming to the ball is creed, not suggestion.

During the same press conference, Mora announced Derek Walker has been waved to make room for D.D. Lewis.
 
Feb 14, 2004
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I am not too worried about the loss of Hill at this point. He is much needed, but if he's injured, then let him properly heal and make a strong comeback. His backup isn't that bad either.
 
Feb 14, 2004
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The hoarse voices of the fans: The din generated by the crowd helped produce four false-start penalties on the Rams – running the league-leading total at Qwest since the beginning of the 2005 season to 82 – and also a delay-of-game infraction.

This stuff isn’t just hype. The fans believe they have an impact on the game because they do.

“We saw from the game today that the false starts get in their heads and they start to doubt themselves,” defensive tackle Colin Cole said. “That really helps us feed off their energy. That energy, that emotional wave, is magnificent and there is nothing better than that right there.

“The emotions that we had coming in from our crowd today, that was probably the best feeling I have had on a football field in a long time.”

The week ahead

An early season biggie, and it’s only Week 2.

After the 49ers’ upset of the defending division and NFC champion Cardinals in Arizona on Sunday, the Seahawks travel to San Francisco with sole possession of first place in the NFC West on the line.

Hyperbola? Hardly. With a win at Candlestick Park, the Seahawks will demonstrate that they are once again a team to be reckoned with in the division. A win over the 49ers also will set the Seahawks up nicely as they continue the pre-bye portion of their schedule that includes home games against the Chicago Bears (Week 3), Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 5) and Cardinals (Week 6) and a trip to Indianapolis to play the Colts (Week 4).

The Seahawks have won five of their past six games in San Francisco.
 
Feb 14, 2004
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Lawrence Jackson. Last year’s first-round draft choice had a good opener, collecting one sack and just missing another in Sunday’s shutout of the St. Louis Rams.

No one was happier for Jackson than coach Jim Mora.

“Lawrence played well, very well,” Mora said. “We have been waiting for that, all of us have been waiting for that.”

One game, of course, does not a season make – and it doesn’t make up for a disappointing rookie season, either.

“You have to validate it, you have to do it again and again and again,” Mora said. “But just to see him play physical, play aggressive, have a sack and have an impact on the game, that’s a real positive for him and for us.”
Last year, Jackson had two sacks – both in a Week 2 game against the San Francisco 49ers, the team the Seahawks play on Sunday at Candlestick Park.

But Mora saw signs of improvement in the opener.

“He was more physical. He’s better with his hands. He was attacking. He wasn’t sitting back catching,” Mora said. “He was just more aggressive. He played with more certainty. That’s what stuck out to me.”

ROSTER MOVES

Offensive lineman Brian De La Puente was signed to the practice squad. He joined the team Aug. 25, but was released on the final roster cut.

To clear a spot, offensive lineman Blake Schlueter was released.

STAT DU JOUR

Only five backs ran for 100-plus yards on opening weekend. One was the Seahawks’ Julius Jones (117). Another was his older brother, Thomas, who had 107 in the New York Jets’ win over the Houston Texans.

In fact, the Jones brothers have been nominated for FedEx Ground Player of the Week. Fans have until Friday morning to vote for the award at www.NFL.com/FedEx.

ON TAP

The players were off Tuesday, but they return Wednesday to begin preparing for Sunday’s game against the 49ers.

YOU DON’T SAY

“I am not sure how much of the nation will pay attention to it – the NFC West is not high on everyone’s radar – but I think in this division it’s a big game.” – Mora, on Sunday’s game against the also 1-0 49ers
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Hopefully Lo-Jack can tear it up for the Hawks this season. With him and Redding taking turns, I am sure he'll do just fine. I want to see more sacks from him.
 
Feb 14, 2004
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Some bad news and some some-what good news

Seahawks' Hill to miss 6 weeks; Jones back at practice

Further tests on Seattle Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill revealed a "pretty significant groin injury," coach Jim Mora said Wednesday, and he will be out at least the next six weeks.

Hill could possibly face surgery to repair a "slight tear or pull off the bone of one of his tendons," Mora said.

"He'll be out at least until after our bye (on Oct. 25), so that's a blow," Mora said. "It's disappointing for Leroy and our team."

Mora said the injury occurred when Hill was "standing with a wide base and then got torqued in an awkward position" as he attempted to make a tackle.

Will Herring will start in Hill's place. The third-year Seahawk out of Auburn has made just one start in his NFL career, but played very well this preseason and filled in well for the final two and a half quarters of Seattle's 28-0 win over St. Louis on Sunday.

"Through the course of those preseason games and then on Sunday, he showed he's ready to play," Mora said. "I've said this before. I don't spend a lot of time worrying about who can't play. I just focus on getting the guy who can play ready to play. And that's what we'll do.

"We're not going to make it a big issue, we're just going to play. And we have a lot of confidence as an organization and players in that locker room that Will will do a great job."


Big Walt ready to return: Mora said he's looking for veteran left tackle Walter Jones to return to practice Wednesday afternoon after missing almost the entire preseason with complications from his knee surgery last December.

Mora said he was uncertain when Jones would be ready to play, saying it would be up to the All-Pro veteran to let the team know when he's ready. The coach said he wasn't sure how the offensive line will be shuffled once Jones can play, but indicated "that's a good problem to have."

Center Chris Spencer (torn quad) and wide receiver Deion Branch (hamstring) were expected to be held out of practice Wednesday, Mora said, but both could be ready by Thursday and would be evaluated as the week progresses.

Linebacker Lofa Tatupu is also expected to skip practice today to rest a sore hamstring, Mora said, but should be fine by Sunday.


Practice squad moves: The team has released defensive back Jamar Adams and center Blake Schlueter off the practice squad and re-signed defensive lineman Derek Walker and center Brian De La Puente.
 
Feb 14, 2004
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RENTON, Wash. (AP)—The Seahawks got worse news than they expected on starting linebacker Leroy Hill(notes), who left last weekend’s game against St. Louis with a groin injury.

Coach Jim Mora said Wednesday that Hill will be out until at least November, after tests on his groin showed more extensive damage than first believed. Hill has a partially torn muscle, an injury more common to hockey players, and may need surgery.

“It appears he has a pretty significant groin injury,” Mora said. “He is going to be out until after the bye (week).”

That means the man to whom Seattle gave a six-year contract worth a guaranteed $15.5 million—and potentially $38 million total—in the spring will be out at least until Nov. 1 at Dallas.

“That’s a blow,” Mora said. “It’s disappointing for Leroy and certainly disappointing for this team.”

For Hill’s teammates, it’s more than just “disappointing.”

“Oh, man. It’s huge,” safety Deon Grant(notes) said. “It’s going to have a big impact on our defense.”

Grant explained he has an unspoken understanding with Hill on pre-snap reads and defensive calls, built over playing together the previous two seasons. Code words or head nods are all the two need to get in the correct position before plays.

“It definitely changes things. Leroy and myself had a chemistry,” Grant said. “He understood when I see certain things what to look for.”

Now, the chemistry that just produced Seattle’s first shutout win since Nov. 12, 2007, against the 49ers, is getting disrupted.

Will Herring(notes), usually a special-teamer, will make his second career start at outside linebacker Sunday at San Francisco. This week, Seattle re-signed recently waived veteran D.D. Lewis(notes) to add depth to the position.

“He’s not going to know exactly what those (signals and code words) mean right away,” Grant said. “But Will will step in and do his job.”

The Seahawks got better injury news when nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones(notes) participated in position drills. Mora said there is a chance Jones could make his season debut against the 49ers, after having his second knee surgery in eight months a few weeks ago, an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee.

Lofa Tatupu(notes), a three-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker, did not practice because of the hamstring he strained against St. Louis. Mora expects him to start Sunday.

Hill stayed away from all non-mandatory work at Seahawks headquarters in the offseason, a protest to the team initially designating him its franchise player and keeping him from free agency. On Sunday, his legs were planted and spread wide when he was twisted during a play in the first quarter of Seattle’s rout of the Rams.

He walked out to the practice field and around the locker room without much of a limp on Wednesday. Hill also wasn’t too down—while seated in his locker he shimmied to the beat of a song playing throughout the locker room.

“I believe there is a slight tear or some type of pull off the bone of one of the tendons,” Mora said. “It’s similar to a lot of injuries that a lot of hockey players get. Our training staff and doctors have done a tremendous job of researching and talking to everybody they can talk to who has experience with this injury.

“He’ll be a fast healer and he’ll work hard.”
 
Feb 14, 2004
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It took Seattle Seahawks rookie linebacker Aaron Curry one play in the NFL to show he'll back down to no one.

One play to get under his opponent's skin.

One play to prove he intends to play nose-to-nose with everybody in the NFL.

And the team's rapidly growing fan favorite says he'll compete the same way every game, so get used to it, NFL.

As the St. Louis Rams were whistled for a false start penalty on their first play from scrimmage Sunday at Qwest Field, Curry shot into the backfield and pulled up directly in the face of veteran quarterback Marc Bulger.

But instead of walking away like most newbies, Curry took the opportunity to say a few things. And the next thing he knew, he was being pushed by the Rams' Steven Jackson and found himself was jawing and jeering with one of the NFL's toughest running backs until they were pulled apart.

Shrinking violet? Not Curry. On the next play, he flew in and took out a Rams offensive lineman standing by the pile at the end of the play. More pushes and words were exchanged.

When a Rams linemen attempted to take a retaliatory shot at Curry on the ensuing snap, the rookie leaped up and instead of going at it, patted his opponent on the helmet in a gesture that said, "Hey, this is good fun, eh?"

But Curry said Wednesday his buzz-saw beginning wasn't an act or just some first-game energy overload.

"That will always be me," Curry said Wednesday as the team began preparations for its next game Sunday at San Francisco. "It's not necessarily like being a mean guy or tough guy or bad guy. It's just, especially playing at home, I've got to protect the house.

"It's about whatever it takes to do so. If that means going out there playing fast and hard from the snap to the whistle, that's what I've got to do."

As for Jackson, the Rams' enforcer didn't get far into Curry's head.

"I don't know. All I remember is talking to the quarterback, getting pushed and it was Steven Jackson," Curry said. "Whatever. I guess he was angry."

Seahawks coach Jim Mora said he wasn't surprised so much by Curry's tenacity as by the way he was able to keep it going through the full three-hour game.

"He kind of showed that in a couple preseason games in small flashes," Mora said. "But maybe it was surprising in the way he was able to sustain it through the whole game. He played at a high level of intensity with a bunch of emotion the entire game.

"There were three occasions where the officials came over and said 'You need to calm the guy down.' But he was calm, I mean he was calm, but he was playing with that energy and emotion and passion that you love to see. ... I kind of felt like the Rams knew they had a rookie and they were going to see if they could get in his head a little bit and he did a good job of avoiding that."

Curry says he played the same way at Wake Forest and often was warned by the referees to not go too far.

"I'm a calm guy," he said. "But when I get between the lines, I'm full speed, I'm passionate, I'm competitive. I'm emotional about playing football. Once I get to the sidelines, I take a deep breath, get my heart back and go back out and do it again."

As for the Rams' targeting him?

"I understand everyone is going to want to see why I was picked fourth overall," said Curry. "Am I a bust? Is it all hype? Or am I really the real deal? My job every Sunday is not really to prove that, but to play within the team and show I'm here to contribute to the defense."

Curry promises he'll bring the same heat Sunday on the road. Football is football, he said, and he knows only one speed.

And, yes, the youngster recognizes that the opposing coach this Sunday will be one of the most intense linebackers in NFL history.

Will it be cool to see Mike Singletary on the opposite sideline?

"It would be cool to see Mike Singletary at the grocery store," Curry said. "It's going to be amazing. It'll be hard to actually make eye contact with him because he has that stare, but I'll take a peek over there now and then."

When he's not busy busting chops and getting under the skin of anyone wearing a 49ers' uniform, that is.
 

NAMO

Sicc OG
Apr 11, 2009
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thats pretty cool, but I like the end section with the city background better you got any close photos of that?