Seahawks News Thread

[savage]

RIP Clyde

RENTON, Wash. (AP)—Ken Lucas(notes) just played the toughest game of his nine-year career.

The Seahawks’ cornerback started Sunday’s win over Jacksonville less than 48 hours after he found out his father Clyde had died.

Seattle coach Jim Mora said Monday the team and Lucas learned of the unexpected death Friday night. The 30-year-old Lucas then decided to play.

“Kenny played through a heavy heart and played very well,” said Mora. “I can’t imagine what that would be like. I don’t want to.”

Mora did not mention the cause of death. He only emphasized it “was not expected.”

According to the players’ union, Lucas’ father had overcome lung cancer. He was diagnosed with the disease in 2002, during his son’s second season with Seattle.

“It’s sad to say, but up until that point, I really didn’t know if I truly cared about my dad,” Lucas said in an article from July 2008 posted on the NFL Players Association web site. “But I feel like (the cancer diagnosis) was a way to bring us together.

“When my mom (Deborah) called and told me, the first thing I asked her was, ‘Is my dad going to die?’ Even though things were not always peaches and cream growing up, I never really knew that I truly loved him until she called and told me he had lung cancer. That was when things got better between my dad and me.”

Lucas left Seattle as a free agent following the 2004 season. He returned this offseason as a free agent after four seasons spent playing for Carolina.

 

[savage]

Shutouts R Us

Look who has two of the NFL’s three shutouts this season: It’s the Seahawks, who last posted two in a single season 23 years ago.

Not much escapes Jim Mora.

Like in the closing seconds of Sunday’s 41-0 shellacking of the Jacksonville Jaguars at Qwest Field. The Seahawks coach turned to defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and offered, “If you can continue this and get two shutouts every three games you play at home, that would be pretty good, pal.”

Mora laughed after he said that Monday. But the oddity that has been the Seahawks’ first five games – shutouts against the St. Louis Rams and Jaguars sandwiched around a three-game losing streak – is nothing to scoff at.

The bookend performances actually are historic, because the Seahawks have pitched multiple shutouts in a season for only the third time in franchise history – and the first time in 23 years.

Granted, they came against the still-winless Rams in the season opener and a two-win Jaguars team. But as Mora said after the 28-0 win over the Rams, “They’re hard to get. They are just really hard to get. Hard to get at any level, really. So it’s rare.”

So rare, in fact, that there have been only three shutouts in the NFL this season – two by the Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers’ 35-0 win over the Rams last week. Talk about keeping it all in the NFC West family.

From the goal-line stand that ended the Jaguars’ second possession at the Seahawks’ 1-yard line to the 79-yard fumble return by rookie defensive end Nick Reed in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks’ relentless defense was unrelenting.

“I just liked how, when we got up on Jacksonville, when we got up on the scoreboard, we didn’t let up,” defensive lineman Cory Redding said. “Everybody kept the pedal to the metal.

“Everybody was just wanting to play for each other. You could feel the energy on the sideline. Somebody saying, ‘Let’s make a play,’ and ‘Keep going,’ and ‘This is how we’re supposed to play.’ The energy - everything - it was awesome."

The Seahawks will need to be awesome and then some this week, because the opponent at Qwest Field will be the defending NFC champion Arizona Cardinals – and the league’s No. 3-ranked passing game.

Mora stressed having a dire sense of urgency with his players last week, because his goal is to reach the bye in two weeks at 3-3. With the first step complete, it’s the next step that already has captured his attention.

“I want it to be more dire than it’s ever been,” Mora said. “That’s what I told them today, too. I said, ‘A lot of times, you walk in after a game like that and your coach says, do it just like we did last week.’

“I don’t want it to be just like it was last week. I want it to be better in terms of our attention to detail, sense of urgency, all those things. We’ve got to elevate it every week. That’s why it was so important for me yesterday that we finish the game—like I said yesterday—the right way. With the right frame of mind. With a toughness. No letdown. I thought we did that. I didn’t want mistakes. I didn’t want it to be 41-7. I wanted it to be 41-0. Finish the way we wanted to finish, which was taking a knee three times.”

Nice stuff, indeed. But Lofa Tatupu, the team’s middle linebacker and a defensive co-captain, wants to see the Seahawks take this shutout show on the road.

“Everyone is big,” he said after the game. “I want to see us do this on the road. You can’t be inconsistent, doing this at home and then going on the road and just giving up points like we have.

“I am not going to be satisfied until we win on the road.”

The Seahawks have registered multiple shutouts in a season for only the third time in francise history:

2009 - Rams 28-0, Jaguars 41-0.

1986 - Steelers 30-0, Raiders 37-0.

1984 - Browns 33-0, Chargers 24-0, Chiefs 45-0.

http://www.seahawks.com/news/articles/article-1/Shutouts-R-Us/7c622fd1-51ca-4dc7-8b3b-6a6d011c3250

 

[savage]

Monday in Hawkville

Focus On

Ken Lucas. A lot was made of the physical and mental toughness that Matt Hasselbeck displayed in Sunday’s game, when the team’s starting quarterback played for the first time since having a rib fractured in the Week 2 loss to the 49ers in San Francisco. And rightfully so.

But Lucas, a veteran cornerback who re-signed with the Seahawks during the offseason, also played through emotional pain after finding out Friday night that his father had passed away.


“It was not expected,” coach Jim Mora said today. “Kenny played through a heavy heart, and played very well. I can’t even imagine what that would be like, and don’t want to.”

Lucas contributed six tackles to the team’s 41-0 shutout of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

POSITION WATCH

Defensive end. With starting right end Patrick Kerney sidelined Sunday with a strained groin, Darryl Tapp and Nick Reed got more snaps against the Jaguars and made the most of the opportunities. Tapp had a sack among his four tackles and also registered four hits on Jags QB David Garrard. Reed had three tackles, a sack, two QB hits and returned a fumble 79 yards for a touchdown.

Kerney is scheduled to return for this week’s big game against the Arizona Cardinals at Qwest Field. So now what?

“Defensive line is the most physically demanding position on the field,” Mora said. “So if you can have eight defensive linemen that you can roll through there and get each of them 35-40 reps in a game, then they’re all going to stay fresh and they’re all going to stay effective.

“So really, it’s a great situation for us that we feel like we have guys that can go in and play and not see the level of play decline. So it’s a real positive, actually.”

At left end, they have used Lawrence Jackson and Cory Redding, while the tackle rotation includes starters Colin Cole and Brandon Mebane as well as Craig Terrill and Red Bryant. Redding also slides to tackle in the nickel defense.

Rookie lineman Michael Bennett, who was released Saturday, was claimed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

INJURY REPORT

Left tackle Brandon Frye was still getting tests on the “stinger” he received in the first quarter against the Jaguars, so Mora was unable to provide an update on the status of his neck/shoulder injury.

Safety C.J. Wallace could miss time after straining a hamstring against the Jaguars, Mora said.

But the other players who left the game Sunday were not serious. Cornerback Travis Fisher (hamstring), guard Mansfield Wrotto (ankle) and tackle Kyle Williams (knee) should be OK, Mora said.

Linebacker Leroy Hill, who has been out since the season opener after needing surgery to repair a torn groin, could see some practice time this week.

“He would not play in this game, but he might be able to get back on the practice field a little bit in a limited fashion,” Mora said.

YOU DON’T SAY

“Aaron Curry continues to improve. He’s a fun guy to watch. He plays the game the way you’re supposed to play it – with speed, with passion and with a level of violence that you notice on film. Yet, he’s clean. He’s not a dirty player. He’s just a violent, nasty player.” – Mora, on the team’s rookie linebacker and first-round draft choice.

http://blog.seahawks.com/2009/10/12/monday-in-hawkville-7/

 

[savage]

“AIR” HASSELBECK

Hasselbeck is a nominee for FedEx Air Player of the Week after throwing four touchdown passes against the Jaguars.

Fans can vote for him until 9 a.m. Friday morning at www.NFL.com/FedEx The other nominees are Colts QB Peyton Manning and Broncos QB Kyle Orton.

 

[savage]

Renton, Wash. – The Seattle Seahawks have placed tackle Brandon Frye on injured reserve and signed veteran tackle Damion McIntosh to the 53-man roster, the team announced this afternoon.

The 10-year veteran McIntosh has played in 115 games with 111 starts playing for San Diego, Miami and Kansas City. He has tallied 93 starts at left tackle, 16 starts at right tackle and two starts at right guard during his career. McIntosh was originally San Diego’s third round draft pick (83rd overall) in the 2000 NFL Draft out of Kansas State and has help block for the NFL’s top running backs over the last decade in LaDainian Tomlinson, Ronnie Brown and Larry Johnson.

Seattle claimed Frye off waivers (Miami) on September 6 and he played in four games with three starts at left tackle before being injured vs. Jacksonville (10/11).

 

[savage]

Seahawks LB Tatupu may not miss season after all

RENTON, Wash. (AP)—Seahawks star linebacker Lofa Tatupu(notes) may not be out for the season after all.

Seattle coach Jim Mora said Monday that further tests on the three-time Pro Bowler’s chest muscle indicated a partial tear rather than the complete one doctors told him Tatupu had the day before.

“After further review and further imaging, we’re not certain yet Lofa is done. They did an MRI test, and it doesn’t look like the muscle and tendons are completely detached from the bone,” Mora said, one day after Tatupu got hurt in Seattle’s 27-3 loss to Arizona and was then declared out.

“So that might have been a little premature … we’ll keep our fingers crossed there.”

Mora said team medical personnel are now examining Tatupu’s relatively healthy pectoral muscle on the right side, including with another magnetic resonance imaging test. They will compare it with images taken on the injured left one to further gauge how much damage the left pectoral sustained.

If Monday’s results from the MRI are proven accurate, the team’s co-captain could be back after a few weeks of rehabilitation—though it appears he will miss at least Seattle’s next game, at Dallas on Nov. 1. The team may have a timetable on his return before it leaves for a bye weekend break following Wednesday’s practice.

“It was pretty grim (Sunday). So we got good news,” Mora said. “Sometimes it goes the other way, so it was nice to have the good news.”

Seattle (2-4) has had 12 starters miss a combined 35 games through the season’s first six weeks.

Tatupu, whom Mora calls incomparable as the “axis of communication” inside the defense, was injured while trying to tackle Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald(notes) following a reception over the middle in the second quarter Sunday. He appeared to get hit by teammate Deon Grant(notes) on the play, awkwardly twisting his upper body.

Two team doctors and three trainers attended to Tatupu briefly on the bench.

A doctor pressed on Tatupu’s left shoulder, and the linebacker reacted with a painful jerk. He was then taken into the locker room and returned wearing sweats in the second half.

Tatupu still had a team-high eight tackles against the Cardinals. David Hawthorne(notes) replaced him, the second time this season the undrafted free agent from 2008 has filled in at middle linebacker.

Hawthorne made his first career start last month and played nearly two full games after Tatupu was slowed with a hamstring injury. Veteran D.D. Lewis(notes) will now back up Hawthorne.

“Hawthorne has showed he can fill those shoes. I’m going to make sure to have his back and if he needs me all he has to do is keep his ears open. I’m going to be right there for him,” Grant said. “We’ll be all right, (but) we’re going to miss Lofa big time because he’s more than a leader on this defense. He brings a lot of passion.”
--------------------------------

Some damn good news right there

 

[savage]

Hasselbeck calls Seahawks doubters ‘ridiculous’

RENTON, Wash. (AP)—Matt Hasselbeck(notes) has a message for the many doubters of the flailing Seahawks: You’re ridiculous.

Seattle’s three-time Pro Bowl quarterback acknowledged Wednesday before his team left for an extended bye weekend off that “there’s a lot of negativity around our team.”

But he said the idea that the season is essentially over for his 2-4 team is “absolutely ridiculous.”

Hasselbeck says the team can still attain all the goals it set before this season over the season’s final 10 games, beginning Nov. 1 at Dallas.

The Seahawks are 1 1/2 games out of first place in the NFC West. They have won the division four times in the last five seasons.

Hasselbeck calls this “an opportunity to pull together and prove people wrong.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-seahawks-hasselbeck&prov=ap&type=lgns

 

[savage]

Trufant, Hill back practicing with Seahawks

RENTON, Wash. (AP)—Marcus Trufant(notes) squinted into the autumn fog drifting off the Seahawks’ practice field. He flashed a sheepish grin.

It was if he was a shy outcast, not a Seattle mainstay since his hometown team drafted him 11th overall in 2003.

“I’m the new guy,” the Pro Bowl cornerback from 2007 joked Tuesday, after his first practice since he injured his lower back in July.

“I’d been in rehab so long. I hadn’t seen the sun—or the rain—for a long time. I’m outside, man. I’m playing football!”

Yes, the battered Seahawks are taking advantage of their bye week to get healthier. And not just by resting.

Trufant, who has been on the physically-unable-to-perform list since the start of training camp, said he hopes to play in Seattle’s next game, Nov. 1 at Dallas. So does Leroy Hill(notes). The $38 million outside linebacker practiced for the first time since he torn his groin in Seattle’s opener Sept. 13.

Trufant returned from a disk issue in his back to join the second-team defense, as his team went back to basics in the first of two practices before coach Jim Mora gives them an extended weekend off beginning Thursday.

Trufant bumped and hounded starting receiver Nate Burleson(notes). He also turned a seemingly meaningless practice during a bye week into hope for a 2-4 team that needs some.

“I think I’m healed,” Trufant said, adding he still has “a little maintenance” with his back.

That includes strengthening core muscles in his torso. The exercises are similar to the ones quarterback Matt Hasselbeck(notes) has been doing for most of the last year to compensate for a bulging disk that cost Hasselbeck nine game in 2008.

Trufant said his injury, which occurred when he twisted awkwardly breaking on the ball in a drill just before training camp, was similar. But he joked he’s better off than the three-time Pro Bowl passer, and not just because he’s 28 and Hasselbeck is 34.

“He’s a quarterback. I’m a DB. So I kind of see myself as a better athlete,” he said, laughing.

“I’ve got to stay on it, it’s a constant rehab thing.”

Rookie defensive coordinator Gus Bradley thinks whether Trufant starts in place of season-long fill-in Josh Wilson(notes) against the Cowboys next week depends on whether he’s physically up to it. He thinks learning the new defense he’s installed will be a breeze for Trufant, who’s been attending meetings and film sessions all season.

“Tru’s a smart man. It won’t take very long for him to pick up the scheme,” Bradley said. “It’s more the mentality of how he feels.”

Hill said he initially thought he career might be over when he shredded his groin, when his legs were too wide while trying to make a tackle against St. Louis.

“I’ll try to not do that again,” he deadpanned.

The fifth-year veteran called it the worst pain he’s ever had, but now feels “perfect” following surgery performed by a specialist in Philadelphia.

“Oh, man, it felt good,” Hill said of returning Tuesday. “Sitting on the couch seeing what’s been going on, it hurt. It showed me how important football is to me.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-seahawks-trufant-hill&prov=ap&type=lgns

 

[savage]

I am glad that Trufant and Hill are practicing now. And glad they might play in the Cowboys game. Having them back will definitly help out the Hawks' D, but I hope nobody starts talking shit if they're not 100%, as I am sure they aren't going to have the best game of their career in that game. I am expecting them to have a shaky start. But won't be surprised if they do have a good game. And hopefully Tatupu isn't out for too long.

 

[savage]

RENTON, Wash. (AP)—It’s a chicken or egg quandary for the Seahawks.

And the chicken, like almost everyone else in Seattle, is beat up.

For the last two seasons, the Seahawks have convinced themselves that an epidemic of injuries is what has caused the former four-time defending NFC West champions to go 6-16 since the start of 2008, including 2-4 this season entering their bye.

Once we get healthy, they keep saying, we’ll be more consistent.

“I think people have definitely counted us out,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck(notes) said, days after fans booed their Seahawks while Arizona whacked them 27-3. “There’s a lot of negativity around our team. I’ve heard people say, ‘This season is over. We’ve got no chance.’ That’s ridiculous. That’s absolutely ridiculous.

“This is an opportunity for us to pull together and prove people wrong.”

Coach Jim Mora echoes that optimism, saying “while I’m disappointed, I’m certainly upbeat.” He keeps reciting the need for consistency. He searched for it while the Seahawks practiced Tuesday and Wednesday—a departure from recent years in Seattle when coach Mike Holmgren gave the players entire bye weeks off.

Yet the Seahawks are finding that gaining any consistency with heaps of starters still hurt as a new coach and two new coordinators are installing a fresh offense and defense is next to impossible. That’s why many feel Seattle’s playoff chances are gone, too.

After missing nine games in 2008, Hasselbeck missed 2 1/2 more with broken ribs that are still healing. The Seahawks have been without three-fifths of the starting line, and are now asking Damion McIntosh(notes) to be their fifth left tackle. Plus, defensive captain Lofa Tatupu(notes) is out indefinitely with a torn pectoral muscle.

Seattle had 12 starters miss a combined 35 games through six weeks. Coach Jim Mora says he’s never seen anything like it in 26 years of coaching.

Except for last year.

In 2008, six starters and three fill-in starters missed a combined 27 games through six weeks. Seattle endured seven injuries at wide receiver last season and signed guys off the street to start, just like it did last week at tackle with McIntosh. Last season, 13 players started at the five positions on the offensive line.

Even with all the pain, Hasselbeck sees this season’s wins of 28-0 over the Rams and 41-0 over the Jaguars and knows his team is just 1 1/2 games out of first place in the mild, mild West. He thinks better mental toughness through this adversity can rally Seattle into the playoffs over these final 10 games, starting next weekend at Dallas.

“All of our goals we set before the season are still there for us,” Hasselbeck said.

Yet even when healthy, do the Seahawks have enough to win consistently anymore?

Last offseason, president and general manager Tim Ruskell held off making drastic overhauls to what was a 4-12 team. He believed the inordinate amount of injuries—not flaws—was the primary reason Seattle flopped.

But nine-time Pro Bowler Walter Jones(notes), who has yet to play this season following two surgeries on his left knee in nine months, didn’t suddenly become 35. His inability to quickly bounce back from microfracture surgery in December triggered the unprecedented carousel at the most important position on the offensive line. The lack of continuity among blockers led to five sacks and a franchise-record-low 14 yards rushing last week against Arizona.

Ruskell’s succession plan had Sean Locklear(notes) moving from right tackle to eventually replace Jones, with Ray Willis(notes) becoming the right tackle. But Locklear remains out with a high right ankle sprain sustained in the second game.

Seattle has lacked size in the secondary for years. That became more of a liability in July when 2007 Pro Bowler Marcus Trufant(notes), who will try to make his season debut next week, went out with a disk issue in his back.

Last week, it became an embarrassment. The Cardinals and their tall receivers bullied diminutive Josh Wilson(notes) and Kelly Jennings(notes) all day. Larry Fitzgerald(notes) had a career high-tying 13 receptions.

Then there’s the biggest elephant in Seattle’s locker room: Hasselbeck just turned 34. He does strengthening exercises to keep a bulging disk in his back at bay. He missed the most games of his career last season, and when he was able to play in 2008 with all the fill-ins he had 10 interceptions and just five touchdowns passes. He would have been the NFL’s lowest-rated passer (a career-low 57.8) had he played enough.

In the first two games he was able to finish this season, Hasselbeck threw for seven touchdowns and Seattle won. But in the biggest game, against the Cardinals, the new division kings, Hasselbeck completed just 10 of 29 throws for 112 yards against what had been the league’s lowest-ranked pass defense. The 34 percent completion rate was his lowest since 2004.

He is in the fifth year of a six-year, $47 million contract with $16 million in guarantees. His salary cap number for 2010 is scheduled to be about $8.5 million.

No one is Seattle is talking about that now, but what Hasselbeck said about his team this week could apply to his tenure in Seattle, too.

“Your chances are a lot worse. You’ve made it a lot harder on yourself. But it’s not over,” the three-time Pro Bowl passer said.

“And that’s what we’ve done. We’ve made it a lot harder on ourselves.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-seahawksbye&prov=ap&type=lgns

 

[savage]

An Aberdeen business that’s been hustling for three years to get its name out to a wider audience just had to wait for Owen Schmitt to come along.

Schmitt is a Seahawks fullback who prowled the sidelines before the game two weeks ago, banging his own helmet into his head, bloodying his face. It was outrageous enough that it was all over television.

Within days, Christian Burgess, owner of Jacknut Apparel, was producing a t-shirt with Schmitt’s bloody face and the phrase “Get Schmitt faced.”

The shirt got as much attention on television as Schmitt did and late last week Burgess was on track to sell more than 1,000 T-shirts in just over a week

In the past week, Burgess said he’s been featured on every rock and sports radio station in Seattle, all of the local broadcast networks, USA Today, Sports Illustrated and ESPN.

Burgess said he has even more interviews lined up. Everyone’s talking about his shirt.

At one point, even Schmitt himself was shown on an NFL show holding up the shirt bearing his bloodied face.

“We gave him about 10 of them,” Burgess said.


“I’m not sure when the attention is going to stop, but at this point, I have even more ideas lined up,” Burgess added. “The goal is to keep people coming back.”

Burgess has also received some calls from Schmitt’s agents asking about some financial compensation for the football player. The shirt is careful not to use any Seahawks logos or trademarks, but does use Schmitt’s face.

“We’re working things out,” Burgess said, noting his business partner in this venture had received permission from Schmitt to do the shirt before he began printing them.

Burgess added, “I’m already donating part of the proceeds to Schmitt’s charity, Operation Smile,” a children’s charity treating facial deformities such as cleft lips and cleft palates.

There’s also a pink shirt with the same design, with $3 from each shirt going for breast cancer research. The cost for a shirt is $19.99.

The shirt was the brainchild of Lorin Sandretzky, a huge Seahawks fan — literally and figuratively — known as Big Lo. The 6-foot-8, 470-pound Seattle man is known as one of the Seahawks top fans (he even has an action figure and is frequently seen on television during football games).

Big Lo, who was in Aberdeen on Friday, said he met Burgess through a mutual friend, Eric Gardiner.

Big Lo said he’s also a friend of Schmitt’s. Before joining forces with Burgess for the shirt, “I asked permission. Owen said he didn’t care, to go for it.”

Big Lo said he came up with the phrase after watching Schmitt crash his own helmet into his forehead during pre-game warm-ups before the Oct. 11 Seahawks game against Jacksonville. (The Hawks blew out Jacksonville in a 41-0 shutout). Blood was trickling down Schmitt’s face — and a T-shirt was born.

“It’s a story that would have gone away in a few days but the shirt has extended its life, made Schmitt a bit legendary,” Big Lo said.

“This has been great for Christian and Jacknut. It’s been great for Owen. He’s a great guy. He deserves all of this attention. They both do.”

Big Lo said he plans to work with Burgess to design even more shirts in the future.

Burgess said his Web site www.jacknutapparel.com has received more than 46,000 hits and at least one person from every state has visited — and hundreds more from six continents.

“For about seven hours earlier this week, we had so much traffic that our Web site even shut down,” Burgess said, noting that the site usually only gets a few hits a day. “We had to scramble to buy more bandwidth.”

Hundreds of blogs and media outlets, including a newspaper in Pittsburgh, have written about the shirt, Burgess said. The business owner said he’s able to track the data courtesy of Google.

“I’m not sure what to say about this, except wow,” a blogger with the Renton Reporter wrote. “Follow the link for one of the more interesting Seahawks T-shirts you’ll find anywhere.”

“Can you imagine all of Qwest Field roaring with these new shirts on game day?” a blogger with SeahawksAddicts.com wrote.

“This has been the best thing for marketing that we could have imagined,” Burgess said.

Burgess has been aggressively marketing his Jacknut brand since first launching it in the top floor of his dad Rick Burgess’ business, Coastline Signs in Aberdeen, more than three years ago.

Jacknut is the name of a scrappy-looking crow-like bird Christian invented back at Hoquiam High School.

The apparel line has been a phenomenon especially among high schoolers and the 20-something crowds on the Harbor for a few years now.

Burgess said several local stores carry his merchandise including Breezy Beach Clothing in Ocean Shores, the Hoquiam Liquor Store and Waugh’s Men Store in Aberdeen. He recently inked a deal with Northwest Snowboard, which has stores in Olympia, Tacoma and Bremerton, to carry his line.

In August, Jacknut was featured on the morning show of KISW, a Seattle radio station. Some of its hosts regularly wear the merchandise at concerts and have become fans of Burgess’ designs.

Jacknut is also a regular sponsor of the Cricket Campus Rail Jam Tour, which brings winter sports shows to university campuses up and down the West Coast, including USC and UCLA.

The business also regularly sponsors local events, including the Aberdeen Skatefest.

However, Burgess’ designs have yet to catch on with larger department stores.

“My hope is maybe with all of this attention with the Schmitt faced shirts I’ll finally catch their attention,” Burgess said.

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/10/26/local_news/doc4ae5e6458e0ff132694881.txt

 

[savage]

RENTON, Wash. (AP)—Lofa Tatupu(notes) has become the latest Seahawks star to go on the injured reserve list.

A team spokesman said Seattle’s three-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker was having surgery to repair a torn left pectoral muscle Thursday in Alabama. Tatupu traveled there to consult with noted specialist Dr. James Andrews.

The defensive captain was injured in the first half of Seattle’s loss to Arizona on Oct. 18 while trying to make a tackle.

Wednesday, six-time All-Pro left tackle Walter Jones(notes) went on injured reserve because of a surgically repaired left knee. The 35-year-old said he will attempt to play in 2010, though no one knows if he will ever play again following microfracture surgery in December and then an arthroscopic procedure on the knee in August.

The 26-year-old Tatupu did not miss a game in his first 3 1/2 seasons in the NFL. He played through assorted injuries including concussions, a swollen knee, strained groins, a broken thumb and—earlier this season—a strained hamstring that eventually forced him out of a loss to Chicago on Sept. 27.

Sunday’s game at Dallas will be his third absence in less than 12 months.

Tatupu will be replaced Sunday by David Hawthorne(notes), an undrafted free agent making only his second career start.

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck(notes), Seattle’s third ailing star, practiced after missing two consecutive workout days. The ribs he broke on Sept. 20 at San Francisco still aren’t healed, but he and coach Jim Mora both say the three-time Pro Bowl passer will start against the Cowboys.

Hasselbeck said he feels “tight and sticky” in his torso as his ribs enter the final phase of healing.

“So, those are three pretty big topics,” Mora said.

 

[savage]

Seattle releases Edgerrin James

RENTON, Wash. (AP)—The Edgerrin James(notes) experiment in Seattle is over.

The struggling Seahawks cut ties with James on Tuesday, releasing the backup running back who never provided the pop Seattle hoped to get when it signed the 31-year-old in late August.

James’ release was one of a handful of moves Seattle made two days after a lackluster 38-17 loss that dropped the Seahawks to 2-5. Seattle also released safety C.J. Wallace(notes) and cornerback Travis Fisher(notes).

The two-time NFL rushing champ signed with Seattle near the end of training camp hoping to revitalize a career that fell flat after moving from Indianapolis to Arizona. After getting benched for the first time last season, James provided a spark the Cardinals needed in their run to the Super Bowl. But he was released by Arizona in the offseason, and remained unemployed until the Seahawks came calling. Before his release by the Cardinals, James had one year and $5 million remaining on the four-year, $40 million deal he signed with Arizona before the 2006 season.

James failed to provide the punch Seattle hoped for when it cut T.J. Duckett(notes) to make room for James. He gained just 125 yards on 46 carries with no scores. He averaged just 2.7 yards per carry.

James had a season-high 16 carries for 46 yards in Seattle’s 41-0 win over Jacksonville, but James got double-digit carries in only one other game. Three times he was held to less than 10 yards rushing.

His only accolade in his seven games with the Seahawks was the 17 yards James gained last week at Dallas to pass Marcus Allen for 10th place on the NFL’s all-time rushing leaders list with 12,246 yards.

It has been a difficult year for James. His longtime girlfriend and mother of his four children, Andia Wilson, died April 18 of leukemia. James said he had to sort out his life before he turned his attention back to football and that was why it took until late August before he signed with a team.

Seattle signed receiver Mike Hass(notes), safety Jamar Adams(notes) and cornerback Roy Lewis(notes) from the practice squad to fill the open roster spots. The Seahawks also added running back Devin Moore(notes), and cornerbacks Trae Williams(notes) and DeAngelo Willingham(notes) to fill spots on their practice squad.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-seahawks-jamesreleased&prov=ap&type=lgns

 

[savage]

During his first four weeks with the Seahawks, Louis Rankin was Joseph Addai, Maurice Jones-Drew, Tim Hightower and Marion Barber.

Wednesday, he finally got to be himself.

After a month of Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays spent mimicking the opposing running backs to help the defense prepare for games against the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys, the former University of Washington back is being given a chance to play a role with the Seahawks – on offense and special teams.

“I’ve been everybody I could be – everybody we’ve played,” Rankin said after practice. “It’s nice to be myself. I’m excited about it. It’s a great opportunity and, if it goes well, I’m going to take advantage of it.”

Rankin’s rise came at the expense of a great running back who the Seahawks signed on August 25 – Edgerrin James, the NFL’s leading active rusher before the Seahawks released him on Tuesday.

“I felt for Edgerrin, but I was excited for the opportunity,” said Rankin, who was signed to the Seahawks’ 53-man roster last week when nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones was placed on injured reserve.

“Edgerrin was a good guy and I learned a lot from him. He was constantly telling me that I was going to be a good back in the league. And he worked with me. So seeing him go was tough. But I’m really excited about the opportunity I’m getting here.”

Coach Jim Mora also was complimentary of the work James did in his 10-week stay, but added, “Very simply, in our attempt to get Louis Rankin some plays, a look, and see if we can utilize the speed that he has, see if he’s a legitimate possibility as a running back in the National Football League, you have to put someone down.

“Rather than ask Edgerrin James, and a man of his stature in this league, to be inactive, and relegate him to a position on the scout team during the week, we felt like the honorable thing to do was to let him go.”

So now, it’s Rankin’s turn. He will return kickoffs in Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions at Qwest Field, and the coaches also sound determined to feature his speed on offense – although Julius Jones remains the starter and the versatile Justin Forsett also is in the mix.

Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp knows Rankin better than most, because Rankin was on the Raiders’ practice squad for 13 games and the active roster for the final three games last season when Knapp was the coordinator in Oakland.

“The first thing that impressed me about him was his work ethic,” Knapp said. “This guy came to work and, like what happened when he first got here, he was the scout team running back and never complained once. Played hard. Played through pain and injury.

“As far as his traits – great speed. He has very good speed. Hits the hole fast.”

Ah, that speed. Ask anyone about Rankin and the first thing they mention is his speed – especially for a back who is 6 feet 1 and weighs 205 pounds. Rankin never got to run the all-important 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine in 2008, after his senior season at the University of Washington, because he wasn’t invited to the combine.

At first, Rankin avoids the question like a defensive lineman trying to beat him to the edge.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I just try to get around the corner before they can get me.”

Pressed a bit, Rankin said he ran the 40 in 4.4 seconds – in the rain – during his workout with the Seahawks.

But more than his speed, it’s the way Rankin uses his speed. He displayed that ability in practice Wednesday, biding his time behind the line to set up a block and then exploding up the sideline.

“He does have some background experience in this zone run game that shows us some chances to hit that hole fast and get a big run for you,” Knapp said. “He’ll allow that block to get setup because he feels he can get that burst once the block has been made to get that inside gap or outside gap depending what the read is.”

As Rankin put it, “That’s definitely something I’ve been blessed with, and I try to take advantage of it.”

And the fact that he’s finally doing it as himself, well, all the better.

“You definitely get those doubts,” Rankin said of being released by the Raiders and having spent time on the practice squads of two teams. “But you can’t let yourself go there. The main thing is just to go out there every day and control what you can control and just work hard every day.”

Which is a lot easier to do when you’re allowed to be yourself.

http://www.seahawks.com/team/articl...-the-run/5af5d1d4-4b6c-4171-8ad3-77219cfda399

 

[savage]

Looking forward to seeing what this guy will do for the team.

 

[Fucky McFuckerson]

He wont do much...he had ONE decent year at UW. He hesitates and dances at the line too much and doesn't hit holes when he should. There is a reason he didn't get drafted and Raiders cut his ass. He is only better than James because of his age...thats it.

 

[savage]

RENTON, Wash. (AP)—Matt Hasselbeck(notes) watched most of Wednesday’s practice to rest his broken ribs, though the Seahawks expect the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback to start again Sunday against Detroit.

Seattle coach Jim Mora said Hasselbeck “was a little bit beat up, like what happens to a lot of quarterbacks in this league” after playing in all of last weekend’s 38-17 loss at Dallas.

Hasselbeck was crumpled on the turf after a hit in the third quarter but finished the game. Mora said that was because he wanted to send the message to his 2-5 team and its fans that he wasn’t giving up on that game or this season.

“I wasn’t considering coming out,” Hasselbeck said—before he added with a smile, “except for the one time I was on the ground.”

Seneca Wallace(notes) ran the first-team offense Wednesday. Wallace lost both games he started when Hasselbeck was out because of the ribs he broke during a game against San Francisco on Sept. 20.

Doctors had estimated this to be the final week in the usual recovery time for Hasselbeck’s injury, but that’s under normal circumstances. Playing three games with the ribs still broken is not the prescribed way to heal quickly.

“It’s probably not normal,” Hasselbeck deadpanned even before his latest battering by the Cowboys.

Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp said Hasselbeck missing practice Wednesday, as he did last Wednesday before the Dallas game, is not an issue.

“And he had a pretty good game, considering the pass rush we had coming at us,” Knapp said. Hasselbeck completed 22 of 39 throws for 249 yards and two touchdowns against the Cowboys. He was sacked three times behind a makeshift offensive line that started its fifth option at left tackle.

“Of course as a coach, you want him to get as many reps as possible,” Knapp said. “Because of his experience, not as big of a concern because it’s Wednesday. As long as he’s back Thursday and Friday, I’m OK.”

Tackle Sean Locklear(notes) was back practicing but was limited.

The supposed successor to Walter Jones(notes) at left tackle hasn’t played since sustaining a high right ankle sprain in Week 2. Knapp said it would be unfair to expect Locklear to be able to start against the Lions (1-6), that if he is going to be available it will be as a third, backup tackle behind Damion McIntosh(notes) and Ray Willis(notes).

Mora said starting cornerback Ken Lucas(notes) passed an MRI exam after getting knocked woozy by Cowboys running back Felix Jones(notes) at the end of a long gain last weekend, but the coach did not estimate Lucas’ chances of playing Sunday.

Mora added that Marcus Trufant(notes), the 2007 Pro Bowl cornerback who played far more last weekend in his season debut than expected, will start against Detroit. Trufant had a disk issue in his back that began in July.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_y...slug=ap-seahawks-hasselbeck&prov=ap&type=lgns

 

[savage]

You have to admire Hasslebeck's enthusiasm. And glad Trufant will be starting against the Lions. We need a good CB to cover Calvin, hopefully Trufant can get the job done, and have less PI's.

 

[Fucky McFuckerson]

Trufant was getting used last week....he cant afford to have a game like that against CJ.

 

[savage]

Linebacker Julian Peterson will be at Qwest Field on Sunday – as member of the Lions, after the Seahawks traded the Pro Bowl linebacker to Detroit in March for defensive lineman Cory Redding.

Does Peterson miss Seattle? “I miss some of my guys, my guys on the team, stuff like that,” he said today during a telephone interview. “And the fans were great out there. But I can’t do anything about it.”

While with the Seahawks, Peterson had a habit of pointing to his name on the back of his jersey with both hands after making a big play – especially when the Seahawks played the 49ers, Peterson’s team for the first six seasons of his career.

Asked about Peterson, Mora smiled and offered, “Right now, Julian is thinking about doing this (pointing to the name on the back of his jersey). Our objective is not to let him do this (pointing to his back again).”