Seahawks News Thread

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Feb 14, 2004
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#61
Seahawks' Burleson all smiles about his knee

Renton – With a bounce in his step and a sudden burst of explosiveness few expected to see from a player only 10 months removed from a major reconstructive knee surgery, wide receiver Nate Burleson is already the talk of training camp for the Seattle Seahawks.

Burleson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the first game last year at Buffalo, ending his season before it really ever began.

Eight months after having surgery to repair the damaged ligament, Burleson looked tentative — but healthy — practicing during offseason workouts. He’s wearing a brace on the surgically repaired knee.

And during the first couple of practices, Burleson has looked even better. He’s getting open at will, confidently going up to make leaping catches in the middle of the defense, and showing off the extra burst of speed that allowed him to get deep before the knee surgery.

“It feels good,” Burleson said about his knee. “I don’t want to get too excited too early. I’m somewhat surprised, but at the same time the month leading up to training camp I was really busting my butt in AZ (Arizona), working out twice a day in that hot weather.

“I knew I was prepared. But to come out here and actually see it myself and feel it myself, and then catch footballs at the same time, it was a good feeling. Yesterday, I went to sleep with a smile on my face.”

Burleson, who turns 28 in a little over two weeks, points to a month spent in Arizona training twice a day at Athletes Performance for his renewed effort on the field. Burleson said his training regimen emphasized increasing his explosiveness and creating more stability with his surgically repaired knee.

“The only way I could test myself really was to take my knee brace off, go out to Arizona and see what happens,” Burleson said. “And that’s what I did. I didn’t wear my knee brace for a whole month. The first week was tough. I had a lot of soreness. And then my knee started to bounce back quickly.”

His exploits have not gone unnoticed, as both head coach Jim Mora and receivers coach Robert Prince have been pleased with his progress.

“Definitely he’s getting back in the flow,” Prince said. “He did show some explosive plays (Friday), which is really nice. He really went up for the ball, which we’re happy to see.”


Added Mora: “More important than anything is just the confidence he’s exhibiting. Sometimes when guys come off knees you don’t see that, but with Nate you do. And it’s real. It’s not something he’s trumped up. I mean he’s truly excited and truly confident about where he is physically.”

Curry still a no-show

Rookie linebacker Aaron Curry, the team’s No. 4 overall selection in the draft, missed his second day of practice, as his agent Mike Sullivan and the Seahawks continue to negotiate a deal that would allow him to report to camp.

The crux of the standoff between the two sides appears to be New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez’s deal. The No. 5 pick received $28 million in guaranteed money, and Ruskell hinted in an earlier interview that Curry’s representatives are using that as a comparable, while the team views quarterback contracts in a different light.

Redding a go at left end

Unable to practice during the offseason while still rehabbing from offseason knee injury, Cory Redding has been getting some time with the first unit at left defensive end. Redding said the plan for him right now is to play end during the early downs, and move to defensive tackle on passing situations.

Patrick Kerney played left end for Seattle last season, but Redding is more stout and built to play against the run more. Mora said the team plans to play Kerney at right end for now, with Lawrence Jackson backing up Redding at left end, and Darryl Tapp backing up Kerney at right end.

Redding said he’s not concerned with where he’ll line up or whether or not he’ll start.

“Right now, I’m just making sure I don’t mess up,” he said. “And playing the role that’s given to me right now. They’ve got me working with the ones, so that’s good to get out there and work with the guys and be with the starters. And then I work with the twos, so I’m working with both groups and making sure I don’t make mistakes. And making sure I get good hustle and run to the ball, and let the coaches make the decision.”

Extra points

The Seahawks put the pads on for the first time during a Saturday evening practice. However, Mora wanted to make sure things we’re controlled, making sure he didn’t put his players in any vulnerable positions. “It doesn’t mean we’re going to come out here and scrimmage now,” Mora said. “It’s not going to be full speed to the ground or anything like that. But we need to start banging a little bit. Guys need to start to get their bodies ready to hit.” ... Walter Jones sat out Saturday’s practice. Mora said Jones will practice every other day, as the team slowly brings him back. Jones is returning from microfracture surgery on his left knee.
 
Apr 25, 2002
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#62
lol yea i'm a bit embarassed, but what can we do about it? I was just saying that I've heard that the Hawks are going to use those jerseys in two games this season.
OK I was just making sure you weren't endorsing it. I think they're probably trying to gage fan reaction and go from there, which is why we can do something about it.

I would contemplate not watching those games that's how embarrassed and disrespected I'd feel.
 
Feb 14, 2004
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#65
Curry signs contract

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlespo...ves/175824.asp

Rookie linebacker Aaron Curry signed a contract with the Seattle Seahawks and joined the team a half hour into its Saturday afternoon practice.
The Seahawks first-round draft pick missed the first eight days of training camp.

No details of his agreement are yet available.

Curry came out of the Seahawks' facility at 4 p.m. and trotted out to join his teammates to a loud ovation from the 1,500 fans in attendance.

He immediately joined the Seahawks' linebackers, who were in a group doing drills at midfield. Veteran linebacker Leroy Hill greeted him with a slap on the helmet.

One fan wasn't quite so kind, shouting "It's about time," as Curry took his place in the drills.

The 6-foot-2, 254-pounder out of Wake Forest is expected to immediately be inserted into Seattle's starting lineup, teaming with Hill and Lofa Tatupu to form one of the NFL's more promising linebacker corps.

Curry's arrival boosts a Seahawks' camp that has been hampered by a number of early injuries.

Not practicing Saturday are T Walt Jones (back), CB Marcus Trufant (back), C Chris Spencer (ankle), DL Cory Redding (general soreness), DE Michael Bennett (knee), OG Grey Ruegamer (unknown), LB D.D. Lewis (unknown) and LB Will Herring (groin).

Spencer's condition has not been updated, but he was walking fairly normally and joined the team on the sidelines prior to practice before heading to the training room. Spencer sprained his ankle in Friday's practice.

Wide receiver Billy McMullen was not on the practice field and could be the player released to make room for Curry to make room on the 80-man roster.

I'll talk to Curry and have further updates after practice ends.
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RENTON, Wash. (AP)—A person with knowledge of the contract says that the Seattle Seahawks have signed first-round draft choice Aaron Curry(notes) to a six-year contract that guarantees him $34 million.

The person tells The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Saturday because the Seahawks have not announced the deal.

It’s richest guarantee for a rookie non-quarterback in NFL history and has a maximum value of $60 million.

The No. 4 pick from Wake Forest ran onto the field Saturday afternoon a few minutes into practice, eight days after training camp began. The fans in attendance cheered wildly as Seattle’s new outside linebacker nodded in their direction.

Only top overall pick Matthew Stafford(notes), the quarterback drafted by Detroit, has received a richer guarantee from this year’s draft. Stafford got $41.7 million guaranteed from the Lions.

Last year’s No. 4 overall pick, running back Darren McFadden(notes), got $26 million guaranteed from Oakland.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_y...2bYF?slug=ap-seahawks-curry&prov=ap&type=lgns

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From #59's Facebook page.........

Aaron Curry I'm heading to practice now after signing a 6 year deal....lets go make some noise Seattle and get that championship. So glad to be out there helping my teammates. Thx everyone for your support!
29 minutes ago

:cool:
 
Feb 14, 2004
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#69
A show of hands

Even though Nate Burleson suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first half of last season's opener, the Seahawks’ split end has watched the video of the team’s shorthanded efforts in 2008.

In addition to Burleson, Bobby Engram, Deion Branch, Ben Obomanu and Logan Payne also missed time because of injuries last season – making it a combined 56 games. That too often left the passing game in the hands Koren Robinson, Courtney Taylor, Billy McMullen, Keary Colbert, Michael Bumpus and Jordan Kent.

Flash forward to the team’s training camp practices this summer.

Burleson is healthy, as are Obomanu, Payne and Branch. T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Deon Butler were added in free agency and the draft, respectively. Taylor, Bumpus, Kent and McMullen also are back, and better for having been forced to play last season.

“It’s pretty much a 180,” Burleson said. “To sit back and analyze who’s on the field now, and then to look back at how it was last season, it’s completely different.

“Last year, we just couldn’t get right at the wide receiver position. This year, well, just look at what we’ve been doing out here.”

That would be making plays. From Burleson, to Houshmandzadeh, to Branch, to Butler, to Obomanu, to Payne, to Taylor, to Kent, to McMullen, to Bumpus, and even Mike Hass – the former Biletnikoff Award winner from Oregon State who was signed in January.

The Friday Night Lights practice at the University of Washington was the best example of this show-of-hands approach in a training camp already filled with impressive efforts by the receivers.

Taylor caught a pair of touchdown passes at Husky Stadium. Branch returned from missing three practices to rest his surgically repaired left knee and make a couple of nice receptions. Houshmandzadeh ducked behind tight coverage from cornerback Ken Lucas in coming up with his best catch of the evening – promoting a chorus of “Hoooush” from the estimated group of 3,000. Hass made a falling catch of a deep pass along the sideline. Obomanu reminded everyone of what could have been last season, if he had been available when all the other receivers went down. Butler flashed his speed on several occasions. Burleson caught everything that was thrown his way. Kent capped the good-hands effort with a one-handed catch in the end zone on the final play.

“The key for us is just coming out here and having fun,” Burleson said. “And also making plays. There’s a certain part of this game that we need to have before the season starts. We need to have confidence, and that starts at practice.

“We’ve had some huge plays in these first eight days of camp. And that’s just a great sign of what’s possible this year.”

If, that is, the receivers continue to show as well – and as much improvement – as they have in the first week of camp.

“There were some good points and there’s points we need to improve on, definitely,” receivers coach Robert Prince said after the Friday night practice. “Our guys, they like when the lights come on, they like when there’s fans here. It gets them juiced up and gives them a little more energy.”

Burleson and Prince will get no argument from quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who missed nine starts last season because of a bulging disk in his back.

“It definitely feels like we’re safe there,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of good options there.”

So many, in fact, that – as crazy as this might sound – the unit is the strength of the team as it heads toward next Saturday night’s preseason opener against the Chargers in San Diego.

“I don’t want to get too excited, and I definitely don’t want to take the shine of any other position, but we’re taking pride in who we have,” Burleson said.

Not that a wide receiver being confident should surprise anyone – especially not one like Burleson, who always looks at the glass as not just half full but overflowing.

“To be honest, we’ve got to be confident,” Burleson said. “We’ve got go out there and approach it as if we want to be the best. If we go out there and say, ‘Ah, we just want to be all right,’ or ‘We want to settle for the middle of the pack,’ that’s what we’ll be.

“With the guys we have, there’s no reason we shouldn’t shoot for being the most dominant, the most threatening receiving corps in the league.”

Especially when you toss in tight end John Carlson’s ability to exploit the middle of the field. It should be an even bigger factor this season with Burleson appearing fully recovered from tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, the addition of the sure-handed Houshmandzadeh and the speed Butler brings to the mix.

“I’m not even thinking about my knee,” said Burleson, who has been practicing without the cumbersome brace he wore during the spring minicamps and OTA sessions.

“The thing that’s been bothering me is that my hamstrings are just purely fatigued.”

But that’s how a wide receiver is supposed to feel after practicing 12 times in eight days.

“It’s good to be fatigued from other things besides rehabbing my knee,” Burleson said.

After last year, it’s the kind of expected ache that hurts so good.

edit: Seahawks do release Billy McMuffen to make room on the roster.



 
Feb 14, 2004
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#72
Seahawks embrace Bill Russell’s ‘winning’ message

As the Seahawks players were gathering in a hallway for a team meeting Thursday night, a familiar cackle was coming from the lobby at Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

The trademark laugh belonged to none other than Bill Russell, the legendary NBA player who had been invited to address the team by coach Jim Mora.

“The guy is the ultimate winner,” Mora said after the Friday morning practice at the team’s training camp. “If you read his books and your read about his philosophy of team, it just matches what we want to be.

“He’s selfless. He’s all about team. He sacrificed his ego for the team ego. And I wanted our players to hear those messages from a guy that’s a legend.”

If the loud and sustained applause coming from the meeting room when Russell was introduced and after he had finished his hour-long speech was any indication, the Seahawks players got the message.

“You could hear a pin drop in there,” Mora said. “The players were leaning forward in their seats. They knew they were in the presence of greatness, and they took advantage of it.”

Russell, who lives on Mercer Island, was recognized Wednesday by Seattle Sounders FC. Prior to its match against FC Barcelona, Russell was presented with a “Golden Scarf” – which are awarded at each home to honor members of the community.

Mora hasn’t reached out to “celebrities” that often to address his teams. He did it twice in three seasons as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, when he invited former NBA player Magic Johnson and politician/diplomat Andrew Young to talk to his players.

“You have to be careful with that, because you want the right message,” Mora said.

Russell, 75, definitely delivered.

“Bill told funny stories. He was compelling. He hit the messages right on point,” Mora said. “It was really good for not only our players but our coaches and other people in the organization just to hear his message. Because that’s what we want to be around here – team, more than individual.

“And that’s what he was about.”

Was he ever. In 13 seasons, Russell led the Celtics to 11 NBA championships. He was named league MVP five times and voted to the 12 all-star teams. Prior to his NBA career, Russell led the University of San Francisco to back-to-back NCAA titles and also won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the 1956 U.S. basketball team.

“That’s why he was, if not the greatest winner of all time, one of the greatest winners of all time,” Mora said.

 
Feb 14, 2004
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#73
Wide receivers Nate Burleson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh are outgoing fan favorites who have captured the eye of the crowds at Seahawks training camp.

Matt Hasselbeck is a big story as he returns from his back injury.

Cory Redding is a massive addition to the defensive line and rookie Aaron Curry will command considerable attention as his NFL career kicks off.

But the guy who might just be having the best camp of anyone for the Seahawks through the first dozen days?

My vote would go to tight end John Carlson, who somehow remains a quiet presence even while making spectacular grabs on a daily basis.

Carlson is turning into a nice security blanket for Hasselbeck, an always available check-down option on pass plays who is also capable of getting open on downfield routes and snatching the ball with stunningly good hands for a big man.

A year ago, Carlson became the team's leading receiver almost by default as none of the wideouts stayed healthy long enough to put up big numbers. He was the one consistent factor in the injury-plagued offense, setting franchise records for a tight end with 55 catches for 627 yards and five touchdowns.

But the former Notre Dame standout could be an even larger cog in a fully-operational attack this season, a weapon in the West Coast offense of new coordinator Greg Knapp.

"He'll be very important," Knapp said. "With what we do in the run game from a play-action standpoint, he'll be an integral part of it."

In Knapp's last two years in Atlanta, tight end Alge Crumpler averaged 61 receptions for 829 yards, dwarfing even what Carlson accomplished last year in Seattle. Young Zach Miller caught 56 for 778 yards last year for Knapp in Oakland.

While Carlson said Knapp's version of the West Coast attack has some new options for the tight ends, he's feeling much more at ease this camp, no longer a rookie absorbing an entirely new world of pro football.

"I feel much more comfortable this year," he said. "Going through minicamps and OTAs and all that stuff was a good introduction to our offense for all of us. So now it's just cut it loose, throw the pads on and play."

Knapp has been impressed with Carlson's natural skills, saying he shows "traits of great route-running ability as a young tight end." He also praises his intelligence and the ability to adjust and learn quickly.

But, most of all, he said the youngster has developed considerably in his weakest area from a year ago.

"The best thing he's improved on is run blocking. From what I saw on tape during the season to what I'm seeing now in practice, he really did spend a lot of time in the weight room," said Knapp. "And from a technique standpoint, he's staying down lower, getting better hand and head placement. So it's been a good improvement there. And from a play-caller standpoint, that means balance. You don't have to game plan around a tight end."

Carlson said he weighs about the same as his rookie season, but had more time over the offseason to devote to lifting and conditioning.

Expect to see him on the field a ton, with the athletic ability to split out wide in multiple-receiver attacks and the size at 6-foot-5, 251 pounds to line up inside and team with backup John Owens -- a stout blocker -- in two tight-end formations.

Mostly he's just eager for a fresh start after the struggles of a 4-12 season. No matter his own team records from 2008, that win-loss record gnawed on a competitor who played on three state championship basketball teams growing up in Minnesota.

"It's exciting to have an opportunity to kind of move forward after last year," he said. "We had a disappointing season. A lot of guys got hurt. We want an opportunity now to go out there and win some games."

Expect Carlson to quietly be a huge part of that effort. You might not hear as much about this guy as many of the others.

But when you get a chance, take a look at No. 89. He's the guy who just keeps making plays.

 
May 13, 2002
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www.socialistworld.net
#75
LOL @ rookies gettin ridiculous contracts and not even playing a single DOWN yet.

The NFL is so fucked when it comes to contracts. Wowzers.
I'm not doubting Curry will be a beast in the NFL, but they REALLY need to fix the current system. It's horrible!!!! Guys are making tons of money, I mean shit, Curry is now the highest paid Seahawk of all time. And he hasn't played a single play. $34 million guaranteed. For what?! Being a beast in college?

There really needs to be a rookie cap so they can earn they're worth.

Getting a top 4 draft pick often times is a curse, not a blessing. Look at how many huge contracts went to busts. NFL needs to fix it.
 
Feb 14, 2004
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#76
Carlson was definitly a steal for us in the last years draft. Can't wait to see him play this season. Could possibly make it to the probowl, too. that's kind of reaching, but one can only hope.
 
May 9, 2002
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#77
Carlson was definitly a steal for us in the last years draft. Can't wait to see him play this season. Could possibly make it to the probowl, too. that's kind of reaching, but one can only hope.
Carlson should have gone LAST year, so no, youre not reaching. Especially with the decline of some good TE's over the years, Carlson is part of the new class.
 
Feb 14, 2004
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#78
I agree, Carlson should have gone to the last probowl. but there the two that did go had more yards then Carlson. Calrson did have more td's then Cooley, though.
 
Apr 25, 2002
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#79
They don't look that bad.
Would instantly be the worst uniforms ever worn in an NFL game, and we'd be the laughing stock of the league (deservedly so).

I have written various sportswriters up in Seattle to ask them to investigate, the sentiment I'm getting is that they're planning on wearing them once in '09.