I expect Earl Thomas to get at least one INT, and Trufant a pick 6. Seattle has 5th ranked run defense, so I expect SD's rb's to get less than 80 rush yards. I expect Hasselbeck to throw at least one INT and at most 2 TD's, one to John Carlson while in the red zone, and the other to Deion Branch ooorrrr Golden Tate. I expect no Seattle rush TD's, and at least 2 FG's. I expect at least 2 false starts from SD and Sean Locklear to get called for Holding a bazillion times.
Seahawks News Thread
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McLoughlin introduced as Seahawks/Sounders president
Saying he was absolutely thrilled to land his dream job, former St. Louis Blues CEO Peter McLoughlin was introduced Thursday as the new president of the Seattle Seahawks and Sounders FC.
McLoughlin, 53, replaces Tod Leiweke as the man who'll oversee the business side of operations for the two franchises and also serves as the liaison with owner Paul Allen.
Leiweke has known McLoughlin for 15 years, having first met him when the Harvard grad was working for Anhauser Busch negotiating sports sponsorships.
"We think we found the perfect guy," Leiweke said at Thursday's press conference, flanked by Seahawks general manager John Schneider and Bert Kolde, one of Allen's top advisers for Vulcan.
McLoughlin spent the past four years as CEO of the Blues, helping revive that NHL franchise.
He attended the Seahawks' home opener against the San Francisco 49ers two weeks ago and said he was caught up in the excitement.
"I walked around the stadium with Tod and he was high-fiving fans and the next thing I knew, I was high-fiving fans, too," McLoughlin said with a grin. "Consider me a new member of the 12th Man."
Football operations will remain the same with Schneider and Pete Carroll making personnel decisions. McLoughlin, like Leiweke, will oversee the budget and business side of things.
McLoughlin worked for NBC Sports for six years, starting at age 22, and was a sports writer for the Harvard newspaper. But his professional background is on the business side of things and that will be true in his new role as well.
Leiweke said he'll stay in Seattle for a short time to help in the transition before heading to Florida to assume his role as CEO and minority owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"There are mixed emotions," Leiweke said as he handed over the job to his old friend. "But it's a day I feel really good about because I think this organization is in good hands. ... I really feel the Seahawks' best days are ahead of them."
http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/archives/222398.asp
Saying he was absolutely thrilled to land his dream job, former St. Louis Blues CEO Peter McLoughlin was introduced Thursday as the new president of the Seattle Seahawks and Sounders FC.
McLoughlin, 53, replaces Tod Leiweke as the man who'll oversee the business side of operations for the two franchises and also serves as the liaison with owner Paul Allen.
Leiweke has known McLoughlin for 15 years, having first met him when the Harvard grad was working for Anhauser Busch negotiating sports sponsorships.
"We think we found the perfect guy," Leiweke said at Thursday's press conference, flanked by Seahawks general manager John Schneider and Bert Kolde, one of Allen's top advisers for Vulcan.
McLoughlin spent the past four years as CEO of the Blues, helping revive that NHL franchise.
He attended the Seahawks' home opener against the San Francisco 49ers two weeks ago and said he was caught up in the excitement.
"I walked around the stadium with Tod and he was high-fiving fans and the next thing I knew, I was high-fiving fans, too," McLoughlin said with a grin. "Consider me a new member of the 12th Man."
Football operations will remain the same with Schneider and Pete Carroll making personnel decisions. McLoughlin, like Leiweke, will oversee the budget and business side of things.
McLoughlin worked for NBC Sports for six years, starting at age 22, and was a sports writer for the Harvard newspaper. But his professional background is on the business side of things and that will be true in his new role as well.
Leiweke said he'll stay in Seattle for a short time to help in the transition before heading to Florida to assume his role as CEO and minority owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"There are mixed emotions," Leiweke said as he handed over the job to his old friend. "But it's a day I feel really good about because I think this organization is in good hands. ... I really feel the Seahawks' best days are ahead of them."
http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/archives/222398.asp
Seahawks still establishing new offensive identity
If you're trying to figure out the Seahawks' new offensive personality, don't worry. You're not alone.
The Seahawks themselves are still figuring out what they do best offensively under new coordinator Jeremy Bates, which make things interesting for their own players and presumably very difficult at this point for opposing defenses.
In Week One, for instance, the Seahawks kept four tight ends active and had three of them pn the field for two different touchdown plays -- a TD pass to Deion Branch and a 1-yard run by Matt Hasselbeck. They were very limited in three- and four-receiver sets in that game, leaning more toward multiple tight-end formations, as outlined in Brian McIntyre's breakdown of personnel groupings.
But in Game Two, the Seahawks only activated two tight ends on game day and used just a single tight end on 50 of their 56 offensive snaps. Instead, they went with three-receiver sets on 34 plays compared to just 12 a week earlier.
What comes this week against San Diego remains to be seen.
"I think that's probably what you're going to see from us," Hasselbeck said Wednesday. "We're going to be somewhat new every week. In part because of injury, but also just because I think that's how we want to do it.
"I think we'll be a team that's hard to prepare for. We could come out five wides, we could come out three tight ends. It's early for me, too, but that's the sense I get right now."
Hasselbeck acknowledged that's a challenge from a preparation standpoint.
"It does make it difficult," he said, "but I'm sure it makes it much more difficult for our opponent."
Tight end John Carlson, who leads the team with eight receptions for 84 yards, said the offense is still discovering what it does best.
"I think we have enough weapons where we can be versatile, depending on what defense we're facing that week," Carlson said. "And also we're still early in this phase of getting to know each other as players and coaches. Because of that, I don't think we have a set identity yet, which is kind of fun. We come out and do different things, different weeks, and get a lot of people involved."
Carlson, of course, is a fan of the multiple tight-end formations. He said Charlie Weis ran some three tight-end packages at Notre Dame, but that's the last time he's been part of that.
"As a tight end, we love to see tight ends on the field," Carlson said with a laugh.
But it's more than just job security for Carlson, veteran Chris Baker and young Cameron Morrah and Anthony McCoy. Morrah and McCoy were inactive last week, but both are athletic enough to offer unique aspects to the offense as well.
"I think when you look at our tight-end group, we have guys who can do multiple things," Carlson said. "So they can line us up wide or put us in the backfield or on the line of scrimmage and I think it's challenging for a defense to face a personnel group like that. They don't know if we'll be in a goal-line type set or if we're going to spread it out."
Carlson has received increasing opportunities to flank out wide, something that rarely happened last year when he was often needed to help block. Additionally, coach Mike Holmgren and last year's coordinator, Greg Knapp, usually preferred extra wide receivers as opposed to multiple tight ends in passing formations.
"I do enjoy that," Carlson said. "It's something I haven't done a great deal of, so I'm still learning and trying to get better at some of that stuff. But it is fun for me to be out in space and pretend to be a wide receiver every now and then."
As for the guy running the show? Bates is pretty tight-lipped about his specific personnel philosophies, saying the coaching staff's job each week is to figure out how to attack the opposing defense.
"We're just trying to go into a game and get some first downs and score some points," he said . "It's going to be based on week-to-week."
http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/archives/222417.asp
If you're trying to figure out the Seahawks' new offensive personality, don't worry. You're not alone.
The Seahawks themselves are still figuring out what they do best offensively under new coordinator Jeremy Bates, which make things interesting for their own players and presumably very difficult at this point for opposing defenses.
In Week One, for instance, the Seahawks kept four tight ends active and had three of them pn the field for two different touchdown plays -- a TD pass to Deion Branch and a 1-yard run by Matt Hasselbeck. They were very limited in three- and four-receiver sets in that game, leaning more toward multiple tight-end formations, as outlined in Brian McIntyre's breakdown of personnel groupings.
But in Game Two, the Seahawks only activated two tight ends on game day and used just a single tight end on 50 of their 56 offensive snaps. Instead, they went with three-receiver sets on 34 plays compared to just 12 a week earlier.
What comes this week against San Diego remains to be seen.
"I think that's probably what you're going to see from us," Hasselbeck said Wednesday. "We're going to be somewhat new every week. In part because of injury, but also just because I think that's how we want to do it.
"I think we'll be a team that's hard to prepare for. We could come out five wides, we could come out three tight ends. It's early for me, too, but that's the sense I get right now."
Hasselbeck acknowledged that's a challenge from a preparation standpoint.
"It does make it difficult," he said, "but I'm sure it makes it much more difficult for our opponent."
Tight end John Carlson, who leads the team with eight receptions for 84 yards, said the offense is still discovering what it does best.
"I think we have enough weapons where we can be versatile, depending on what defense we're facing that week," Carlson said. "And also we're still early in this phase of getting to know each other as players and coaches. Because of that, I don't think we have a set identity yet, which is kind of fun. We come out and do different things, different weeks, and get a lot of people involved."
Carlson, of course, is a fan of the multiple tight-end formations. He said Charlie Weis ran some three tight-end packages at Notre Dame, but that's the last time he's been part of that.
"As a tight end, we love to see tight ends on the field," Carlson said with a laugh.
But it's more than just job security for Carlson, veteran Chris Baker and young Cameron Morrah and Anthony McCoy. Morrah and McCoy were inactive last week, but both are athletic enough to offer unique aspects to the offense as well.
"I think when you look at our tight-end group, we have guys who can do multiple things," Carlson said. "So they can line us up wide or put us in the backfield or on the line of scrimmage and I think it's challenging for a defense to face a personnel group like that. They don't know if we'll be in a goal-line type set or if we're going to spread it out."
Carlson has received increasing opportunities to flank out wide, something that rarely happened last year when he was often needed to help block. Additionally, coach Mike Holmgren and last year's coordinator, Greg Knapp, usually preferred extra wide receivers as opposed to multiple tight ends in passing formations.
"I do enjoy that," Carlson said. "It's something I haven't done a great deal of, so I'm still learning and trying to get better at some of that stuff. But it is fun for me to be out in space and pretend to be a wide receiver every now and then."
As for the guy running the show? Bates is pretty tight-lipped about his specific personnel philosophies, saying the coaching staff's job each week is to figure out how to attack the opposing defense.
"We're just trying to go into a game and get some first downs and score some points," he said . "It's going to be based on week-to-week."
http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/archives/222417.asp
Golden Tate prefers sweet taste of success to humble pie
As Golden Tate sat in a suite overlooking Qwest Field for the first game of his NFL career, the Seahawks rookie receiver made a vow.
Never again would he put himself in this position of watching instead of playing for his team. The youngster known for his Top Pot maple bar incident was eating humble pie now. And he definitely didn't like the taste.
"I made up my mind the next week that I'm not going to give them the chance to make me inactive," he said of that inauspicious beginning when he was one of the eight players chosen not to suit up on game day. "I'm going to do whatever it takes."
He showed up for practice the following week with a new resolve. At Wednesday morning's first on-field gathering for the next game at Denver, Tate said he was literally running through the walk-through portion of the workout.
He told coaches to tell him what he needed to do. Sure, he'd scored 15 touchdowns and caught 93 passes the year prior at Notre Dame, earning the Biletnikoff Award as college football's best receiver.
But the first game of his pro career was like nothing he'd ever experienced, with the message that he wasn't even going to suit up on the sidelines.
"I know they didn't draft me not to play or even dress, so it's up to me to go out here and do everything right and be very, very serious," Tate said. "Just because I'm Golden Tate from Notre Dame, nothing is given to you. You have to come out here and earn and work hard. I understand that now."
Tate's delayed NFL introduction finally came last Sunday when he broke a 63-yard punt return the first time he touched the ball in Denver, dodging and darting through tacklers in an impressive display of athleticism.
Later in the game, he caught his first pass, a 52-yard beauty that opened more eyes to his big-play potential. He capped off his day with another elusive 19-yard punt return, causing coach Pete Carroll to say Tate is now his full-time return man.
Thus you can forget about Tate being inactive on Sundays any more. But he won't forget that first one. Nor will he forget his Denver debut in this roller-coaster beginning.
"It was definitely big for my confidence," the second-round draft pick said. "I was starting to question myself. 'Wow, man. Maybe I am going to have a hard time with this.' But what I realized is that during the week, if I just do things the way they're supposed to be done, what else can I say?
"It's simple things. The coaches want us to dip-and-rip off the press (coverage). If I just dip and rip, I'm going to get off the press because my technique allows me to do that. If the coaches say we want you to throw your shoulders and get out of your break, then I need to do that because throwing my shoulders is going to help me.
"They're not just telling me this because it's a technique they want. They're telling me because it's going to help me."
Tate stayed late after practice the last several days, working with veteran Deion Branch and receivers coach Kippy Brown on some fine points of route running.
Clearly Tate has big-play talent. But if he can become more of a technician as well, the Seahawks could indeed have something special.
"Like all the young guys, he's got a lot to work on," Carroll said. "Golden has his particular things that we're always going to stress until he really owns them. We're really excited about him and he'll continue to improve all the way through this year, I would think.
"We're looking for him to be really precise and consistent with everything so the quarterback can count on him and we can be really sharp with all the timing things. He's a really good football player. That's not even any question in anybody's mind. We just have to get him as consistently right as possible."
So the process continues. But Tate has forced his way into playing time with his undeniable big-play ability, so he'll learn on the job from here on out instead of from the Qwest suite.
Now that he's seen the rabid home crowd, he's motivated by more than just the thought of not playing.
"The place as shaking. I just sat there and took it all in," he said. "I looked around like, 'Wow, this is insane.' It was so loud and the fans were just going crazy. I'm looking down at guys with their shirts off and people just screaming.
"It really motivated me to make sure the next time I play in this stadium I'm hopefully helping this team win and getting on the field doing something for them so the 12th Man can cheer some more."
He'll get that opportunity Sunday in Seattle's second home game. Look for him on punt returns, for sure, as well as a growing number of plays at receiver.
As Matt Hasselbeck said earlier in the week, Tate gave the Seahawks no choice with his performance in Denver. His effort demanded the chance to do more.
The more he contributes, the more opportunities will come. Tate gets that. He didn't pout about getting sat down the first week, he just responded.
"The only person who can hold me back is me," he said, "so I'm going to do whatever it takes to get to the top and stay on top."
http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/archives/222573.asp
As Golden Tate sat in a suite overlooking Qwest Field for the first game of his NFL career, the Seahawks rookie receiver made a vow.
Never again would he put himself in this position of watching instead of playing for his team. The youngster known for his Top Pot maple bar incident was eating humble pie now. And he definitely didn't like the taste.
"I made up my mind the next week that I'm not going to give them the chance to make me inactive," he said of that inauspicious beginning when he was one of the eight players chosen not to suit up on game day. "I'm going to do whatever it takes."
He showed up for practice the following week with a new resolve. At Wednesday morning's first on-field gathering for the next game at Denver, Tate said he was literally running through the walk-through portion of the workout.
He told coaches to tell him what he needed to do. Sure, he'd scored 15 touchdowns and caught 93 passes the year prior at Notre Dame, earning the Biletnikoff Award as college football's best receiver.
But the first game of his pro career was like nothing he'd ever experienced, with the message that he wasn't even going to suit up on the sidelines.
"I know they didn't draft me not to play or even dress, so it's up to me to go out here and do everything right and be very, very serious," Tate said. "Just because I'm Golden Tate from Notre Dame, nothing is given to you. You have to come out here and earn and work hard. I understand that now."
Tate's delayed NFL introduction finally came last Sunday when he broke a 63-yard punt return the first time he touched the ball in Denver, dodging and darting through tacklers in an impressive display of athleticism.
Later in the game, he caught his first pass, a 52-yard beauty that opened more eyes to his big-play potential. He capped off his day with another elusive 19-yard punt return, causing coach Pete Carroll to say Tate is now his full-time return man.
Thus you can forget about Tate being inactive on Sundays any more. But he won't forget that first one. Nor will he forget his Denver debut in this roller-coaster beginning.
"It was definitely big for my confidence," the second-round draft pick said. "I was starting to question myself. 'Wow, man. Maybe I am going to have a hard time with this.' But what I realized is that during the week, if I just do things the way they're supposed to be done, what else can I say?
"It's simple things. The coaches want us to dip-and-rip off the press (coverage). If I just dip and rip, I'm going to get off the press because my technique allows me to do that. If the coaches say we want you to throw your shoulders and get out of your break, then I need to do that because throwing my shoulders is going to help me.
"They're not just telling me this because it's a technique they want. They're telling me because it's going to help me."
Tate stayed late after practice the last several days, working with veteran Deion Branch and receivers coach Kippy Brown on some fine points of route running.
Clearly Tate has big-play talent. But if he can become more of a technician as well, the Seahawks could indeed have something special.
"Like all the young guys, he's got a lot to work on," Carroll said. "Golden has his particular things that we're always going to stress until he really owns them. We're really excited about him and he'll continue to improve all the way through this year, I would think.
"We're looking for him to be really precise and consistent with everything so the quarterback can count on him and we can be really sharp with all the timing things. He's a really good football player. That's not even any question in anybody's mind. We just have to get him as consistently right as possible."
So the process continues. But Tate has forced his way into playing time with his undeniable big-play ability, so he'll learn on the job from here on out instead of from the Qwest suite.
Now that he's seen the rabid home crowd, he's motivated by more than just the thought of not playing.
"The place as shaking. I just sat there and took it all in," he said. "I looked around like, 'Wow, this is insane.' It was so loud and the fans were just going crazy. I'm looking down at guys with their shirts off and people just screaming.
"It really motivated me to make sure the next time I play in this stadium I'm hopefully helping this team win and getting on the field doing something for them so the 12th Man can cheer some more."
He'll get that opportunity Sunday in Seattle's second home game. Look for him on punt returns, for sure, as well as a growing number of plays at receiver.
As Matt Hasselbeck said earlier in the week, Tate gave the Seahawks no choice with his performance in Denver. His effort demanded the chance to do more.
The more he contributes, the more opportunities will come. Tate gets that. He didn't pout about getting sat down the first week, he just responded.
"The only person who can hold me back is me," he said, "so I'm going to do whatever it takes to get to the top and stay on top."
http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/archives/222573.asp
dear Seahawks offense,
Please show up at the game next week vs the Rams.
Thanks, your team
so im wondering what the general consensus is on deion branch. where have the big plays been? hes our #1 but i dont see it. when he almost got that touchdown only to have the ball punched loose before he crossed the line i couldnt help but think how in the hell he allowed it to happen. im also kind of wondering if at least one of the interceptions thrown last week was his fault... i think all the picks last week were when being thrown to branch.
just wondering when we're going to see a 100yd game from this guy... he has the potential, or maybe its hasselbecks fault, maybe hes been done since he left the patriots
Please show up at the game next week vs the Rams.
Thanks, your team
so im wondering what the general consensus is on deion branch. where have the big plays been? hes our #1 but i dont see it. when he almost got that touchdown only to have the ball punched loose before he crossed the line i couldnt help but think how in the hell he allowed it to happen. im also kind of wondering if at least one of the interceptions thrown last week was his fault... i think all the picks last week were when being thrown to branch.
just wondering when we're going to see a 100yd game from this guy... he has the potential, or maybe its hasselbecks fault, maybe hes been done since he left the patriots
Lets see....
Earl Thomas got 2 INT's, so I was off by one, but in a good way.
Trufant didn't get a pick6, let alone an INT, so off by one.
SD's run game got 89 rush yards, not including Rivers' 2 yard rush and Legedu Naanee -2.
Hasselbeck did get only one INT, and only 1 TD to John Carlson from the 9 yard line, and almost a Branch TD.
There were no Seattle Rush TD's.
Olindo Mare did get 2 FG's.
And I don't know how many false starts SD got and I don't know how many holding calls Locklear got.
But I was pretty accurate on my calling of the game lol
Earl Thomas got 2 INT's, so I was off by one, but in a good way.
Trufant didn't get a pick6, let alone an INT, so off by one.
SD's run game got 89 rush yards, not including Rivers' 2 yard rush and Legedu Naanee -2.
Hasselbeck did get only one INT, and only 1 TD to John Carlson from the 9 yard line, and almost a Branch TD.
There were no Seattle Rush TD's.
Olindo Mare did get 2 FG's.
And I don't know how many false starts SD got and I don't know how many holding calls Locklear got.
But I was pretty accurate on my calling of the game lol
Monday's Seahawks wrap: Okung ready to return
First-round draft pick Russell Okung will return to practice this week for the Seahawks, but coach Pete Carroll said Monday he won't be rushed into the starting lineup.
Okung has been out since Aug. 21 with a high-ankle sprain. Second-year pro Tyler Polumbus has handled the left tackle duties well enough that the Seahawks won't push their highly-regarded rookie into action until he's ready.
"Russell has only had five days of practice, so he's a long way from being in the groove," Carroll said. "We're going to just have to bring him along and see what the information tells us this week and where we go.
"Just because he's healthy doesn't mean he's starting. That's for anybody, we'll wait and see how they fit in and look as they come back. But it's still a boost for us. We've been waiting for the big fella to get back in there."
The same situation holds true with veteran Chester Pitts, who'll compete for the left-guard position now that he's ready to go full speed this week for the first time as well.
"They have to practice first. We have to get through Wednesday and see how that goes," Carroll said. "But it's exciting for us. We have a chance to continue to improve and we need to improve. We have a long way to go. But those were guys we'd slated as guys who would be factors for us and help us be a good football team."
For now, however, Tyler Polumbus remains the starting left tackle and Ben Hamilton at left guard. Polumbus in particular has been a pleasant surprise since arriving by trade just before the season opener.
"Polumbus has played very well for us," Carroll said. "Coming in short order and fitting in the offense, he's done a great job. We're fine with him playing and feel we're OK with him in there. There's not a necessity that we have to start Russell, but we'll get him in there as soon as we can."
Other injury updates: Carroll said none of his injured defensive starters have been ruled out for the upcoming game at St. Louis, but will be evaluated as this week progresses.
Cornerback Marcus Trufant (ankle), defensive tackle Brandon Mebane (calf) and linebacker Aaron Curry (hamstring) all missed most of the second half Sunday.
Wide receiver Mike Williams also has a sore shoulder. Carroll indicated Curry's injury isn't believed too serious, but declined to offer specifics on any of the injured players.
Forsett is the man for now: While Carroll has been reluctant to anoint Justin Forsett as the full-time starter at running back, the facts spoke for themselves Sunday when the third-year back from Cal had 17 carries for 63 yards.
Leon Washington had one carry and Julius Jones didn't get any offensive snaps.
"We've definitely gone that way and this was the first week we said let's get him as much as we can and let's see what happens," Carroll said of Forsett. "He played a good, solid game and had a big 28-yarder and all.
"But the competition in my mind is not closed at all. We wanted to see what happened when Justin got the ball more than 7-8 times in a game. We just fed it to him a little more. We're still growing, trying to figure it out. But that's where we are right now and nothing will change this week in that regard."
As for Jones' role?
"He's right there and ready to help us at all times," Carroll said. "We're just tyring to get a sense for it. ... This is a long season and the competition remains and all that. We have a starter right now. That's what I can tell you."
Leon goes prime time ... almost: After his two kickoff returns for touchdowns Sunday, Leon Washington said he got tons of texts from friends and his former Jets teammates.
Jets coach Rex Ryan told reporters Monday he was glad Washington was traded to the NFC so he doesn't have to face him much in the AFC battles.
But one thing Washington noticed that will ring true to Seahawks' fans. After playing in the Big Apple, it's harder to get prime-time attention when tucked away in the Pacific Northwest.
"My wife was watching it all night. I watched it a little bit," he said of the TV coverage. "I'm still waiting to see that Seattle highlight a little earlier on ESPN. I've been waiting and waiting, but it's still in the back. We have to win a few more games and get a little closer to the front."
Washington thus has a goal.
"We've got to put Seattle on the map," he said. "Seattle is a beautiful place. People ask me all the time, 'How is Seattle?' And I can't tell you one bad thing about it. I love it."
http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/archives/222776.asp
First-round draft pick Russell Okung will return to practice this week for the Seahawks, but coach Pete Carroll said Monday he won't be rushed into the starting lineup.
Okung has been out since Aug. 21 with a high-ankle sprain. Second-year pro Tyler Polumbus has handled the left tackle duties well enough that the Seahawks won't push their highly-regarded rookie into action until he's ready.
"Russell has only had five days of practice, so he's a long way from being in the groove," Carroll said. "We're going to just have to bring him along and see what the information tells us this week and where we go.
"Just because he's healthy doesn't mean he's starting. That's for anybody, we'll wait and see how they fit in and look as they come back. But it's still a boost for us. We've been waiting for the big fella to get back in there."
The same situation holds true with veteran Chester Pitts, who'll compete for the left-guard position now that he's ready to go full speed this week for the first time as well.
"They have to practice first. We have to get through Wednesday and see how that goes," Carroll said. "But it's exciting for us. We have a chance to continue to improve and we need to improve. We have a long way to go. But those were guys we'd slated as guys who would be factors for us and help us be a good football team."
For now, however, Tyler Polumbus remains the starting left tackle and Ben Hamilton at left guard. Polumbus in particular has been a pleasant surprise since arriving by trade just before the season opener.
"Polumbus has played very well for us," Carroll said. "Coming in short order and fitting in the offense, he's done a great job. We're fine with him playing and feel we're OK with him in there. There's not a necessity that we have to start Russell, but we'll get him in there as soon as we can."
Other injury updates: Carroll said none of his injured defensive starters have been ruled out for the upcoming game at St. Louis, but will be evaluated as this week progresses.
Cornerback Marcus Trufant (ankle), defensive tackle Brandon Mebane (calf) and linebacker Aaron Curry (hamstring) all missed most of the second half Sunday.
Wide receiver Mike Williams also has a sore shoulder. Carroll indicated Curry's injury isn't believed too serious, but declined to offer specifics on any of the injured players.
Forsett is the man for now: While Carroll has been reluctant to anoint Justin Forsett as the full-time starter at running back, the facts spoke for themselves Sunday when the third-year back from Cal had 17 carries for 63 yards.
Leon Washington had one carry and Julius Jones didn't get any offensive snaps.
"We've definitely gone that way and this was the first week we said let's get him as much as we can and let's see what happens," Carroll said of Forsett. "He played a good, solid game and had a big 28-yarder and all.
"But the competition in my mind is not closed at all. We wanted to see what happened when Justin got the ball more than 7-8 times in a game. We just fed it to him a little more. We're still growing, trying to figure it out. But that's where we are right now and nothing will change this week in that regard."
As for Jones' role?
"He's right there and ready to help us at all times," Carroll said. "We're just tyring to get a sense for it. ... This is a long season and the competition remains and all that. We have a starter right now. That's what I can tell you."
Leon goes prime time ... almost: After his two kickoff returns for touchdowns Sunday, Leon Washington said he got tons of texts from friends and his former Jets teammates.
Jets coach Rex Ryan told reporters Monday he was glad Washington was traded to the NFC so he doesn't have to face him much in the AFC battles.
But one thing Washington noticed that will ring true to Seahawks' fans. After playing in the Big Apple, it's harder to get prime-time attention when tucked away in the Pacific Northwest.
"My wife was watching it all night. I watched it a little bit," he said of the TV coverage. "I'm still waiting to see that Seattle highlight a little earlier on ESPN. I've been waiting and waiting, but it's still in the back. We have to win a few more games and get a little closer to the front."
Washington thus has a goal.
"We've got to put Seattle on the map," he said. "Seattle is a beautiful place. People ask me all the time, 'How is Seattle?' And I can't tell you one bad thing about it. I love it."
http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/archives/222776.asp
Seahawks make another flurry of roster moves
Seahawks general manager John Schneider went back to his Green Bay roots to add a pair of offensive linemen Tuesday and the club also signed veteran wide receiver Brandon Stokley.
The club announced the signing of former Packers lineman Allen Barbre as well as Green Bay practice squad lineman Breno Giacomoni.
Barbre, 26, started seven games for the Packers last season at right tackle but then lost his starting job. He was placed on injured reserve this year with a back issue and then signed an injury settlement that made him a free agent.
Stokley, 34, was in the same situation after signing an injury settlement with the Denver Broncos following a preseason groin injury.
Giacomoni, 24, was on the Packers' practice squad after being drafted in the fifth round two years ago.
To make room on their 53-man roster, the Seahawks released linemen Mansfield Wrotto and Mike Gibson as well as running back Quinton Ganther.
Gibson moved temporarily into the starting lineup early this season at left guard, but had been replaced the last two weeks by veteran Ben Hamilton.
Ganther had yet to carry the ball this season and lost his fullback role to Michael Robinson in recent weeks, while Wrotto has been the backup tackle since being re-signed two weeks ago.
So Schneider basically has sought to upgrade the team's line depth by replacing Wrotto and Gibson with Barbre and Giacomoni, while Stokley adds a veteran presence to a young wide receiver group that could be without Mike Williams if his shoulder injury proves troublesome.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/archives/222910.asp
Seahawks general manager John Schneider went back to his Green Bay roots to add a pair of offensive linemen Tuesday and the club also signed veteran wide receiver Brandon Stokley.
The club announced the signing of former Packers lineman Allen Barbre as well as Green Bay practice squad lineman Breno Giacomoni.
Barbre, 26, started seven games for the Packers last season at right tackle but then lost his starting job. He was placed on injured reserve this year with a back issue and then signed an injury settlement that made him a free agent.
Stokley, 34, was in the same situation after signing an injury settlement with the Denver Broncos following a preseason groin injury.
Giacomoni, 24, was on the Packers' practice squad after being drafted in the fifth round two years ago.
To make room on their 53-man roster, the Seahawks released linemen Mansfield Wrotto and Mike Gibson as well as running back Quinton Ganther.
Gibson moved temporarily into the starting lineup early this season at left guard, but had been replaced the last two weeks by veteran Ben Hamilton.
Ganther had yet to carry the ball this season and lost his fullback role to Michael Robinson in recent weeks, while Wrotto has been the backup tackle since being re-signed two weeks ago.
So Schneider basically has sought to upgrade the team's line depth by replacing Wrotto and Gibson with Barbre and Giacomoni, while Stokley adds a veteran presence to a young wide receiver group that could be without Mike Williams if his shoulder injury proves troublesome.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/archives/222910.asp
