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The Seahawks’ first offseason program under coach Pete Carroll and his staff got underway Monday.

But rather than having the players huffing and puffing through one grueling drill after another, the first day was reserved for introductory meetings.

“Just so we know what’s coming,” tight end John Carlson said with a smile. “The tough part starts tomorrow – bright and early.” Read more »

To say that Joe Webb jumped on the chance to improve his draft stock during a Pro Day workout on Thursday isn’t just a bad pun, it doesn’t come close to telling just how impressive the University of Alabama-Birmingham quarterback-turned-wide-receiver was.

Webb wasn’t even invited to the combine – as a QB or a wide-out, his projected position in the NFL. You won’t find his name listed in any of the draft publications that are out there – at quarterback or wide receiver.

But here’s what the 6-foot-3, 223-pound Webb did: 21 reps with 225 pounds in the bench press; a 42½-inch vertical leap; an 11-5½ effort in the broad jump; and a time in the 40-yard dash that was a fast as 4.43 seconds, according to one watch.

He also had times of 6.55 seconds in the three-cone drill and 3.91 in the short shuttle – marks that would have ranked among the top times at the combine.

“It was a phenomenal workout, but I kind of expected it,” UAB coach Pat Dye told the Birmingham News.

Asked about the feedback he got from the NFL scouts in attendance, Dye offered, “They love his athleticism, his body, his speed and quickness, his explosiveness. But it’s a big move to receiver even if you’re making it in college, much less the highest level there is.”

We’re a week into the free-agency period, Pro Day workouts are ongoing at college campus across the country and ESPN.com has started a ticker to count down the days and hours until the first round of the NFL draft on April 22.

Seems like a good time to dip into the mailbag again. So here we go …

Q: With two picks in the first round, will the Seahawks be tempted to trade down with teams? – Paul, United Kingdom

A: What a good place to start, Paul. The Seahawks are in a great spot with the sixth pick in the first round of the draft. They could have a shot at selecting one of the top-rated offensive linemen, the best pass-rushing defensive lineman or one of the best defensive backs.

But, if another team’s “target” player slips to No. 6, the Seahawks also could wheel and deal. By moving back just a little in the first round, they could gain another pick – and they currently don’t have one in the third round because of trade in last year’s draft. That way the Seahawks could still get a player who could come in and help them, and add another player in doing it.

As first-year GM John Schneider said in an interview with Seahawks.com before the NFL scouting combine, the team could go in any of several directions at No. 6 – because of its needs and what happens with the five teams that select ahead of the Seahawks. The possibility of trading down was among those options.

Q: OK, so I’ve been far from my Seattle hometown for a while now and hate the fact I get Seahawks news only online. But my question is this: We get rid of Seneca Wallace as our backup QB, so who now is playing QB? Was it smart getting rid of him? Thanks, distance 12th fan – Steve, Gainesville, Fla.

A: So, Steve, what’s wrong with getting your Seahawks news online? Sorry, couldn’t resist.

But your question/questions are one shared by many fans. In reverse order, it was a “smart” move, because the Cleveland Browns came after Wallace. Also, if he had remained in Seattle, Seneca would have had to learn a new offense for the second consecutive season.

Mike Holmgren, who was coach and GM when the Seahawks selected Wallace in the fourth round of the 2003 draft, is now president of the Browns. He needed a quarterback who could run his hybrid of the West Coast offense and was not sold on either Derek Anderson (since released) or Brady Quinn. That’s why he made the push to acquire Wallace.

As for who the backup is, right now that’s Mike Teel – a sixth-round pick last year. That also leads us to the next question …

Q: First, sad to see Seneca get traded. He was a great backup for the Seahawks. He never complained about playing time and he did whatever the team asked – play as a wide receiver, or kick returner, or whatever. So with that, do you think we will finally see what Mike Teel can do? I’ve got to say, being from New Jersey, I watched him at Rutgers and always said he reminds me of Hasselbeck. Thanks – Jude, New Jersey

A: You’re right, Jude. Seneca had a good seven-year run with the Seahawks. But before we get to see what Mike Teel can do, he has to show coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates what he can do. That will come in the first minicamp.

Carroll has said on several occasions that with the audit of the current roster completed, he now needs to see the players on the field to get a better read of just what he’s got.

Regardless of how much Teel is able to show, the team will add a QB or two before training camp opens. They are looking at quarterbacks in free agency, as well as the draft. Hasselbeck will be 35 in September and has one year left on his contract. Carroll and Bates have said that they like having him to help with the transition, and would like to have him for more than one season. But the obvious is obvious: They need to find a quarterback to take over when Hasselbeck is done, whenever that might be.

Q: I think the Seahawks should keep Max Unger at center. He did really well. As for the draft, the very obvious: offensive line, then safety. GO HAWKS!! – Cory, Buckley

A: Hmmm, that was more statement than question, Cory. But it is a good observation. Unger, a second-round draft choice last year, moved to center for the final two games after starting at right guard in the first 14 games. If you didn’t know he had made the late-season switch, it would have been impossible to tell by his performance. Unger handled the pre-snap line calls and graded out well in his run blocking and pass protection.

What happens with the line, of course, is up Alex Gibbs – who has been called the “Godfather of Zone Blocking” by those who have played for him and coached with him. Using Unger as an anchor in the middle of the line would be a good first step in developing his first line with the Seahawks.

As for the draft, there more “priority combinations” at No. 6 and No. 14 than there are submissions for this Q&A.

Q: I was just wondering about the upcoming draft and free agency. Does anyone know what new coach Pete Carroll is looking at? What is his philosophy for building a team? The O-line? Skill guys? Defense first? With Arizona losing key parts, I think the division is wide open. Thanks – John, Victoria, B.C.

A: Glad you asked, John. For starters, Pete Carroll is looking for players – in free agency and the draft. He realizes there are needs on the team he has inherited, and that it could take more than one draft and free-agency period to address them all.

As for his philosophy, on offense he wants to run the football and protect the quarterback – which all starts with the O-line. That’s why he does not miss an opportunity to say how pleased he was to land Alex Gibbs when others also were trying to woe him. On defense, he wants to play fast and aggressively.

While he concedes the obvious needs to upgrade the offensive line and improve the pass rush, he’s also quick to admit that this team also needs more players who can get the ball into the end zone – or help get that done.

Q: Do the Seahawks really want to give away the sixth choice in the draft for a wide receiver? – Mark, Cosmopolis

A: The compensation for signing Brandon Marshall to an offer sheet is not just a first-round draft choice, but the Seahawks’ first-round pick. The Broncos have said they won’t accept anything other than the offer-sheet compensation for Marshall, a restricted free agent. But we’ll see if they remain committed to that as the process moves on and if other teams don’t get involved.

The word out of Denver is that the Broncos want to move Marshall, and that he wants to move. So there is the possibility that the Seahawks could make a trade that won’t include the No. 6 pick – if, that is, they decide that acquiring Marshall is a direction they want to go.

Because the Seahawks were the first team Marshall visited, it sparked some connect-what-might-be-unconnected-dots speculation – leaving some fans expecting a deal to get done last weekend, and involve that sixth pick.

Oh, and give our regards to Cosmopolis.

Seahawks defensive backs coach Jerry Gray is on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2010.

Gray, who joined the staff of new coach Pete Carroll in January, was a two-time All-American safety and Southwest Conference defensive player of the year at the University of Texas (1983-84) and then became a four-time Pro Bowl cornerback during his nine-season NFL career after being a first-round draft choice by the Los Angeles Rams.

He also was a member of Longhorns’ all-time team and all-decade team for the 1980s.

There will be 77 players and seven coaches on the ballot for the Class of 2010, which will be announced in May.

Seventeen NFL teams, by unofficial logo count, were represented today at the University of Washington’s Pro Day.

No contingent was larger, and more top-heavy, than the one from the Seahawks. Pete Carroll was there, the only head coach in attendance. John Schneider was there, the only general manager on hand.

Not surprising. The Seahawks are the local NFL team and there is that connection between Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian, who left USC for the UW last year, and Carroll, who left USC for the Seahawks this year.

So, how does Sarkisian feel about Carroll “stalking” him to the Pacific Northwest?

Read more »

Donald Butler

Just back from the University of Washington Pro Day, where eight draft-eligible players from last season’s team and three former Huskies worked out for NFL scouts and coaches.

The “stars” of the show were linebacker Donald Butler and Daniel Te’o-Nesheim – who could be an undersized end in a 4-3 defense or an oversized outside linebacker in a 3-4, depending on which scout you ask.

Butler and Te’o-Nesheim were the only Huskies among the 329 players invited to the scouting combine last month, and each enhanced his draft stock today.

Read more »

So, why did the Seahawks trade backup quarterback Seneca Wallace to the Cleveland Browns on Monday?

New coach Pete Carroll fielded that exact question this morning during an appearance at the Business Journal Live series at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle.

Asked if he would like to address that topic, Carroll cracked, “No.” But he then elaborated, to a point.

“Seneca had a great career here, and I’m sure the people in the community appreciated his hard work,” Carroll said. “He’s a great guy and great for the community. But for us, it’s time for us to move on. And he has a good opportunity. Mike (Holmgren, Browns president and former Seahawks coach) wanted him in a big way there.”

Free agency starts tonight, or tomorrow – depending on where you live and what you consider a stroke past midnight EST. But the vast majority of the questions this week concern the NFL draft and what the Seahawks might do with the sixth and 14^th picks in the first round.

So, let’s get to it.

Q: With so many glaring holes on this team, where do you start in the draft? – Jude, New Jersey

A: I’m starting with you, Jude, because your question is a perfect starting point. The Seahawks could draft any position – except linebacker and tight end – and any of a half dozen players with the first of their two picks in the first round. So much of just who that will be depends on what happens with the teams above them – the Rams, Lions, Buccaneers, Redskins and Chiefs. A second factor is drafting for value, rather than need. If the two converge – as it did last year, when they selected linebacker Aaron Curry with the No. 4 pick overall – that’s great. But reaching to fill a need, no matter how glaring, is usually a giant step in the wrong direction.

With all that said, national pundits say the Seahawks could address their obvious need on the offensive line if Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung was to somehow slide to them at No. 6; they could address the need for an eventual replacement for quarterback Matt Hasselbeck by selecting Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford or Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen; they could improve their pass rush by taking Georgia Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan; they could get bigger at cornerback by drafting Florida’s Joe Haden; they could make a value pick with Tennessee safety Eric Berry; they could parlay one pick into multiple picks by trading back, if another team’s “target” player is available when it’s the Seahawks’ turn to select.

Q: Do you think there is a possibility the Hawks take two offensive linemen with both first-round round picks? Maybe Okung and (Idaho guard Mike) Iupati? – Matt, Graham

A: Anything is possible, as they say. But I’d be shocked if that turned out to be the case, Matt. The Seahawks obviously have needs on the O-line, but another factor in this discussion is the type of linemen preferred by new O-line coach Alex Gibbs.

I did a story on this last week. The line Gibbs had in 2004 with the Atlanta Falcons “featured” a fourth-round draft choice, a trio of seventh-rounders and a player they signed in free agency – former Seahawk Todd Weiner, who was a second-round pick. The Falcons led the league in rushing for three consecutive seasons without having a first-round pick on their line. Gibbs looks for smart, mobile, athletic players, even if they don’t fit the prototype when it comes to height and weight.

Also, with the almost-across-the-board needs on the team, going O-line twice in the first round just seems like a stretch.  

Q: I sure hope that we go for an O-lineman for our first pick and a safety second. Then whatever we need from there. Anything you can tell me about the direction they may go in the draft? – Cory, Buckley

A: I’ve already weighed in on the direction the team could go at No. 6. But the safety idea is intriguing, Cory. That group – not just Berry – had impressive efforts at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. They ran well – USC’s Taylor Mays (4.43 seconds in the 40-yard dash), Berry (4.47) and Florida’s Major Wright (4.48). They jumped well – Berry (a 43-inch vertical), Mays (41) and Georgia’s Reshed Jones and Kansas’ Darrell Stuckey (39½). They lifted well – Oklahoma State’s Lucien Antoine (28 reps with 225 pounds) and Mays, Jones and Notre Dame’s Kyle McCarthy (24). They presented themselves well – especially Myron Rolle, the Rhodes Scholar from Florida State.

So picking a safety is not out of the question, even if it’s not at No. 6 or No. 14.

Q: Are the Seahawks brave enough to draft an offensive tackle or a safety and maybe a corner and build a good team foundation? Are they brave enough to leave the sexy picks like a QB and running back alone until they have a line to protect them? – Dave, Calgary

A: I don’t know if “brave enough” is the way to put it, Dave, but yes. Quarterback and running back are the “sexy” picks, as you say. But there likely will be better value, especially at No. 6 – which is too high for any of the running backs in this draft class, and could be too high for any QB other than Bradford.

That leaves the other options I’ve already explored. Here are a few other names to keep in mind at the positions you mentioned that performed well at the Combine: Tackle Anthony Davis, from Rutgers; Maryland tackle Bruce Campbell, who had an exceptional workout at the combine (4.85 in the 40, 34 reps and a 32-inch vertical); Iowa tackle Bryan Bulaga; Haden, the Florida corner who didn’t run as fast as expected at the combine, but has size (5-11, 190) and athletic ability; and Berry, from Tennessee.   

Q: In the past two years, our O-line has been devastated and simply not very good. Am I the only one that feels that’s the team’s biggest need? Everyone else keeps talking about all these other positions that need improvement but I think with our linebackers and improving D-line it’s the offense that needs help. Even if you had (Peyton) Manning and Andre Johnson, it won’t work without an O-line that works. Along with that, I’m hoping for more time for plays and routes to work out instead of a lot of the screen plays I saw last season. – Jeremy, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma

A: No, Jeremy, you are not alone. Just look at what happened to the O-line last season: four starters at left tackle, and none were named Walter Jones; three starters at left guard; and the late-season shift at center and right guard with Max Unger and Chris Spencer. And in 2008, the entire starting line finished the season on injured reserve.

The Seahawks not only need starter-quality help, they need depth. There might be some quick-fix options in free agency. But expect the Seahawks to address the line in the draft – it just might not be when you expect it, and with the players you might expect.

Q: I personally want the Seahawks to take Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen at No. 6 in the draft and sit him behind Matt Hasselbeck for one or two seasons. Then at No. 14, either take Eric Berry, Taylor Mays, Joe Haden or another DB; or take Clemson RB C.J. Spiller. What’s your opinion on this? – Hassan, Edmonds

A: If Bradford falls to No. 6, it definitely would be tempting, Hassan. The Seahawks have the luxury of being able to take a QB and not pushing him into the lineup because they have no one else – like the Lions did with Matthew Stafford last year and the Rams will need to do this year.

Spiller, no matter what he does, or how impressive his stats were at Clemson, Spiller can’t run away from the questions about his ability to run between the tackles and carry the load as a “feature” back because of his size — or lack of it (5-11, 195). He’s still the top-rated back in the draft, and could help immediately in the return game while working in a rotation with another back or two. The Seahawks aren’t the only team that could use a versatile talent like Spiller, which is the case with almost all of the players that have been discussed.

If you’re waiting for the renewal notice on your Seahawks season tickets to arrive in the mail, stop and go directly to http://www.seahawks.com/renewal.

Renewals are being done strictly online this year, for several reasons.

“There is nothing different about what we’re doing as far as the ability to renew online,” director of ticket sales and service Chuck Arnold said. “We’ve had that for years. We’re just not sending a printed renewal form out in the mail.”

Handling the renewals online allows the club to be more in-depth about the process, introduce coach Pete Carroll and his staff and first-year general manager John Schneider to fans with video interviews and update fans on developments without needing another mailing.

“It gives our fans a lot deeper look into what the new philosophies are and what the team is going to look like for the coming season,” Arnold said. “It’s also a lot more environmentally-friendly.”

The renewal deadline is Friday, March 12.

Safety Taylor Mays had quite a workout at the NFL scouting combine the past two days, even if his time in the 40-yard dash was not as ridiculously fast as originally reported this morning.

The NFL Network had Mays in 4.24 seconds, but that was with a hand-held stopwatch. The time was later altered to 4.37 and now is being listed as 4.43 seconds on the league’s web site. That’s still plenty fast for a player who weighs 230 pounds.

Mays, who played at USC for new Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and was an all-state selection and state sprint champion at O’Dea High School, also had a 41-inch vertical leap and did 24 reps with 225 pounds in the bench press.