Tuesday in Hawkville
A recap of the activities at Virginia Mason Athletic Center for Jan. 3:
FOCUS ON
The future. That was the focus of Pete Carroll’s season-wrap news conference today, as the Seahawks’ second-year coach did not – and could not – hide his enthusiasm about just how good this team can be next season. And the season after that. And the season after that.
Carroll began as he should have, by acknowledging the disappointment that came with this season’s 7-9 record – which saw the Seahawks start 2-6 and then finish with back-to-back losses to the division rival 49ers and Cardinals by two and three points, respectively.
But in between, this team won five of six games – including victories over the playoff-bound Giants and Ravens – and did it the way Carroll wants to play. By running the ball, playing tough defense and getting solid efforts from the special teams.
“The rest of the story to me is so positive and so encouraging that we look forward to this offseason with tremendous hopes of adding to a very, very young football team and building from where we are now,” he said. “I think our foundation for the future is fairly solid, in that we know where were going and we know our style of play.
“We’ve become a very aggressive, tough football team – playing good defense with highlight aspects of our special teams; we’ve run the football with a commitment. Those are the things I came in a couple of years ago trying to create. It just took us longer than I wanted. But that fact that it’s emerged here in the second half of the season is crucial for us moving forward.”
INJURY UPDATES
Wide receiver Sidney Rice, who spent the last five games on injured reserve after receiving a concussion, is scheduled to have surgery this week to repair the damaged labrum that he played with most of the season.
Rookie cornerback Richard Sherman also is scheduled to have an arthroscopic procedure on a knee, Carroll said. He added that a decision on whether quarterback Tarvaris Jackson will need surgery to repair the torn pectoral he played with the last 10 games has not been made.
SEVEN SIGNED
The club has signed seven players to future contracts: defensive end Pierre Allen, linebacker Allen Bradford, cornerbacks Coye Francies and Jesse Hoffman, defensive end John Graves, tight end John Nalbone and guard Brent Osborne. All spent time with the team at some point this season.
Last year’s future-contract group included cornerback Brandon Browner, who started at cornerback and was a first alternate to the Pro Bowl; and lineman Paul McQuistan, who started 10 games at three different positions.
STAT DU JOUR
With his 222-yard passing performance against the Cardinals on Sunday, Jackson became the sixth quarterback in franchise history to throw for 3,000 yards in a season. Here’s a look at the company Jackson joined:
Quarterback 3,000-yard seasons
Matt Hasselbeck 7 (2002-05, 2007, 2009-10)
Dave Krieg 4 (1984-85, 1989-90)
Jim Zorn 3 (1978-80)
Warren Moon 1 (1997)
Jon Kitna 1 (1999)
Tarvaris Jackson 1 (2011)
And here’s a look at how those 3,000-yard seasons rank:
Quarterback (season) Yards
Matt Hasselbeck (2007) 3,966
Matt Hasselbeck (2003) 3,841
Warren Moon (1997) 3,678
Dave Krieg (1984) 3,671
Jim Zorn (1979) 3,661
Dave Krieg (1985) 3,602
Matt Hasselbeck (2005) 3,459
Matt Hasselbeck (2004) 3,382
Jim Zorn (1980) 3,346
Jon Kitna (1999) 3,346
Dave Krieg (1989) 3,309
Jim Zorn (1978) 3,283
Dave Krieg (1990) 3,194
Tarvaris Jackson (2011) 3,091
Matt Hasselbeck (2002) 3,075
Matt Hasselbeck (2009) 3,029
Matt Hasselbeck (2010) 3,001
UP NEXT
The offseason. Unlike last year, there will be an offseason. Until previous years, it will be different because of the new CBA that was reached to end the 136-day lockout in July. The offseason conditioning program that typically has begun in March will now start April 16.
YOU DON’T SAY
“We’re going to try and make it as hard as we can possibly make it for the guys on team to stay on this team, because they’d better battle to keep their spots.” – Carroll with an eye toward free agency and the NFL Draft
Monday in Hawkville
A recap of the activities at Virginia Mason Athletic Center for Jan. 2:
FOCUS ON
The not-so-long goodbye. The players cleaned out their cubicles in the locker room today, always a sweet-and-sour experience, after completing their exit physicals and before a final team meeting.
“We’re going to be going our separate ways,” quarterback Tarvaris Jackson said, less than 24 hours after their season ended with a 23-20 overtime loss to the Cardinals in Arizona. “A lot of guys are going to be tuning into the playoffs and wishing that we were in there and had that opportunity. But time will fly by.
“Guys are going to get with their families and enjoy that time and before you know it in April we’ll be back here and ready to get started.”
April? That’s right. As part of the new CBA which came out of the 136-day lockout that erased the offseason in 2011, the offseason workout program and OTA sessions that usually began in March will be delayed this offseason.
So this was a last chance for the players to be with their teammates as a team for awhile. Some players made the rounds getting teammates to autograph helmets. Other exchanged jerseys. All filled large boxes with their belongings.
“This team took a turn this year from last year,” fullback Michael Robinson said. “It went from the coaches pretty much directing us, to this year we kind of took ownership of the team. It became our team, and that’s what you like to see at this level.
“Nothing else can motivate you more than your peers.”
Among the items Robinson tucked into his storage box was a tool belt that was presented to him by his running backs peers – Marshawn Lynch, Leon Washington and Justin Forsett.
“It signifies that I come to work and I can fix a lot of problems,” said Robinson, the lead blocker for Lynch’s career-best 1,204-yard season and also a special teams captain this season. “That’s going to be in my locker forever now.”
GOAL-KEEPER
Jon Ryan broke his own franchise records for punting average (46.6) and net average (39.3), but he also reached a personal goal: Leading the league in punts inside the 20-yard line.
“It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do, because it’s such an important stat,” Ryan said.
He had 34, to nudge the Broncos’ Britton Colquitt by one. And that one came in overtime during Sunday’s loss. Ryan’s total also ties the franchise record that was set by Jeff Feagles in 1999.
MOVING ON
Jeff Ulbrich, the Seahawks’ assistant special teams coach the past two seasons, is leaving to become special teams coach/linebacker coach on Jim Mora’s staff at UCLA. Luke Butkus, a quality control/offensive line coach the past two years, will become the offensive line coach at Illinois, his alma mater.
GIDDY-UP
The Seahawks will host the Cowboys in 2012, because they finished third in the NFC East. It had been reported that the Eagles would return to CenturyLink Field, but they finished second in their division based on a tiebreaker with the Cowboys.
The rest of the Seahawks home-and-away lineup is available here.
STAT DU JOUR
They did it. The defense finished No. 9 in the NFL, allowing an average of 332.2 yards. The Seahawks’ defense had finished among the Top 10 in the league only five other times in franchise history, and the last time was in 1997. Here’s a look at those defenses compared to this season’s unit:
Year Rank; average yards allowed
2011 No. 9; 332.2
1997 No. 8; 303.1
1992 No. 10; 286.4
1991 No. 8; 293.9
1990 No. 9; 288.1
1984 No. 6; 310.2
UP NEXT
Coach Pete Carroll will hold his season-ending news conference on Tuesday.
YOU DON’T SAY
“More games.” – Robinson when asked what was missing at this point
Friday in Hawkville
A recap of the activities at Virginia Mason Athletic Center for Dec. 30:
FOCUS ON
Three blasts of the horn. That’s the daily signal that practice is over – three toots from the air horn manned by assistant equipment manager Kyle Stillwell.
Today, the horn blasted three times for the final time this season, as the Seahawks will play their finale on Sunday against the Cardinals in Arizona. It’s the first time in Pete Carroll’s two seasons as coach that he knew his players were practicing for the final time, because last year the Seahawks made the playoffs and got to the divisional round before losing to the Bears in Chicago.
“I did say something to them. I did applaud the fact that here we are (23 weeks) into it, or whatever it is, and they practiced like crazy today,” Carroll said. “And with great attitude and energy and all that. That’s a tribute to what’s going on in the locker room, because they brought it out on the practice field again.
“And that’s going to help us always be effective and do the best we can do.”
Still, there was an odd feeling in the locker room after the final practice.
“It’s a little weird,” center Max Unger said. “It was a pretty quick season, though. You think back and the season just went by real fast. We were just talking about it, and it feels like we’re packing our bags to go to Pittsburgh right now.”
That was for the Seahawks’ Week 2 game against the Steelers. Part of the reason the season seemed to go so quickly is that it took so long for this season to finally get here after the 136-day lockout that erased the spring minicamps and OTA sessions. So once training camp opened, it’s been a mad dash to the finish.
“It’s a little surreal,” Unger said. “But you don’t really think about it because you’re working away, then you pop your head out and it’s all over.”
INJURY REPORT
Middle linebacker David Hawthorne, wide receiver Ben Obomanu, right tackle Breno Giacomini and defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove returned to practice today. Hawthorne and Obomanu sat out Wednesday and Thursday, while Giacomini and Hargrove did not practice Thursday.
“Guys that were banged up, it looks like they’re going to make it back,” Carroll said. “So we’ll go in pretty healthy.”
Giacomini and Hargrove are listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, and their final status is expected to be determined after they work out Sunday.
Here’s the official end-of-the-week status report:
Questionable
OT Breno Giacomini (abdominal)
DT Anthony Hargrove (calf)
Probable
CB Kennard Cox (hamstring)
QB Tarvaris Jackson (pectoral)
DT Clinton McDonald (concussion)
LB Malcolm Smith (concussion)
MLB David Hawthorne (knee)
WR Ben Obomanu (knee)
S Jeron Johnson (illness)
For the Cardinals:
Out
OT Brandon Keith (ankle)
Questionable
S Rashad Johnson (knee)
QB Kevin Kolb (head)
RB LaRod Stephens-Howling (hamstring)
RB Beanie Wells (knee)
S Kerry Rhodes (ankle)
CB Patrick Peterson (Achilles)
Probable
CB Michael Adams (shoulder)
S Sean Considine (foot)
Kolb continues to experience concussion symptoms, Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt told reporters after the team’s practice today. So it looks like John Skelton will start at quarterback on Sunday.
Four other starters also were limited in practice: leading rusher Beanie Wells, cornerback Patrick Peterson, free safety Kerry Rhodes and kickoff returner LaRod Stephens-Howling. Whisenhunt said Peterson’s status will be a game-day decision.
STAT DU JOUR
If you don’t know that Marshawn Lynch is the NFL’s leading rusher over the past eight games, you haven’t been paying attention. But it’s even more impressive when you look at the other backs who trail Lynch and his 855 yards during that stretch – and those who aren’t even in the running. Here’s the list:
Player, team Att. Yards Avg. TD
Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks 192 855 4.5 9
Reggie Bush, Dolphins 141 751 5.3 6
Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars 152 627 4.6 5
Arian Foster, Texans 143 692 4.8 6
Chris Johnson, Titans 140 684 4.9 3
UP NEXT
One final walk-through on Saturday morning before the team flies to Phoenix for Sunday’s season finale.
The players will clean out their locker on Monday morning, prior to a final team meeting.
YOU DON’T SAY
“This is an important game for us and we’d really like to play well. We know (the Cardinals) are doing really well and they want it just as badly as we do. So it’s going to be interesting to see how it goes. We’re looking forward to it.” Carroll on teams that started 2-6 (the Seahawks) and 1-6 (the Cardinals) playing for the chance to finish 8-8
Thursday in Hawkville
A recap of the activities at Virginia Mason Athletic Center for Dec. 29:
FOCUS ON
The rush continues. How is it that the Seahawks have been able to run for 100-plus yards in six of their past seven games, while losing three starting linemen during this stretch?
The linemen point to Tom Cable, while the team’s first-year assistant head coach/offensive line coach points to his system – and his approach to those who make the blocks that have helped Marshawn Lynch rush for a league-high 855 yards in the past eight games.
Breno Giacomini (for right tackle James Carpenter), Paul McQuistan (first for right guard John Moffitt and now for left tackle Russell Okung) and Lemuel Jeanpierre (for Moffitt) have been able to step in with the running game missing nary a beat because they’ve been treated like starters since training camp opened in late July.
“It’s the teaching, the coaching,” Giacomini said when asked the key to unlocking the continued success in the running game. “Every guy in the room prepares like they’re the starter, especially seeing all this change.”
Giacomini said his “moment” with Cable came during the second week of the season, when the Seahawks were not running the ball well but Cable stuck to his plan.
“That’s when I was like, ‘OK, I’m really going to listen to everything this guy says – every sentence; every “i” he dots and every “t” he crosses,” Giacomini said. “It’s been gradual, but you could see it pretty quick.”
It’s just the way Cable always has coached the position, and always will. And that starts with always treating all the linemen the same.
“I never have liked, or understood, how you can make this guy ‘all that,’ or this guy ‘all that,’ ” Cable said. “It’s B.S. to me. They’re all just tough guys who work hard, and want to get a job, and play professional football. So I think they ought to be treated that way.
“In our room, there’s no one bigger or greater than anyone else.”
With the possible exception of Cable, who has proved to be one the Seahawks’ best “gets” in a year where they’ve made 231 transactions.
ON THE FIELD
The players practiced for 105 minutes in the indoor practice facility as they continued to prepare for Sunday’s season finale against the Cardinals in Arizona. Linebacker Leroy Hill, rookie cornerback Byron Maxwell, practice-squad corner Coye Francies and cornerback Brandon Browner came up with interceptions on the final Turnover Thursday of the season. Browner made his in the end zone, while Maxwell’s came off a ball that was tipped by defensive end Chris Clemons.
IN ’N OUT
Leading tackler David Hawthorne and starting split end Ben Obomanu sat out practice for the second day, and were joined this afternoon by Giacomini and defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove.
With Giacomini out, Allen Barbre and Jarriel King got work at right tackle with the No. 1 line. K.J. Wright and Heath Farwell continued to replace Hawthorne at middle linebacker.
Obomanu ran sprints as well as routes on the side under the supervision of assistant trainer Donald Rich.
Here’s the official injury report:
Did not practice
MLB David Hawthorne (knee)
WR Ben Obomanu (knee)
OT Breno Giacomini (abdominal)
DT Anthony Hargrove (calf)
Full participation
CB Kennard Cox (hamstring)
QB Tarvaris Jackson (pectoral)
DT Clinton McDonald (concussion)
LB Malcolm Smith (concussion)
For the Cardinals:
Did not practice
OT Brandon Keith (ankle)
CB Patrick Peterson (Achilles)
Limited participation
S Rashad Johnson (knee)
QB Kevin Kolb (head)
RB LaRod Stephens-Howling (hamstring)
RB Chris Wells (knee)
S Kerry Rhodes (ankle)
Full participation
CB Michael Adams (shoulder)
S Sean Considine (foot)
Rhodes got some work today after being sidelined on Wednesday, and it’s looking like John Skelton will get the nod over Kolb because the Cardinals’ starting QB continues to be bothered by concussion-like symptoms.
STAT DU JOUR
The Seahawks’ defense heads into Sunday’s season finale with a chance to do something only five other defenses in franchise history have accomplished: Finish in the Top 10 in the league in average yards allowed. If they pull it off, it will be the first time since 1997 it has happened. The Seahawks currently rank No. 9, allowing an average of 328.5 yards – only 2 yards fewer than the 10th-ranked Browns and 6.6 fewer than the 11th-ranked Chargers. The Cardinals are averaging 354.2 yards, so …
Here’s a look at how this year’s unit stacks up against the other Seahawk defenses that ranked in the Top 10:
Year Rank; average yards allowed
1984 No. 6; 310.2
1990 No. 9; 288.1
1991 No. 8; 293.9
1992 No. 10; 286.4
1997 No. 8; 303.1
2011 No. 9; 328.5
UP NEXT
The final Friday of the regular season. The players will have a walk-through, practice and meetings in their final full day of preparation for Sunday’s season finale.
YOU DON’T SAY
“ ‘Lock’ came a long way. He was kind of a deer in headlights when he first got here; just running real fast. Like Forrest Gump, just running. Just running. He’s gotten better throughout the season. He’s come out here and worked real hard every day. You see every day; he’s making a great catch or outrunning somebody. That shows his ability. But he’s building on it and working on the mental aspects of it. He’s come a long way since Day One of training camp. He’s got a long ways to go. But he can definitely do it.” – QB Tarvaris Jackson on rookie free agent wide receiver Ricardo Lockette
Wednesday in Hawkville
A recap of the activities at Virginia Mason Athletic Center for Dec. 28:
FOCUS ON
Michael Robinson. In official Pro Bowl parlance, the Seahawks’ lead-blocker is listed as the first alternate at fullback to the NFC squad that was announced Tuesday. But Tom Cable has a different take on the situation.
“I have a running joke, I think the fullback is just a pseudo guard,” Cable, the team’s assistant head coach/offensive line coach said today after practice. “I think he has to buy in like they do up front (on the line) about where he fits.
“You can’t fit in the middle; you’ve got to fit on the outside half. Or you’ve got to fit in the middle on this. Or whatever it is, to where you fit. So you’re just like a lineman to me. You have to be in the right place at the right time. Mike has been exceptional at growing that way.”
Whatever Robinson is doing, it’s working. Heading into Sunday’s season finale against the Cardinals in Arizona, the Seahawks have rushed for 100-plus yards in seven of their past eight games – after doing it twice in their first seven games. Saturday, in a two-point loss to the 49ers, Marshawn Lynch became the first player this season to score a rushing touchdown against the NFC West Champions, as well as the first back to rush for 100-plus yards against San Francisco since 2009.
And Lynch is the first to point to Robinson for his thankless contributions for everything Lynch and the running game has been able to accomplish as the Seahawks have won five of their past seven games.
Not bad for a guy who played quarterback in college, and didn’t become a true lead-blocking fullback until he signed with the Seahawks last season.
“No. No. I didn’t think that,” Robinson said when asked if he ever envisioned himself being a Pro Bowl alternate at the position when he entered the NFL. “But it’s definitely an honor to know that people thought that much of me to vote for me to be an alternate.
“But again, the coaches did a great job putting me in advantageous situations and all I had to do was go play.”
At a Pro Bowl level.
“He’s not maybe the most physical guy at it, but he’s very intelligent and he’s just continued to grow like everybody else,” Cable said.
IN ’N OUT
Leading tackler David Hawthorne and starting split end Ben Obomanu sat out today’s 90-minute practice to rest sore knees. Obomanu tweaked his in the Christmas Eve game against the 49ers, while Hawthorne has been playing with a sore knee for much of the season.
With Hawthorne out, strongside ’backer K.J. Wright and Heath Farwell both worked at middle linebacker with the No. 1 defense.
Coach Pete Carroll said he thinks Obomanu will be able to play Sunday, but when asked about the receiving crew if the 6-foot-1 Obomanu can’t play, he said, “Well, it’s getting thin. And we’re getting younger.” Carroll then laughed as he added, “And we’re also getting shorter.”
That’s because 6-5 Mike Williams, 6-4 Sidney Rice and 6-6 Kris Durham are on injured reserve. So with Obomanu watching today, the wide receivers were Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin and Deon Butler, all 5-10; and 6-2 rookie Ricardo Lockette.
“Ricardo Lockette is towering over everyone right now,” Carroll cracked.
Here’s the official injury report:
Did not practice
MLB David Hawthorne (knee)
WR Ben Obomanu (knee)
Full participation
CB Kennard Cox (hamstring)
QB Tarvaris Jackson (pectoral)
DT Clinton McDonald (concussion)
LB Malcolm Smith (concussion)
Cox, McDonald and Smith were back after sitting out the game against the 49ers and not practicing last week.
For the Cardinals:
Did not practice
OT Brandon Keith (ankle)
CB Patrick Peterson (Achilles)
S Kerry Rhodes (ankle)
Limited participation
S Sean Considine (foot)
S Rashad Johnson (knee)
QB Kevin Kolb (head)
RB LaRod Stephens-Howling (hamstring)
RB Chris Wells (knee)
Full participation
CB Michael Adams (shoulder)
John Skelton is 5-2 as the starting QB in Kolb’s absence, but the concussed Kolb was the Cardinals’ big acquisition this season.
Asked about his QB situation during a conference-call interview today, Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt put it this way, “We’ve been preparing (Kolb) to play with the idea that he was going to get better and be able to do it and then he would have a setback. So we’re kind of in that cycle right now. As he continues to progress, he won’t have those and then he’ll be able to play. So we’re working Kevin, and we’re working John. And we’re trying to see if Kevin can be ready or not.”
STAT DU JOUR
Despite allowing a touchdown and three fields in the second half of Saturday’s two-point loss to the 49ers, the Seahawks’ defense still ranks second in the league in touchdowns and points allowed in the second half this season. Here are the leaders in both categories:
Second-half defensive TDs allowed
Team No.
Browns 8
Seahawks 10
Lions 11
Ravens 12
Second-half defensive points allowed
Team No.
Browns 104
Seahawks 109
Steelers 110
Lions 114
Ravens 117
UP NEXT
The players will be back at it on their final Thursday of the regular season, with meetings, a walk-through and practice as they continue to prepare for Sunday’s season finale.
YOU DON’T SAY
“He’s just a guy that really is open even when he’s not open. He makes a quarterback’s life easier. He’s a big target out there. Even when he does get covered, it attracts a lot of attention and it opens things up for other guys. Being a young quarterback and having someone like that in your development really helps.” – Skelton on teammate Larry Fitzgerald, who has caught 93 passes for 1,222 yards and 10 touchdowns in 15 career games against the Seahawks
Tuesday in Hawkville
A recap of the activities at Virginia Mason Athletic Center for Dec. 27:
FOCUS ON
Zach Miller. The Seahawks’ tight end went to the Pro Bowl last season while playing for the Oakland Raiders, in large part because he caught 60 passes and had 66 receptions the previous season.
Not this season, when the injury problems on the Seahawks’ line have called for Miller to use his skills as a blocker more than those as a receiver. Miller has 25 receptions heading into Sunday’s season finale against the Cardinals in Arizona, which ranks sixth on the team.
But don’t call his first season in Seattle a disappointment. Not in front of coach Pete Carroll.
“He’s had a real solid year for us,” Carroll said when asked about Miller not being as involving in the pass-catching aspect of the passing game. “He’s played really well. He’s consistently been there for us. He’s tough. He’s disciplined. You can count on him.
“We haven’t gotten the ball to him as many times, but I think just as we grow together – everything happened so darn fast at the beginning of this thing. The fact that he’s not caught 60 balls like he has in other years, that’s a different team, a different time and all that.”
With this team, at this time, Miller the pass-blocker has been needed more than Miller the pass-catcher. But that can change as the Seahawks move forward.
“I just think we’ll grow together,” Carroll said. “I’m not worried about it at all, and Zach is a heckuva player and he’s a big part of our team. He’s such a good dude, he doesn’t care. He’d like to help more, but he’s doing everything that we ask of him. He’s a real winner, so I’m not worried about that.”
THOMAS TO THE PRO BOWL
Free safety Earl Thomas is the starter on the NFC Pro Bowl team, which was announced today. He becomes the first Seahawk to be voted to the NFL all-star game since 2008.
The Seahawks also had five players get alternate status: cornerback Brandon Browner, strong safety Kam Chancellor and fullback Michael Robinson, who are first alternates; running back Marshawn Lynch, who is a second alternate; and punter Jon Ryan, who is a third alternate.
For more on the Pro Bowl selections, click here.
STAT DU JOUR
Chuck Knox and Mike Holmgren always said that with team success come individual honors, and the winningest coaches in franchise history were definitely right when it came to the Pro Bowl. The Seahawks’ two largest contingents to the NFL’s all-star game came in the seasons when they won 13, under Holmgren in 2005; and 12 games, under Knox in 1984. Here’s a look at the seasons the most Seahawks were voted to the Pro Bowl:
2005 (13-3 record, seven players): RB Shaun Alexander, QB Matt Hasselbeck, LG Steve Hutchinson, LT Walter Jones, FB Mack Strong, MLB Lofa Tatupu, C Robbie Tobeck.
1984 (12-4 record, seven players): CB Dave Brown, SS Kenny Easley, K Norm Johnson, QB Dave Krieg, WR Steve Largent, DT Joe Nash, ST Fredd Young.
2007 (10-6 record, six players): QB Matt Hasselbeck, LT Walter Jones, DE Patrick Kerney, LB Julian Peterson, MLB Lofa Tatupu, CB Marcus Trufant.
1986 (10-6 record, five players): KR Bobby Joe Edmonds, DE Jacob Green, WR Steve Largent, RB Curt Warner, LB Fredd Young.
1987 (9-6, five players): SS Kenny Easley, DE Jacob Green, WR Steve Largent, RB Curt Warner, LB Fredd Young.
UP NEXT
The players return from their “off” day to begin preparing for Sunday’s season finale against the Cardinals in Arizona with a walk-through, meetings and practice on Wednesday.
YOU DON’T SAY
“To know that Earl is a starter and that Brandon and Kam are both first alternates, that’s pretty darn good.” – Carroll on the Pro Bowl announcement
Monday in Hawkville
A recap of the activities at Virginia Mason Athletic Center for Dec. 26:
FOCUS ON
The Pro Bowl. The Seahawks have not had any players voted to the NFL’s all-star game since 2008, when left tackle Walter Jones and linebacker Julian Peterson were named to the NFC squad.
There are some legitimate candidates this season, and the Pro Bowl squad will be announced Tuesday. Coach Pete Carroll was asked during his news conference this afternoon about the significance of players being voted to the Pro Bowl.
“It’s good stuff, for all the hard work,” he said. “Everybody will take pride in some guys getting on that thing, if we can get there. We certainly have some guys that are worthy of that.”
The most noticeable is Marshawn Lynch, who has closed the season with a rush by running for 855 of his 1,118 yards and scoring nine of his 13 touchdowns in the past eight games. But the also-deserve-consideration group includes cornerback Brandon Browner, who is tied for second in the NFC with six interceptions and is second in the league with 220 return yards; punter Jon Ryan, who is third in the conference in average (46.8) and tied for second in the league in punts inside the 20 (30); Chris Clemons, who is tied for fifth among defensive ends in the NFC with 11 sacks; and strong safety Kam Chancellor, who has 86 tackles and four interceptions.
“We’ll see what happens. It will be interesting to see,” Carroll said. “It will be nicer to have them traveling to the game, rather than just being mentioned.”
INJURY UPDATE
Wide receiver Ben Obomanu, who tweaked a knee in the loss to the 49ers on Christmas Eve, is the most serious of those who came out of the game with injuries. Obomanu, who is starting at split end for the injured Mike Williams, falls into the “wait-and-see” category, Carroll said.
STAT DU JOUR
With those 855 yards in his past eight games, Lynch has become the fifth back in franchise history to rush for more than 1,100 yards in a season. Here’s where he ranks on the all-time list of most yards gains in a season, with one game left to improve his status:
Yards Player (year)
1,880 Shaun Alexander (2005)
1,696 Shaun Alexander (2004)
1,545 Chris Warren (1994)
1,481 Curt Warner (1986)
1,449 Curt Warner (1983)
1,435 Shaun Alexander (2003)
1,346 Chris Warren (1995)
1,318 Shaun Alexander (2001)
1,242 Ricky Watters (2000)
1,239 Ricky Watters (1998)
1,210 Rick Watters (1999)
1,175 Shaun Alexander (2002)
1,118 Marshawn Lynch (2011)
UP NEXT
After several weeks of altered preparation plans because of Thursday night, Monday night and Saturday games, the Seahawks return to their normal schedule this week. That means the players are off Tuesday, while the coaches put together the game plan, and then return Wednesday to begin preparing for the season finale against the Cardinals in Arizona on Sunday.
YOU DON’T SAY
“We’ve come a million miles this year & we’re not going to back down. Thank you #12thMan for your nonstop support, Merry Christmas to all!” – Carroll, who tweeted this on Christmas Day
Friday in Hawkville
A recap of the activities at Virginia Mason Athletic Center for Dec. 23:
FOCUS ON
Turnovers. “It’s all about the ball.” This isn’t just one of Pete Carroll’s cornerstone credos – something that just happens to be plastered throughout the team’s meeting rooms – it also will be a key to any upset hopes the Seahawks have in their Christmas Eve matchup with the San Francisco 49ers at CenturyLink Field.
The 49ers are 11-3 in large part because they have forced 35 turnovers and are plus-25 in the take-away/give-away ratio, both league bests.
“I think it’s a product of hustle. It’s product of players’ ability. It’s a product of scheme. All those things,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Much like Seattle. You watch them on tape and you can continually see their defense, their guys, in the right places with the right leverage. And therefore make the interception, make the tip, the deflection; make the hit that causes the fumble.
“So a lot of things contribute to it.”
Are the Seahawks intimidated? Hardly. “Obviously that plays a big part in winning games,” quarterback Tarvaris Jackson said of the 49ers’ positively impressive numbers in the pivotal categories. “We’re going to try to keep from turning the ball over and see where it gets us.
“We like our chances.”
That’s because, as Harbaugh mentioned, the Seahawks have done a turnaround in their own turnover ratio. They’re plus-8 during their three-game winning streak, after being minus-5 at midseason. They’ve done that by forcing turnovers (10 in the past three games) and not turning the ball over as much (two in the past three games).
“(We’re) taking care of the football,” Carroll said. “We never stop talking about turnovers. We were doing that at the start. It’s just our whole style has kind of transformed somewhat.”
As a result, the Seahawks also rank in the Top 5 in the league in take-away/give-away ratio and turnovers:
Ratio
Team Net difference
49ers plus-25
Packers plus-20
Patriots plus-12
Lions plus-11
Seahawks plus-8
Turnovers
Team No.
49ers 35
Packers 32
Lions 30
Seahawks 29
Patriots 28
Bears 28
Jets 28
ON THE FIELD
The players held their walk-through this morning in the indoor practice facility.
And there was a holiday flair to the day, as Carroll brought in a gospel choir to sing at the team’s morning meeting and assistant equipment manager Derin Lazuta went through his duties during the walk-through dressed in a red-and-green elf suit.
PLAYER WATCH
Marshawn Lynch. No back in the league has more rushing yards (748) than the Seahawks’ Skittle-back over the past seven games, and no player in franchise history has scored touchdowns in more consecutive games (10).
But no one needs to remind Justin Smith of all the things Lynch has been able to accomplish this season. The 49ers Pro Bowl defensive lineman already is sold on Lynch.
“The way Marshawn is running after he gets the first and second contacts, this guy is not going down,” Smith said this week. “That’s how he’s run for his whole career, but it really looks like the last five or six games this guy is turning it up a notch.
“I think he’s one of the top backs in the league. With the way he runs and the plays he makes, I’d put him definitely at No. 1, 2 or 3, for sure. He’s a top back in the NFL. The way he runs and the way he can make one, two, three or four guys miss is amazing. Then the power that he has with his size and he’s got speed, everything. He’s the total package.
“So that’s who we’ve got to focus on and that’s who we’ve got to stop. It’s not going to be easy.”
INJURY REPORT
Leading receiver Doug Baldwin is listed as questionable for the game and has not practiced since turning an ankle in Wednesday’s practice. But Carroll remains hopeful that Baldwin will be able to play.
Here’s the official end-of-the-week status report:
Doubtful
CB Kennard Cox (hamstring)
LB Malcolm Smith (concussion)
DT Clinton McDonald (concussion)
Questionable
WR Doug Baldwin (ankle)
Probable
OG Robert Gallery (pelvis)
QB Tarvaris Jackson (pectoral)
MLB David Hawthorne (knee)
For the 49ers:
Questionable
WR Braylon Edwards (knee)
RB Bruce Miller (knee)
LB Patrick Willis (hamstring)
WR Ted Ginn (ankle)
Willis was limited in practice today, but practiced Thursday for the first time since injuring his hamstring in the Dec. 4 game against the Rams and is expecting to play. But Ginn did not practice today, and the returner who ran back a kickoff and punt for TDs against the Seahawks in the season opener is not expected to play.
STAT DU JOUR
Carroll balked this week when asked about the team’s “inability” to own the NFC West, his started priority goal when hired as coach 23 months ago. Yes, the 49ers are 11-3 and have wrapped up the division title this season. But if the Seahawks can get past the 49ers on Saturday and the Cardinals in Arizona next week, and the 49ers beat the Rams in their finale, they will finish with the best division record of the four teams:
Team Projected division record
Seahawks 5-1
49ers 4-2
Cardinals 3-3
Rams 0-6
UP NEXT
Christmas Eve, and a ho-ho-ho of a matchup between the Seahawks and 49ers at CenturyLink Field.
The players and coaches will be off on Christmas Day, before everyone returns on Monday to start preparing for the regular-season finale against the Cardinals in Arizona.
YOU DON’T SAY
“Some things have to happen for us to get to the playoffs. If it happens, it happens; if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I’m just proud to see the turnaround that we had, especially with all these guys and pieces that we’ve had.” – Lynch on the Seahawks going 5-1 to start the second half of the season after a 2-6 first half
Thursday in Hawkville
A recap of the activities at Virginia Mason Athletic Center for Dec. 22:
FOCUS ON
Red Bryant. Or, actually Joseph Brooks Bryant, Red’s son who was born last night.
Coach Pete Carroll caused a mini-stir when he tweeted, “We heard he was 17.2 lbs.” Actually, the first child of Bryant and his wife, Janelle, weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces. But that doesn’t mean Joseph doesn’t have much bigger things in his future.
“My wife, she definitely was happy it wasn’t 17 pounds,” Bryant, who weighs 330, said in the locker room after today’s practice. “He’s just the same size I was when I was a baby. My mom said I actually doubled my weight in two weeks. So I’m assuming he’s going to do the same.
“But he’s the exact build and everything that I was. A lot of people thought he was going to be humungous, but I knew he was going to be an average baby. But I also know he’s going to grow to be a big, strong man.”
Joseph also is Red’s given name, but the baby is not a Jr. because of his middle name.
“We named him after my Godmother, Sue Brooks,” Bryant said. “She passed away two years ago from cancer. So we named him to honor her.”
But will anyone call the latest member of the Bryant/Green family Joseph? Or will he become “Little Red”?
“I don’t know,” Bryant said. “His grandma, my wife’s mom, she’s worried that people are going to call him ‘Little Red.’ It’s probably going to come with the territory. I want him to have his own identity. But I’ll be surprised if people didn’t call him ‘Little Red.’ ”
So, will the starting left defensive end for the Seahawks in 22 years be named Joseph Brooks Bryant, and wear No. 79? Janelle’s father, Jacob Green, filled that role and jersey from 1980-91 when he set the franchise record with 116 sacks. Now, her husband and Jacob’s son-in-law is playing the same spot and wearing the same number.
“That would be a huge coincidence,” Bryant said with a huge smile. “You never know. You never know. I’m pretty sure his grandfather is going to be in his ear. I’ll be in his ear. So we’ll see where the chips fall.”
Bryant then paused, as if to let the events of his sleepless night and the entire year wash over him.
“I’m just extremely blessed,” he said. “My wife is doing great. My son is doing great. 2011 has just been a great year. I can’t thank God enough. He’s truly been good to me.”
ON THE FIELD
The players worked without pads or helmets for 90 minutes in the indoor practice facility, their final full workout before Saturday’s game against the 49ers at CenturyLink Field.
“We had a great week,” Carroll said. “This has really been the kind of week you hope for this late in the season. The guys are really on it. We’re looking forward to a tremendous opportunity to play at home for the last time this year. We’re excited about that.
“And the fact that every ticket is sold, that’s exciting that the fans are ready to go and the 12th MAN will rockin’. So we’ll make it one great event for everybody, hopefully, by playing well.”
DANCE FEVER
After practice, rookie cornerback Richard Sherman and veteran defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove strutted some different moves in the locker room. With teammates watching, cheering and capturing the action on their phones, they ripped through a dance-off. It was only fitting, because these two are always dancing on the sideline during practice.
And the winner was? “I am definitely claiming victory,” Sherman said. “I put a couple of things on tape that he was unable to match. He put a lot of good plays out there with the ‘wheel chair.’ He pulled out all the stops. It was an incredibly impressive effort from a 300-pounder.”
IN ’N OUT
Leading receiver Doug Baldwin did not practice today after turning his left ankle in practice yesterday, but Carroll said he expects the rookie to be ready to play against the 49ers.
Bryant returned to practice, as did fellow D-linemen Raheem Brock and Clinton McDonald.
Here’s the official injury report:
Did not practice
WR Doug Baldwin (ankle)
CB Kennard Cox (hamstring)
LB Malcolm Smith (concussion)
Limited participation
DT Clinton McDonald (concussion)
Full participation
OG Robert Gallery (pelvis)
QB Tarvaris Jackson (pectoral)
MLB David Hawthorne (knee)
FINAL JEOPARDY
The Seahawks were the question to the Final Jeopardy answer on the popular TV quiz show last night. Well, the proper response was Seattle Seahawks, because the answer was which NFL team has the same three letters in its nickname as the city it represents.
“I know there’s a lot of important stuff going on, but do you realize we were on ‘Jeopardy’ last night?” Carroll said. “Pretty good.”
Asked what the question was, Carroll didn’t hesitate before offering, “Will you pose that answer in the form of a question, please?”
STAT DU JOUR
Brandon Browner has etched his name into the Seahawks’ record book in his first season with the team. The free-agent cornerback from the CFL has more interception return yards (220) than any player in franchise history, as well as the longest return (97 yards). He also has tied a club record with interceptions in his past four games. Here’s a look at that list:
Player (year) No.
Cornell Webster (1978-79) 4
John Harris (1980) 4
Dave Brown (1983-84) 4
Kenny Easley (1984) 4
Eugene Robinson (1991) 4
Brandon Browner (2011) 4
UP NEXT
Friday, which of course is Saturday in this mismatched week at VMAC, because the Seahawks play on Saturday. So the typical day-before-the-game walk-through will be held Friday morning.
YOU DON’T SAY
“I should have drafted him. Kicking myself for not doing that.” – Jim Harbaugh on Baldwin, who played for the 49ers coach at Stanford last season
Wednesday in Hawkville
A recap of the activities at Virginia Mason Athletic Center for Dec. 21:
FOCUS ON
Paul McQuistan. Pete Carroll has let everyone in on a not-so-little secret.
“In our meeting today I made a big deal about Paul and the play that he brought in that game in Chicago,” Carroll said Tuesday during his midweek news conference. “He did a fantastic job for us.”
The trials and tribulations of the Seahawks’ injury-ravaged offensive line can he traced by following McQuistan’s progression from being a backup; to starting at left guard; to returning to his backup role; to starting at right guard; to starting at left tackle. McQuistan stepped in at left guard because Robert Gallery was out with a groin injury. He moved in at right guard after rookie John Moffitt went down with a season-ending knee injury. He slid over to left tackle when Russell Okung needed season-ending surgery to repair a torn pectoral.
McQuistan, who was signed to a future 2011 contract last January, never was expected to start. But in Saturday’s game against the 49ers at CenturyLink Field, he’ll make his ninth start – at what has become his third position. Before the season ends next week against the Cardinals in Arizona, and barring any more injuries, McQuistan will finish with more starts than anyone except center Max Unger (currently with 13) and Gallery (10).
“That system and approach and consistency is really good leadership by Tom and the guys on offense,” Carroll said.
Tom would be Cable, the offensive line coach/assistant head coach. The unit that helped the Seahawks rush for 100-plus yards in six consecutive games also includes Breno Giacomini at right tackle for Carpenter and Lemuel Jeanpierre at right guard, where McQuistan was playing for Moffitt before Okung went down.
“With the new guys plugged in, we’re still able to do what we do,” Cable said. “That’s the system: You lose someone, you can plug someone in.”
And Cable shared a little secret to that success, as well.
“I do not like to stand around and just talk things through,” he said. “I’d rather them experience it and fail, because I think that’s the only way they learn is to fail. So I try to make them fail. I try to get them to a point where they make mistakes or they get it wrong; or their foot is wrong or they’re helmet is wrong. So I can emphasis why it has to be in a certain place, or why you have to set the certain way.
“So that’s really important, and the only way to do that is to do it as fast and hard as you can.”
That way, it’s closer to game speed and game situation.
And McQuistan’s take on this hey-look-what-he’s-doing scenario?
“It’s nice, both ways,” he said of Carroll singling him out in the meeting. “You want to be able to go in with the mindset thinking you can play the game, or know you can play the game. And then for (the coaches) to see that, it’s cool.
“Four weeks into it, we’ve already shown that we can keep winning and keep running the ball. With Cable’s system, we step in and it’s next guy up.”
ON THE FIELD
The players took advantage of the sunny, but chilly, weather by practicing outside on “Turnover Thursday.” Linebackers Leroy Hill and Mike Morgan got into the theme of the day by intercepting passes.
Wide receiver Deon Butler turned in the offensive play of the 105-miunte practice with a falling, arms-fully-extended, all-fingers catch for a touchdown.
IN ’N OUT
Defensive end Red Bryant was excused from practice because his wife, Janelle, is expecting their first child. Janelle, of course, is the daughter of Jacob Green, the Seahawks’ all-time sack leader and a member of the team’s Ring of Honor. Anthony Hargrove filled in for Bryant in practice.
Leading receiver Doug Baldwin tweaked an ankle during practice and sat out the rest of the session.
Here’s the official injury report:
Did not practice
DE Raheem Brock (not injury related)
DE Red Bryant (not injury related)
CB Kennard Cox (hamstring)
DT Clinton McDonald (concussion)
LB Malcolm Smith (concussion)
Limited participation
WR Doug Baldwin (ankle)
Full participation
OG Robert Gallery (pelvis)
QB Tarvaris Jackson (pectoral)
MLB David Hawthorne (knee)
For the 49ers:
Did not practice
LB Blake Costanzo (not injury related)
WR Ted Ginn (ankle)
LB Patrick Willis (hamstring)
Limited participation
WR Braylon Edwards (knee)
RB Bruce Miller (knee)
STAT DU JOUR
Not only have the 49ers yet to allow a rushing touchdown, they’re on pace to break the NFL single-season record – which is two, set by the Lions in 1934 and tied by the Giants (1944), Cowboys (1968) and Vikings (1971). But the Seahawks also find themselves in the Top 7 in fewest rushing TDs allowed, and are tied for fifth in fewest defensive TDs allowed:
Team Rush TDs Total TDs
49ers 0 18
Dolphins 6 27
Steelers 7 22
Titans 7 27
Chargers 7 31
Seahawks 8 25
Texans 8 23
NFL averages 11 31
UP NEXT
Thursday, which will be Friday at VMAC because this week’s game is on Saturday. So the players will have their final full workout.
Tickets for the Christmas Eve game against the 49ers are available and can be purchased here.
YOU DON’T SAY
“Seattle, I believe, is playing as good, if not better, football than anybody in the National Football League.” – 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh
