Friday cyber surfing: Seahawks ‘much more physical’
Good morning. Here’s what’s “out there” about the Seahawks for today, Feb. 3:
Mike Sando of ESPN.com caught up with Larry Fitzgerald at the Super Bowl and the Cardinals’ wide receiver had this to say about how the Seahawks have changed under coach Pete Carroll: “They are much more physical, much more physical. At the Pro Bowl last week, they had three guys from their secondary, Brandon Browner and Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. When you look at Chancellor, Chancellor is 6-foot-3, 230 pounds and a phenomenal athlete with good ball skills, good range. Earl Thomas is like a young Troy Polamalu, flying around and making plays. And Brandon Browner is the biggest cornerback I’ve ever seen in my life. He can play, too. He can cover. I really like the young rookie they have, (Richard) Sherman from Stanford. He is going to be a good player. Obviously, when they get Marcus Trufant back, that will only make them deeper. They challenge you at the point of attack. They want to pressure you and make things uncomfortable for you at the line of scrimmage, and their whole philosophy has changed. It’s fun to play against them.”
Fitzgerald also had this to say about the NFC West: “The division is getting better. Two years ago, people looked at the NFC West as the armpit of the league, so to speak. Now, teams are playing much better. The games are physical now. That is good because you want the competition; you want to have great division rivalries. That is a lot of fun, like the NFC East. I don’t care if Washington is playing at New York, you can get beat. We want to build it up that way, too.”
Danny O’Neil at the Seattle Times looks at the franchise tag as it applies to franchise backs, including Marshawn Lynch: “In the past five years, there have been a grand total of two running backs who received the franchise tag from their respective teams: Darren Sproles (San Diego, 2009) and Brandon Jacobs (New York Giants, 2009). That’s it. Teams can begin designating franchise players later this month, and there’s the distinct possibility that three running backs could receive the tag.”
Here at Seahawks.com, we look at the process that produces the annual selections for the Pro Football Hall of Fame – which also includes Sando, because he’s the Seattle rep on the selection committee: “(Cortez) Kennedy, the eight-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle for the Seahawks, is a finalist for the fourth consecutive year. But for the first time, he faces a field of fellow finalists that does not include a “shoo-in” candidate as the 44-person selection committee huddles in Indianapolis on Saturday morning to choose the Class of 2012 – which will be announced at 2:30 p.m. PST during a one-hour special on the NFL Network.”
Todd McShay at ESPN.com has his second mock draft. There’s no link because it’s for insiders and requires registration and a fee, but here’s who he has the Seahawks selecting: Alabama RB Trent Richardson. “Richardson is a top-five talent but will likely slip a bit because of positional value considerations. Falling this far would be a surprise, but none of the teams in the top 10 have a pressing need at running back. If none of them ignore need to take the best player available, the Seahawks will feel like they’ve won the lottery. Both Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett are free agents, and Richardson would bring with him an elite combination of size, speed, power, quickness and vision.”
Also at ESPN.com, but also in an insider’s feature, Mel Kiper ranks Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman as the 10th best rookie in the NFL last season: “He didn’t start immediately, but he did get 10 total, and played at what I consider a Pro Bowl level for the second half of the season, helping to galvanize a suddenly very impressive Seattle secondary. He’s long at 6-foot-3, and can battle against big wideouts.”
As for that game this Sunday, checkout John Clayton’s “First and Goal” at ESPN; Clark Judge’s comparison of Tom Brady and Joe Montana, Brady’s boyhood idol, at CBSSports.com; and Richard Deitsch’s look at what most of us will be watching at SI.com.
Seahawks ‘much more physical’ according to Arizona’s Fitzgerald
How have the Seahawks changed in two seasons under coach Pete Carroll?
Larry Fitzgerald should know, because the Cardinals’ Pro Bowl wide receiver has played the Seahawks twice in each of those seasons. He caught nine passes for 149 yards in 2011 season finale, which the Cardinals won 23-20 in overtime. But Fitzgerald also received a bruised lung and was coughing up blood on the sideline, according to this report on ESPN.com.
To say the new-look Seahawks left an impression on Fitzgerald doesn’t tell the whole story.
Here’s Fitzgerald assessment, as told to Mike Sando of ESPN.com during the countdown to Sunday’s Super Bowl in Indianapolis: “They are much more physical, much more physical. At the Pro Bowl last week, they had three guys from their secondary, Brandon Browner and Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. When you look at Chancellor, Chancellor is 6-foot-3, 230 pounds and a phenomenal athlete with good ball skills, good range. Earl Thomas is like a young Troy Polamalu, flying around and making plays. And Brandon Browner is the biggest cornerback I’ve ever seen in my life. He can play, too. He can cover. I really like the young rookie they have, (Richard) Sherman from Stanford. He is going to be a good player. Obviously, when they get Marcus Trufant back, that will only make them deeper. They challenge you at the point of attack. They want to pressure you and make things uncomfortable for you at the line of scrimmage, and their whole philosophy has changed. It’s fun to play against them.”
All the right moves?
Who needs “Dancing with the Stars”?
A highlight of just about every Seahawks practice in the just-completed season was rookie cornerback Richard Sherman bustin’ a move – or three – along the sideline. What did it look like? Think one of those air-motion windsock figures that are used to draw attention by some businesses.
Late in the season, the practice dancing spilled over to the locker room when defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove challenged Sherman to a dance-off – Brooklyn (Hargrove) vs. Compton (Sherman), if you will; or at least vet (Hargrove) vs. rookie (Sherman); or perhaps bulk (Hargrove) vs. bravado (Sherman).
The competition was captured on video by Michael Robinson and posted on the fullback’s website – RealRobReport.com. You can check it out here – the dance-off is after the report on Justin Forsett’s “shower pill.”
And who won this battle of almost-stars?
“I am definitely claiming victory,” Sherman said, moments after the dance-off – and uproarious response it ignited with teammates – had subsided. “I put a couple of things on tape that he was unable to match. He put a lot of good moves out there with the ‘wheel chair.’ He pulled out all the stops. It was an incredibly impressive effort from a 300-pounder.”
Wednesday cyber surfing: Pro Bowl and Senior Bowl
Good morning. Here’s what’s “out there” about the Seahawks for today, Jan. 25:
Danny O’Neil at the Seattle Times wraps up three more Seahawks being added to the NFC Pro Bowl squad in less than 24 hours: “In the previous two years, the Seahawks were the only team in the NFL that did not have a player either named to the Pro Bowl or chosen as an injury replacement. Seattle’s five Pro Bowlers matches the franchise’s fourth-largest contingent.”
John Boyle at the Everett Herald and Eric Williams at the News Tribune also weigh in on Marshawn Lynch’s addition to the Pro Bowl.
Here at Seahawks.com, we take a closer look at Brandon Browner’s improbable journey from the CFL to the Pro Bowl: “ ‘I was up there for four years, trying to get back every season,’ Browner said. ‘I got a few calls after every season up there, but nothing ever panned out. The best I could get was a tryout.’ The Seahawks gave him a chance, albeit a slim one, by signing Browner to a future contract last Jan. 21. The idea when training camp opened in late July was that Walter Thurmond would be the starter on the right side. But when a sprained ankle sidelined Thurmond, Browner stepped in – and there he stayed. ‘I had a good feeling about it here, once they said they would give me a shot,’ Browner said. ‘That’s all I really wanted was a shot. I knew I was going to make the most of it. Once they gave me that shot, I jumped on it and went at it as hard as I could.’ ”
We also take a closer look at Lynch’s addition to the team: “Lynch did not have a 100-yard effort in the first seven games, when he sat out one due to back spasms. But in the final nine games, Lynch went for 135, 109, 111, 148, 115 and 107. Part of that was the coaching staff deciding that running the ball with Lynch gave the offense its best chance to sustain drives, and the team its best opportunity to win. In the games where Lynch had at least 20 carries, the Seahawks were 5-3. In the games were he didn’t get 20 carries, they were 2-6.”
Mike Sando at ESPN.com looks at the 2010 draft classes in the NFC West after Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor was added to the NFC Pro Bowl squad: “(Free safety Earl) Thomas and Chancellor are making this a successful class. (Left tackle Russell) Okung might be the best of the three, but only if he can get healthy. (Cornerback Walter) Thurmond was a starter until suffering an injury at Cleveland. He’ll have a hard time winning back a starting job now that Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman have locked down jobs. But he could still factor. (Wide receiver Golden) Tate made strides late in the 2011 season.”
Also at ESPN, they have started a series looking at current NFL players who also could have been effective in any era.
Rob Rang at NFLDraftScout.com, via CBSSports.com, has the word from Tuesday’s practices at the Senior Bowl: “With Penn State’s Devon Still – NFLDraftScout.com’s top-rated senior defensive tackle – out of the Senior Bowl due to a sprained toe, scouts were curious to see which of the remaining interior defensive linemen would be able to step up their play. Based on Tuesday’s North practice, Connecticut’s Kendall Reyes and Michigan’s Mike Martin are taking full advantage of the opportunity.”
Rang also has a new mock draft, but gives the Seahawks the same player as in his previous mock – USC defensive end Nick Perry: “Having captured a full third of Seattle’s 33 sacks in 2011, Chris Clemons has quietly emerged as one of the NFL’s most productive pass rushers. His statistics are inflated due to the matchups presented by Seattle’s LEO position, a hybrid pass-rushing role. Carroll recruited Perry to Southern Cal three years ago to fill precisely this role. The 6-3, 255-pound Perry led the Pac-12 with 9.5 sacks as a junior and may be just scratching the surface of his potential. Whether serving as a complement to Clemons or as his eventual replacement, Perry’s speed and pass rushing potential will be highly valued come draft day.”
Bucky Brooks at NFL.com tackles some questions from the Senior Bowl, including one that could interest the Seahawks: Who is the third-best QB in this draft class? Says Brooks: “The competition for the third quarterback position on draft boards is wide open with Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden, Michigan State’s Kirk Cousins and Arizona’s Nick Foles viewed as viable contenders for the spot. … One player to watch is San Diego State’s Ryan Lindsey. He spent four years directing a wide-open attack that featured several pro concepts and his intriguing physical tools could shine on the Senior Bowl’s big stage.”
Also at NFL.com, Pat Kirwan looks at the offensive and defensive linemen at the Senior Bowl: “The Senior Bowl has a reputation for showcasing a number of quality linemen that can play in the NFL, and this year appears to be no different. There may not be a sure-fire left tackle that can start on opening day or an Aldon Smith-type pass rusher on either roster, but teams that do their homework will find a number of players that can contribute early in their professional careers.”
All-NFC honors for Lynch, Thomas; Sherman All-Rookie pick
Marshawn Lynch and Earl Thomas have been named to the All-NFC team, as selected by Pro Football Weekly, while Richard Sherman made the publication’s All-Rookie team.
Thomas was voted the starting free safety on the NFC Pro Bowl squad, so his selection is no surprise. But Lynch was a second alternate to the Pro Bowl, meaning four other running backs received more votes than the player who became the Seahawks’ first 1,000-yard rusher since 2005 and also scored in a club-record 11 consecutive games.
The Eagles’ LeSean McCoy is the other back on the PFW team, and also was tabbed for their All-Pro team along with the Jaguars’ Maurice Jones-Drew. Joining Thomas at safety on the All-NFC team is the 49ers’ Dashon Goldson, who played at the University of Washington. The safeties on PFW’s All-Pro team are the Steelers’ Troy Polamalu and the Chargers’ Eric Weddle.
Sherman and the Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson are the cornerbacks on the All-Rookie team. While Peterson was the fifth pick overall in the NFL Draft, Sherman was selected in the fifth round.
Sherman “shattered expectations in his first season,” as PFW put it. “He started 10 games and was among the league leaders in pass breakups (21).”
Tuesday cyber surfing: NFC West rivalries; Post-Draft Grades
Good morning. Here’s what’s “out there” about the Seahawks for today, Jan. 17, and was “out there” while we combined a few vacation days with the long weekend:
Dave Boling at the News Tribune looks at the budding rivalries in the NFC West, as the 49ers have advanced to the NFC Championship Game: “Before the Seahawks were shifted from the AFC West to the NFC West in 2002, rivalries with Denver and the Oakland Raiders were historic – but had fallen from currency because Seattle had so rarely contended. The NFC West looked even less welcoming at the time, with St. Louis coming off two Super Bowl appearances in the previous three seasons, while San Francisco had a 12-4 record in 2001. But in the subsequent 10 seasons, the Seahawks dominated with five division titles and five seasons above .500. Remarkably, the other three divisional teams combined for just five plus-.500 seasons in that span. No wonder it’s taken time for rivalries to ripen. There was more guilt by association than bragging rights involved.”
Mike Sando at ESPN.com looks at how the 49ers’ defense has put a hurt on opposing running backs this season, and the accompanying chart shows just how impressive Marshawn Lynch’s 107-yard, one-TD effort against San Francisco in Week 16 really was: “(The Saints’ Pierre) Thomas became the seventh starting running back to leave a game against the 49ers after suffering an injury.”
Mel Kiper at ESPN.com has revisited his post-draft grades, and the Seahawks improved from a D-plus to a B-minus. There’s no link because it’s an “Insider” feature, but here’s what he had to say about the Seahawks: “In the grades file, I wrote: “By passing on Andy Dalton, the clear impression is that Seattle has other plans at quarterback. … I hope the Seahawks have better plans at quarterback than they did in terms of adding value here.” Look, Tarvaris Jackson could be the answer, but I don’t think anybody is ready to say he or she is 100 percent sold on that idea after a 7-9 season. And while James Carpenter became the starter on the right side, I just wasn’t in love with the value. He got injured after Week 9. John Moffitt also started but also was injured. So early on, I still see questions. However, the draft actually gains momentum from there. The emergence of No. 99 overall pick K.J. Wright was big, and allowed the Seahawks to move Aaron Curry to Oakland and recoup at least an ounce of value. In a loaded fifth round, Richard Sherman has emerged as a total steal and, along with former CFL star Brandon Browner and a pair of fantastic safeties, has made the Seattle secondary one of the best in the NFL in a really short period. It gets pretty quiet after that, mostly because I’m not allowed to factor in fabulous UFA signing Doug Baldwin. Regardless, a D-plus draft in terms of value got a lot better, although if Carpenter and Moffitt don’t become a solid right side, the Hawks have nothing to show for the early rounds. And the quarterback question is perhaps even bigger now, because there’s enough talent elsewhere to compete.”
At Seahawks.com, we concluded our three-part series with the coordinators by taking looks at the special teams with Brian Schneider and the defense with Gus Bradley.
On the special teams: “The board does not lie. Just outside the main entrance to the Seahawks’ locker room hangs Brian Schneider’s impossible-to-miss performance board for his special teams units. Each week, the special teams coordinator grades his group in 12 categories, with a Seahawks logo being placed in the box if the goal has been achieved. For the just-completed 2011 season, the logos run from a high of 11 (three times) to a low of three. Is there a better indication of just how inconsistent Schneider’s units were? When they were good, as against the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants and St. Louis Rams with those 11-logo performances, they were very good. But when they weren’t so good, as in the three-logo outing in the season opener against the 49ers in San Francisco and a four-logo game against the Cincinnati Bengals, well, the special teams’ efforts were not special enough to help the Seahawks win. ‘We really started off shaky,’ Schneider said. ‘We were young and then we had a bunch of injuries in those first couple games, so it just took us three or four games to find our rhythm. But we kept doing what we believe in and we kept talking about playing with 100 percent effort. So I was pleased with how we just kept fighting throughout the season.”
On the defense: “Where to begin with just how good the Seahawks defense was during the 2011 season? Where all the roads to improvement converged: At the unit’s No. 9 ranking in average yards allowed. The Seahawks last ranked among the Top 10 in the NFL in 1997, and had done it only five other times in franchise history (1984, 1990-92 and ’97). And, they did it with first-year starters at strong safety (Kam Chancellor), cornerback (Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman), strongside linebacker (K.J. Wright) and defensive tackle (Alan Branch); and second-year starters at free safety (Earl Thomas) and the ends (Chris Clemons and Red Bryant). That in itself is reason enough to believe the defense will only be better in 2012. ‘There are so many positive things to look toward when you think of how young this team was and how much natural jump occurred between Year One and Year Two for the first-year guys,’ coach Pete Carroll said.
There’s also a video report on Marcus Trufant’s visit to present an area elementary school with a check for $7,000.
Cyber surfing: Monday
Good morning. Here’s what’s “out there” about the Seahawks for today, Jan. 9, and was “out there” over the long weekend:
Dave Boling at the News Tribune checks out the Seahawks’ free agent class: “After a pair of 7-9 seasons rife with roster rebuilding, general manager John Schneider appears to have positioned the Seahawks for the next step by creating enough salary cap room to meet the most pressing needs. Consider what’s at stake. Seahawks fans might trigger a seismic event from outrage if running back Marshawn Lynch takes his beastly style elsewhere. And Red Bryant has likewise become an exemplar of spirited toughness for the Seahawks on defense. These two are at the top of the list of 18 unrestricted free agents with whom the Seahawks may exclusively negotiate.”
Also at the News Tribune, Eric Williams hands out grades for the just-completed season and the highest marks (B-plus) go to the running backs and offensive line: “They went through six starting combinations and finished the season with three-fifths of the team’s projected starting line on the injured reserve. Still, Seattle effectively ran the ball at the end of the season, a tribute to the teaching skills of offensive line/assistant head coach Tom Cable.”
John Boyle at the Everett Herald looks at who might be the Seahawks’ QB of the future: “Well, certainly there is plenty of time to discuss Seattle’s options. Should they make a play for Green Bay backup Matt Flynn, who will be a free agent? Should they trade up to draft Robert Griffin III? Should they draft a quarterback in the middle rounds and hope he develops behind Tarvaris Jackson? The best thing to do for the next couple of months is take a deep breath, wait, and trust that head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider will do what’s right for the franchise.”
Here at Seahawks.com, we passed out our honors for the season, including the obvious choice for MVP: “Marshawn Lynch. Beast Mode. Skittles-back. Free spirit. Call him what you will, but the hard-running Lynch proved his value week after week, game after game, down after down – especially in the second half of the season after the coaches decided that running the ball was the offensive identity. Lynch finished with career-highs in rushing yards (1,204) and touchdowns (13), and 941 of those yards and 10 of those scores came in the final nine games – when his totals were league-highs over that span. And with Lynch, it wasn’t so much what he did, but how he did it. The entire team followed his refuse-to-go-down lead.”
Mike Sando at ESPN.com has the word on the finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who were announced Saturday: “Without slam-dunk candidates such as Emmitt Smith or Jerry Rice on the ballot this year, the door could open for some who have waited their turn recently. Cortez Kennedy, Charles Haley, Jerome Bettis, Chris Doleman and Kevin Greene are among the finalists with ties to franchises currently in the NFC West.”
Sando also has his selections for an All-NFC West team, with center Max Unger and running back Marshawn Lynch landing spots on offense, Chris Clemons, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman making it on defense and Heath Farwell making it on special teams.
For a look at the wild-card weekend, there’s Clark Judge’s “Judgements” at CBSSports.com; and Peter King’s “Monday Morning Quarterback” at SI.com.
2011 honor roll
Seahawks.com passes out its honors for the just-completed season:
MVP: Marshawn Lynch. Beast Mode. Skittles-back. Free spirit. Call him what you will, but the hard-running Lynch proved his value week after week, game after game, down after down – especially in the second half of the season after the coaches decided that running the ball was the offensive indentity. Lynch finished with career-highs in rushing yards (1,204) and touchdowns (13), and 941 of those yards and 10 of those scores came in the final nine games – when his totals were league-highs over that span. And with Lynch, it wasn’t so much what he did, but how he did it. The entire team followed his refuse-to-go-down lead.
Best offensive player: Doug Baldwin. All the rookie free agent did was lead the team in receptions (51), receiving yards (788) and touchdown catches (four). Not bad for a guy who was passed over by all 32 teams in the NFL Draft. In fact, coach Pete Carroll tabbed Baldwin as the player who most surprised him this season, offering, “I think that’s the biggest surprise – that he could take it that far.”
Best defensive player: Earl Thomas. This is a tough choice, despite Thomas’ selection as the starting free safety on the NFC Pro Bowl squad, because of the efforts of strong safety Kam Chancellor, who finished second on the team in tackles (94) and tied for second in interceptions (four); end Chris Clemons, who tied his career-high with 11 sacks; and end Red Bryant, who returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown. But each of those players point to Thomas’ contributions in allowing the defense to rank No. 9 in the league, and the other players and coaches in the conference were impressed enough that they made Thomas the Seahawks’ first Pro Bowl selection since 2008.
Best special teams player: Jon Ryan. The Seahawks’ Canadian-born punter broke his own team records for average (46.6) and net average (39.3) and tied the mark for punts inside the 20 with a league-high 34. Oh, and his 77-yarder in the season-opener against the 49ers? Another club record, this time bettering a 16-year-old record that was held by Rick Tuten (73 yards).
Best offseason addition: Tom Cable. This just in: The former Raiders head coach can coach. Cable was hired on Jan. 18 with the title of assistant head coach/offensive line coach. But the running game was his baby, and boy did it deliver down the stretch when the Seahawks rushed for 100-plus yards in eight of their last nine games – a run that was capped by the season-high 178-yard performance in the finale against the Cardinals. And a lot of this was done with Breno Giacomini, Lemuel Jeanpierre and Paul McQuistan stepping in for the injured starting trio of right tackle James Carpenter, right guard John Moffitt and left tackle Russell Okung. It was Cable’s belief in his system that made believers of the players, and eventually even the skeptics.
Best free-agent addition: Brandon Browner. The 6-foot-4 cornerback wasn’t even your typical free agent. He was signed to a future contract in January after playing the past four seasons in the CFL. He stepped in on the right side during training camp because Walter Thurmond was out with a sprained ankle and stayed there. Browner led the team with six interceptions; and the conference in secondary intimidation. His 94-yard interception return for a TD in Week 5 not only iced the upset of the Giants, it broke a team record that had lasted since 1979 (91 yards by Sammy Green). Browner added a 42-yarder for a score against the Bears and a 68-yarder against the Eagles in racking up 220 return yards to demolish the team record (179 by Dave Brown in 1984).
Best rookies: It’s a Stanford thing, as it’s impossible to separate Baldwin and cornerback Richard Sherman. After Marcus Trufant and Thurmond were lost to season-ended injuries, Sherman was the third option on the left side. In 10 starts, the fifth-round draft choice produced four interceptions, 17 passes defensed and 53 tackles. In addition to his team-leading totals as a receiver, Baldwin had a five-minute span against the Rams where he popped a 37-yard kickoff return, downed a punt at the 6-yard line and then blocked a punt that Michael Robinson returned for the touchdown.
Best in-season addition: Heath Farwell. He not only led the Seahawks, but the league with 21 coverage tackles on special teams. And he wasn’t signed until Oct. 19. He had multiple tackles in eight of the 11 games he played and also blocked a punt against the 49ers.
Comeback player of the year: Bryant. After playing in only seven games in 2010, Bryant returned to start all 16 this season. In addition to intercepting two passes, he also anchored the stout run defense and blocked a club record four kicks (three field goals and a PAT). His teammates rewarded Bryant by voting him the Ed Block Courage Award and the Steve Largent Award.
What would they do without …: McQuistan. Like Browner, the versatile offensive lineman was signed to a future contract in January. Like Browner, McQuistan never was expected to start. But start he did, in 10 games – three at left guard for an injured Robert Gallery; three at right guard for Moffitt; four at left tackle for Okung. If Chuck Knox was still around, he’d present McQuistan with a symbolic lunch pail and a hardhat.
Best third-day draft choice: K.J. Wright. A bit of a contrived category, but the rookie linebacker deserves some mention. He started the season opener at middle linebacker because David Hawthorne was out with an injury. Wright started the final 12 games on the strong side because, well, he was too good to keep off the field – and good enough that former first-round draft choice Aaron Curry was traded to the Raiders for a couple of draft choices that could turn into another Wright. He finished fifth on the team in tackles (61), including two sacks. He’s just one of the many young players on this team that needs a pair of shades, because his future is so bright.
Best win: Week 5 over the Giants. The Week 10 upset of the Ravens also deserves mention, but the upset of the Giants came on the road, in a 10 a.m. Seattle-time start, when the Giants were 3-1. The game featured the Seahawks scoring a touchdown on their first possession, which they did only twice all season; Charlie Whitehurst stepping in for injured QB Tarvaris Jackson to throw a go-ahead TD pass to Baldwin in the fourth quarter; and Browner’s record-breaking interception return to snuff the Giants’ late bid to steal the game.
Worst loss: Week 12 to the Redskins. Again, the 6-3 loss to the Browns in Cleveland in Week 7 deserves consideration, but the Seahawks played without Lynch and Jackson that day. The loss to the Redskins came at home to a team that had lost six in a row. It also came because the Seahawks allowed a team that had been averaging 16 points a game to score 16 in the fourth quarter.
Best quote: It was the choice at midseason, and no one said anything better or more telling than this evaluation from general manager John Schneider after the team’s 2-6 start: “I always likened it to the ‘Three Little Pigs.’ You can build it with straw or sticks. Or you can work your tail off and know that you’re doing the right thing and kind of do it the old-fashioned way and have a big, strong, sturdy foundation. Then you can weather all the storms.”
Cyber surfing: Wednesday
Good morning. Here’s what’s “out there” about the Seahawks for today, Jan. 4:
Danny O’Neil at the Seattle Times looks at the improvement the Seahawks made in their second season under coach Pete Carroll, even if the record was the same as in his first year: “The construction isn’t complete by any means. There’s still the question of a long-term quarterback and the need to improve the pass rush. But this franchise is no longer a fixer-upper. The roster has been retrofitted. The Seahawks have gotten younger, they have gotten faster and over the past two months this team has shown itself to be competitive. That wasn’t always true a year ago. Sure, the Seahawks had one of the most memorable playoff victories in franchise history, but they also lost nine games by 16 or more points. Being the first 7-9 division champion in NFL history isn’t the kind of thing anyone aspires to. It’s different now. Seattle has forged itself an identity.”
Dave Boling at the News Tribune came away from Carroll’s season-ender news conference thinking that the Seahawks are thinking quarterback in the NFL Draft: “Carroll stressed from the start that he expects to challenge every player at every position. And that obviously includes quarterback. But how? The question was put to Carroll, as it relates to quarterback, do you have a preference – bringing in a veteran or a young prospect? In essence, the question is whether he’d rather have a soon-to-be free agent such as Matt Flynn of Green Bay, or a draft pick he can shape from the start. He was emphatic: He is intrigued by young guys. And it’s clear he’s given it a great deal of thought while flipping 180 degrees on the issue.”
Also at the News Tribune, Eric Williams has notes from Tuesday’s Q&A session, including Sidney Rice having surgery: “Rice is expected to have a three- to four-month recovery, and Carroll anticipated he’ll be close to being ready to participate in the beginning of the team’s offseason workout program April 16.”
John Boyle at the Everett Herald says that while Carroll was disappointed about the way the season ended, he’s excited about the future of this team: “Carroll certainly hoped to be better than 7-9 this season. In all reality, however, the Seahawks appear to be ahead of schedule in what is, whether Carroll wants use the word or not, a rebuild.”
Mike Sando at ESPN.com revisits his preseason predictions for the teams in the NFC West, and has this to say about the Seahawks: “Tom Cable is a fantastic offensive line coach, for one. Also, general manager John Schneider and the Seahawks’ personnel people should get the benefit of the doubt on their evaluations. They repeatedly got positive results when turning to young players. They replaced Lawyer Milloy with Kam Chancellor and came out way ahead. They replaced Aaron Curry with rookie K.J. Wright and were correct, again. They continually churned the roster and made themselves deeper. They turned a project from the CFL (Brandon Browner) into a Pro Bowl first-alternate even while rookie fifth-round choice Richard Sherman became their best corner. So, if the Seahawks do not show interest in Green Bay quarterback Matt Flynn, we can trust it’s because Schneider, formerly of the Packers, knows better.”
Here at Seahawks.com, we look at Carroll’s season-ender news conference, where he was grilled about the team’s QB situation: “The bottom-line assessment for any and all questions remains unchanged, no matter how many times Carroll is asked about it: (Tarvaris) Jackson is the starter moving into the offseason because, “He’s our No. 1 guy in the program and that’s all we have right now,” as Carroll put it. But that does not – and will not – preclude the team from looking for a quarterback in free agency or the NFL Draft. ‘But we will compete at all spots,’ Carroll said. ‘I want to very clear to you that there is no misunderstanding that that’s the theme in this program – competing. That means you’re always looking to get better and you’re always pushing in every way, and if we’re not we’re not competing. And that’s wrong for us. That’s not our right mindset. That’s it. I’m not trying to send any mixed messages and you shouldn’t take any out it, because there isn’t. That’s it.’ ”
There also are recaps of the day in “Tuesday in Hawkville” and Tony Ventrella’s video report. And then there’s one last, definitive, look back at Sunday’s season finale in Rod Mar’s photo blog and Ben Malcolmson’s “From the Sidelines”: “The prospects couldn’t be more hopeful for the players and coaches. Now if only they didn’t have to wait eight months to see it come to fruition. Even with a heartbreaking season-ending loss on Sunday, there’s no denying something special welling up among the Seahawks as the 2011 campaign closed out and the future opened up to the brightest of horizons. ‘Here’s a football team that’s going someplace,’ Coach Pete Carroll said during his postgame locker room speech on Sunday following the team’s 23-20 overtime loss in Arizona. ‘You can feel it.’ Indeed, it can be felt from the top of the organization all the way down to the bottom. The Seahawks are a team on the move — and going in the right direction.”
And if you can’t get enough on what should be an entertaining postseason, check out Don Banks’ “Inside the NFL” at SI.com.
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
