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July 2009
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| August 2008The Seahawks will be minus two players for the season opener against the Bills. The NFL suspended DB Jordan Babineaux one game for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Also, DT Bernard has been suspended for one game for violating the league's personal conduct policy (this comes from Bernard's arrest for assault last year). So who will fill in? It's likely DT Craig Terrill could fill for Bernard, and CB Josh Wilson would step on passing downs to replace Babineaux. ...I can't believe it. There's gotta be something more behind it. The Seattle P-I reports Starbucks chair Howard Schultz is dropping his lawsuit to bring the Sonics back to Seattle. Is this a bigger letdown than the city of Seattle taking a settlement? ...Remember the Raiders? The Kingdome never sounded as loud as when the silver and black came to town. Tonight, it'll certainly be a battle of the backups as the not-so dreaded Raiders take on the Seahawks. For the Hawks, no Hasselbeck, Engram, Branch, Tatupu or Sean Locklear. Expect to see plenty of Seneca Wallace. Heck, you may even see fourth-string QB Dalton Bell. As far as Hawks on the bubble, will RB Justin Forsett show his stuff? And what about the young WRs? Courtney Taylor, Logan Payne, Jordan Kent, and Michael Bumpus all need strong outings.
It sounds like Storm forward Lauren Jackson's ankle surgery was a success. She had the procedure done in Australia. LJ walked out of surgery and talked to head coach Brian Agler about it. She had a bone spur and scar tissue removed. The 2-time MVP will miss the rest of the regular season. There is an outside chance that LJ will be able to go in the playoffs. ...SI.com has an article predicting records for every NFL team. They have the Seahawks at 9-7 winning the NFC West. Have they seen the Hawks schedule? Plus, they've got them losing in the opening round of the playoff.
Just got an e-mail from Wazzu. There will be a couple of players signing autographs Saturday at Qwest Field before the Oklahoma State game. They'll be at the Exhibition Center in the morning. The official release is after the jump. ...Jeff Renner's Seahawks gameday forecast: Don't know if we really care, but Bubba Bennett is gonna name his team next Wednesday. The team is going to announce it simultaneously at a press conference and on their website. They better make sure no one sends an e-mail to Aubrey McClendon...or it'll become public knowledge soon. I hate to lump this in, but Kyle Weaver signs with OKC today. It's a multi-year deal...no terms were released. ...Here's the Seahawks official press release on signing Jeff Robinson: Seahawks Sign Veteran Long Snapper I just got a call from Chris Egan. He tells me that Lofa Tatupu, Matt Hasselbeck, and Charlie Frye are among the guys on the sidelines today. All 3 are in their shorts and jerseys and not practicing. As you already know, here's a preliminary report of their injuries: Lofa (bruised knee), Matt (stiff back), and Frye (knee). We'll try to update you on their condition later. ...Is it 2007 all over again? The Seahawks may have tried to avoid another Boone Stutz-like era and changed their long snapper again. They're going back to Jeff Robinson. Robinson finished the season last year after Stutz bounced a snap to punter Ryan Plackemeier. Stutz, you may remember, replaced Derek Rackley because he couldn't cut it. But let's backtrack for a moment. Seattle drafted Tyler Schmitt in the 6th round, but he was put on the injured reserve list on Monday. The Hawks called Tim Lindsey during his honeymoon to snap for the team. Today, he's mysteriously gone. Word has it, he just doesn't have it. Weird...just a few days ago, punter Ryan Plackemeier was singing his praises for the San Diego game. "Tim Lindsey did a great job tonight," Plackemeier said. "He had a really good game filling in. So everything was positive." - Seattle P-I 8/26/08 I guess head coach Mike Holmgren doesn't want to mess around and take any chances with the long snapper. Robinson seems like a sure bet. By the way, he's 38 years old. When Seattle signed him last season, he hadn't played in the NFL since 2005. ...From the Seahawks:
Holmgren will officially address the injury to No. 51's knee this afternoon. However, the PI is reporting that the MRI done on Tatupu's knee showed nothing and the injury is nothing more than a bruise. Thankfully, rumor has it there is no ligament tear. Whew. Chances are the Seahawks will keep Tatupu out until the regular season opener at Buffalo. ...The Seahawks make a few moves to get down to 75. The one that's gotta hurt is putting long snapper Tyler Schmitt to the injured reserve list. That means he's done for the season. Remember, the Hawks drafted T. Schmitt in the 6th round this year. The moves are below:
I know this isn't the normal place to blog about high school sports. We usually do that on hsgametime.com. But I think this story is a crossover type of story. Kentwood's Josh Smith is rivals.com's new #1 basketball player for 2010. "Smith is just such a naturally gifted basketball player," national recruiting analyst Jerry Meyer says. "His size, strength and explosiveness around the rim are unparalleled in the class. Beyond that, he has one of the best set of hands I've seen on a big guy and has great shooting touch - if he's not dunking the ball on somebody. "If he grows to be 7 feet tall, as expected, he has a chance to be a truly special big man."
Lofa Tatupu and third-string QB Charlie Frye were both injured in tonight's game with the Chargers down in San Diego. Both hurt their knees. According to the Seattle Times, Holmgren said neither injury was serious. Both players will have MRI's tomorrow to find out the extent of the injuries. Tatupu left the locker room on crutches. ...Seahawks: More carousel quarterbacking in the NFC West, as the Cardinals have named aged veteran Kurt Warner the starter over beer bonging party boy Matt Leinart. According to ESPN.com, the former Trojan's poor outing in the preseason game against the Raiders lost Leinart the gig. ESPN's source even goes as far as to say that the Cards are concerned about Leinart's arm strength. Ouch. As long as Hasselbeck gets healthy, as well as Branch and Engram (and the O-line gets some consistency), which NFC West team can contend with the Seahawks? J.T. O'Sullivan? The Rams? ...
After missing yet another practice, Matt Hasselbeck will sit out the San Diego game on Monday because of a sore back. Holmgren said Charlie Frye will start the game, his second start in the preseason. Hasslebeck's injury came during the Minnesota game. Seneca is still recovering from a groin injury, and while available, I doubt we'll see much out of the second string QB.
I keep watching Usain Bolt shatter world record after record and think, man, can this guy catch a Hasselbeck pass? In case you didn't know, the 6'5" Jamaican thunderbolt won yet another gold on friday, smashing another record, this time a 16-year-old of the 400 meter relay -- by .03 of a second. In three races, he's won three gold medals and cemented the title of the world's fastest man by breaking three world records. The first person since Carl Lewis in 1984 to win all three events. Sheesh. It's hard not to lift Usain ahead of Phelps as the most amazing athlete of these Olympic games. In case you want to watch the 400 meter relay now, check the race out at NBCOlympics.com. Could you imagine Bolt lining up for the Seahawks, and catching a pass down the middle of the field in stride? ...Jean Enersen sent an e-mail my way about a recent interview she did with Mike Holmgren. While the interview won't be aired on KING5 until this fall, Jean wanted me to pass along a couple of tidbits. One, Holmgren told Jean that Seneca Wallace is the second string QB and that there were no plans right now to shift Seneca out of the backup QB spot. Makes sense, especially after watching Charlie Frye's long QB shift during the last preseason game with the Bears.
Of all the position groups the linebacking crew has been the most consistent throughout the entire camp. Everyone knows the three starters are rocks; Lofa Tatupu, Julian Peterson and Leroy Hill are already making their push for Honolulu. What has really impressed me is the play of the next three line backers. If you don't know those guys are Lance Laury, David Hawthorne and D.D. Lewis.
Arizona receiver Anquan Bolding is not happy and he wants out. An Arizona Cardinals beat writer claims that 17 teams are interested in Boldin, including the Seahawks. That's the word coming from Boldin's agent Drew Rosenhaus. The Cardinals are saying "no chance" to a trade. They want to sign him to an extension. It sounds like everything is turning sour in Airzona, too. Multiple players aren't happy in the valley of the sun. Sounds like there's a growing rift between some of the players and head coach Ken Whisenhut and owner Bill Bidwell. ...Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck missed this morning's practice with a bad back. He left Tuesday's practice when his back stiffened up. Seneca Wallace took the snaps with the first team despite nursing a sore groin injury. Head coach Mike Holmgren says that #3 QB Charlie Frye will take the majority of the snaps Monday night against the Chargers. ...Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck had to leave practice in the a.m. session. His back tightened up. He's battled back problems since the first pre-season game. Head coach Mike Holmgren's patience may have been tested today. He had to use backups Charlie Frye and Dalton Bell to run plays. Back to Matt, hopefully his back pain isn't serious. That's something that could nag him for quite a while. ...The Storm's title hopes take a hit tonight. We just got an e-mail from the Storm & Australian Olympic committee. Lauren Jackson will have ankle surgery after the Olympics. In the meantime, she'll play through the pain. LJ will miss 4-6 weeks. She hopes to be back in time for the WNBA Finals, if the Storm make it there. Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Yo Griffith, Sheryl Swoopes and the rest of the team have some work to do. You can read the press release after the jump. ...As the new Bruins head football coach, Slick Rick is getting nearer and nearer to walking back on the field at Husky Stadium. November 15th, to be exact. The once heralded coach is now the main guy for his alma mater, UCLA. ESPN.com even has an article about the 47-year-old Neuheisel's return to the Pac-10 on their main page. It's worth a read. In the column, Rick prescribes to be a changed man. Here's part of what he has to say: "I will be better now because of those experiences, and for that reason, I can say that it was worth it, now that I have this opportunity. ... And there is regret, but I don't focus on the regret. I focus on taking the positive from it and moving forward and hopefully not making those mistakes again."His troubles, Rick says -- NCAA probations, violations in Colorado, gambling on March Madness, an Uber amount of arrested Husky players -- are all behind him. After leaving the Huskies, Neuheisel coached high school before moving on to be an quarterbacks coach for the Ravens in the NFL. Now he's poised to make his return. But does anyone believe Slick Rick's old ways are simply part of the past? And does he have the stuff to set UCLA in the right direction? ...Today the team broke in the new indoor practice facility at the VMAC. The team started the day out near Lake Washington but the weather forced them to move practice inside. While in Kirkland weather created major problems, either forcing the team to bus to University of Washington's indoor facility or use the practice bubble. Matt Hasselbeck said, "It's nice to have an indoor facility that you can actually throw a deep ball in."
Seahawks backup QB Charlie Frye finally had a chance to show his metal on Saturday, giving Mike Holmgren and the coaching staff four quarters. How did Frye look? You be the judge: In his first start for the Seahawks, the former starter for the Browns went 20 of 35 passes for 209 yards and three interceptions. Feel like moving Frye into the No. 2 slot and letting Seneca play WR? Me neither. Here's what Holmgren said: "Obviously, we can't throw that many interceptions. That's bad. His decision-making was OK for the first time of playing a whole game. But I expect a lot out of quarterbacks. But we'll see where he is."In the end, Frye had a 38.9 passer rating. Probably not the effort that will have him moving up the depth chart anytime soon. But he still put together three scoring drives in the fourth and commanded a 69-yard drive in OT to set up Coutu's game-winning field goal. Not bad, in the end. But not great, either. What a night at Big Lo's Benefit Concert. Hundreds showed up to show their support for Seattle's Biggest Sports Fan, Big Lo. Big Lo was recently diagnosed with severe diabetes and has no medical insurance to cover his expenses. In order to help, Seattle's Biggest sports fan, the sonics and seahawks donated auction items to help raise money. The biggest surprise came, when Big Lo announced that Sonics CEO Clay Bennett wrote a check for a $1,000 to help with Big Lo's expenses. Does Clay Bennett have a heart? What do you think, do your thoughts on Clay Bennett now change a little? Let's start blogging away. ...I just got an e-mail from the Seahawks about tomorrow's game with the Bears. They say you can bring in sealed bottles of water to help keep you cool during the game. As you can see in the blog below, KING5 chief meteorologist Jeff Renner says it's gonna be warm. The Hawks also say you can bring empty plastic sports bottles, too. The official press release is after the jump. ...
Injuries seem to be mounting these last two weeks at NWCN Seahawks Training Camp. But today there seemed to be a lot of good news on the state of the team's health as they get ready for pre-season game number two against the Chicago Bears. The team looked to continue the progression by holding both of today's practices without pads. The team will have one more light practice tomorrow moring before their game with the Bears.
The Bears will travel to Qwest Field to take on the Seahawks at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be televised right here on KONG 6/16. For those going to the game, I'm going to see if I can get the KING 5 weather team to start doing the gameday forecasts again this season. Look for the forecasts on Fridays.
Right now I would have to say Jeb Putzier (which he said the other day is pronounced putz-ear as he pointed up at his ear) has looked the best all-around. He's a strong blocker, has soft hands and is a really good rout runner. He also has a good amount of experience in the league. During Putzier's final two years with the Broncos, 04 and 05, he had 73 catches for over 1,000 yards.
The team formerly known as the Sonics traded point guard Luke Ridnour. It was part of a 3-team deal. Ridnour is headed to Milwaukee. The Robber Barons get PF Joe Smith & SF Desmond Mason in the trade. I'm sure Ridnour is happy to get of OKC (although I think he never went there). PJ Carlesimo buried Ridnour behind Delonte West and Earl Watson early in the 2007-2008 season...just a few years after Luke was asked to tryout for the Olympic team. He obviously wasn't happy under the Carlesimo/Clay Bennett regime. So hopefully, he'll get back on track with the Bucks. ...I guess there were no takers for DH Jose Vidro. The Mariners make it official and release him today. Now anyone can sign him and the M's still have to pay what they owe on his contract. The official press release is after the jump. ...Seems like the Lacey native was the US soccer goalie forever. Now, 38-year-old keeper Kasey Keller will sign on with the Seattle Sounders FC. The announcement, sent to season ticket holders by e-mail, will be made at 2 p.m. Thursday. The second player to be signed by the team, Keller joins Sebastien Le Toux on the infant MLS club.
From the Seahawks:
Perhaps it was preventative measures or maybe just a gift from Coach Holmgren, but the Seahawks morning practice was without pads. The day was pretty low-key; lots of individual team drills, special teams and some light scrimmaging. Typically during scrimmages without pads the receivers and secondary shine because they're still going to do what they do without the contact.
The Seahawks sent over an e-mail saying the public transportation used to help fans get to Qwest Field has ended. This past April, the Federal Transit Administration ruled that if any private bus operators are interested in providing game day transportation services for fans then Metro would not be permitted to operate the bus service. The Seahawks were obligated to negotiate with those charter bus companies. The Hawks say they've looked into charter bus service for the fans, but the cost would be too prohibitive, an increase of $14. So now the 12th Man will have to rely on driving themselves, use the regular scheduled bus service (meaning no additional buses provided to help the gameday rush), or get a ride from a friend. You can see the release after the jump. ...Darn that Clay Bennett. First he takes the team formerly known as the Sonics to OKC, but then he trades for former Cougar Kyle Weaver after he's moved the team. The Okies sent Charlotte a 2009 second round draft pick for Weaver. It would have been nice to see Weaver in a Sonics jersey at least once. Who knows, maybe that'll come true someday when Seattle gets the NBA again. ...At the conclusion of this mornings practice Coach Mike Holmgren announced that Bobby Engram would miss 6-8 weeks with a cracked bone is his shoulder. Engram suffered the injury on the first play against the Vikings during Friday night's preseason game. I would just like to point out that after suffering the injury Bobby returned to the game and even caught another ball. The question now is where do the Seahawks go from here and how does this change their depth chart. ...Word out of Seahawks camp - defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs was released after he failed a physical. The former first round draft pick has been battling back from knee surgery. The oft-injured DT now becomes a free agent. But I find it hard to believe anyone will sign him until his knee comes around a little bit more. Tough break for a guy with a lot of talent. ...The big news of morning practice is receiver Bobby Engram is out 6-8 weeks with a cracked bone in his shoulder. According to head coach Mike Holmgren, Engram injured his shoulder at the beginning of last Friday's exhibition game with the Vikings. Holmgren is hopeful that the Hawks leading receiver will be back after the bye week. In case you're wondering, the bye week is September 28th. The Hawks play the NY Giants on October 5th. Holmgren also added he's never gone into a season with such inexperienced group of receivers. As you already know, Engram joins Deion Branch on the list of injured wide outs. It'll be interesting to see who takes Engram's spot in the starting lineup. Holmgren praised former Cougar Michael Bumpus today. To me, Bumpus seems like a Engram clone. Maybe the free agent rookie will be thrust into the starting lineup. Although he would have to leapfrog Courtney Taylor and Logan Payne on the depth chart. ...Some good news from Seahawks camp on Sunday, as mending punter Ryan Plackemeier began kicking the ball. Plackemeier tore a pectoral muscle last June, needing surgery. During special team practice, Ben Obomanu, Josh Wilson, Courtney Taylor and Jordan Kent were the returners. Also on Sunday, Hasselbeck (back), Engram and Tatupu (knee) took a break during the morning practice. All should practice today. In the afternoon, Leonard Weaver tweaked a hamstring and had to sit out.
Tonight the Seahawks take on the Minnesota Vikings in their first preseason game. Don't expect to see much if any playing time from Seattle's Pro-Bowlers such as Matt Hasselbeck, Walter Jones or Patrick Kerney. Don't get too amped waiting for Lofa to be gunning for Adrian Peterson. On Wednesday when Coach Holmgren was asked if he had picked his starters and the rotation, he simply said, "Yeah, yeah I have." Holmgren did add though that he will substitute the way he has always done, the starters get the first quarter, and then they substitute and just have to see where they are from there. What you can expect is for the game to be just as intense as a regular season game. ...According to the Chicago Tribune, Joey Cora is a candidate for the Mariners job, if they conduct a search for a new manager in the off-season. I guess I didn't know people were already lining up for the job. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen believes Cora would be a great manager...so he's got that going for him. Frankly, I think the M's should keep Jim Riggleman. ...Former Husky runningback JR Hasty is following in his father's footsteps and will play for Central Washington University. Hasty will be able to play immediately because it's a D2 school. JR's dad James played at CWU for two seasons (84-85) before transfering to Washington State University. Sounds like things weren't going so well in Huskyville for JR. Hasty said Willingham told him then that he "kind of just didn't really trust me, I guess." - Seattle Times 8/7/08
This morning's practice was held for the first time at the new Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton. Lake Washington makes a perfect backdrop to these state-of-the-art practice fields. Nate Burleson said of the new facility, "I feel honored just to be here and to walk around and be one of the first players to set foot on this grass." He's telling the truth, the place is amazing: it's enormous, gorgeous, picturesque, chocolate box, every adjective meaning first-class that enters your mind. ...With the first preseason game against the Vikings just a couple of days away, the Seahawks are thin at some positions -- even with the 80 man roster. The team only has 11 healthy offensive linemen, five healthy defensive tackles, and six healthy linebackers. Ouch. Signed after Chris Gray retired, new Seahawks center Ben Claxton had days to get ready. Injuries are definitely something to keep an eye on as Holmgren's last campaign kicks off.
Kind of a crazy afternoon. The M's first sent pitcher Brandon Morrow down to Tacoma to begin his conversion from a reliever to a starter. Then about a half hour ago, the Mariners sent out a press release saying they're designating Jose Vidro for assignment and calling up Wladimir Balentien. WOW! Who's next? Smart moves? Time will tell. Manager Jim Riggleman should be talking shortly. I'll try to update you as soon as we hear from him. The Vidro press release is after the jump. ...Huskies linebacker E.J. Savannah's career on Montlake takes another turn. He's been ruled academically ineligible. Head coach Tyrone Willingham wouldn't comment any further on the situation, other than to say his suspension is indefinite and there's no timetable to his return. Savannah has had academic problems before and he's missed time on different occasions with broken bones and a stinger. Here's Seattle Times beat writer Bob Condotta's take on Savannah. ...Doctors told Chris Gray he has problems with his back and the risks could end in paralysis. The 38-year-old called the decision to retire a "no-brainer". Gray says he felt a pop when hit a blocking sled on July 28th. He says he's never felt anything like it, so according to Gray, it wasn't a pre-existing condition. Gray's wife wanted him to retire two years ago, but he felt fine enough to continue to play...but this may have been his last season, if the injury didn't force his retirement. He's excited and looking forward to retirement...his next big goal is to drop 55 pounds in six months. Gray wants to weigh-in at his old high school weight of 250 lbs. ...The biggest news from today's camp came just after the conclusion of the a.m. practice when right guard Chris Gray wrapped up his career. Gray injured his back hitting a sled on the second day of training camp. He was told this weekend that the injury was more serious than originally thought and he would not be able to play this year.
Huskies backup tight end Chris Izbicki faces charges for drinking underage and trespassing. Cougar football single game tickets go on sale tomorrow morning. You read the official press release after the jump. It has the list of the games and the costs. Depending on the matchup, the cost of the ticket can vary. ...Tomorrow is the real deal, referees with flags, pads cracking and the fans in the stands of Qwest Field. The scrimmage is one of five chances for the coaches to see how position battles shake out and how the players react when the coaches aren't on the field with them. Considering all eleven defensive starters return this year, most of the emphasis is on the other side of the ball. The most heated battles are at the wide receiver and running back positions. Earlier in the week Coach Holmgren said the team normally retains eleven players between those two units, but with a loaded team who stays? ...Mike Holmgren said this morning that Seahawks rookie DT Red Bryant will undergo surgery on his left knee and will miss four to five weeks. That means Bryant will miss the rest of training camp. Bryant had surgery on his right knee at Texas A&M. Tough luck for the rookie, and a big loss for the development of the defensive front line. Larry Tripplett and Chris Copper will both see more reps. Bryant could be ready by the first regular season game. But as the 12th Man knows, missed practice time for rooks can't be undervalued. ... |
