Field Gulls

High Point/Low Point Of 2007 Seahawks Season?

SSreporters — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:02:36 -0000

We are just a measly 1 month away from seeing how Owen Schmitt and Leonard Weaver and TJ Duckett will run over people with ease (as well as moving the ball forwards when it's a running play).

I want to know from you, the highest point of last season for you, and the lowest point. It can be a game, a play, an injury, etc.

SSR's Highest Point: Have to say the Wild-Card game against the Redskins, when Marcus Trufant had the pick 6 to seal the game. Other candidates included the 42-21 thumping of Arizona to seal the NFC West, and the Lofa Tatupu interception festival in Philly.

Lowest Point: I'm so tempted to pick the game when Alexander fumbled away the chances of winning in Arizona, or the shutout against the Steelers, or even the follow-up performance against the Saints at home. However, the fact that the Seahawks couldn't pick up a 4th and short twice against one of the worst rushing defenses in the Cleveland Browns did it for me. That, and the fact that they blew a 21-9 lead.

Your turn.

OT: She is a woman possessed!

Shrug — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 05:18:39 -0000

Naturally I'm despairing about the Sonics buyout, but I don't have much to say personally about it. It was a fait accompli 2 years ago.

All I will say is that I clicked over to The Oklahoman newspaper website this evening. The #2 story in the "Top Viewed" list of Oklahoman stories was "Oklahoma City gets NBA team."

The #1 story was: "Dog sex tapes lead to arrests":

TULSA — A woman who was charged with committing felony crimes against nature was arrested this morning after police were notified of more than 150 homemade movies of the Tulsa County woman engaging in various sex acts with dogs.

Welcome to the big time, NBA.

Turns out Mack Strong is a gentleman

Chickadee — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:35:01 -0000

I work at the Spokane International Airport here in eastern Washington and checked this guy in for a flight this morning, and he was a literal big teddy bear. Apparently the guy was over here for a speaking engagement of some sorts. I had to ask him why he didn't wanna coach our runningbacks this year and do radio instead and he just blushed in a way and said, "Nah, it's not my kind of deal." Flattered, he seemed. I'm 6'3 and it seemed he was much my equal there but the mans' got some massive amounts of stud-meat on his arms, and a suprisingly whimpy handshake as it turns out, not to say he couldn't rip my head off for sure. Well, if you're out there Mack, you made my day a special one, if only a little, thanks big guy.

Holmgren's last season - Interesting article

SeaTownBlueDevil — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 01:36:10 -0000

Here's an article I found on SI.com about Holmgren and how the fact that this being his last season is going to affect our team

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/michael_lombardi/06/23/frankly.football/index.html?eref=T1

Filler

"It's raining cats and dogs!"

In the 1500s, houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof.

When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."

Jonathan Ogden to retire.

sammy — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:03:01 -0000

The end of an era is nigh.

words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words

We are losing to Swoop

Justise — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:59:36 -0000

Blitz is in competition for the most fierce mascot in the NFL, but we are currently losing.

http://www.sportsline.com/spin/story/10860772

Its just not right for us to lose to philly.

Strangely we are loosing by the same amount that we beat the St. Louis rams by, and they didn't even have a mascot. Is blitz that uncool?

http://www.sportsline.com/spin/story/10851296

So common guys, lets win this one for John. Or Scruffy.

Cedric Benson kicked to the curb...

abender20 — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:06:38 -0000

Let's just hope he can make it there without falling down. What kind of market is there for an underachieving 4th overall pick with some off the field issues?

And in lieu of useless verbiage to fill this... here is a brief introduction to a vital hormone in the human body (thanks Wiki)

Arginine vasopressin (AVP), also known as vasopressin, argipressin or antidiuretic hormone (ADH), is a hormone found in most mammals, including humans.[1] The primary effect of vasopressin is to increase water reabsorption in the kidneys.

Vasopressin is a peptide hormone. It is derived from a preprohormone precursor that is synthesized in the hypothalamus and stored in vesicles at the posterior pituitary. Most of it is stored in the posterior pituitary to be released into the blood stream; some of it is also released directly into the brain.

Strahan Retires Officially

Matthew — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:33:56 -0000

AP Story Link

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Seven-time Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan retired Monday after a 15-year NFL career with the New York Giants that was capped by a Super Bowl title four months ago.

Wasn't this expected? I know there was lots of talk of him retiring before this past season and with the Super Bowl win it seemed logical to me that it would come up again. Go out on top and all that.

Which WR is going to step up?

ciarannh — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:28:52 -0000

With Deion Branch certain to miss at least four games and Hackett leaving for Carolina, we seem really weak at wideout. With Burleson and Engram the only experienced WRs left on the roster of a team that likes 4 wideout spreads, we're bound to see a lot of Ben Obamanu, Jordan Kent, Courtney Taylor and possibly Logan Payne. I was initially really bothered that we didn't take a WR like Steve Johnson with the sixth or seventh pick, focusing on a problem LS position instead. However, if Mike Holmgren thinks that the aforementioned young talent can make the step up then who am I to argue! That being said, who does everyone think is most likely to make an impact this year? Obamanu seems the obvious choice, as he's seen the most snaps. However, if Kent has developed into a solid route runner and consistent ball catcher, his mixture of size and blazing speed could be a huge asset.

Poll

Who's going to make the biggest impact?

Boys extend Owens

michaelfox99 — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:42:33 -0000

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3423170

The cowboys major deals since last offseason now include: Romo, Owens, Barber, Newman, Pacman, and Flozelle Adams since last offseason.

Compare that with the Hawks major deals: Locklear, Tatupu, Trufant, Julius Jones, Wahle

The Hawks and Cowboys have been the only two consistently excellent teams in the NFC the past few years. The other good NFC teams the last few years have been up and down (Saints, Bears, Packers, Giant, Eagles, Bucs). Both teams have improved over the offseason and not given up much. Although everyone thinks the Vikings are the hottest thing since the big bang, they don't have a good QB. People seem to confuse 'young' and 'going to be great next year' way too often. Anyhow, it stands to reason that Dallas is the team to beat in the NFC this year. Compounding this reality is the fact that the Hawks and Cowboys are going to play this season... A matchup that has been in the hawks favor in recent years.

The Cowboys have the most talent in the NFC but they are their own worst enemies. Tank Johnson, Pacman Jones, Terrell Owens, Ken Hamlin, and others have well documented off-field troubles. This sort of character depravity makes Jerry Jones look like a shrewd genius when the team is winning. Of course, should the Cowboys start off the year with, say, three wins and four losses, we all know what will happen. Owens will start crying about touches. Tank Johnson will shoot someone. Pacman will shoot someone. The list goes on... These guys will chew each other out because they just aren't team players.

The Hawks, on the other hand, are a high character bunch and will not self destruct if things don't start out perfectly. last year's 4-4 start is a good example, as well as two years ago with all the injuries.

I keep hearing stuff about Jerry Jones doing all these big-money signings because of a potential uncapped year approaching and a bunch of other loopholes. I haven't heard a fully coherent explanation though. I hope this isn't turning into a MLB/Yankees type of situation. Letting Jones buy all the top talent will make for a lot of unexciting Sundays.

Broncos release Travis Henry

xSAMx — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:06:58 -0000

I was really suprised to here this actually considering the Broncos don't care about character. You can just look at last years draft if you don't believe me. They cut him because they questioned his commitment to the team. I bet a team like the Cowboys will pick up, he would go along nicely with TO, Pacman Jones, and Tank Jonhson. I have to respect the Broncos for doing this though, especially with the contract they signed him for last year.

Vanderjagt to the CFL?

abender20 — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 02:43:00 -0000

I found it strange last year when Mike Vanderjagt was suddenly cut by the Cowboys, but I find this even stranger: he just signed with the Toronto Argonauts after being unable to find work in the NFL. What happened to him? After being a premier kicker with the Colts and signing a big deal with the Dallas Jerry Joneses, I'm still stunned about this. If Seattle signed Mare over him, then obviously someone out there knows something that I don't. Is his leg done, or did he just get booted from the NFL fraternity after running his mouth a few too many times?

Bucs resign Jeramy Stevens

xSAMx — Fri, 30 May 2008 23:48:33 -0000

I have to why they would want to resign Jeramy Stevens considering they already have capable tight ends. Everyone who follows the Seahawks knows this guy is a thug. The suprising thing about this is that the Bucs released a QB (I'm not going to write his name because jis name is incredibly long). I have to ask why would anyone want Stevens on their roster. I would never let a player like Stevens on my football team no matter how good they are. If it was up to me, he would be out of football.

Seahawks not likely to return to playoffs - Yahoo

clamslayer — Sun, 25 May 2008 22:15:41 -0000

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AiFaPUQkjM3Iup4W1OyUboyW2bYF?slug=sixnflteamsunlikelytomak&prov=tsn&type=lgns

The section:

Seattle Seahawks With coach Mike Holmgren entering his final year on the sideline and the team’s next head coach (Jim Mora) already working in the building, there’s a strange vibe coming out of Seattle. Shaun Alexander, the league MVP in 2005, is long gone, and the hole in the left side of the line that was created by the departure of Steve Hutchinson in 2006 is still there.

The rest of the team seems stagnant, in a division with three other squads that could be getting better. If only one of them delivers, the Seahawks will lose their hold on the NFC West.

My point of view:

Mike Wahle? New stud RBs? Team stagnant? Locking up team leaders, great defensive talent for a long time to come, qb in his prime, motivation of Holmgren's last hurrah...

I was shocked to read that paragraph.

Matt Ryan stands to become the richest athlete EVER.

Phildopip — Tue, 20 May 2008 22:30:56 -0000

Just check out ESPN.com's feed to my Google page from today:

via i72.photobucket.com

Random 75 word fact o' the day:

Math rock is a rhythmically complex, guitar-based style of experimental rock music. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic dissonant that emerged in the late structures (including irregular stopping and starting), angular melodies, and chords.

A closely-related genre is post-rock, into which some of the same bands are classified; post-rock, however, tends to feature a "jazzier" drumming style. In many cases, post-rock is less technical, though this is not necessarily the case. As well, the dissonance common to many math rock bands is not as common in the post-rock genre (though it is still very present in some of the music).

Lofa Tatupu issues an apology

12thman — Wed, 14 May 2008 01:33:28 -0000

As taken from Seahawks.com

Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu has released the following comments regarding the events of this past weeked.

"I want to apologize to my family, teammates, the Seahawks ownership and organization, and the fans for making a poor decision and putting myself in a bad situation. I take seriously my role as a leader on this team, and in the community, and because of that I'm disappointed and embarrassed by the level of poor judgment I used last weekend. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. This will never happen again, and I hope through hard work on and off the field to begin earning your respect and trust again."

I believe this may end up having a positive effect on the entire team. Lofa knows he is in the doghouse with the coaching staff, management, and especially the fans. I bet he's really ashamed of himself right now. What better way to put this behind him than to redouble his efforts and put even more focus into football.

I'm almost hoping he has to miss a game for this. This is a serious problem, and we cannot have public figures and role models for young athletes going out and making these kind of mistakes. I would like to see Lofa talking to children about the dangers of drinking and driving in the future. A single game suspension would send a clear signal as to the gravity of his mistake.

Maybe D.D. can have one start this season...

Lofa Tatupu Allegedly Arrested For DUI

primetime 07 — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:26:20 -0000

I can't find many details on this yet. There's no confirmation so it's just a rumor at this point, but apparently Lofa was arrested on a DUI .

He apparently blew a .15.

This would be a pretty terrible situation. Goodell is getting rough on players who are violating rules. Especially rules that have a system in place where they should never happen. Teams have drivers available to all the players. Maybe it's just something I will never understand.

Anyone else have anymore details about the arrest?

The Real West Coast Offense

silkybrown — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:47:25 -0000

I am really excited about the upcoming season because I think baseball sucks and I don't really care who I offend when I say that. (No offense)

I don't like the fact that we let DJ Hackett get away. With Branch recovering from a major knee operation, I think we are too thin at wide receiver. We are one more injured receiver away from a disaster that could derail our season. But....who really knows if Hackett could "hack-it" and stay healthy for an entire season.

Many were upset and frustrated when Ruskell traded D Jax to the San Francisco From Behinders, but now he looks pretty smart for doing so. Hopefully he'll look smart again, though I wish D.J. the best.

On to my point. I think this year has the potential to be the most exciting year on offensive that we will ever see during the Holmgren era in Seattle. The reasons are simple. We will see the most complete version of the West Coast Offense since Holmgren arrived here.

Reason #1.

Our offensive line has improved drastically in both guard positions by only adding 1 player in Mike Wahle. He is a big upgrade at LG, while Simms replacing Gray is addition by subtraction. I like Chris Gray and appreciate what he's done for this team, but he just isn't quick enough and doesn't have a good burst anymore.

Reason #2.

We have a player at the running back position who is a legitimate receiving threat out of the backfield. This is why Julius Jones was really signed, in my opinion. I don't think people realize how many more offensive plays and options we now have because we have a guy with reliable hands in the backfield. Teams didn't have to scheme against that when Shaun Alexander was in the game, the way teams would have to if they were playing against someone like a Michael Westbrook of the Eagles. Julius Jones probably won't run great between the tackles, but if we can throw the ball to him in the open field in a one-on-one situation, I like the odds of him making his defender miss and turning it into a big play. I imagine he can probably block better than Shaun Alexander....shoot, I'm pretty sure he can block better than Shaun Alexander. We will also be able to run more screen plays. T.J. Duckett can run between the tackles when needed.

Reason #3.

Our tight-end position is hopefully taken care of for the next 10 years now. I believe John Carlson will be the real deal. I truly trust the coaching staff and the front office with this pick. If he is as good as the coaches think he'll be, teams better look out. Why? BECAUSE IF TEAMS ARE FORCED TO DEFEND THE FLAT AGAINST JULIUS JONES, WE WILL BEGIN TO SEE THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD OPEN UP....completed passes to the tight-end for 18 yards.....I love the thought of that.

Reason #4

Though I have my doubts, I hope Holmgren will take more chances since this is his last hurrah. He has nothing to lose. I have to give Mike credit though, as he has gambled on a lot more 4th and short type plays than he used to....and I have to say I pretty much agree with almost every gamble he made. It's just too bad our rushing attack for the last 3 years has been such a joke. Our crappy line play and just as crappy rushing desire made Holmgren's decisions look bad. (See playoff loss to the Bears because we can't convert 1 yard plays.) My beef with Holmgren has always been that he can be too predictable and conservative with his play calling. Now that he has some more viable options, perhaps that will change.

I would still feel better if the Seahawks could pick up a solid veteran Wide Receiver before the season starts. That would remove practically any doubts I have about the success of our offense this year.

The sky is the limit Seahawk fans. What do you think?

Great Article about Paul Allen

SeaTownBlueDevil — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:54:21 -0000

For anyone who hasn't read it yet, this is an old article about Paul Allen from a Sports Illustrated issue from last year that I thought was pretty cool. It basically just talks about the crazy rich guy that is our beloved owner.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/the_bonus/11/27/paul.allen1203/index.html

And this may or may not be news to some people, but SI.com's Seahawks page is nice if you're looking for up-to-date articles about the Hawks from different news sources. Let me know if anyone has any better sites.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/teams/seahawks/

Acknowledging a struggle

jimmimoose — Sun, 11 May 2008 16:55:26 -0000

So I'm curious. For many, many years my sports allegiance ran first and foremost to baseball, and the Seattle Mariners. I lived and died with baseball, and the thing I wanted more than anything in the sporting world was a World Series victory.

I've by no means given up on the Mariners as a franchise, I love baseball, and I'll never stop pulling for them. But over the last few years, watching a shrewd and resourceful front office like the Seahawks possess artfully construct a competitive team, I've really come to love and watch football with a much greater passion than I ever thought possible.

This isn't all about winning and making the playoffs, though I'll readily admit that that plays a part. But I'm so tired of the horrid steps and jumps backwards that the evil and charismatic Mr. Bavasi makes as a matter of course. With this Mariner season already likely on the skids, I find myself still watching and following the team, but already shifting a little interest over to football. I'm anticipating the 'Hawks so early this year....

I guess I'm just slowly shifting priorities. I'll never abandon either franchise, I'm not saying that at all. I'm just looking forward to the Seahawks so much more than the Mariners that it isn't really even a competition anymore. Is anybody else going through this transformation? Obviously we're all Seahawks fans (seattlesucks notwithstanding!), but I'm curious how passionately people follow one sport or the other, and how that might be different than 5 years ago. Do we have any other converts from die-hard baseball fans to revelers of the fusball?

Damn, I just can't wait to watch our defense this year....