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 Jim Zorn, the wildly entertaining quarterback who thrilled the Seahawks fans that first season in 1976, has slithered away into the night. He being the icon of Seahawk's lore, who passed through the black vortex of evil and landed in Snyder's den. What will Matt Hasselbeck do? How will fans react? The cry out for number 10, falls on deaf ears. The era of change and uncertainty is coming. Mike Holmgren declared 2008 to be his final season as Seahawks coach. Wide receivers coach Nolan Cromwell and quality control coach Gary Reynolds have left to take jobs at Texas A&M. Bill Laveroni has been fired. Ray Rhodes is expected to join the Houston Texans. Now Zorn, 54, who many projected that he would become offensive coordinator after Holmgren passes the reins over to Jim Mora, has also moved on to another team. Let's put this into perspective. Cromwell, Reynolds and Zorn left to accept promotions. Rhodes wants to finish his career near his home in Texas. They are doing what is best for their families and their career. This is expected. Laveroni earned his way to the soup line. There has been speculation in the press, that Jim Zorn with an offer in hand, met with Seahawks officials to see if he would get an extension. He received no promises so he agreed to become the offensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins. You know, this is the team where the power of the spirits of Sean Taylor failed them. Jim Zorn thrilled us with his scrambling ability and his flair for lofting passes to Steve Largent during our inaugural season of 1976 and beyond. He is one of the more revered athletes this town has seen. The majority believes he could not fail. However, we do not know if he will become a good offensive coordinator. Holmgren will find a capable replacement for the coach of the quarterbacks. The walrus is one of the premiere evaluators of quarterbacks in the NFL and is astute enough to hire the "right" QB coach. This is best to have him select someone now, rather then to choose someone after Holmgren retires. I am happy and sad for Jim Zorn. I am glad that he has the opportunity to elevate his coaching career in the NFL. I am sad for him to have to languish within the insane asylum that is the Washington Redskins. Snyder - how did someone so stupid, ever find a way to get rich? It must be from inheritance. As long as Snyder is at the helm, that franchise will wallow in urine. As for the Seahawks, we will be fine. The majestic headquarters and training facility is due to open this June which will be enticing to prospective free agents. Paul Allen's money will ensure great facilities and provide sufficient payment for the best in coaches. Tim Ruskell will continue to find gems in the draft and bring in veterans to maintain our competitive edge. We will have Mike Holmgren for one more push for that Super Bowl win. We have a fine future coach in Jim Mora who is receiving the best in mentoring from "The Walrus". Jim, beware of Ouija boards delivered from a shipper with the initials of S.T. Gladiator Hawk Labels: Coach, GladiatorHawk, Zorn  There is a buzz going around with the membership of SeahawkBlue. The Rams are coming to town, signaling that it is SeahawkBlue Reunion Weekend again! This year is certain to be bigger, better and louder than last year's highly successful reunion. Following last year's inaugeral Return to the Motherland Reunion, videos of the event were posted. The feedback was enormous. No one wants to be left out this year. For the second consecutive year, SeahawkBlue will be roasting a full lamb at our tailgate party near Qwest. What a spectacle that was to watch our resident member Watchdog look in horror to find his dearly beloved - roasted. Did I mentioned that WatchDog is a Ram's fan? Who's going to take the Orange Cat's TV away? A contest has been brewing for a few weeks now. The prize is a 32 inch HD television! The member needs to be present to win. The winning member must be on the bus that transports the group to the bar for the Saturday night party. Btw, I (GladiatorHawk) will be taking the Cat's TV away. Since echoed by 100 others. Our creed at SeahawkBlue - no subscription fees, no advertising, and no popup ads! SeahawkBlue has rented a bus that will depart from our undisclosed hotel and transport us to an exclusive high end bar where members will meet and greet and drink in a banquet room reserved solely for us. The bus will transport the members back. The bus will have "refreshments". The bar will have appetizers. All at no cost to the membership. As a special treat, a representative will be on hand for the Saturday evening party to interview the members and admins of SeahawkBlue. They have recognized the extraoradinary growth of this popular fan site. We have come a long way from what was originally just a practical joke by the founder. You will have to ask him about that one. On Saturday we are off to the greens for a golf tournament. Seven groups of four will venture out into the elements of wet sunshine to determine the team championship of SeahawkBlue golf. We just ask Tfer to not dress in plaid this year. The founder of SeahawkBlue purchased 4 blocks of tickets so that a contingent of 60 members could sit together in the stadium. Many more members who had their own tickets will be in attendence also. Planning for such extraordinary events was complex and challenging. Beginning with PayPal. Pal my ass. One member entered a joke for the description of payment for the tickets and PayPal froze the account. Let it be known, the fight to re-open the account is ongoing. Beware of trusting this internet payment bafoon of a company. Be on the lookout out for videos and pictures of these events following this weekend. Don't you wish you were a member of SeahawkBlue? Gladiator Hawk Labels: GladiatorHawk, Return to the Motherland, SeahawkBlue Reunion  A mobile television camera falls from the sky and narrowly misses Matt Hasselbeck. Is it not bad enough that he has to dodge blitzing linebackers? Could the desperate and winless New Orleans Saints be taking a page out of the Patriots strategy book? Did they conspire to damage the guide cables to the mobile camera in an attempt to maim Matt Hasselbeck? The camera came within a few feet from hitting our franchise quarterback. The technicians followed that up by swinging the camera back into the air and narrowly missing the entire Seahawks Huddle as it flung skyward. Could those technicians be the displaced Katrina victims from New Orleans? NFL officials intervened by sending both teams to the sidelines and the game was delayed for several minutes. How rewarding it was for advertisers and to the delight of the television network who reaped additional advertising dollars. An obviously flustered Seahawk quarterback was off target on several throws following this incident. The Seahawks dug themselves another large hole this week. Yes the past 2 weeks have been far from satisfying. Blog posters from all over the Seahawk Universe are venting. Mike98541 on Seahawks Insider says the Seahawks will not win another home game. Yeah right. You won't find that here. With Seahawk Positivity here at SeahawkBlue, we can will the team to victory. Moses says so, and SeahawkBlue believes in our team. Here at Seahawkblue we are confident the Hawks will right the ship and run off a long victory streak. This is but a bump in the road. The cupboards are stocked with talent. There are a host of experienced coaches and former coordinators. The injured are returning. Josh Wilson is back. Hackett is on the sidelines practicing. Weaver is demonstrating that he is capable of filling in for Mack Strong. The players will dig deep down. They have the heart of champion and they will come up swinging. SeahawkBlue will be there in attendence to see it. Our second annual reunion begins on Saturday with a golf tournament and an exclusive Saturday night party. On Sunday we will once again be roasting an entire lamb at the tailgate party in the parking lot just like last year. Half hour prior to kickoff our group will head to the stadium to cheer our team to victory. Look for the SeahawkBlue banners and the sweet smell of roasting lamb and come join us. Go Seahawks!!! Gladiator Hawk Labels: GladiatorHawk, Network Camera Scandal, Return to the Motherland, SeahawkBlue Reunion  Trader Ruskell is at it again! Tim has been very active in his efforts to load up team Seattle for the present and for the future. The G.M. hung out at Dick's Drive In, contemplating what to order from the menu and what to throw back. He tossed out the Fish(er) burger to the hovering seagulls and ordered up a large round of spicey Frye(s). Coach Holmgren has never not had a 3rd QB during his tenure as coach...until now. He has vowed the team would be getting that 3rd quarterback soon and it happened today. Charley Frye was obtained from the Cleveland Browns with what has been reported to be a 6th round pick. Charley Frye has experience starting 19 games for the Browns in the last 2 plus seasons. At 6-4 218 pounds he can see over the linemen with ease. The college scouting report on Fry says he has good vision and is very mobile. The report says he has above average overall accuracy from the pocket and on the move. Shows a soft touch and displays good timing on his throws. Reads coverages well and makes a lot of checks at the line. Fast and elusive on the run but must secure the ball better. He has been timed with a 4.64 forty and benched 330 pounds. Intelligence measured with a 38 on Wonderlic. Playing for Cleveland, he was an accurate passer (63%) which says alot for working behind that woeful Cleveland offensive line. The Jets, Falcons, Giants and Panthers have all had discussions with the Browns regarding the acquiring of Frye. To pave the way for adding a third quarterback to the roster, the Seahawks traded away fan favorite Bryce Fisher to the Tennessee Titans for an undisclosed draft choice. Fisher, recently lost his starter position to Kerney first and then competed with Darryl Tapp for starting the right side defensive end position, ultimately losing out to Tapp. Fisher did not ask for a trade. He was the consumate professional accepting his role. Bryce was a vital cog to the rotation at defensive end though. His loss of leadership and experience will be felt. Recently acquired Jason Babin and Baraka Atkins, will provide depth at defensive end. Fisher was acknowledged as the best run defender at defensive end for the Hawks. Note the NFL salary cap was not a motive in either trade as the Seahawks have $8.5 million available under the cap. Gladiator Hawk Labels: Frye, GladiatorHawk, Quarterback  The orchestrator of the West Coast Offense has lost his battle to leukemia at the age of 75. Bill Walsh, the revered coach who revolutionized offenses into precision scoring teams and caused panic among defensive coaches, will forever be immortalized as a wizard among coaches. Knute Rockne, Vince Lombardie and now Bill Walsh will stand up as coaches that changed the game of football - RIP. Mistaken by many as the innovator of the West Coast Offense. In reality he built the schemes based upon the teachings of Al Davis, Paul Brown and Sid Gilman. He then added his own innovations such as short dropbacks and unique receiving routes. He borrowed ideas and then perfected them. Coach Walsh rejuvenated a pathetic San Francisco team that went 2-14 prior to his arrival and transformed them into a perennial 3 time Super Bowl winner and owner of a 102-63-1 won/loss record. Mike Holmgren, coach of the Seahawks runs the most purist form of the West Coast Offense today and it is quite fitting for him to offer up his remembrance of Walsh. Coach Holmgren says of Walsh, "For me personally, he gave me my chance to coach in the NFL. He took a chance on me. I was four years removed from high school and that usually doesn’t work that way. He was hard on me and I was mad at him a fair amount as an assistant coach. Looking back on it now, he was my mentor and then later in the years he became my friend.". Ty Willingham coach of University of Washington, “The world lost a great man in Bill Walsh. He had a tremendous impact on me, both personally and professionally. Coaches throughout all levels of football have lost an innovator and teacher who had a truly significant impact on the game. Very few people will be able to say they were able to change the course of history. Bill’s development in the minority coaching program at the collegiate and professional levels literally changed the face of football. His sphere of influence was significantly greater than any coach of his time. He will truly be missed.”. The Bill Walsh legacy is littered throughout the NFL. From ESPN, "Even a short list of Walsh's adherents is stunning. Seifert, Mike Holmgren, Dennis Green, Sam Wyche, Ray Rhodes and Bruce Coslet all became NFL head coaches after serving on Walsh's San Francisco staffs, and Tony Dungy played for him. Most of his former assistants passed on Walsh's structures and strategies to a new generation of coaches, including Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden, Brian Billick, Andy Reid, Pete Carroll, Gary Kubiak, Steve Mariucci and Jeff Fisher.". Walsh has been credited for popularizing the scripting of plays, use of laminated play sheets, and for the style of drills used in today's practices. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1993. He was a broadcaster, general manager, friend, husband and father. He will be missed..... Gladiator Hawk Labels: Bill Walsh, Coach, GladiatorHawk  In 1982, the Seattle Seahawks had not yet reached puberty in the NFL. Never having sniffed the playoffs, this franchise took a major step backward in perhaps one of the worse blunders in NFL trading history - trading Tony Dorsett for a package of stiffs. In that fateful year of 1982, Joe Paterno and the Penn State Nittany Lions raced to National Championship primarily through the accomplishments of one - Curt Warner. Most analysts of the day, had compared him to Dorsett. As luck would have it, the Seahawks were in position to make Warner their first round pick that year. Curt Warner had a brilliant rookie campaign accumulating 1449 rushing yards, 42 receptions for another 335 yards, and scoring 14 touchdowns. The team made the playoffs for the first time in team history with a 9-7 record. Seattle faced Denver and then Miami, beating them both to earn an AFC Championship berth versus the Oakland Raiders. A franchise achievement never matched or exceeded until the 2005 team reached the Super Bowl. The 5'11" 205 pound rookie running back was annoited as the AFC Offensive Player of the Year and earned his first of three Pro Bowl selections. After the tenth carry of following season he sustained an ACL injury to his knee. Although he never fully regained his elite speed and elusiveness, he did manage to recuperate and return to complete a 7.5 year career playing his last 7 games for the St Louis Rams. He held the team record for most yards in a single game with 207 yards against the Chiefs in 1983, since broken by Shaun Alexander in 2001. Games 100 Rushing Attempts 1698 Rushing Yards 6844 Rushing TDs 56 Receptions 193 Receiving Yards 1467 Receiving TDs 7 The organization recognized his achievements in 1994 by inducting him into the Seahawks Ring of Honor. Where is he now? Curt and his wife Ana have 3 sons: Jonathon 14, and 13 year old twins Austin and Christian and reside in Vancouver Washington. He is the owner and operator of Curt Warner Chevrolet in Vancouver. He enjoys playing golf particularly in charity events. He has participated in Athletes for Autism charity golf outing last year. He does watch NFL games and follows the Seahawks. Reviled rivalry - Da Raiders. Al Davis and the Raider attitude set the stage for some heated battles, he says. Access to memorabilia? I had the opportunity to speak with Curt Warner on the phone in June of 2006. He said he is very open to penning his name on pictures, jerseys, footballs, and other items. Just drive down to his car dealership in Vancouver Washington and inquire. An item or two is acceptable whereas a dozen is going over the line. I'm sure he would even autograph the new car you bought from his dealership. Born as Curtis Edward Warner on March 18, 1961. Starred at Pineville High School West Virginia and Penn State University. Gladiator Hawk Labels: GladiatorHawk, Memorabilia, Running back, Warner, Where are they now  The Nigerian Nightmare !!! Born in Nigeria, he was dubbed the Nigerian Nightmare for his ability to terrorize NFL defenses. Remember when the Seahawks were in the AFC West and they had to oppose him? I recall thinking how it seemed unfair that the Chiefs had this bulldozer for a running back. How do you tackle a guy like that? We were fortunate to have Commodore Cortez (Kennedy) in the middle of that defensive line. Christian Okoye earned several Pro Bowl berths while starring for the Kansas City Chiefs in the late 80's and early 90's. In 1989 he led the NFL with 1480 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was virtually unstoppable on 3rd down and 1 yard to go, as was Alexander in 2005, running behind the likes of Jones and Hutch. I'm running here, you might want to get out of the way if you don't want to get hurt. Where is he now? I recently learned that Christian Okoye was cast as one of the swashbucklers on the reality tv show called Pirate Master. Anyone ever watch Pirate Master? I have never seen this show. Okoye at 45, was the oldest cast member. What NFL defenders were incapable of doing that his fellow cast members could ..... push the 270 pound Okoye back for a loss. The Nigerian Nightmare was booted out of the game after only 6 days on the ship. The final scene was of Okoye floating on a plank of wood in the darkness of the open ocean with nothing but a lamp. This compares very closely to the treatment that Gene Upshaw and the NFL Players Association has displayed to it's retired players from the 60's, 70's and 80's. None of the other contestants was aware of his career in the NFL while he was on the show. This was what he wanted. If they asked he would have offered an honest offer. At Pirate's Court Okoye elicited a speech very similiar the leadership he conveyed on the football field. "Fellow pirates. I love you guys, I love this ship," said Christian. "You know, many people have been complaining about the money they've been getting, that the portions are not very fair. The captain should make sure that his crew are happy. If you choose me to be the captain, I will not take 50%. I will not take 40%. I will not take 30%. If I don't make my crew happy, I'm not doing my job. So captain... How do you run the ship?" Okoye grew up in Nigeria and venture to the United States to attend college at tiny Azusa Pacific. He want on to star for the Kansas City Chiefs. Since retiring, he has founded the Christian Okoye Foundation. This is a charitible organization chartered to capture the passion that children have for sports. His foundation draws upon at-risk under-priviledges youths to participate in hosted athletic clinics. He also owns a health and fitness clinic that sells protein powders and multi-vitamins. Barry Bonds is not a member of his clientele. Apparently Barry seeks other products. Christian likes to jog, lift weights and golf. He presently resides in Rancho Cucumonga California. Gladiator Hawk Labels: Entertainment, GladiatorHawk, NFL, Okoye  Finally after many long hours of practice and fortitude, their hopes and dreams have been fulfilled. These lovely ladies will be gracing the football fields as our SeaGals of 2007. Welcome ladies. Representing SeahawkBlue is our own member, Nicole who once again will be seen on the sidelines on Sundays and volunteering at countless charities throughout the year. Top Row (L to R): Tina, Tessa, Jessica N, Jenny, Andrea, Georgia, Loren, Marianne, Heidi, Stephanie 2nd Row: Sharon, Kristi, Amanda, Nicole, Kylee, Amy, Miranda, Becki, Kristin Front Row: Jessica T, Kathy, Yvonne, Melanie, Lindsay, Shelly, Katie W, Katie A, Natalie Gladiator Hawk[Comments taken in SeahawkBlue Forums] Labels: GladiatorHawk, SeaGals  This week we have been taking a look at profiling players that could be selected by the Seahawks draft team. Previously profiled players can be accessed here... Gladiator Profiled for Seahawks - Tight End Gladiator Profiled for Seahawks - Cornerback Gladiator Profiled for Seahawks - Guard Gladiator Profiled for Seahawks - Defensive Tackle Let's have some fun and expand this out to a "6-pack" pool of targets that Ruskell most likely would be considering when selecting players from that draft slot. Players in bold would indicate the preferred player from that round's pool of players. Second Round (55) DE LeMarr Woodley (Team leader, nasty, hard worker) Video DT Justin Harrell (Trade-up necessary, leader, plays run well, good tackler) Video DE Ikaika Alama-Francis (Phenomenal athlete, very quick for his size) Video TE Zack Miller (Superb hands, good YAC, very physical, doubtful to slip to 55) Video CB Marcus McCauley (Tall, athletic, fast, good tackler and supports run well) Video DE Charles Johnson (Super job versus the run) Video Third Round (85) DT Brandon Mebane (Disruptive penetrator who collapses pocket, top motor and intangibles) OG Andy Alleman (Hard worker, great motor with nasty attitude, former DT) OG Josh Beekman (Hard worker, good character, would be solid player) DT Quinn Pitcock (Extremely strong, sound, very good versus the run) LB Quincy Black (Outstanding athlete with great instincts, can blitz and cover) DE Dan Bazuin (Aggressive, instinctive and smart, a little small for DE) Fourth Round (120) CB Courtney Brown (Tall, fast, athletic, leaper, good special teams player) TE Kevin Boss (Excellent hands, solid size, good speed, good blocker) LB HB Blades (Related to Brian, team leader, versatile, good tackler) C Leroy Harris (4 year starter also played both guard spots) DT Jay Alford (Can penetrate and make plays behind line) RB Brandon Jackson (Excellent vision, runs inside and outside well, good receiver) Fifth Round (161) DB John Wendling (Very athletic, leaper, very fast for size) DT Derek Landri (can rush the passer inside) TE Michael Allan (Raw, good hands, athletic) CB Usama Young (Good size and speed, solid tackler, impressed Hawks) LB Dallas Sartz (Instinctive, good range, very good special teamer) CB CJ Gaddis (Good ball skills, size and speed, good tackler) Sixth Round (197 and 210) CB Tim Mixon (Smart, good instincts, breaks up a lot of passes) OG Tim Duckworth (Strong, powerful, better at the run than pass) FB Le'ron McClain (He's a load, very good lead blocker) FB Cory Anderson (Explosive, good athlete, great blocker, can catch) OG Mike Jones (Nasty, good technician, very experienced) WR David Ball (Broke Jerry Rice's TD record) Seventh Round (232) RB Jackie Battle (Great Pro Day, strong and fast) C Dustin Fry (Mauler in the run game, can play multiple positions) WR Syndric Steptoe (Very good return skills) DE Mkristo Bruce (Intense, strong, leader in the clubhouse) TE Daniel Coates (Blocking specialist) OG Dan Santucci (Nasty, hard worker, smart, has upside) Gladiator Hawk [Comments taken in SeahawkBlue Forums] Labels: draft, GladiatorHawk  One of the key missing ingredients last year was identified when Tubbs absent during games last year. In Mike Sando's blog, he eloquently pointed out much more inferior the defense was in stopping the run when Tubbs was out. In his story Weighing Tubbs Impact the Seahawks gave up 42 yards more per game and .99 yards more per carry when Tubbs was sidelined. The quality at defensive tackles trails off sharply after the top 3 DTs are taken in the draft. The Seahawks would be wise to put a bulls eye on Justin Harrell and trade up towards the top of round 2 to fit him for a Seahawks uniform. The Tennessee Volunteer is tough as nails will play through pain as demonstrated when he put the team first playing rival Florida with a ruptured biceps tendon. He is quick and explosive at the snap. His stats cloak his true value because he will occupy two blockers at the line of scrimmage, freeing up teammates to close in for the tackle. Justin is an outstanding at containing inside running plays. He has very good change of direction agility and can split double teams. His very strong weight room ethic, team first attitude, and battles until the whistle, which is why teammates look to Harrell for leadership. He needs to work on his pass rushing, although he does show effective rip and club moves to penetration to the quarterback. He could improve his techniques with his hand placement to prevent blockers from getting underneath his pads. Package pick #55 with a player on the trading block, and Harrell will bring great value to the organization. Meet your defensive tackle of the future -- Justin Harrell. Gladiator Hawk [Comments taken in SeahawkBlue Forums] Labels: defensive tackle, draft, GladiatorHawk  In our third installment of Gladiator Profiled for Seahawks, we turn our attention to the cornerback position. The buildup in the defensive secondary is quite evident already with the Hawks adding 2 safeties in Deon Grant and Brian Russell. Mike Holmgren has cited in this interview that he could use another cornerback. The best fit for adding a cornerback would be Marcus McCauley a physical open field tackler with a reputation for taking on powerful running backs while also displaying the quickness needed to shut down speedy wide receivers. McCauley is big and fast, however he will be drafted in the 2nd round unfortunately. NFL teams have a preference for running towards the left side of the defense. The coaching staff should investigate returning Trufant to his former role of left cornerback and swap Jennings to the right side. Hugh Millen has stated on KJR radio that at the end of the season, Jennings weight was in the 160s, a bit slight for a DB trying take on a running back at full steam, hence the move to the other side for him. No truth to the rumor that when Jennings turns sideways, he's mistaken for one of the yardlines. Trufant is in his free agent contract year and there is a need to prepare for the future as Trufant could walk following this season. Usama Young offers great value as the Seahawks second pick (think trade) in the 4th round. Young is quick, has a solid frame and is a sure-handed tackler. He stands 5-11 weighs 195 and can fly through a 40 yard dash in 4.4 seconds. Young fits the mold for what the Seahawks need in the draft at cornerback. The Seattle Seahawks draft team came away very impressed after a recent visit with Usama. An accomplished defender albeit from a smaller school. Ruskell says that the Hawks are fortunate to have no glaring holes, so they have the opportunity to select players that they can develop into starters. Usama Young has plenty of game experience since becoming a starter in his freshman season and finishing with 37 starts in 45 games. He is considered to be a shutdown corner and has great special teams potential. Has the Ruskell work ethic desired and demonstrated by him putting forth the extra hours for game preparation. He could be more aggressive tracking the ball in flight. However he is a smart and instinctive player who can make the quick reads and instantly react to the play. Maintains good position on the receiver in man coverage. Has good recovery speed and turns with precision when looking for the ball. He is very effective in keeping plays in front of him playing in the zone and explodes out of his breaks to stay tight with the receiver. He needs to build on his strength and play with more aggression when competing for the ball in a crowd. H is not considered a ball hawk. Introduce him to DB specialist coach Jim Mora, and he will develop into a very effective starter in the future. Meet your new cornerback of the future -- Usama Young. Gladiator Hawk [Comments taken in SeahawkBlue Forums] Labels: cornerback, draft, GladiatorHawk  In our second installment of Gladiator Profiled for Seahawks, we turn our attention to the big uglies - offensive guard. Games are won and lost in the battle in the trenches. Our once formidable line is now ordinary, talented and young...yes, but in need of another ugly. The best fit would be Ben Grubbs. Ben has power, intensity and athletic ability to be that next great dominant guard. He has good size at 310 pounds and great quickness. Seahawks expect their blockers to fan out in pass protections more than most teams, and getting to the second level defenders. They must have the athletic ability to excel in pulls and traps. This is where Grubbs is outstanding. Unfortunately he will be Tubbs opponent on game day. Ruskell would do well to trade and move up in the draft and he will, but the target will not be Grubbs. That is a topic for another day. With Gray and Womack returning, the offensive line has a year to prepare the rookie for action. Argue if you will, however slotting a rookie with 2 other youngsters with only 16 starts between them in the interior, would cause opposing defenses to salivate. Andy Alleman out Akron offers great value out in the 3rd round. He is projected to be selected at 77-90. He fits the mold for what the Seahawks need in the draft at offensive guard. Like Grubbs, Alleman is a former defensive lineman converted to guard and yes, he brings a little nasty to the line. He is a bit raw, however he will have the time to be groomed for his future role. Another small school prospect, but Ruskell has stated that they have no glaring needs thus providing the options to take players that they could develop into productive starters. Alleman, developed his game growing up in the hotbed of football factories in Massillon Ohio, has been tabbed as one of the nations workout freaks. Alleman played right guard for Akron, struggled a bit early in 2006 and came on strong in the last half of the season. Alleman can explode off the line and has the lateral slide agility to get out on the edge for pass protection. He is more of a technique style of drive blocker rather than a mauler. He maintains proper pad level to gain leverage and control his defender. He has good ability to seal off a would be tackler in running plays. Alleman is acutely aware for the blitz and picks up stunts quickly. Effective turning the corner on pulls and seeks out second level defenders as he takes good angles to engage defender. Andy has only 2 years experience on the offensive side of the ball hence his need for time to develop more. Relies on his strength over technique, he is very strong. Needs to improve his footwork as he crosses his feet some and falls off his block. Needs to work on eliminating false starts. Given a year of good coaching plus mentoring from a grizzled vet Gray, Alleman will become productive at the right guard spot. Meet your right guard of the future -- Andy Alleman. Gladiator Hawk [Comments taken in SeahawkBlue Forums] Labels: draft, GladiatorHawk, Offensive guard  An essential ingredient in Mike Holmgren's version of the West Coast Offense, is that of the tight end position. A star performer is not needed, particularly when you have highly skilled QB, RB, and WRs. So what are the attributes that conspire to create the perfect all downs tight end and keep a defense guessing run or pass? One of the keys to Holmgren's offensive system is to have the size and physical tools needed to secure the point of attack. Seattle has a diminuative set of receivers, hence a huge target with springs would induce mis-matches for a defense when reeling in the jump ball in the endzone. Coach Walrus prefers a TE who can stretch the field, opening up room for the RB or WRs to work within space in linebacker territory. The guy manning this position must possess sure hands to keep drives alive. An ability to "seal the edge" on the defensive end will enhance the running game. Finally, intelligence is highly sought because the WCO is intricate and challenging to assimilate. Which gladiator possesses these attributes and would be available for Ruskell to draft? Kevin Boss out of Western Oregon offers great value in the 4th round. He is projected to be selected at 125-135 in the draft. He fits the mold for what is needed at tight end. He has 31 starts to his credit and played basketball in college. One year of grooming by Pollard and Boss will be very productive for years to come. At 6-7, Boss is a huge target that can reach another 35 inches with his vertical jump. He has proven to be one of the most sure-handed receivers in the draft thus making the most critical of fans to forget about Jerremy Who. He can fly in the 40 yard interval in 4.71 seconds just as Mr. Who. Boss man weighs in at 252 lbs and could add 10 more lbs of bulk without loss of quickness. Kevin uses his hands effectively to jolt the defender and get a clean release off of the jam. He has large hands, demonstrates great body control and leaping abilty to snag the ball at its high point. He can separate in the short area of the field and has valid speed to elude second level defenders to threaten the secondary. He has the loose hips to weave around linebackers. He has the power to break tackles and the stride to gain yardage after the catch. Very adept at adjusting his routes when the play breaks down. His agility allows him to contort his body to catch errant passes. He is a physical player who will win most fights for the ball in the air. Also, very alert to position himself beyond 1st down markers. Kevin is very intelligent and needs minimum reps to understand plays. Playing collegiate basketball reduced the off-season training typically needed to learn the finer points of football. Probably needs 1 year of good coaching to improve his route running and become more precise in his cuts. However, he is very effective on his out and crossing patterns. He has recovered from a shoulder injury which caused him to miss 6 games last year, thus lowering his draft status to provide the Hawks great value in the 4th round. Meet your tight end of the future -- Kevin Boss. Gladiator Hawk [Comments taken in SeahawkBlue Forums] Labels: draft, GladiatorHawk, tight end  Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, has been re-charging his jets this offseason and is now fired up to begin what could be a very special season for the Hawks. Yesterday, he parked his motorcycle and spoke on the air at KJR radio with Dave Mahler and Hugh Millen. The Walrus disclosed his view of the current state of Seahawk Nation. On what his position of where he is right now with his 2 year extension... "When we made the decision to sign the 2 year extension, I thought long and hard about it. My biggest concern, and what we thought about most, was that you have to be fair to everybody. There was no sense in my signing any sort of extension if my heart wasn't in it, and with the idea that you didn't want to fulfill your contract. Having said that, I reserve the right after each season to make sure I'm fair with everybody. It doesn't make any sense at all, if after a season, I feel that I don't have the jets to keep going. It's not fair to anybody to keep going that way and fake it. I'm not going to do that. Every year, we're going to look at it. I feel I've reached that point in my coaching life where if I can recharge the batteries quickly and it's going in the right direction and I'm helping, and they want me, I'm going to stick around. If I don't think I'm helping the cause too much, I'm going to have to re-evaluate it." On how his family impacts his decision.... "My family is important to me. All of my daughters are moving to the Seattle area and we love it here. I'm not anxious to go anywhere else. I'm really not. The conversation we had and Kathy (wife) put it very bluntly. She said two things. 'You have to be healthy, for me to back this, and you still have to have the fire to do it right. Don't fake it'. I think that's a pretty good criteria, really. That's what I'm going to base any decision on. She's really supportive. She's been a great football wife over the years. At some point, it's going to end. I have no complaints. Football has been good to me." On his working relationship with Tim Ruskell and his own aspirations of GM... "Tim and I work very, very well together. When he and Tod Lieweike came aboard, it made the organization stronger. The management team we have is as good as it can be in the NFL. I had my own goals and aspirations, and I felt there was some unfinished business to take care of as the general manager/coach. My own ego gets involved there as well a little bit. I'm not saying I'm right, I'm just saying that's where I am. As far as how it's working right now, it's good. Everyone is going in the same direction. Everyone wants to win. Everyone is supporting each other the way they need to. Of course, it all starts with Paul Allen." On will there be a void in his career if he doesn't become a GM again... "I don't think so. Football has been very good to me. I have no regrets. You always want to do well as a coach and well as a GM. It was my first crack at being a GM and I think I would be better at it the next time. Better in hiring people. I have a much better idea of how that dynamic works, and what you need. Some of my decisions early on...I made a couple of mistakes. No question about it. That's what you hopefully learn from. But if I never got another chance to be a GM again - I'd be okay with it." On his immediate assessment following the overtime loss to the Bears in the playoffs... "First of all, let's break it down on what improvements would be required for 2007. We were going to look hard at the defense first. My feeling is that the offense, if we can stay healthy, we have people in place where we can move the football, for the most part. I did not feel there needed to be a dramatic overhaul of the offense. On defense, this was exaggerated because of our injuries in the secondary. We had to look at some of the things that were happening on defense. We got injured in the defensive line and in the secondary. Our linebackers were pretty solid. So, that's where our focus is going to be is with defensive line and secondary. I think in free agency, that is where we went." On have they done everything they set out to do with the defense in free agency... "I think there's room to grow. We did something differently this than we had done in previous years. We 'popped' early in what I call the 'feeding frenzy' period, which is that first week in free agency. The numbers these free agents sign for, just blow your mind. It is what it is. We were involved in that. In past years, we didn't get involved in the first week too much. We didn't usually have the money to do it and philosophically, we were trying to build something through the draft usually would just cherry pick a little bit in free agency. This year was different. There was a strategy to go hard and pop early on a couple of guys and that's what we did. We spent our money. Our shopping list, we took care of that. There will be some things that happen down the road in June, when the salary cap changes a little bit for us and we can add a couple of additional players. Basically, we are done." On his thoughts concerning Ken Hamlin... "First of all, it was a miracle that he played last year. I was very proud of him and happy for him because no one knew for sure if he could continue to play. I like Kenny a lot and he brought enthusiasm to our defensive unit but he did not have his best year last year. He missed tackles that he normally would make. He always guessed a little bit, but because of all the injuries in the secondary, he tried to do more than he had to do, and was out of position on occasion. Now what that had to do with the injury in his previous year, I could never tell you. He wanted to test the free agent market and the feeling in the building was that we had to overhaul our secondary. Aside from the injuries, it did not appear that we were getting better. In fairness to everyone, sometimes a new scene is good. Now, Jim Mora is going to coach the secondary, and we now have 2 new safeties in Deon Grant and Brian Russell to go along with our young corners." On his thoughts of the cornerbacks... "Well, I think Trufant is very solid. He is a good young player. Kelly Jennings is going to be fine. He had his highs and lows as you would expect a rookie to have. Herndon had his highs and lows. He's a bit of a lightning rod because the cornerback getting beat is more visible to the fan. Herndon is an excellent player and is a solid third corner. He plays the inside position very well. He had to play the outside until Kelly Jennings came along. I don't think you can have too many corners. Are we set there? I don't think so. Can we play the game? Yeah, we can play the game with what we have. We are going to look at the secondary in the draft." On which position of the defense would he like to add a player... "I would say cornerback. The way people that are opening their formations and throwing the ball around, people that play us (sic). If I put 4 wide receivers out there, very few people can match up straight on straight with 4 quality CBs cover 4 quality WRs. It's a valuable position. So, that's not necessarily a reflection on who we have right now." On his thoughts with the defensive line and status of Marcus Tubbs... When we lost Marcuss Tubbs...he's a big body in there who has some pass-rush ability as an inside player. Sometimes you can get the guys who play the draw very well, but they can't rush the passer. So when you get one who is big and can rush the passer, you've really got something going. We don't have a Reggie White or a Charles Haley that the other team would have to plan for that guy on every play. But as a result, we're high on sack totals. Everyone gets 4 or 5 sacks and they don't know where we're coming from, but we have to move a lot. When we lost Tubbs, we lost a presence inside. If he's okay, and we can get another big body in there, we will be okay. I saw Tubbs two days ago. He is feeling good and he is right on schedule, but you never know. He had a big-time surgery, so hopefully he can come back and play." On present status of the defensive line given Kerney's acquisition and Wistrom's retirement... "In a perfect world, if we would have been able to keep Grant Wistrom or talk him into staying, we would have had a nice little combination with 4 guys on DE. I would say that the needs between defensive end versus defensive tackle are about even." On did he want Wistrom back... "Yes. Now, Grant signed a huge contract. Grant and I had a great conversation about this. His body, he plays the game, he's undersized. The way he plays the game, he is all beat up at the end of every game. My hope was that he would accept a lesser salary and come back so we could rotate him. He gets 30-35 snaps per game. I could take it easy on him in training camp too. He brought something to the table for our team that was healthy. It was good. But he did not want to do that. What I appreciate about him was that he was very honest with me. He (Grant) said, 'Mike, I think I am done.' So what are you going to do?" On his observations of the similarities between Kerney and Wistrom... "They are very similar. They both have great motors. They are both team guys and they are both very unselfish. They both practice hard and they are tremendous people. The one difference, perhaps is that Kerney is more of a sack guy. By himself, Kerney will get more sacks coming off the edge. Some sack totals can be misleading sometimes, especially if you're playing a team that the tackle might have set up the sack. We had to prepare for Patrick Kerney unless they switched him over and he was going against Walter Jones. He has shown that he has that ability to get sacks on his own. That is the maybe one difference." On how hard did Seattle press for David Carr... "Well we pushed hard. Dave Carr said, he had a great visit with us. He was going to go on a little bit of a tour, but it really narrowed down to Carolina and Seattle. Any time we bring in a free agent, I am not going to sugar-coat anything. Absolutely I am not going to lie to him because, all of a sudden, if you sign him and what you tell him doesn't happen, you have an unhappy player and that a bad deal. We were going to be totally upfront about everything with David or any QB that comes in here. Matt is our quarterback. Now these are the situations...this is why I think it would be a good place for you. We sold him on that and I believe he liked that. I think Carolina, I don't know this for sure, but he got a real nice contract; that's one, and I think they talked to him about being the starter there. Now, we'll see what happens, but that's what you do in recruiting. We choose to do it in a different way." On where Carr would stack up with Matt and Seneca... "I talked to Seneca about this before David even visited. I thought Seneca did a good job for us last year and he got better as a quarterback. No question that he has improved as a quarterback. I tried to think about getting him on the field in other roles. I think he could be an outstanding pass receiver for us. He is a very talented man. He could return punts for us and do a good job there. We would be able to free Burleson and Engram up to concentrate on other areas. The thought process behind bring in a David Carr or anyone else is to have the assurance that if something were to happen to Matt, that you could use Seneca to play those other positions because you have a QB that can go in the game and play. Until that happens, until we sign another guy like that, I can't use Seneca in those other roles where he could help our team. So, that's why we are looking." On his assessment of Seneca as a quarterback... "I think he's fine. I really do. He works very hard and he is just what you want. Where he would develop more, like most guys who play quarterback, is when he has a chance to play. He will be so much better prepared this year to play than he would have been last year. In the Minnesota game, he had no reps during the week and he had to come in and play, so you knock that one out. He played very well against the Raiders, and he played very well against the Rams. I thought he made some bad decisions in the 49er game, but no one else helped him out too much either. The team played poorly. Our defense was horrible. So it is not always him. He is good enough to play in this league. Now how much longer can we keep him. He is a good backup. We are looking at backup QBs such as Carr, to give us some options." On his thoughts concerning Jerremy Stevens... "The Scottsdale episode was the end of it for him here. When he left at the end of the season, we discussed how a change of scenery would probably be good for everybody. Jerremy knew this. He wanted to test the free agent market as a lot of players do. It wasn't quite what he thought it would be and at the end, he would have to reconsider some things. He made great strides on and off the field while he was with us. I think he grew up a lot. It always worried me when he was out of my sight. In Arizona he had too much to drink and got busted. It is sad and it is a tragedy. Why does this happen...well it is a disease. More than a football thing. It is a life thing. If he asked for my help in anything, I would give it to him. That is the way I would handle any of my players." On his opinion of character issues... "A point of emphasis is prominent in the building. At the owners meeting in Arizona, we had sessions with the head coaches and owners. I would caution everybody this way however. You draft a player, and most of the time, you know everything about the background of the player you need to know. In Koren Robinson's case, we did not know 1 little thing about him that turned out to be a big deal. The public has a tendency to say there is character problems and lump everything in this pot. They should not do that. They are not all the same and their problems are not all the same. I am not defending our pick or anything like that. Part of coaching and teaching, my responsibility is to help them be good football players and hopefully help them to be better people. In Koren's case, everyone liked him. He was very talented guy who worked real hard. He is a good guy, but he suffered from a disease. In years past, we had a couple of guys who are no longer here, not anyone we have talked about today (Eaton for one), who I think are bad guys. Who are very selfish, drag down a team, and who did not care for anyone but themselves. Now that, to me, is a character issue. I tend to split those guys out. Not everyone who gets into trouble is a bad guy. There is a big push by the Seahawks to eliminate these types from the draft board." On where will training camp be held... "Training camp will be held at our place in Kirkland. We are working very hard at logistics of camp. In Cheney we were on auto-pilot. Everyone knew where we were going and what we were doing. We will make it work in Kirkland." On Darrell Jackson and his future with the team... "Darrell is under contract with the team. We will have a mandatory mini-camp the weekend following the draft. All players under contract have to be there. There are rumours about him that we are shopping him. We will sit down and talk and see where he is. He had something done with his knee and he is rehabbing it. The wide receiver group is thick and talented. This will be interesting to see who emerges and see how it works out." Gladiator Hawk Labels: character, draft, free agents, GladiatorHawk, GM role, Hamlin, Holmgren, Jackson, Jerramy Stevens, Koren, offseason  Who knew that football would be relegated to the research of science? To me, football is a sport. The owners will call it a business. Advertisers call it a bonanza of marketing opportunity. Get real! Football is the icon of American sport. The rest of the world should be required to rename their their brand of futbol as kick ball.This physical game I remember growing up, has matured such that organizations are turning to science to develop their game further. Popular Mechanics has reached beyond their little gadgets to paint a picture of the brute force that a vicious tackle given by our own Trufant will have on a lame lith wide receiver on the Philadelphia Eagles. On the play shown in the photo above, Seattle Seahawks defensive back Marcus Trufant (23) drilled Philadelphia Eagles receiver Greg Lewis (83) with such force that Lewis couldn't hang on to the ball. (Seattle won the Dec. 5, 2005, game at Philadelphia 42-0 in the most lopsided shutout ever broadcast on Monday Night Football. So what is the anatomy of a tackle? Mass, inertia, un-movable objects, you tend to forget from science class. No one forgets how to fry an ant with a simple piece of glass. Yet, who would know that a cornerback the size of Trufant could exert 1600 pounds of force upon a wide receiver? Yes 1600 pounds! According to researchers, the human body can withstand double that, if the impact can be distributed well. That is where the player's pads and equipment enter the formula. The shape and the content of the "memory" foam padding are designed to maximize absorption of said energy. Visco elastic foam was developed by NASA to protect astronauts to withstand the G-forces of liftoff. This foam retains its shape considerable better than conventional foam after an impact. According to a study at Darryl Tapp's former school Virgina Tech (a little NCAA humor), a player speared by a tackle, could receive up to a 150-G force hit to the head. Reviewing the graphic in the Popular Mechanics article, a hard tackle could inflict the impact 10-15 times that of G-force of an F-16. Remember that when Chad Johnson visits Seattle. Bryan Russell will be nicknamed F-16.  Labels: concussion, GladiatorHawk, science, tackle  Seahawks fared very well in free agency so far this year. Tim Ruskell took a hard look at the failures in defending the pass and brought in guys with motors who are strong leaders as well. Womack has returned, however there are still holes on the offense to tend to. What will Ruskell do? Free agency began on March 1st. Over 113 of the 307 free agents have already changed teams in the first 10 days. More than $1 Billion dollars in contracts has been transacted. Your SeahawkBlue Front Page will be your resource center for all of your free agency information. Thanks to new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the players and owners, $millions were added to the salary cap this year. Teams have been signing their own because of the inflated cap. Thus far our beloved Seahawks have signed NFL superstar Derek Rackley, longsnapper without a team before Darche's injury last year. Don't dismay, Tim Ruskell and team are notorius for keeping mum and delaying announcements til last minute. Why divulge information to your competitors? Expect cellular minutes to be exhausted by general managers, players agents and players. Most Recent Free Agency Headlines ===> Seahawks specific headlines Deon Grant interviewed and speaks of the leadership he brings (Discuss) Free agent options for the Seattle Seahawks (Discuss) Seahawks Free Agency Review - Analysis of offseason so far Seahawks hire assassin to knock off the dancing Jackson (Discuss) Ruskell likes his pork pulled and meat smoked as contract nears NFL at large headlines SuperBowl losing Bears get thrown into the Brigg - ProBowler holds out (Discuss) Hutch and Viking love boat going down in flames/burning to waterline (Discuss) Cardinals sneaking around the hood and getting busted soliciting for prostitution New York Giants fans bury heads in sand, turn in tiki torch for a drone (Discuss) Steelers free fall and their only response is - "Talk to Ma Hand" PREVIOUS Free Agency Headlines ===> Seahawks specific headlines Justice Marshall drops hammer, "Grants" a continuance for the defense (Discuss) Hawks front office takes a whiz - Whiz-strom sent packing (Discuss) That Ain't Kosher: Porkchop Visiting Steelers (Discuss) Could Wistrom Be A Cap Casualty? (Discuss) Stevens Test Drives the Black Pearl (Discuss) Falcon mutates into Seahawk - Kerney joins the nest (Discuss) Hawks front office signs 2 free agents! (Discuss) Dielman Charges Away - What now? (Discuss) Come Heller High Water: Backup TE Re-signed (Discuss) Darrell Jackson moving to Jacksonville? (Discuss) Locklear tendered at 1st round level (Discuss) Hackett tendered at 2nd round level (Discuss) Babineaux tendered at 2nd round level (Discuss) Koutouvides tendered at lowest level (Discuss) Craig Terrill is tendered at lowest level (Discuss) Offensive line prospects Seahawks (Discuss) NFL at large headlines From Super Bowl to Toilet Bowl: Raiders Ink Rhodes Despirate for Worker-Bees: Giants trade for Droughns Beware of women thrown from car in St Louis - Rams sign McMichael (Discuss) Ronnie Mexico is now blowing Horn - WR signs for Falcons (Discuss) Shuffling OUT of Buffalo: McGahee dealt to the Ravens Touchy Feely to Dolphins: Figures No Crowd = No Noise Missing his old Prison Garb, Lewis Signs with Browns Safe Sacks? Ramsey Wears Circle in Broncos Wallet (Discuss) Sacre Bleu! J.P. Darche Signs with the Chiefs (Discuss) Saints Grab Their Johnson - Former 49er TE signs (Discuss) Cracker crumbles - Graham heading home to Broncos (Discuss) Warden re-signs with Bengals/Canadian annoints them AFC Champ (Discuss) Gale-Force Winds Blow into Miami: Joey Porter Signs with 'Fins (Discuss) Getting a Niners Answer LB Question: If Tully can't Banta, nobody Cain! Oh Henry! Broncos hungry for RB and sign Travis (Discuss) Jets keeping up with the Jones in acquiring Bears RB (Discuss) Green-faced texans caught with their pants down without a Bush (Discuss) Dallas signs castoff Cardinal OL for $50 million (Discuss) Detroit White Out: Lions grab Bucs defensive end (Discuss) Rams ink Receiver Drew Bennett to a contract (Discuss) No doubting Thomas, Adalius the engine who could...be Pat (Discuss) Premiere blocking TE Kyle Brady signed by New England (Discuss) Garcia joins Jack Sparrow and the Buccaneers (Discuss) Buccaneers seek plumber to fix hole in ship (Discuss) Saints sign free agent guard Jon Stinchcomb (Discuss) Browns order a Stein(bach) from Cincinnati (Discuss) Bills unveil new Dock(ery) on Lake Erie (Disucss) Rams Hall in their first player via trade (Discuss) Like a Rolling Stone: Patriots Cast Off Dillon (Discuss) Falcons Release almost-Seahawk Edge Hartwell Plummer threatens retirement to nullify trade to Tampa (Discuss) First free agent signing is OT Tony Pashos Snake's on a Plane: Plummer to Tampa? (Discuss) Peppers will not restructure $15 million cap hit (Discuss) Hannum and Bledsoe released by Cowboys (Discuss) Saints blow their Horn - cleanup aisle 6 (Discuss) Running back Jamal Lewis cut by Ravens (Discuss) Broncos bust their nuts on ridiculous trade (Discuss) Dielman changing his postal address (Discuss) Big mouth Joe Porter shown the door (Discuss) All teams are required by the CBA to remain under a salary cap. Current salary cap status for each team are tentative due to bonuses and player cuts that are on-going at this time. On page 2 of current salary cap status, you will find the franchise tender dollar amounts. Ruskell is determined to get this team back to the Super Bowl and he has a plan, “We’re happy with a lot of the roster we already have,” Ruskell said. “We’ll be aggressive in free agency – not with the quantity, but with the quality. We know what direction we’re going.” Our NFL Correspondent from Denmark, Kelly, chimes in with some Free Agency FAQs. Mike Sando reports that Kris Dielman will be in Seattle Friday and Kerney arriving on Saturday. John Clayton discloses on KJR that the Hawks prefer Graham over Stevens at TE. Seahawk Nation is already speculating on which Seahawk players will be released by the front office. Others are predicting the Seahawk free agents who Tim Ruskell and company will sign. Gladiator Hawk [Editorial comments of this article taken in SeahawkBlue Forums] Labels: free agents, GladiatorHawk  Well yes of course, when compared to last year. Since Mike Holmgren's arrival, the special teams of the Seahawks deteriorated with each succeeding season. The year 2005, was the bellwether season for Seattle with a Super Bowl participation, #1 rated offense, and an improving defense. Unfortunately the special teams was everything but special as they were rated 30th in the NFL according to this article in the Dallas Morning News by Rick Gosselin. The Hawks were confronted by several challenges in 2006 in their efforts to return to the Super Bowl, but the special teams unit was not a hindrance, as they ascended 23 spots to become the 7th highest rated unit in the NFL. Gosselin breaks down the various aspects of special teams into 22 kicking related categories. He assigns points based upon each team's rating in each category with 1 point for best and 32 points for worse. The lowest aggregate score determines the best overall rated unit. Generally you will find non-starters competing on the special teams. Why would this be? Head coaches usually want their starters spending the majority if not all of their time getting the reps with their individual units on offense or defense. The Hawks suffered an unprecedented number of injuries in 2006. Players contributing on special teams, were forced to discontinue because they were needed as starters or were cut by Ruskell, because their roster spot was needed for another injury riddled position. By the end of the season, there was only a fraction of players remaining that began the year contributing on special teams. Down went Scobey, Darche, Terrill, Lewis, Parry, J.Williams, and player cuts in Kaz, Ponder and Mili among others. In spite of Casullo, a core group of players pushed the unit to the top. Josh Brown had a record breaking year with 4 game winners. Plackemeier had a great year dropping punts in the 20's and for distance. Lance Laury and Nate Burleson picked up the slack on returns and tackles respectively. Now enter Bruce DeHaven, regarded in NFL circles as one of the best special team coaches in the NFL. DeHaven has 20 years experience working with the Cowboys, Bills and 49ers. His units were ranked twice as the best of the league during his tenure with Buffalo. Steve Christie, had this to say about DeHaven, "There has always been a great emphasis on special teams wherever he has been until I think maybe a little bit in Dallas," Christie said. "Because (Bill) Parcells kind of oversees everything, I think Bruce's talent was sort of wasted. But I think with the way things are in Seattle, you'll see that he is one of the best." So as you can see, this unit is on its way up the charts, as the team returns next season healthy and through better coaching. Gladiator Hawk [Comments taken in SeahawkBlue Forums] Labels: GladiatorHawk, special teams |
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