The Seahawks have finished their afternoon practice. They made a roster move, releasing injured C Lance Reynolds (foot) before signing OL Taylor Schmidt, formerly of San Diego State. Schmidt practiced this afternoon. He wore No. 79 (since changed to No. 64) but there was no name on his jersey yet. The Seahawks definitely move quickly with Tim Ruskell as president. Reynolds and TE Brock Edwards were replaced on the roster almost immediately upon becoming unavailable. ... QB Seneca Wallace worked quite a bit with the No. 1 offense, something he'll probably get to do at times during the exhibition season. ... TE Itula Mili (back) missed practice again. ... Note: I'll be cranking out some stories now, but the plan is to check back this evening.

Assuming not everyone consults our home page before coming here, I thought I would link to our training-camp photo gallery from yesterday. Bruce Kellman also sent along this picture of TE Mike Gomez (right) from today. Gomez made some difficult catches today (including a one-hander as he fell, with a defender hanging on him).

I'll be heading out to the afternoon practice shortly, then reporting back here with any new information. Practice runs from 2:45 PDT to about 4:15-to-4:40 (depending on the day). I also hope to find out some more information on the back injury Itula Mili suffered during warmups for the morning practice. I did see him moving around during practice, but back injuries do not have to be very "serious" to keep a player from producing. That's an injury we'll want to monitor closely given that starter Jerramy Stevens is out until late in the exhibition season.

FS Ken Hamlin will have his patience tested between now and the regular season. The line of questioning became a bit monotonous today even though we're less than three full days into camp and Hamlin has met with reporters twice. Today the focus was on how he handled putting on the pads for the first time since suffering a skull fracture in October 2005. While Hamlin did put on the pads, the defensive backs didn't do any real hitting. Tackling is not allowed until the scrimmage Saturday. Hamlin did show he has plenty of fire, getting into a verbal jousting match with WR Maurice Mann toward the end of practice. Hamlin downplayed this is just another day at camp, but don't take my word for it; listen to the audio.

The Seahawks have finished their first practice in pads since arriving in Cheney for training camp. DT Chuck Darby, QB Seneca Wallace, WR Taco Wallace and TE Mike Gomez were among those who seemed to have strong practices. Darby had appeared a little sluggish in the first couple days, but he was blowing up plays left and right once they put on the pads. Gomez worked with the first-team offense after TE Itula Mili pulled a muscle in his back during warmups (that was the diagnosis Holmgren gave us). Gomez made some very tough catches, including a one-hander on second effort with a defender hanging on him. This was also FS Ken Hamlin's first practice in pads since last season, but the guys in the secondary really didn't hit anyone (they will not be allowed to tackle until the scrimmage). More notes below.

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Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren seemed pretty happy after practice today, which might explain why he indulged us for 15 minutes (the audio is here). That was me asking Holmgren if he was paying attention to the fullback situation. Meant to ask if he was paying extra attention to it. He paused as if to consider the ways he could razz me, then let me off the hook. For kicks, I came back later and asked him if he had been paying attention to the blitz drills involving linebackers and running backs. Holmgren also answered questions about Ken Hamlin, the receivers, the cornerback race and other topics.

A daily wrap of our Seahawks-related newspaper coverage: Dave Boling examines the relationship between Rob Sims and his late father, and how Sims draws from the relationship; my main story and daily camp box are here.

I have gone through and updated our 26-category Excel roster. Download it here. Those without Microsoft Excel can download a free Excel viewer. The roster lets you sort all 26 columns, including a column showing when contracts expire. If you look hard enough, you'll notice that the roster also shows every player who has been on the roster, visited the team or received a tryout since April 20. We will update this regularly and post it in the "resources" section along the right side of the blog.

Rookie CB Kelly Jennings has finished speaking with reporters following the first training-camp practice of his NFL career. We have the audio here. Jennings signed a five-year deal worth more than $7 million. The deal can swell to $9.7 million if he meets incentives based largely on playing time. Like many deals, this one is complex enough so that both sides can claim "victory" in the negotiations. Jennings can reasonably say that $5 million is guaranteed. The Seahawks can reasonably say the deal is within the framework of other deals for players drafted at about the same place (Jennings was 31st overall). The bottom line is that Jennings is a wealthy man and the Seahawks have their first-round pick in camp. Photo credit: Bruce Kellman, The News Tribune

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Seahawks president Tim Ruskell has finished speaking with reporters following practice today. He touched on the signing of CB Kelly Jennings. He also said he was happy with how the roster was taking shape, and he's looking forward to seeing how the secondary shakes out. We have the audio here. Transcript is below.

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The Seahawks have finished their afternoon practice. Newly signed rookie CB Kelly Jennings seemed to play mostly in nickel situations. They wanted to ease him into things because he flew in from Atlanta today. ... The team has released TE Brock Edwards, who came down with mumps. DT Alex Guerrero (Boise State) was signed after participating in a tryout along with DL Lance Legree, who has been with the Giants and Jets. ... RT Ray Willis rested his hamstring. C Lance Reynolds (foot) also sat out. ... Warren Moon, on his way to the Hall of Fame, addressed players after practice. They gave him two ovations. ... The Seahawks did not hit in pads today. They plan to do so tomorrow.

A busy, busy morning but that's training camp. Here are some notes and observations straight from the practice field ...

C Lance Reynolds left practice on a cart after suffering what coach Mike Holmgren called a foot injury of unknown severity. ... RT Ray Willis suffered a hamstring injury and did not finish practice. ...

WR Peter Warrick practiced for the first time since arriving to camp late following weather delays out of Tampa. Warrick wasn't the only receiver to drop passes today. There were just a ton of drops. Conditions were tough with high winds and chilly temps. Maurice Mann and Ben Obomanu crammed a week's worth of drops into one practice. Obomanu has the tools to challenge for a roster spot, but he has to catch the ball. ...

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MLB Lofa Tatupu has finished speaking with reporters following the morning practice. He talked about new teammate Julian Peterson and the athletic ability of the linebackers as a whole, among other topics. He also noted that Bryce Fisher is insisting that Tatupu will remain a rookie for a few more games. We have the audio here.

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Coach Mike Holmgren has finished speaking with reporters after the morning practice. I'd give you a little synopsis here if my fingers weren't frozen from standing outside in cold, blustery weather for two-plus hours (the life of a beat writer is soooooo rough). Holmgren did say that first-round CB Kelly Jennings has agreed to terms on a contract, and that Jennings would probably practice this afternoon. Holmgren audio is here.

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We learned during practice this morning that CB Kelly Jennings had agreed to terms on a contract, news coach Mike Holmgren welcomed. Holmgren said Jennings would probably even practice this afternoon. I'll have some additional notes momentarily.

A daily wrap of our Seahawks-related newspaper coverage: Dave Boling takes a look at Mike Holmgren's state-of-the-team address; Ken Hamlin is ready to hit someone; Isaiah Kacyvenski needs 24 hours to make his way to Cheney; plus the daily camp box below.

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I thought this photo by our own Bruce Kellman captured exactly what Ken Hamlin seemed to be feeling as camp opened today. Happy to be alive and happy to be on his way back to the lineup following a difficult 2005. It's a large photo, so I won't make you open it every time you refresh this Web page. You're one click away ...

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The Seahawks have finished their second practice of training camp. TE Itula Mili appears to be in good shape. He's the top tight end out there. That will change once Jerramy Stevens returns from a knee injury, but for now Mili appears ready to show he can bounce back from a poor 2005 season (for him, not the team).

Also this afternoon: There was not much new on the injury front. I meant to mention this morning that WR Tony Brown is not practicing after suffering a hamstring injury during pre-camp conditioning sprints. Also, fellow WR Peter Warrick arrived in time to watch the afternoon practice after his plane ran into weather delays. Warrick presumably begins practicing tomorrow. ...

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This is Training Camp No. 9 for QB Matt Hasselbeck, who entered the NFL with Green Bay in 1998. Hasselbeck said coaches give the same pre-camp talk every year, but that Mike Holmgren's most recent version was different in meaningful ways. We have the audio here.

From video-game covers to award shows to the cable-TV circuit, Hawks RB Shaun Alexander enjoyed an offseason unlike any other for a Seahawks player. He is, after all, the only league MVP in team history, and the Super Bowl exposure certainly didn't hurt his profile. Alexander discussed his offseason, among other things, while answering reporters' questions following the afternoon practice today. He also discussed problems with the community center he promised to build in his Kentucky hometown (more here). We have the audio here.

The Seahawks said they needed only 45 minutes to sell out all remaining single-game tickets for the regular season. There are still tickets available for exhibition games, but right now we can say there will again be no local TV blackouts for Seahawks games. The team previously capped season tickets at about 61,000.

WR Darrell Jackson is a bit behind schedule in his recovery from knee surgery, coach Mike Holmgren said today. Jackson, shown on the field this morning, planned to practice once per day during training camp. Instead he landed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list after failing his physical exam yesterday. Holmgren said he expects Jackson to be ready for the season, but he also sounded a bit concerned that Jackson is not yet back on the field. Thanks to my wife for snapping this picture this morning (a decent effort for having a couple of kids hanging on her). She gets to keep all royalties from this future award winner. A bit later we'll be linking to a Seahawks photo gallery featuring the work of staff photographer Bruce Kellman, who will be snapping away throughout the start of camp.

FS Ken Hamlin will put on the pads and hit someone tomorrow, his first contact work since suffering life-threating head injuries during an assault last year. We have the audio here. As always, please remember that I can control only my own questions. These group interviews sometimes make a guy cringe.

Coach Mike Holmgren has finished addressing reporters following the morning practice. He said, among other things, that the Seahawks will hit less because he has a more experienced team and he knows what to expect from players. There will be more emphasis on keeping guys healthy. We have the audio here. Holmgren also has a great quote about TE Brock Edwards being the first person in the U.S. to contract the mumps over the last 32 years. That isn't true, of course, and Holmgren didn't mean it literally. I do think it was the first time in his coaching career that a player was afflicted by the virus.

Notes and observations from the first practice of training campn (these are short and to the point in part because I have more interviews to conduct and the clock is ticking) ...

Did not practice: WR Skyler Fulton (shoulder), CB Kelly Jennings (unsigned), DB Jordan Babineaux (shoulder), TE Brock Edwards (the mumps ... that's right, the mumps), DE Joe Tafoya (shoulder), DE Darrell Wright, WR Darrell Jackson (knee), WR Peter Warrick (missed flight because of weather), TE Jerramy Stevens (shoulder), DT Marcus Tubbs (Achilles, lower leg), DE Grant Wistrom (shoulder) and DT Rocky Bernard (knee).

Warrick was on his way today. Might see him at practice this afternoon. ... FS Ken Hamlin practiced this morning. He has been cleared in every way. Tomorrow they put on the pads and hit (in the morning practice). Hamlin will participate. This will be his first full-contact work since suffering head injuries in an assault last year. ...

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For some reason I was under the impression SS Michael Boulware had undergone ankle surgery after the Super Bowl. I was not alone. Seems as though he said as much at minicamps, but whatever the case might have been, it was really his left knee. Boulware should be on the field as camp gets going, although it remains to be seen how much he'll participate. Apparently to cover my bases, I had written "knee" in the injury column of our Excel roster, but I was writing "ankle" elsewhere. The guy probably has enough injury concerns without me inventing more.

Reports suggest the Bengals have agreed to terms with Johnathan Joseph, the corner they drafted with the 24th overall pick. This should help the Seahawks reach agreement with Kelly Jennings, the corner they took with the 31st pick. There are now fewer than 20 NFL draft choices without contract agreements. That number should come down today.

WR Darrell Jackson (knee), DT Marcus Tubbs (ankle), DT Rocky Bernard (knee), DE Grant Wistrom (shoulder), TE Jerramy Stevens (knee), DB Jordan Babineaux, DE Joe Tafoya (shoulder), DE Jeb Huckeba (feet) and DE Darrell Wright (?) failed their pre-camp team physicals. If any others failed physicals, I am not yet aware of it. But I do know that these nine players were on the list Seattle submitted to the league today. Huckeba was subsequently released. The other players went on the physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list. Players on PUP do not practice until they pass a physical. They can take another physical at any time, so it's possible, at least in theory, that players currently on the PUP could pass a physical in the morning and practice when camp opens tomorrow. I thought Jackson (far left) would be ready for camp. The others were expectd to miss some time (Stevens, also pictured, could be back in a few weeks). If this is a complete list, we can conclude that SS Michael Boulware (leg surgery) and others were cleared to practice. Stay tuned.

The Seahawks released Jeb Huckeba today after the second-year defensive end failed a physical with the team. Huckeba missed his rookie season with stress fractures in both feet. He had shown some promise in camp, but stress fractures can be difficult to conquer. Seattle selected Huckeba in the fifth round of the 2005 draft (158th overall). Also: Huckeba scouting report here.

The season officially starts tonight for the Seahawks. I know the first regular-season game isn't until Sept. 10, but coaches and players begin their schedule of meetings this afternoon and evening. Players have finished their pre-camp conditioning tests and early indications are that everyone who ran passed (WR Tony Brown might have tweaked a hamstring, but I don't have complete details at this time).

The conditioning tests are pretty straightforward. They have the linemen run a dozen 60-yard dashes in a set amount of time (I think it's 10 seconds each, with a short rest between each sprint). The fullbacks, tight ends and quarterbacks run 70-yard dashes in, say, 11 seconds, while the running backs, defensive backs and receivers run 80-yard sprints in a similar amount of time (might be 12 seconds, as I recall). WR Darrell Jackson did not run, but he is expected to practice once per day as camp gets going tomorrow. We'll get more definitive details upon speaking with coach Mike Holmgren tomorrow.

As noted previously, a number of injured players will not practice immediately (TE Jerramy Stevens, DE Grant Wistrom, DT Rocky Bernard, DT Marcus Tubbs, etc.). QB Gibran Hamdan was running at team headquarters before camp, an indication he could be ready to go a little earlier than once expected. Hamdan has a shot at claiming the No. 3 job held by David Greene last season. Also: First-round pick Kelly Jennings remains unsigned.

I'll be driving across the state to Cheney today, so there won't be much new from me until sometime this afternoon. Just a heads up.

The Seahawks are announcing that second-round DE Darryl Tapp has signed his contract. We reported the agreement earlier in the day. This means first-round CB Kelly Jennings is the Seahawks' only unsigned 2006 draft choice.

The Seahawks now have contract agreements or outright signings with each draft choice except first-round CB Kelly Jennings. That is pretty normal given that camp doesn't really get going until Saturday morning (although players are due for a team meeting Friday night). On the surface it appears Seattle should be able to sign Jennings in time for camp. After all, Jennings was not a particularly early choice (31st overall), and his agent has been part of the group that reached agreement with Seattle on a big deal for RB Shaun Alexander, so there is some history there.

But when you take a closer look at the situation, a couple of potential issues come into view.

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Seahawks rookie DE Darryl Tapp has agreed to terms on a contract with the team. Tapp was the Seahawks' second-round pick (63rd overall) this year. The team hopes he can emerge right away as a solid third end, and as an eventual starter. Seattle has already signed fifth-round FB David Kirtman and seventh-round P Ryan Plackemeier. Fourth-round OL Rob Sims and seventh-round WR Ben Obomanu signed their deals this morning (the team is announcing this). Tapp is expected to sign upon arriving in training camp. That would leave first-round CB Kelly Jennings as the team's focus in these final days before training camp. More on that later.

Our own Dave Boling weighs in this morning with some advice for Mike Holmgren. Dave thinks Holmgren needs to jump on the players early in camp. "Why? Because nobody should understand one fact better than Holmgren: For the 2006 Seahawks, the talent is in place. Now, it’s a matter of attitude." The 2005 Hawks proved how important attitude can be. The team dumped some talented players heading into the season (Koren Robinson, Anthony Simmons, etc.), adding some guys considered too small (Lofa Tatupu), too slow (Joe Jurevicius), too short (Chuck Darby) and the like. Now would not be the time for the Seahawks to forget what got them to the big game.

Jeffri Chadiha of SI.com gives the Seahawks an A-minus for their offseason moves. Writes SI: "What Went Right: Running back Shaun Alexander re-signed. Julian Peterson signed and immediately bolstered a defense that continues to improve. They also snatched wide receiver Nate Burleson away from Minnesota. Most of all, they learned that Mike Holmgren wants to coach a little longer. What Went Wrong: They lost Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson to Minnesota. If that's the worst thing you can say about the Seahawks, life shouldn't be so bad this season." The Seahawks did do a lot of things right this offseason. Losing Hutchinson was bad, but the Hawks did recover nicely by landing Peterson. I might be more inclined to give this team a "B-plus" grade given than Seattle failed in its quest to land DE John Abraham from the Jets. Adding Abraham would have made this an "A" offseason.

Signing draft picks is a non-event in the NBA because the contracts are pretty much pre-determined. It's a little different in the NFL, but there still isn't very much drama once you get outside the top handful of picks. We can look at the fourth-round signings and see that Seattle's Rob Sims will get a four-year deal for about $2 million, with perhaps $390,000 as a signing bonus. We can look at seventh-rounder Ben Obomanu and see that he'll probably get a four-year deal for a little less than $1.65 million, with somewhere approaching $35,000 to sign. Those deals have been determined by slotting at this point; it should be only a matter of time before the team makes announcements on those (players often sign upon arriving in Cheney for camp ... team meeting is Friday night). Sometimes there's a little more drama with the early picks. More money is at stake. That's why they sometimes don't get signed in time for camp. In Seattle's case, I have a hard time seeing guys miss significant portions of training camp. The picks simply aren't high enough to merit that kind of impasse, although anything is possible (Jerramy Stevens missed six days of the 2002 camp as the 28th player taken).

I went back this morning and re-read our training-camp preview from 2005. We identified four key issues for Seattle heading into that camp: improving the pass rush, finding an effective middle linebacker, reducing dropped passes and getting more from tight end Jerramy Stevens. The team addressed every one of those issues, and then some. Seattle led the league in sacks. Lofa Tatupu became one of the NFL's best middle linebackers. Dropped passes were cut in half. Stevens enjoyed the best season of his career.

I'll be putting together our 2006 camp preview in the coming days. This team has fewer obvious issues, but there is always something. I know we can count on our regular contributors to list what they see as the top issues for this team. Let's hear from some of you lurkers out there too. To clarify, we are talking about on-field issues, not stuff such as signing draft choices (we will presumably see announcements on Rob Sims and Ben Obomanu before we see them on Darryl Tapp and Kelly Jennings, but you knew that).

Jerry Rice is coming to Cheney as part of Sirius Satellite Radio's coverage of NFL training camps this summer. Rice and co-host Adam Schein are scheduled to visit the Seahawks on Aug. 16 from 12-4 p.m. PDT. View the full team-by-team schedule here. Rice finished his career with the Seahawks in 2004. He went to training camp with Denver last season, but retired before playing in a game. Note: I subscribed to Sirius early this year because I spend a fair amount of time commuting. NFL Radio (Pat Kirwan's show in particular) is worth the entire $12 monthly subscription fee in my book.

Five days until the Seahawks' first full practices in Cheney. With NFL camps opening this week, it's time for the national writers to start issuing their previews. John Clayton and Clark Judge lead the way. Pat Kirwan weighs in here. SportsXChange has team-by-team previews here. ESPN's team-by-team camp travel guide is here. Our own content will crank up in a big way as camp gets going.

The Kansas City Star is reporting that free-agent CB Ty Law has reached a contract agreement with the Chiefs. Law visited the Seahawks earlier in free agency, but we said long ago that Kansas City was the most logical destination for him. This means Seattle most likely goes into training camp with Marcus Trufant, Kelly Jennings, Kelly Herndon, Jordan Babineaux and Jimmy Williams as the top five corners.

One of our serial commenters raised a question that comes up periodically, but less often when the offense is functioning well: Why don't the Seahawks use the shotgun formation? In short, coach Mike Holmgren worries about two things: errant snaps and telegraphing a pass play. Seattle tried the shotgun briefly in 2001. The pass protection wasn't as good back then. QB Matt Hasselbeck wasn't as good, either.

Here is what Holmgren said at the time: "I always felt the QB having his hands on the ball and quick throws is better. You don’t worry about the center snapping the ball over somebody’s head. I’ve tried it at minicamps and usually the first time you do something like that, the snap’s over there or somebody (mishandles) the ball and that’s it. 'You had your chance, that’s it.' But now I think the benefits of that for a young QB, he’s away from the line of scrimmage and that initial, 'Boom,' it helps him. So we’re going to try it."

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The Seahawks are going with another company to supply food at Qwest Field, and you might have read it here first. The team has terminated its relationship with Aramark in favor of Levy Restaurants. Hawks CEO Tod Leiweke hails the move in a press release. Levy also handles food at Alltel Stadium, Raymond James Stadium, Arrowhead Stadium, Lambeau Field and the Edward Jones Dome, among numerous other non-NFL venues. Menus available here. I didn't know the food at Qwest was an issue. When they opened the stadium, they invited media to sample the food and I thought it was great (I recall eating a salmon sandwich). Perhaps that wasn't indicative of what they served on game days. Was the food a problem?

For those of you living in the Northwest: QB Matt Hasselbeck will be at the King County Fair in Enumclaw on Saturday from 11-1. He'll be leading kids through craft projects and games, but participation is limited to the first 100 kids who claim tickets at the Qwest Quad in the East Midway Lawn of the fairgrounds. Organizers say Hasselbeck will be calling a B-I-N-G-O game for kids and teaching them how to make Seahawks hats out of construction paper. A week later he'll be on the practice field for his sixth training camp as a Hawk.

One of my recent freelance creations has been posted on USA Today's site. The file features three goals for training camp, a few notes and then a rather detailed look at each position. Sometimes these things are written hastily, but it's a lot more than fans used to get this deep into the offseason. Here's a sampling from the positional analysis:

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Sean Locklear's attorneys released a statement today regarding the Seattle tackle's domestic-violence assault case. The statement:

"The assault charge pending against Sean Locklear has been resolved by an agreement that in twenty-four months, the case will be dismissed. The agreement, reached in court on July 18, 2006, means that the pending trial is cancelled. Among other things, the agreement requires Mr. Locklear to perform community service, obtain an evaluation, and pay court costs. His attorney, Jon Scott Fox (middle), stated: 'Although I felt that Sean's case should be heard by a jury, Sean did not want to put his girlfriend through a public trial, and he was also concerned that the trial would be a distraction to his team on the eve of camp.' Mr. Locklear stated: 'I apologize to all involved for what happened that night. I take full responsibility for my own actions and I look forward to putting this behind me in a positive manner.' Mr. Bowman [attorney at Fox, Bowman and Duarte, and shown in photo at right] stated: 'The case is now closed, and neither Mr. Locklear nor this firm will comment any further about it.' "

Jon Kitna's story is pretty well known to long-time Seahawks fans, but the Lions are just getting to know him. The Detroit Free Press recently published an in-depth feature on Kitna with photos (1, 2, 3) of the QB and his growing family. Kitna left Seattle more than five years ago, but the Seahawks will get another look at him when they open the season at Detroit on Sept. 10. As for Kitna: He has started only three games over the last two seasons, but he had 26 touchdowns and 15 interceptions for Cincinnati during his last full season as a starter (2003). He now has more TD passes (108) than interceptions (104) in 92 games (79 starts) over nine seasons. The Lions have invested some high draft choices in receivers, with disappointing results. Kitna might be the type of guy who can help bring out the potential in younger players.

Seahawks RT Sean Locklear will have his domestic-violence assault case dismissed if he meets terms of probation handed down in Seattle Municipal Court today, a clerk said. Locklear had been charged in January. I do not have terms of the probation, but at this point that isn't the story. The story is that Locklear will avoid prosecution if he stays out of trouble while on probation. UPDATE: Terms include a 24-month continuance, then dismissal upon compliance with community service, court costs, counseling, etc.

Sorry I've been scarce (OK, invisible) over the last 24 hours or so. I was having some computer problems that prevented me from accessing any of our blogs. After some investigation I discovered that my ISP is having some DNS-related problems (translation: stuff was broke). The problems still exist, but I discovered a work-around that gets me back in touch here. I was unable to even read your comments, let alone respond to them or post new blog entries.

A Seattle Municipal Court judge is expected to rule tomorrow in the domestic-violence assault case involving Hawks RT Sean Locklear. The case had been scheduled for jury selection this week, but those plans have been canceled in favor of a disposition hearing, according to court records and according to a court clerk. I have also left a message with Locklear's attorneys. They are in court today, according to a secretary at the firm. I'll let you know if they have additional information. There probably isn't much more to say until we see what happens tomorrow. Either way, the case will be resolved before training camp opens in less than two weeks. That had been the expectation all along.

The Seahawks open their regular season on the road for the fifth time in six seasons with Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback. I mention Hasselbeck in this context because the importance of error-free QB play tends to grow on the road. Hasselbeck is 2-2 in road openers and 1-0 in home openers for Seattle. That includes a poor second-half performance that led to a 26-14 loss at Jacksonville last season. His season-opening road passer ratings are as follows: 74.5 at Jacksonville; 89.1 during a 21-7 victory at New Orleans in 2004; 103.0 during a 31-17 loss at Oakland in 2002; and 48.4 during a 9-6 victory at Cleveland in 2001. Overall, Hasselbeck has five touchdown passes and five interceptions in four season-openers on the road. View an updated Excel file with his career stats here. Column "C" allows you to sort by season openers (uncheck the "show all" box and then check the "1" box to see the first game of each season). Without Excel? Download the free viewer here. Also helpful: MS Office Web Components.

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The Seahawks are announcing today that FB David Kirtman has signed his rookie contract with the team. From the official release: "The Seattle Seahawks have signed fifth-round draft choice (163rd overall) fullback David Kirtman to a multi-year contract, the team announced this afternoon. Kirtman, who attended Mercer Island High, started 18 of 46 career games at USC while helping the Trojans average 260.0 rushing yards per game his senior season as the team’s leading blocker. He becomes the second Seahawks draft choice to sign a contract, joining seventh-round choice punter Ryan Plackemeier."

Things remain slow today as we head into the weekend. The Seahawks have two weeks until training camp. We'll start to see them signing some more draft picks as camp approaches. I've got friends in town from the East Coast, so the blog won't be my top priority for the next couple of days. Some of you have asked about my radio schedule for the upcoming season after KJR noted that I won't be taking part in the Round Table with Mitch Levy on Thursday mornings this season. My radio plans remain in flux at this time, but I do hope to continue the relationship with KJR in a new capacity.

As noted here, I did tell the station that I would no longer be able to make it into the studio by 8 on Thursday mornings. Mitch prefers Round Table guests to be in-studio because it adds to the overall rapport. I agree with him, but this has been brewing in my mind for some time.

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ESPN honored Hawks RB Shaun Alexander with ESPY awards as the NFL's top player and for having the top record-breaking performance. The AP mentions Alexander's awards in this story. Lance Armstrong beat him out for top male athlete overall. Generally this is where I would provide additional commentary to hopefully enlighten the audience while (more importantly) making the text run at least as deep as the photo, but let's face it: Alexander was already named the NFL's most valuable player. Winning ESPYs doesn't change much. Note: That would be an AP photo at left.

I filled in the last few blanks on our 26-category Seahawks roster (download in Microsoft Excel). This means you can now see when every player's contract is scheduled to expire (we previously listed most but not all of this info). I have highlighted those players whose contracts expire following the 2006 season. Most of the street free agents have contracts through 2007.

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ESPN.com's John Clayton has put together an NFL dream team with a twist: his 53-man roster must feature players whose salary-cap numbers total no more than $102 million, the current salary-cap limit. Seattle's LT Walter Jones, CB Marcus Trufant and MLB Lofa Tatupu made the cut as starters. DB Jordan Babineaux and C Chris Spencer were among the backups. Clayton's main story is here. He has a sidebar here. Interactive roster is here.

Free-agent CB Ty Law is back in the press. This time, someone has taken the time to write a quality story about him. Elizabeth Merrill of the Kansas City Star met with Law in St. Louis, where the veteran corner is training with famed track coach Bob Kersee. We have not written about Law for a while (1, 2, 3), but he remains available. The Seahawks have been mentioned as potential suitors. New England and Kansas City are considered frontrunners. Seattle has had the salary-cap room to sign him. But where there is a way, there is no always a will. If the Seahawks are planning to move on this one, they have managed to keep things low-keyed.

Vic Carucci of NFL.com ranks the Seahawks third on his list of the league's best running-back situations. He ranks Kansas City first because Larry Johnson and Priest Holmes provide for a potentially great one-two punch, although I have a hard time seeing Holmes return to health. Not that it might matter. Johnson has the look of a guy who can challenge 2,000 yards in a full season. Carucci also likes the Panthers' combination of veteran DeShaun Foster and first-round choice DeAngelo Williams. He ranks Arizona seventh, but I'll be very interested to see how Edgerrin James fares in that offense. At some point you have to block. And with Kurt Warner prone to injuries, Arizona seems a bit vulnerable to me. Also, James is not the kind of guy who is going to break long runs on his own. He's more of a move-the-chains guy, which works if you move the defensive line a little bit.

The Seahawks have not announced anything on this, but while I was working hard to break 90 this morning, one of our alert readers ran across a story about some upgrades for Qwest Field. According to the Korea Times, LG CNS Co. plans to provide LED screens "for the outer walls, the VIP lounge and the lobby of Qwest Field." I have not yet confirmed this with the team, but I have no reason to think the story is untrue.

"LG CNS will also install 100 plasma display panels and liquid crystal displays throughout the stadium to allow comprehensive visual management of broadcasting and the display of statistics and commercials, the company said. It plans to complete the provision and installation of the system by March 2007." -- Korea Times

Looks like Shaun Alexander might want to bring a weed whacker with him on his next trip to his hometown of Florence, Ky. Officials there have cited his company for five code violations, claiming he has failed to make good on a promise to turn an old YMCA into a first-rate community center. "I'm sickened by the condition they have allowed this place to end up in," Mayor Diane Whalen told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "It's an unfulfilled promise. I hope it's not a broken promise, but it's pretty mangled." The place is apparently overrun with weeds and graffiti. "Unfortunately, we do have some kids who are skateboarding back there," Alexander's brother, Durran, told the paper. "We don't have security cameras and that kind of stuff, so you're always going to get some punk kids or some gangs that want to go back there. I guess it's their turf now." No word yet on whether Alexander plans to make good on his stated goals for the property.

InsideBayArea.com has put together a spread on former Seahawks owner Ken Behring. The main story touches on what he is doing in retirement. A sidebar focuses on his 30,000-square-foot home, the largest in Contra Costa County. Behring's legacy as Seahawks owner will forever be a negative one. His extensive charitable efforts, particularly in distributing wheelchairs to those in need, show another side of the man. Also today: One-time QB Jeff Kelly is coaching high school ball.

The Mobile (Ala.) Register caught up with Hawks RB Shaun Alexander for a story that ran in its Sunday paper today. Alexander used the opportunity to discuss his religious faith. "I'm not the greatest athlete," he told the paper. "I'm not the fastest or the strongest. But I know if I am obedient there is going to be victory. ... God did some big things for me." Of the Seahawks, Alexander said, "We're hungry. I'm really proud of our team. We have a lot of talented players and the team has gone from one that didn't play with any confidence to one that expects to win." In other Seahawks news from the South, backup QB David Greene was recently married in Greensboro, Ga. He and his wife plan to move into a five-bedroom house in the Seattle area.

Vic Ketchman of Jaguars.com calls Hawks coach Mike Holmgren "overrated" and mistaken for not featuring RB Shaun Alexander more prominently in Super Bowl XL. He elaborates here. Ketchman is one of the official team Web-site guys who has some freedom to express opinions. I'm not into the overrated/underrated and respsect/no respect debates, but Ketchman does raise an interesting point about how Holmgren called the Super Bowl game.

The Seahawks had 49 passes and 25 rushes in the game (official stats here). That included 21 passes and 10 rushes in the first half, when the game was close. Based on that information, and based on the fact that Alexander averaged 4.8 yards per carry for the game (though only 3.1 ypc in the first half), it's a fair question.

Holmgren has never hidden the fact that he likes to throw the ball. He thinks the passing game is what makes everything work. And while he has relied more heavily on the running game recently, that wasn't really the case in the Super Bowl. Granted, if the Seahawks catch a few more passes and get a break or two, that very same game plan might have led to a comfortable victory. Those things did not happen, and so we explore what the team could have done differently. A few more carries for the league MVP might have helped. Alexander did seem to be very close to breaking some long runs in that game.

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Did I mention this is a pretty slow time around the league? We'll see more draft choices signing, of course, but the inevitable isn't very exciting in my book. Looking around the Web today, we see that Hawks RB Shaun Alexander and former Hawks FB Heath Evans hold their Next Level Weekend in Alabama. ... We see that Larry Weisman of USA Today mentions Hawks QB Matt Hasselbeck and LT Walter Jones while taking a look at increasing NFL salaries. The story says Hasselbeck and Jones collected $19 million and $17.7 million, respectively, in 2005. That is true in theory if not quite in reality; $14.5 million of that money was deferred to March 2006 (the breakdown: $7 million of Hasselbeck's bonus and $7.5 million of Jones' bonus). USA Today also links to the paper's salary database, which includes information only through last season. ... There is also a rather bizarre trail of stories involving ex-Hawk Koren Robinson (my thoughts here). ... The NFL pickings are otherwise pretty slim this morning, but not for long. Training camp is only three weeks out.

Hawks RB Shaun Alexander "demonstrated why he is known as one of the league's more cerebral players" in the advice he offered video-game makers last week, the New York Times reports. Alexander, featured on the front of EA's latest Madden football game, lobbied for a version that would allow as many as 11 gamers to become virtual teammates. Alexander in the NYT story: "You should be able to make a team and play together with your friends. Like if you have 10 friends, you could all play different positions and be in 10 different houses and play together over the Internet. Or maybe you just have like five people, and you control the skill positions and the program controls the other guys." Not a bad idea, at least in theory. I enjoyed playing these games back when I had fewer things to keep me busy (think Madden 92). Note: The promotional picture shows Alexander breaking away from former Hawks DE Chike Okeafor while the similarly cerebral Chris Gray (62) is looking a lot like Steve Hutchinson through that facemask.

NFL draft picks are starting to sign with greater frequency. ESPN noted late Tuesday night that the Hawks have reached agreement with seventh-rounder Ryan Plackemeier, punter from Wake Forest. Usually I'd be tracking such things, but this is really the only time of year when I can get some down time. Spent the Fourth manning the BBQ and keeping kids from getting too close to the fireworks, which are still raining down outside (Pierce County is unbelievable that way). In any event, this was one of those days where it was going to take more than a seventh-round signing to make me put down the BBQ tongs. I probably won't check in here until sometime Wednesday afternoon.

The Indianapolis Star profiled Hawks DT Craig Terrill in a story that ran today. This story touches on some of the post-SBXL antics that made Terrill a hit in the locker room and on Terrill's high school roots, noting that he called former coaches the night before the Super Bowl. Terrill is spending today as marshall for the annual Fourth of July parade in his Indiana home town. Said Terrill's former high school coach, as quoted by the Star: "Craig has never forgotten where he's from. He understands his roots." Terrill has been a pleasant surprise for Seahawks fans, making the team as a sixth-round pick in 2004. He had two sacks last season as he earned a regular role in the rotation. The team has more DT depth this season, at least on paper, but Terrill might be needed more than ever if Rocky Bernard and Marcus Tubbs have trouble bouncing back from offseason surgeries.

Hawks LB Lofa Tatupu was among those who spoke to the current crop of NFL rookies at the annual symposium last week, as this story in the Riverside (Calif.) Press-Enterprise noted. According to the story, Tatupu warned players about how "your family suddenly gets a lot bigger when you're in the NFL" given all the people with their hands out for money. Also in the story, Tatupu compared pressure from groupies to what a player might face on the field. "It's like on a kickoff return," he said. "You just have to keep your head on a swivel." We all can relate, Lofa. We all can relate.

Every so often I'll go through the archives to learn about the future through the past, or to just familiarize myself with things that might prove helpful down the line. We are fortunate in that John Clayton was my predecessor (1986-1998). He left, but his stories stayed. The online archives go back to 1993, so there are thousands of Seahawks/NFL stories from which to choose (I will generally have 400-500 bylines in a year).

Here's an example of what I'm talking about. This story from July 1996 examines free agency as it was developing a decade ago. The salary cap was about $40 million, compared to more than $100 million now. Many teams had yet to secure the publicly financed stadiums that have helped the league grow. The league's TV revenues were not what they have become. The league was strong, but nothing like it is today. Teams were starting to talk about the need for restraint in signing bonuses, but some never quite learned to walk the walk. That's why you still read variations of this story every offseason. Note: The following quotation was from the notes at the bottom of the story; I included it here because it seemed so out of place in today's mostly ultra-rich NFL, except the part about the build-us-a-stadium-or-we'll-move threat. Some things stay the same.

"Cash is so tight with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that most of their draft choices have been asked to take deferred signing-bonus checks through the regular season. The Bucs have sold fewer than 25,000 season tickets and might move if voters don't pass a bill to build them a new stadium." -- The News Tribune in July 1996

As promised, we have added a "signed through" column to our Excel roster. This is now a 26-category roster. Out of hand? Yes. Destined to grow even more? Of course. I have filled in the "signed through" information for all key players and all but a handful of players unlikely to earn roster spots. Draft picks are not yet signed, so there is no information for them either. This lets us quickly see when players' contracts expire. You can view the roster here as long as you are using Internet Explorer or Firefox's IE tab (the new column is column "N"). Or you can download the file here (recommended for best reproduction). A chart showing notable players without contracts beyond 2006 appears below.

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Matt Hasselbeck (middle) was recently in Branson, Mo., for the National High School Coaches Association banquet. He apparently found time to take in some of the night life. Hey, you know the Hawks have arrived when their starting QB is sharing headlines with Mel Tillis (right), Yakov Smirnoff (left) and others who draw millions (including my sweet mom, on occasion) to this midwest oasis.

Visitors to Branson average 57 years in age, but that number should come down after Hasselbeck spreads the word around the Seahawks locker room. This from the Branson Daily News: "Hasselbeck related that he was genuinely impressed with Branson. The Boston native wished his wife and three children would have been able to make the trip with him. 'This seems like a better version of Las Vegas,' he said. 'If I would have grown up around here, I’m sure my family would have made a road trip here.' "

In all seriousness, Branson is a family-friendly destination with many attractions beyond aging country-and-western stars and Russian comics who last inhabited the national stage during Glasnost. I simply couldn't resist a chance to have a little fun with Hasselbeck's appearance there.