For an upcoming story, I'm going to use some of the entries from the thread about whose jerseys you wear. I'd like to have a few of you email me at my work email, please, dave.boling@thenewstribune.com, and reveal your true identities. I can't just use your blog names in a story. Thanks. I've talked to a number of players about their feelings regarding people wearing their jerseys, and they had some interesting answers.

Any chance I could hear from: Regis, neurocell, sturtainen, Lothar_28, Keasley, SpringfieldSeahawk, Mustangjss, glennergy and jerrycurl ... thanks.

Defense

Defensive ends
In: Patrick Kerney, Bryce Fisher, Darryl Tapp, Baraka Atkins
Longshots: Nu’u Tafisi, Brandon Green
Comment: This position is set.

Defensive tackles
In: Rocky Bernard, Chuck Darby, Brandon Mebane
On the bubble: Russell Davis, Craig Terrill, Marcus Green, Marcus Tubbs
Longshot: Eric Taylor
Comment: Marcus Tubbs’ knee injury on Thursday means he is likely headed for injured reserve, opening a spot for somebody else. Terrill is the best pass-rusher but without Tubbs it needs a run-stopper. Davis’ age could factor in.

=> Read more!

The Seahawks have not made an official announcement on the outcome of Marcus Tubbs' knee injury, but the team is not denying that Tubbs is done for the season with a torn ACL. It means that Tubbs is likely headed for the injured reserve and also could mean that his career is over. A torn ACL is usually a 9-month to one-year rehab, depending on the severity, though one has to wonder what that means for Tubbs given that his other knee was surgically repaired. If he does come back in a year, that means that Tubbs will not have played a regular-season game in almost two years.

Wide Receivers
In: Deion Branch, Nate Burleson, Bobby Engram, D.J. Hackett, Ben Obomanu
On the bubble: Joe Fernandez, Jordan Kent, Logan Payne, Courtney Taylor.
Comment: The team has to decide if it is keeping a sixth wide receiver. If it does, Taylor is the likely choice. Kent is a logical candidate for the practice squad and Fernandez has done some nice things on special teams.

Offensive linemen
In: Walter Jones, Sean Locklear, Tom Ashworth, Chris Gray, Chris Spencer, Rob Sims, Ray Willis, Mansfield Wrotto.
On the bubble: Floyd Womack, Pat Ross
Longshots: Kyle Williams, Steve Vallos
Comment: Ross was injured in the final preseason game and that could play a factor. Womack is likely in because of his versatility.

=> Read more!

I made a few calls on the rumored trade of Mark Brunell to the Seahawks and I am still being told that nothing appears imminent. The Seahawks apparently are the ones who initiated the discussions but as far as I can tell, I don't think anything is cooking. That could always change, but one of the things one of the people I spoke with questioned is what happens with Brunell in Seattle? He is the second QB in Washington and has a good chance of getting playing time if Campbell goes down. That's not the case in Seattle unless they plan on using Seneca elsewhere. I'll let you know if I hear anything else.

No word yet on the Marcus Tubbs injury. You'll know when I know.

Cuts must be made by Saturday at 1. The Seahawks have said they will give us the list of cuts by then. They go out on the wire a little after that. I will post them as soon as they are released. I will do a roster analysis a little later today. The team has all weekend off, so we can't go out there today or Saturday morning and see who is not practicing like we did after the first round of cuts.

I spoke briefly with John Clayton last night and he said he didn't think the Brunell thing was happening. It could be percolating and catch fire, and with the rumor last week that the Hawks were in discussions for Kelly Holcomb clearly they are shopping. I thought it was interesting that they didn't even allow Devine to throw a pass last night, which tells me they seriously considered him as an option to replace Greene.

We are hoping to hear something on the extent of the Tubbs injury sometime today. I will post that news as soon as we hear.

Just messing around with photos and wanted to see if I could post these. If it works I'll try to post some more game action tomorrow.

Leonard Stephens: Uh, three penalties, including two false starts on one drive. As Boling said, "Coach Holmgren doesn't mind those types of things at all."

Will Herring: I thought he missed a number of tackles tonight and Boling speculated that he may just be too small to regularly bring guys down. I will say this, he does sacrifice his body on special teams, that guy is always busting the wedge and getting tossed about.

Kyle Williams: Did not play.

Pork Chop Womack: There were several plays when his guy went right around him and flushed Seneca. He did not inspire confidence.

Jordan Kent: I may be wrong, but I think he may have been responsible for the second of Seneca's interceptions. TV was interviewing Burleson and so I never saw a replay but I think Kent was the intended receiver and never made his cut. He also dropped that touchdown pass. He showed the best and worst, able to get past guys but not able to finish the play, which has been the case all camp.

David Greene: Did not play. (Maybe I should put him under helped himself.)

S C.J. WALLACE

(On the time leading up to this game…) “It’s been a real great experience for me, never dreamed of playing in the NFL. I’m just living a dream right now. It’s just a great opportunity for me.”

(On Qwest Field crowd noise…) “It’s not much of a difference from Husky Stadium. It’s about on the same level. The seats are real close to the field and the fans go crazy. Every second of the game they’re generating.”

(On upcoming cuts…) “I’m going to be nervous but I am man enough to see what’s going to happen. I can’t worry about that. Just have to live my life and whatever happens, happens.

WR NATE BURLESON

(On his performance…) “After a long preseason, a long training camp, it feels like a reward when you’re a receiver and you get to score touchdowns. That was exciting.”

“That’s a nice little drive. I was able to contribute; getting a big play and also getting in the (end) zone. Really I have to give all the credit to Seneca Wallace. I ran a post route and he hit me square in my numbers. You couldn’t place a better ball on me. He actually threw me a position where I had to spin out, had to run away from the defense. Then on the second one it was a short shake route to the long side of the field. It was just an amazing ball, an amazing play by Seneca (Wallace). I just did my part in catching it.”

LB NIKO KOUTOUVIDES

(On his performance…) “I played well. It was great for the coaches to let the backers come out and start. It’s been awhile since you’ve run out of the tunnel. Whenever you’re in a special teams role or you’re a backup this is basically your regular season. You have to go out there and perform. Show the coaches you know how to play this game; stay disciplined. Just go out and make plays. That’s what we did. We had fun. It was a beautiful night. Football, the game we love to play. We just go out there and have fun.”

HEAD COACH MIKE HOLMGREN

(opening…) I think both Coach Kiffin and myself are glad that game is over with. Now we start getting into the serious part of what we do. There were some good efforts put forth tonight. We’ll make our decisions in the next couple days on who’s going to be on the football team. Injury wise, Marcus Tubbs hurt his knee. It was not the knee that he had operated on, it was the other leg. We’ll have the exact details tomorrow. He’s getting it scanned right now. It appeared to be rather serious. I think other than that, we came out of it OK. Josh Wilson banged his hip, and he’s pretty sore, but I think he’s going to be OK.

=> Read more!

C.J. Wallace: I thought he really stood out. He had his second interception of the preseason, applied a number of good hits and always seemed to be around the ball. He did get burned on the touchdown pass to Adkisson, losing the tight end when he released, but I think the guy was mostly positive throughout camp and the games.

Pete Hunter: After some lackluster performances earlier, I thought he was pretty good in this game. He nearly had an interception early on, had nice coverage on some other passes and made a few tackles.

Nate Burleson: Had another nice game after being the only player in that Green Bay game to make a big play. He had a really impressive reverse spin move after a catch that got him another 10 yards and nearly allowed him to score. Three catches for 52 yards, he's a pretty good third/fourth receiver.

Leonard Weaver: I am torn on this one -- and I think the coaches are too. He had 74 yards on 16 carries and two receptions for eight yards, as well as a few nice lead blocks, but he also had a fumble. "I thought he played really hard," Holmgren said. "I saw some good things. But that is one of those close calls we're going to have to make."

Niko Koutouvides: A few run stuffs at opportune times.

Brendan Mebane: If there is one positive from the Marcus Tubbs injury, it might be that this guy gets more time.

The Marcus Tubbs knee injury sounds pretty serious, even possibly career-ending. He was getting scanned during Holmgren's press conference and an official announcement will be made tomorrow morning, but right now I think he is a good candidate for IR. They are unable to place him on the PUP list, is my understanding, because he already was on that and then passed his physical. If they keep him on the active roster, he will be there and not able to contribute. If he goes on IR, he is done for the year and will not have played in almost two years by the time he comes back. Holmgren had this cryptic quote: "He's just one of those players where he's a very talented player who can't get on the field. Call it unlucky. Call it whatever. the injury bug has prevented him from reaching his potential on the field."

=> Read more!

I had the injury right, just the incorrect side. Wilson suffered a left hip injury and will not return.

Rookie CB Josh Wilson was just carted off the field to the locker room . There is no official word on his injury but it looked like when he came off the field he was favoring his right hip.

It looks like Chris Spencer may have tweaked his left leg. He was getting worked on on the training table but he headed back out afterwards. He is limping slightly.

Leonard Stephens probably just lost his job, three penalties called on him in the first half, one that led to the punt return for a touchdown.

Josh Wilson was made to look silly twice, one a vicious stiff arm by Mike Williams, the other on a stiffarm by Travis Taylor.

Leonard Weaver? Good and bad. He had 25 yards on seven rushes and two passes for eight yards (and one called back on a penalty by Stephens) but he also had a fumble.

I think Pete Hunter is having a pretty nice night, one near interception, and he has been close on coverage a couple times and has made a few nice tackles.

C.J. Wallace is doing some nice hitting, which is always noticeable.

I don't know if that facemask penalty was actually on Will Herring. I would like to see another replay but I think he may have been in the vicinity and got called for it.

Seneca Wallace looked pretty sharp to me, save for the interception at the goal line. Hackett was open on that and Wallace was a count late on the throw. Wallace was 10-for-18 for 129 yards in the first half, with a 73.6 passer rating.

Brendan Mebane continues to get some pretty good penetration, and while Tapp was credited for the safety Mebane made the initial push.

Niko Koutouvides has made a couple of nice plays, including two on third-and-short and then fourth-and-short.

Marcus Tubbs was carted off the field to the locker room and has a right knee sprain. It is NOT an injury to the same knee on which he had microfracture surgery. He was helped off the field, went to the bench, ripped off his helmet in frustration and threw it to the ground, then was looked at by about 10 medical guys. He was placed on a cart and wheeled to the locker room, and he looked pretty distressed on his way there.

Also, Sean Locklear has a hand injury, the reason Floyd Womack went to left tackle in the second quarter.

Apparently Michael Boulware has a tweaked ankle that is keeping him from playing tonight.

Though he is not listed as a scratch, I also did not see Michael Boulware out on the field warming up.

Out

JaMarcus Russell
Michael Bush

Lineup Changes

Jake Grove will start at center
Zach Miller will start at TE
Josh McCown will start at QB
Justin Griffin will start at FB
LaMOnt Jordan will start at RB

Out

Kelly Jennings
Julian Peterson
Walter Jones
Will Heller

Lineup Changes

Nate Burleson for D.J. Hackett
Mansfield Wrotto for Chris Gray
Leonard Stephens for Marcus Pollard
Seneca Wallace for Matt Hasselbeck
Leonard Weaver for Mack Strong
Mo Morris for Shaun Alexander

Darryl Tapp for Patrick Kerney
Marcus Tubbs for Chuck Darby
Craig Terrill for Rocky Bernard
Bryce Fisher for Tapp
Will Herring for Leroy Hill
Niko Koutouvides for Lofa Tatupu
Pete Hunter for Marcus Trufant
Mike Green for Deon Grant
C.J. Wallace for Brian Russell

All the receivers are on the field and I don't see Ben Obomanu, who strained a hammy in Tuesday's practice, so I assume he is out for the game. They have not yet announced officially who is out.

Happy Birthday, Shaun!

This is the second half of the pregame conversation between me and Boling. It picks up where the first half left off.

This is the first half of the pregame conversation I just had with Boling in the press box. It covers a litany of topics that the Seahawks face both in this final game and as the season opener approaches. I recorded it at too high a quality so I had to break it in two. I'll file the other half shortly.

Boling and I should get to the stadium at about 4:30. We'll sit down and record the audio of his thoughts around then, and I'll post it as soon as I am able to.

From then on, I'll be providing updates as we get them re: who is playing, who is out and any other pertinent information.

=> Read more!

Here is the press release:

What: Seattle Seahawks Wide Receiver, Deion Branch will launch his foundation’s newly designed Web site - www.deionbranch83.com - on Thursday, Sept. 6 at the Bellevue Boys & Girls Club “Main Club.”

The launch party will feature a web forum “Q & A session” where kids can ask Deion questions about the upcoming Seahawks season and his Deion Branch Charitable Foundation. The party will also include a game-show activity with Deion leading kids in attendance at the event in a rousing round of “Jeopardy.”

=> Read more!

Sorry, folks, I was shut out of the blog all morning because of tech problems at the office.

Here is a story that talks about what tonight's game means for the Raiders.

Here is a short item on Jerramy Stevens and his chance to make the team with the Bucs, who the Seahawks play in Week One.

And here is a piece by Mike Sando on Matt Hasselbeck.

Here's a link to a really good Sando story about Matt Hasselbeck's diligent, and sometimes unusual, film studies of opponents.

I spoke with defensive coordinator John Marshall earlier today for some stuff in our special section and happened to ask him about the starting right end spot, Tapp or Fisher. He said that both are going to play against the Raiders tomorrow night, and whichever guy plays better is likely going to get the starting position against Tampa Bay.

=> Read more!

These are courtesy of my friends at Bodog.com:

Team Odds

Odds to win the 2008 NFC Championship

Seattle Seahawks 6/1

Odds to win the 2008 Super Bowl XLII

Seattle Seahawks 20/1

Odds to win the NFC West Division

Seattle Seahawks 7/5

Arizona Cardinals 3/1

San Francisco 49ers 9/5

St.Louis Rams 4/1

Odds to win the NFC West Division

Seattle Seahawks 7/5

Arizona Cardinals 3/1

San Francisco 49ers 9/5

St.Louis Rams 4/1

Win Totals

2007 NFL Regular Season Wins - Seattle Seahawks

Over 9 (EVEN)

Under 9 (-130)

Player Performance Odds

Matt Hasselbeck - Passing Yards

Over 3525 -120

Under 3525 -120

Matt Hasselbeck - Passing Touchdowns

Over 25 (-120)

Under 25 (-120)

Matt Hasselbeck - Pass Interceptions

Over 15 (-120)

Under 15 (-120)

Shaun Alexander - Rushing Yards

Over 1650 (-120)

Under 1650 (-120)

Shaun Alexander - Rushing Touchdowns

Over 16 (-120)

Under 16 (-120)

Deion Branch - Receiving Yards

Over 965 (-120)

Under 965 (-120)

Deion Branch - Pass Receptions

Over 68 (-120)

Under 68 (-120)

Deion Branch - Total Receiving Touchdowns

Over 5½ (-130)

Under 5½ (-110)

Julian Peterson - Tackles (Solo + Assisted)

Over 88 (-120)

Under 88 (-120)

Julian Peterson - Sacks

Over 7½ (-115)

Under 7½ (-125)

Patrick Kerney - Sacks

Over 7 (-120)

Under 7 (-120)

Lofa Tatupu - Total Tackles (Solo + Assisted)

Over 92½ (-120)

Under 92½ (-120)

This is 45 seconds of an interview I did with Derek Devine Tuesday afternoon. He should get playing time against the Raiders on Thursday and may be competing for a roster spot (long shot), may be competing for a spot on the practice squad.

With only two full days of practice, the Seahawks have a short walkthrough Wednesday morning in preparation for Thursday night's game. That walkthrough is closed to the media, meaning we have no availability.

=> Read more!

These were transcribed by the Seahawks. They look good. There is nothing super illuminating in here but as a Seahawks fan I'm sure you want to read through it.

Shaun Alexander
July 30, 2007

(On beginning the regular season…) “Football, it’s what we do. It’s so exciting that it’s so close. We’ve been wanting to play and I feel like I haven’t really been able to play in a year. I’m over here just almost giddy. The real bullets are going to be flying. That’s the best thing. No one will be surprised if I tell you my favorite part of football is game day. For the fact that the real games are so close I am really excited.”

=> Read more!

These were transcribed by the Seahawks. I have read through them. They are missing some of Hasselbeck's responses about his meeting with President Bush. Some of that was esoterica but he also admitted that he has voted twice for Bush and that while he does not follow politics religiously, he does follow them.

Matt Hasselbeck
August 28, 2007

(On goals for the upcoming game) “We’re still working. We’re not technically in training camp because we don’t have those night meetings and we don’t necessarily practice twice in pads a day but we’re still working hard. We’re still working towards that first game September 9. We use these preseason games as an opportunity to compete live against another opponent; full speed, tackling, hitting, all that kind of stuff. Try to work on game management and making good decisions. We’re still just plugging away here knowing that the ultimate goal, obviously we’re trying to play well in these games and win these games, but the ultimate goal is to hopefully hit the ground running for September.”

=> Read more!

It was a hot practice in full pads for two hours. No Kelly Jennings, Julian Peterson or Marcus Tubbs, which means they will not be playing in Thursday's game against the Oakland Raiders. Jordan Babineaux and Walter Jones were on the far field, getting in some work.

=> Read more!

The Seahawks QB was on this morning with Mitch Levy, during which he spoke about meeting President Bush.

Quarterback Erik Meyer was the 12th player released today, the team announced today.

Practice is scheduled from 1:30-3:30 today. Frank plans to file afterward.

Here is Dave's weekly visit with Elise and Ian on KJR. Behold, there is some Mariners stuff in there but the beginning is Seahawks-related.

These were transcribed by the Seahawks staff. I have read through them and they look good. The highlight is Holmgren discussing roster decisions, which I have placed up top.

Mike Holmgren
August 27, 2007

(On the defensive line…) “We do have pretty good depth there and that’ll be one of the tough cuts. They’ll all be tough but that’s one of the competitive cuts I would say. I couldn’t tell you right now. I could not tell you who the guys are. You know who our starters are going to be probably. Then there is a handful of guys still competing for those last few positions.”

“I’m going to hold off talking about numbers and the reason being is there is some areas I might have to rob Peter to pay Paul. Right now I don’t want to get locked into any sort of number. I can’t really tell you is the point of it.”

=> Read more!

I don't think we are going to be provided with an official list of cuts until tomorrow, which means we won't officially know who the 12th guy is until then. The C.J. Wallace speculation is premature, and in no way a done deal. He just appeared solemn getting off the elevator. I'll post the official list as soon as we are told.

I spoke with Leonard Weaver after practice about my daily story for tomorrow's sports section. I asked him what happened between the beginning of camp and now, and he said the Green Bay had a big effect on his psyche because he had such a poor pass blocking game. He said his run blocking was good that game but pass blocking was not. He said is approaching it as "I need to go out there and improve on what I need to work on." He said he is well aware that everybody thinks he is struggling, but he doesn't feel like it is a struggle but rather it is work that he needs to do.

=> Read more!

We're still not sure who the 12th guy who got cut is, but I'm venturing a guess that it is C.J. Wallace. Scott Johnson and I were getting on the elevator as he was getting off from the offices upstairs, and he didn't look like a guy who was very happy. I'll let you know when I know for sure. Holmgren said after practice that they had cut 12 guys, so there was one more. Not sure why they had whoever was cut practice one last time.

=> Read more!

These are the players missing from practice:

RB A.J. Harris
CB Patrick Ghee
WR Chris Jones
WR Robert Ortiz
OL Austin King
OL Jason Murphy
OL Jonathan Alston
TE Andy Stokes
LB Marcus Rucker
CB Dennis Davis
K Kurt Smith

=> Read more!

Practice is today at 1:30, so I will be filing something after that practice and after interviews, probably around 4:30 or so.

Also, as you can see by the mug of Kelly Jennings, I have figured out how to paste photos into the blog, so when appropriate I will try to do that more often (though I still have to figure out how to pull photos off the wire and convert them. It's all a work in progress.)

=> Read more!

I forgot the mention this injury last night, and you can get it in full in the Mike Holmgren quotes, but apparently Kelly Jennings had a bruise on his leg that was pretty serious. Tests came back negative and Holmgren did not say what his status was, and probably won't know until Monday. But keep in mind that this is a very short week of work, with one practice on Monday and Tuesday, and a brief walk through on Wednesday in preparation for Thursday's exhibition finale against Oakland.

Pretty solid victory for the Hawks last night. The Vikings have some serious quarterback issues. Seneca Wallace is way better than either Tavaris Jackson or Brooks Bollinger. Did anybody find it strange that the Vikings used two trick plays in a preseason game. The reverse receiver pass was the first offensive touchdown the Viks have scored in three preseason games — ouch.

Here's Frank's game story and Dave's column. My story was about E.J. Henderson and Matt Hasselbeck's brief conversation on the field. Here's the game notebook with notes about Marcus Tubbs, Steve Hutchinson and others.

Minneapolis Star Tribune Coverage
Here's the game story addressing the quarterback issue. There is still some young talent out there for the Vikings to rely on. A scary moment at the end when a Vikings player was loaded into an ambulance on a stretcher.

St. Paul Pioneer Press coverage
Here's the game story calling the Viks play, solid and shaky.Here's the game notebook that leads with receiver Bobby Wade's play. As they showed on Saturday, the Viks plan on using both Chester Taylor and Adrian Peterson (who looks like he's going to be great) in a platoon system this season. I can hear fantasy football owners grumbling. Both runners looked pretty solid at times last night.

Arizona Cardinals
This columnist thinks the preseason football schedule is stupid. Arizona's defense was not so good in a 33-31 loss to the Chargers. The Cardinals are spicing up their play calling. The Arizona Republic has a guy nicknamed "fanboy" do a running blog during the game with thoughts and comments. Maybe the TNT should do that, I'm sure we could find someone on this blog to do that.

Here's the East Valley Trib's game story. This columnist believes the CArds are in for plenty of high-scoring games this season. Despite the loss, Ken Whisenhunt thinks the team is a getting a winning mentality.

San Francisco 49ers
Frank Gore will not play in the preseason — no big shocker.

St. Louis Rams
The Rams lost to the Raiders, 20-10. The Raiders? Of course, Steven Jackson only played one play in the game. QB Marc Bulger said there's no reason to panic yet because the offense is sputtering. But a bunch of penalties certainly don't help.

Other stuff:
Here's kind of an interesting story on teams phasing out contact drills in fall camps.

Tuesday the Seahawks must trim their roster from 88 to 75. There is some trickery involved here I think because of the need for healthy players for the last preseason game and because of NFL Europe exemption (about which I do not yet have a firm grasp). But all things being equal, these are the players who I would think would get cut on Tuesday:

K Kurt Smith
QB Erik Meyer
CB Omowale Dada
TE Andy Stokes
RB A.J. Harris
LB Marcus Rucker
LB Cameron Jensen
OL Jason Murphy
CB Dennis Davis
WR Robert Ortiz
OL Austin King
DT Eric Taylor
WR Joe Fernandez

=> Read more!

Yes, he growled and barked, but I almost got the feeling that somewhere under the surface Mike Holmgren might have been just a little happy that his team got pummeled in Green Bay in the second preseason game. It gave him a good excuse to turn up the heat on a camp that had seemed a little more casual and mundane than usual as it was being conducted at the team’s cushier headquarters.

I looked back through the preseason records and discovered an interesting theme: In Holmgren’s first eight seasons in Seattle, the Seahawks NEVER won the second preseason game and NEVER lost the third preseason game. The only variation on the theme was last year, when they won game 2 and lost game 3.

=> Read more!

All the quotes were transcribed by the Seahawks. I did not have time to read through them. Take any mistakes as deadline driven.

Seahawks are off tomorrow. I believe Brother Boling will give some expert analysis in the morn.

Goodnight to all.

G STEVE HUTCHINSON

(On whether it was easier for him to return to Seattle a second time . . . ) “First of all, it’s a preseason game. The crowd was in it tonight. This place can get loud. I’ve usually been on the other end of it. When you’re on [Seattle’s] offense, you don’t really hear it that much. Now this is the second year in a row I’ve heard the wrath of the stadium on offense out there. I think one year removed is a little bit easier. I was telling [a reporter] out on the field that it’s a little weird being in this locker room after how many other games coming out of the tunnel on that side. I’m a little bit more relaxed more than last year as far as coming back here.”

=> Read more!

CB KEVIN HOBBS

(On performance against the Vikings…) “I have no idea. Coach told us to come out here and show what we can do and make it hard on them. Hopefully I made it hard on them.”

=> Read more!

QB MATT HASSELBECK

(On the touchdown drive…) I thought Marcus Pollard especially did a nice job It wasn’t like he was wide open on a couple of those, he did a nice job of having strong hands, and taking the ball from the guy, because it could gone either way, complete or incomplete. It was a good drive. It made me feel better about the day.

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HEAD COACH MIKE HOLMGREN

(opening…) Well, that was a little better. We played better than we did last week, and that’s what we wanted to do. Scores in the pre season, for any number of reasons, you can’t always get locked into the score of the game, but you do have to evaluate whether you fundamentally played better, and we did that tonight. I thought our defense did a nice job, our offense moved the ball a little bit, and our special teams were improved, and I was encouraged by that. Minnesota, I think there defense is a load, their front is very good. Brad [Childress] played his guys the same way we played our guys, so it was a good third game for both teams.

=> Read more!

There weren't many in this one-sided game but:

Leonard Weaver: He had a fumble and a holding call on a play that would have been a first-down run by Mo Morris. He had 12 carries on five yards. Three poor performances in three games. When Holmgren was asked about him, he said: "I think he struggled a little bit tonight. But we're going to look at the film. It's the time of year for me that is the least fun because we hve to make decisions on who stays and who goes."

Dennis Davis, A.J. Harris, Cameron Jensen, Austin King, Jordan Kent: They did not play.

Offensive line: The first unit did a very nice job or protecting Matt Hasselbeck, who really was only in jeopardy of being sacked on two occasions. One of those was when Ray Willis let his man go around him, but otherwise I thought Willis and Sean Locklear were pretty impressive after an abysmal performance by the starting tackles last week. "I think they were embarrassed, honestly, last week," Holmgren said.

=> Read more!

From the offensive side of the ball, this third preseason game is the one to polish up the timing and synchronization. Consider it done ... especially on a 9-play, 74-yard scoring drive in the second period.

This one answered so many questions Seahawk fans might have had.

Shaun Alexander? He had nice runs to both sides, 6 yards to the left side and 11 yards to the right. Although Rob Sims got shoved on his heels on the run to the left, Alexander skirted the pile and got around the corner. On the run to the right, tackle Ray Willis took his man inside to open an enormous hole for Alexander.

Tight end Marcus Pollard? Pollard had three catches on the drive, including a 24-yarder in which he got into the deep seam and made a nice grab. He had another on a short route and a third on an 11-yard catch and run, showing his ability to operate in different layers of the defense. If this is what they're going to get out of this guy ... consistent routes, catches and blocking ... that position is upgraded to a massive degree.

The offensive line? Remember, the Vikings inside guys of Pat and Kevin Williams are beastly. For the most part, the Hawks line handled them. They didn't have a ton of rushing yards, but the protect was much improved over last week's.

More observations after the game, but for now, fans should be encouraged by an extremely nice drive in which the No. 1 offense definitely clicked.

Brown, Koutouvides, Payne, C.J. Wallace, Kirtman, Wilson, Hunter, Joppru, Boulware, Herring

Also, Lance Laury is starting at linebacker for Leroy Hill, who is not playing either.

Bryce Fisher is one the captains who went out for the pregame coin toss but is not starting because of Darryl Tapp. I wonder where that goes.

The players who will be sitting out for both teams:

Seahawks
Erik Meyer
Jordan Babineaux
Julian Peterson
Walter Jones
Courtney Taylor
Leonard Stephens

Vikings
Mike Doss
Mike Hawkins
Richard Owens
Vinny Ciurciu

Lineup change: Anthony Herrera will start at RG for Artis Hicks.

The deal that Seahawks signed with KIRO on Friday was a five-year deal, which by the end will extend the partnership to 37 years.

I have arrived for my first game at Quest Field, though in the past I covered the DC United-Manchester United game that was played here I think last summer, maybe two summers ago. A horde of Vikings players are on the field, a few Seahawks players are out stretching. We should be hearing shortly who is playing and who is not tonight, I'll update that as quickly as possible. The TNT has me, Boling and Ryan Divish all covering the game tonight, though with a 6 o'clock start our deadlines will be tight. I'll post some stuff at halftime and again after the game, but it will have to wait until our daily stuff is all filed.

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I was on last night with Elise and Ian, but the podcast didn't get put up until late. Here is the audio link.

KIRKLAND, WASH. – The Seattle Seahawks and Bonneville Seattle have reached a multi-year radio partnership extension to continue broadcasting Seahawks games on 710 KIRO, the team announced today.

“We believe in the vision of Scott Sutherland (Vice President/Market Manager) and the Bonneville management team,” said Seahawks COO John Rizzardini. “Our fans are hungry for more Seahawks content and KIRO is committed to deliver more content while continuing to produce high-quality broadcasts for the fans.”

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Defense

Defensive ends
In: Patrick Kerney, Bryce Fisher, Darryl Tapp, Baraka Atkins
Longshots: Nu’u Tafisi, Brandon Green
Comment: This position is set.

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There is not a great deal going on today. The team has a mid-morning walkthrough that is not open to the media. So I decided to rework the roster breakdown that I did last week. There have been some changes, primarily because of the poor game in Green Bay.

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This was a relatively short interview today. I have read through the transcription and the quotes look accurate.

Coach Mike Holmgren
August 23, 2007

(On breaking camp…) “We have practice this afternoon. It will be like our ten-ten situational practice but technically we are breaking camp today. No more double sessions and we go into a normal season schedule next week as far as practice goes. The players are happy about that.”

“Whether you’re here or in Cheney your practice planning and your schedule for your practices are the same. We’ve installed, pretty much, what we’re going to install. Now I want them, next week, to get used to the regular season schedule as far as practice and meals. The young players haven’t been through it yet so they have to understand how we do that. Then, of course, the following week you’re getting ready to play Tampa.”

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Julian Peterson is suffering from a knee injury that is not that serious. Holmgren said he could play if this was a regular-season game. He came out in practice on Monday, stepped to the side to ice the knee and has not been back since. But, again, Holmgren said it is not considered serious.

Ben Joppru is OK, practiced this afternoon and caught some nice passes. I think he is probably in the mix for the final tight end spot, but I also have to say that a few people, including Boling, have commented about the strides that Joe Newton has taken from the start of training camp to now. I mentioned how he excelled at pass blocking the other day, and he has seemingly caught everything thrown his way recently. And his size -- 6-7, 258 -- is undeniable. It is another position to keep an eye on.

Training camp is finally over. Not that there seemed to be a great deal of excitement after a 75-minute afternoon session under the hot sun. It was uneventful, in shorts and shells, mostly running through different plays for both sides of the ball, as well as special teams.

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The overall package for the Seneca Wallace contract is a four-year deal worth a total of $6.2 million. Wallace got a $1.6 million signing bonus that makes his contract this year worth $2.2 million, and he gets a $400,000 roster bonus next year that kicks in on March 15. His total salary for next season is $1 million.

The contract breaks down like this:

2007 Base Salary $595,000 Signing Bonus $1.6 million
2008 Base Salary $605,000 Roster Bonus $400,000
2009 Base Salary $1.5 million
2010 Base Salary $1.5 million

I forgot to mention this in an earlier post, but for those of you who have been wondering about Leonard Stephens, he was walking around the practice fields today. He was wearing shorts, his jersey and some high top basketball shoes, and I did not see a noticeable limp when he was walking, so my guess is that, like Will Heller, Stephens is probably close to returning. The team's next full practice is on Monday afternoon.

KIRKLAND, WASH. - The Seattle Seahawks and Communities In Schools invite all fans to participate in ‘Stuff the Bus’ to help fill a school bus with backpacks and school supplies at Qwest Field during the Oakland Raiders game on August 30.

“I feel blessed to be a part of an organization like Communities In Schools that does so much for young people,” said CIS National Spokesman Shaun Alexander. “As a father of young children, I understand how important it is to give them the tools they need to
succeed in school and in life. By bringing school supplies to the game, fans can help many students and their families.”

The goal is to help more than 4,000 needy kids in Seattle and Tacoma get ready for school. A school bus will be parked in front of the Qwest Field Event Center or fans can drop off school supplies at any stadium entrance.

If fans are unable to attend the game, the Seahawks Pro Shop will also be collecting school supplies from August 26 – 30.

This is a link to a Matt Hasselbeck camp diary video done for the NFL Network that is a pretty humorous piece of viewing. I highly recommend it. You can watch if off here because it is linked through NFL Network. Go figure.

Here's Frank's story on Seneca Wallace. And his story on head coach Mike Holmgren's plans for the Saturday's preseason game with Minnesota.

Here's a story on DJ Hackett from his hometown newspaper. He played for San Dimas High School, which is the same high school that Bill & Ted went to in their excellent adventure. San Dimas football rocks!!!

According to this site, the odds are 25-1 that the Seahawks win the Super Bowl and 8-5 to win the NFC West.

Here's an NFC West preview from the Chicago Tribune with some interesting opinions.

Arizona Cardinals
Is former first-round draft pick Antrel Rolle the latest first-round bust. It's that time in camp where errors become just a little more grating on a coach. Here's a story on Pat Tillman's widow...

AUDIO: Larry Fitzgerald talks with KTAR.

San Francisco 49ers
Mike Nolan is none too pleased with some of his players practice habits. Frank Gore is getting restless not being able to practice. Cornerback Walt Harris is back practicing for the Niners. Nolan had a little fun at the team's talent show.

AUDIO: Here's the Niners coordinators weekly radio show.

St. Louis Rams
Tight end Dominique Byre could be a factor for the Rams, at least head coach Scott Linehan thinks so. Former Husky Rich Alexis is fighting for the No. 3 running back spot.

This week's opponent — the Minnesota Vikings
Robert Ferguson brings some much-needed experience to the Viks. WR Bobby Wade has been playing the best out of the group thus far. head coach Brad Childress has a softer side. Who knew? Corey Simon might move to nose tackle.

Audio: Here's some Vikings talk including Childress from KFAN in Minneapolis

Other stuff
Ken Hamlin weighs in on Michael Vick. Pete Kendall got his wish and was traded to the Redskins.

In light of Tim Ruskell's comments the other day following the contract extension for Seneca Wallace, I called D.J. Hackett's agent to inquire whether they were close to anything. Ruskell said he is having conversations with the agents for other players and would like to get something done, but once the regular season begins the window will close because he doesn't want negotiations to be a distraction. Hackett's agent said he had conversations with Ruskell earlier in the summer but has not had any talks for a while and doesn't see anything coming together in the next 10 days.

"The discussions didn’t progress that far," Kevin Robinson said. "But we are open to discussions for a new contract for D.J. and we’d love to talk to them. Earlier in the summer we had talks but nothing really since then."

It was a two-hour practice in shorts, shells and helmets that primarily went through plays and schemes. Offense and defense was interspersed with special teams.

TE Will Heller was back at work, as was Leroy Hill.

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Mike Holmgren must be feeling frisky on this, the last day of training camp, because his Harley was resting in his parking space this morning. Not a bad day for a ride.

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These were transcribed by Seahawks. I have read through them and they look good -- though Shaun cuts himself off in the middle of thoughts sometimes and his responses don't always make sense. Be aware of that.

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A very long Mike Holmgren file. I have read through them and they look fine, with a few changes. Some of the most interesting stuff, besides what he said about this weekend's game, is about Darryl Tapp, basically insinuating I think that while he is working with the first unit he needs to do more things to stay there.

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It was a 50-minute special teams practice during which nothing earth-shattering happened. Afterwards, Will Herring and Ben Joppru practiced deep snapping to each other.

I spent a little time with special teams coach Bruce DeHaven afterwards to talk to him about various aspects of the special teams.

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The Seattle Seahawks will begin traveling on Hawaiian Airlines, the ‘Official
Airline of the Seattle Seahawks,’ the team announced today.

“We want the best for our coaches, players and staff, and Hawaiian Airlines is consistently rated the
number one carrier in the nation for service and quality. We’ll be proud to put our Seahawks emblem next
to theirs on the 767 that will carry us to all of our away games this year,” said Seahawks President/GM
Tim Ruskell.

The Seahawks will experience Hawaiian’s special in-flight charter service featuring extra-large meals that
include fresh fruit and other healthy choices, up to three first-run movies per flight and any special team
requests.

The partnership marks the first time the Seahawks will regularly fly on a wide-body, twin-aisle aircraft.
Hawaiian’s Boeing 767 aircraft can carry 264 passengers in a standard two-class configuration – enough
space to provide each player with their own row of seats. Hawaiian will fly the Seahawks to their games
in Atlanta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and St. Louis.

In keeping with the new partnership, Hawaiian will affix Seahawks logos to the aircraft used for the
team’s charter flights.

“Hawaiian Airlines has been a part of the Seattle community for more than 20 years. We are big
Seahawks fans and we are thrilled to become part of the team,” said Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian Airlines
President and CEO. “Given Hawaiian’s unique brand of hospitality, we would not be surprised to see the
Seahawks build the winningest away-game record in the NFL.”

Under the terms of his new deal, Seneca Wallace will make $595,000 this year, $605,000 next year, $1.5 million in 2009 and $1.5 million in 2010, for a $4.2 million total. The question -- which I don't have a firm answer for -- is how much of a signing bonus did he get for this season. There were reports yesterday that it was $1.2 million for a $5.4 million contract total, which would mean his total salary this year is $1.795 million.

It was a very long, very animated practice with Holmgren letting loose some verbal sorties with regularity, ramping up the intensity. He said afterward he was very happy with the work that got done.

The biggest thing that came out was that Holmgren acknowledged that his first units are going to play about half the game against Minnesota on Saturday night. There was some question about whether Hasselbeck would play because Holmgren has said all along that he wants to limit his risk to injury, but he also said that the team needs to work on some things, so he crosses his fingers, hopes nobody gets injured and do what they normally do in a third preseason game. Next week the regulars will see probably little or no time. I’ll post Holmgren’s comments later today.

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Thanks to all for your input on the 5 biggest questions about the upcoming season.

Here is an interesting concept thrown out that says Mike Holmgren would be a good fit in Green Bay's front office after he leaves the Seahawks.

This is a story about Deon Grant and Brian Russell published in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review but written by AP.

The following quotes were transcribed by the Seahawks. The most interesting stuff, which I threw up top, are his quotes about the Minnesota game and the injury he incurred last season.

Matt Hasselbeck

(On added significance after being injured in last year’s game against Minnesota…) “Not really. Obviously this is a game we would have liked to have won last year. It was a game felt we could’ve won but we didn’t. It’s an NFC game. Any time you play and NFC game you feel like maybe we’ll meet these guys again.”

(On E.J. Henderson…) “I don’t really know him.”

“I don’t have an issue with him necessarily. I just have an issue with the rule. Like I’ve said before I don’t have a problem with a guy leading and hitting me in the ribs with his helmet. I have no problem with that. I don’t have a problem with a guy even hitting me in the head. I do have a problem with a guy late around the quarterback’s knees unnecessarily. I just think that’s something that needs to be talked about. That’s not an issue with their team or an issue with a certain player. I just think if we want to protect the quarterback that’s the place to start, that’s my opinion.”

“Probably not. I’m not even sure what number he was. Maybe, maybe not. I don’t know what I’d say. Thanks for ruining my season? I don’t know, whatever.

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It was a 66-minute practice in helmets and shells, basically running through plays on offense and then getting some work in for the defense. There was a minor scare early on when Matt Hasselbeck went down and was getting worked on by trainers but he soon returned and was throwing as accurately as normal. David Greene did not help himself any. He threw two interceptions and overthrew a couple receivers. I asked Ruskell about signing somebody to replace Greene, and he essentially said they are looking but there are not a lot of options out there. Next week are cuts to reduce rosters to 75, but he doubts anybody will come free on that. People are struggling to find No. 2 QBs, much less No. 3s, and Greene already knows the system.

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We spoke with Tim Ruskell after the afternoon practice and he confirmed that it was a four-year deal, a three-year extension. Terms were not disclosed, but if the $5.4 million is accurate -- and I think it is pretty close -- that means the $5.4 is for the four years, which means an average salary of $1.35 million. I don't know how the deal is structured, and if it is spread out evenly or not. Ruskell said he has been speaking with Seneca's agent for about a month and the deal came together in the last few days. We also spoke with Seneca and he basically said he likes it here in Seattle, he is comfortable here, he likes his teammates, and while people say the grass is always greener, that is not necessarily the case. He said he is happy to be a backup and comfortable in that role.

We also asked Ruskell if this is the first in a line of signings. He said he is speaking with the agents of other free agents but time is running out to get something done because he doesn't want contract negotiations to be a distraction in the middle of the season.

Just to clarify Seneca Wallace's contract extension, I am told that it is a four-year deal but a three-year extension. That means that Wallace will get a raise this year and then is signed for three years beyond 2007. The extension is reportedly $5.4 million -- so I think that means that this year's raise is not a part of that figure.

Don't make this man mad.

Dave wrote about the good old Chuck Knox glare. Frank's story discussed the demotions and fall out from the Green Bay debacle.

Here's the story from Adam Schefter on Seneca's contract extension.

This story says that some gambling sites are putting up odds on the number of interceptions Matt Hasselbeck is going to throw

Arizona Cardinals
Last call for starting spots on the Cardinals... Nose tackle Gabe Watson shed a few pounds and shockingly he has more stamina. For now, Antrel Rolle lost his starting spot at corner back.

AUDIO: Here's coach Ken Whisenhunt talking about his team's recent efforts.

San Francisco 49ers
Rookie Patrick Willis was named a starter at linebacker. Rookie Dashon Goldson suffered an injury in his elbow and is out for the time being.

This guy from CBS Sportsline thinks Darrell Jackson is going to have a huge year.

AUDIO: here's Coach Mike Nolan's weekly podcast. Santa Rosa Press Democrat beat writer Matt Maiocco discusses the Niners.

St. Louis Rams
Dominique Thompson got crushed against Minnesota and is out with a rib injury. The plan is for the Rams to rotate four defensive tackle this season.

AUDIO: here's Rams receiver Drew Bennett talking on KFNS. Also tight end Randy McMichael talked with the station.

This week's opponent — the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings signed Packers cast off Robert FErguson. Second-year corner Cedric Griffin knows he's going to be picked on. There always seems to be a guy like Heath Farwell in every camp, and you can't help but cheer for the guy.

Mike Sando!!
The man is on the road, checking out Bears camp talking to Adam Archuleta and then he headed to Indy to see Colts rookie wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez.

It was a pretty long practice in full pads that seemed more normal than yesterday, when the atmosphere was tense and subdued. Today seemed more like everybody got back to work. Marcus Green, Ben Joppru and Julian Peterson were missing, Peterson with a sore knee that he hurt against Green Bay. Don't know yet what the the injuries to Green and Joppru are, I'll let you know when we find out.

Hasselbeck spoke afterwards, and I'll post his quotes later this afternoon, but he was asked at the very end about whether he would say anything to E.J Henderson, the player who injured his knee last year, if he saw him this Saturday. Hasselbeck quipped, "I don't know what I would say to him. Thanks for ruining my season last year?"

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I know most of you ardent Seahawks fans will take issue with this column about Matt Hasselbeck and the injury he suffered against Minnesota last year, but the writing struck me as kind of funny. The guy calls Hasselbeck the Bald Bomber and tells him to quit whining about the hit on his knee. It reeked of New York Post journalism -- which I have to admit I love for its sheer mockery of the profession.

Here is a story in the Sporting News on the comeback of Bobby Engram. It's OK, not great, some of the quotes are from early in camp, but I have not really seen anything else written on him yet.

Dave was on last night with Elise. He had some interesting stuff to say about David Greene, and Elise brought up the prospect of the Hawks signing Marques Tuiasosopo if he gets cut by the Jets.

I am working on some stuff for our special section, and one of the things I am doing is putting together Five Questions. Sando did the same thing last year and his Five Questions were:

1) How many games will this team win?
2) How much will left guard Steve Hutchinson be missed?
3) Will the defense jump into a top-10 ranking?
4) Will Shaun Alexander go into the tank after signing that fat long-term contract?
5) Will the special teams struggle again?

I am curious to know what you all think the five main questions for this season are?

This is still a few weeks away, but it is info released by the team ramping up for the season opener

KIRKLAND, WASH. - The Seattle Seahawks have planned a number of activities to help prepare fans for
the upcoming football season, the team announced today.

In addition to the Seahawks home opener on September 9, many local area high schools and both the Huskies
and Cougars will be in action during the weekend.

“We want to help all our fans get stoked up for the season,” said Seattle Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke. “We
hope Kickoff Week will become a long-standing tradition to unite the fans throughout the Northwest.”

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I thought this was a nifty idea, and so I asked Mike Holmgren after the special teams practice if this was a possibility. He acknowledged that it was, but he said that the only way they would really want to do it is if they felt that they absolutely needed a roster spot for another guy whose contributions they could not do without.

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Sorry about no links yesterday, had to cover the M's at Safeco. So I'll get you plenty today....

Here's Frank's story about the debacle in Green Bay, and his notebook from the game. Dave didn't go, but he had to endure the game at home on TV like the rest of us.

Arizona Cardinals
Arizona lost to Houston 33-20 but Matt Leinart played well in the loss. The starting offense showed signs of life after last week's terrible showing. Still, Ken Whisenhunt wants to play run-first on offense and that just ain't working. Saftey Adrian Wilson has plenty at stake this season... he's pretty good.

Here's a big feature on Whisenhunt and what shaped him as a person and a coach.

San Francisco 49ers
Columnist Tim Kawakami tries to get inside the heads of Al Davis, Mike Nolan and Raiders pick Jamarcus Russell. Coach Mike Nolan believes all the competition for positions will make the Niners better. One of those spots is at right tackle where rookie Joe Staley is making a push.

St. Louis Rams
The Rams aren't worried about their inability to score points in their 30-13 loss to the Chargers. Why? Because RB Steven Jackson barely played in the game. There is dogfight for the starting center spot on the Rams line. Here's columnist Jeff Gordon's thoughts on the Rams loss.

This week's opponent — the Minnesota Vikings
REcently cut Packer Robert Ferguson worked out for the Vikings. Ferguson might want to rethink since the Vikings are having trouble completing passes. The Viks defense did play tough against the Jets a few days ago. Rookie Adrian Peterson looked better in his second game.

The special teams went for a full hour, which is about 15 minutes more than normal, no surprise given some of the gaffes on Saturday night. Nothing very compelling, onside kicks followed by onside kick receiving, followed by kickoff and kick returns then punt and punt returns. Special teams coach Bruce DeHaven was very vocal and often referred to Saturday night. During the punts portion, Derek Rackley had a few off-target snaps, one that was very low. Other than that, a very mundane practice.

No, this has nothing to do with the former Sonics owner. Tully's and Seahawks kicker Josh Brown are teaming up to support Cystic Fibrosis, and 15% of all purchases at Tully's on Tuesday will go toward that cause. Apparently, there even is a drink called The Kicker that they are going to sell on Tuesday.

After reading through the transcript of Holmgren's quotes, this is the thing that stood out the most to me: He was very demonstrative today, and very little of that comes out in the raw copy. He used facial expressions about himself, David Greene, Seneca Wallace, and that is where missing the audio portion of this hurts because you don't get the true flavor of the comments.

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Mike Holmgren addressed the horsecollar penalty called on Michael Boulware at the end of the Will Blackmon's 83-yard kickoff return, and said he thinks that call is not in the nature of what the rule was put into effect for. Holmgren, who was on the competition committee, said he will call the league about it.

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I was pretty hard on Marquis Weeks for letting Atari Bigby run right past him and into Seneca Wallace, which led to that first fumble and return for a touchdown. I wanted to get clarification today on responsibility and so I spoke to both Stump Mitchell, running backs coach, and Hugh Millen. Both said it was Weeks' fault. Mitchell seemed especially downtrodden and said it was his fault in coaching for not letting Weeks know exactly what his responsibilities are. According to Hugh, Weeks was supposed to hang out in the backfield and look for any blitzing linebackers. If he doesn't see any, he is supposed to then look for blitzing safeties. But when he didn't see a linebacker, he released to an open spot as an option for Seneca, but he completely failed to notice Bigby running past him on the way to Seneca. Mitchell said every running back was pretty bad the entire game, blowing all types of assignments while dropping passes, etc. Interestingly, when I asked him if the depth chart has changed, he didn't bring up Leonard Weaver. He said Shaun is No. 1 and Morris is No. 2, and Mack Strong is No. 1, but then said it was wide open.

It was a one-hour, 50-minute practice in shorts, helmets and shells. Coach Mike Holmgren stalked around to various parts of the team and clearly was not very happy. Boling is actually writing a column for tomorrow's paper on Holmgren's approach in scenarios like this, but Holmgren was admittedly grumpy and had some choice words for the quarterbacks involving the passing game -- or lack thereof.

Perhaps the most significant thing was that Derek Devine got a lot more reps toward the end of practice, when the entire team came together, and I don't think David Greene got any reps with the full team practicing. Holmgren acknowledged as much, and he clearly still is not happy with Greene, as you will see in the transcripts that I post later today. In fact, at one point he kind of ridicules Greene, saying he has been here three years and he should know what is going on by now. Devine and Erik Meyer are going to get some time in this week's game against the Vikings, though Holmgren did not say whether Greene would or not. Holmgren also said he was going to sit down with Tim Ruskell later today to go over the roster, and I can only assume that Greene will be discussed. The team will watch the game film at 4 this afternoon, after the special teams practice.

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Thanks to Boling for manning the blog while I got delayed in Wisconsin, missed my flight in Detroit and got home four hours later than I was supposed to. While I was on the flight, I looked at some of the Seahawks' preseason games historically. The 48-13 debacle in Green Bay was the second-largest number of points they surrendered, a 52-7 loss at Denver in 1976 -- their first year -- the worst. that also was the largest loss by margin. Saturday was the second-worst margin. In fact, from what I can tell, nothing else even comes close.

Chuck Knox always dodged questions about personnel after the game. The feelings are too raw, he said, you make decisions on pure emotion (anger, in a lot of cases) and sometimes you over-react. You’re better to sleep on it, watch the films, let the blood-pressure come down, and then make a more rational decision.

Probably a good approach. Otherwise Mike Holmgren might have had the plane take off before all the Seahawks got on board last night.

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This is an interesting quote from Holmgren after the game.

“We are going to look at this film hard. I wasn’t really happy with anybody to be honest. IThe thing is there are some fellas I think think they have the team made and they are in for a little bit of a shock this week now.”

Holmgren did not elaborate on who he meant, but if I were to speculate I would say the player at the top of that list is Leonard Weaver. We’ll see where everybody is lined up on Monday, after the players take Sunday off.

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This is the most points the Packers have scored in a preseason game in 69 years, since they defeated the Cedar Rapids Crush in 1938, 75-0. It also is the most points they ever have scored in an NFL preseason game.

One word: Yuck.

Not much to be impressed with. The Packers lead 38-13. And keep in mind they are not going to let up in the second half because guys are trying to win jobs. Without Walter Jones, Sean Locklear and Matt Hasselbeck, the offense looks completely ineffective. The offensive line is struggling to get anything going, and Tom Ashworth and Ray Willis are struggling to keep track of their men. Ashworth has been beaten twice for sacks, including one that resulted in a Seneca Wallace fumble and a return for a touchdown. Leonard Weaver also got bullrushed by A.J Hawk and gave up a sack. Then gave up another to Atari Bigby when Bigby jumped over him. Marquis Weeks had Atari Bigby run right by him for another sack that led to a fumble and touchdown by Tracy White.

David Greene came in at the end of the half and promptly threw an interception to Jarrett Bush, overthrowing Logan Payne by two feet. At the least, he led a drive at the end that led to a 48-yard field goal by Josh Brown.

The only offensive play of any significance for Seattle was a broken play in which Nate Burleson broke two tackles and gained 55 yards. Mo Morris’ touchdown run after an Aaron Rodgers fumble also was nice. But that was about it in the first two quarters. Special teams also struggled, giving up a long kickoff return to Will Blackmon that resulted in Green Bay’s second touchdown.

For the second straight game, the defensive line is giving up a lot of yards. In the first quarter, Brandon Jackson had 38 yards on nine carries. Brett Favre did a pretty nice job of dinking and carving up the secondary before his departure early in the second period. Aaron Rodgers stepped right in and did the same thing.

The weather does not seem to be playing that much of a factor. The rain stopped just before the end of the half.

Shaun Alexander dropped another pass in the flat, as did Marquis Weeks.

Perhaps the play that embodied the entire night was a 55-yard kickoff return by Josh Wilson on which Michael Boulware, David Kirtman and Omowale Dada all were called for holding. Had one more guy held, Wilson could have run home to Seattle. His teammates probably wanted to.

Nobody was injured for Seattle. Ryan Powdrell left with a knee injury for Green Bay.

I'll try to write a postgame blog later tonight after I file my daily stuff.

From what I could see, Will Herring got knocked sideways pretty well seriously by the wedge, C.J. Wallace missed a tackle, and just as Kevin Hobbs was about to make a tackle, he was knocked sideways by Logan Payne. That was enough to spring Will Blackmon.

Bodiford, who went to Portland State, injured his knee on the opening kickoff and is doubtful to return.

With Leroy Hill remaining in Seattle, Kevin Bentley will start in Hill's spot at outside linebacker.

Not playing for Green Bay: PJ Pope, Vernand Morency, Brandon Miree, DeShawn Wynn, Tony Palmer, DeVon Hicks and Tony Moll.

As expected, Matt Hasselbeck will not play today. Seneca Wallace will start.

Nate Burleson will start in front of D.J. Hackett, though Hackett is expected to play.

Josh Brown, Kurt Smith, Ryan Plackemeier and Derek Rackley are out practicing field goals. There's a guy wiping down the balls before he hands them to Rackley. There is a light wind at the top of the stadium but hard to tell what it is like down on the field.

BTW, unlike in San Diego, the press box here is enclosed (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Yikes, I have been in the press box for 90 minutes and just got online. Lambeau may have been renovated but it still apparently has issues.

In a pretty impressive sight, Jim Mora was out about three hours before the game running the stairs at the stadium in the dumping rain. He looked gassed afterwards. I hope it doesn't affect his play-calling.

The weather -- one of the employees in the press box told us this is the first time it has rained here in about a month -- is not exactly the optimum conditions for David Greene to find success. Perhaps if he doesn't do well, this will be a built-in excuse. The weather makes me wonder if Mike Holmgren will adjust any of his playing rotations if he has a concern that his players might incur additional injuries by slipping on the field or tearing something while trying to cut.

I also wonder if this will give a true indication of the defensive backs that he is trying to evaluate. One part of you wants to say, too bad, these are the conditions, everybody has to deal with them and this is what they may see in the regular season. Another part of you can understand that there are mitigating circumstances if somebody gets beat.

Seahawks players are slowly emerging from the locker room in sweats to stretch and get some running in on the field, which looks pretty pristine. There is supposedly a pretty good drainage system that should alleviate some of the wetness.

Frank just texted me that he has no wireless access yet in the Lambeau press box -- delaying pre-game bloggage -- but he's working on it. He said it's pouring rain.

The temperatures have dropped off by about 20 degrees and it is only in the 60s today in Wisconsin. It is expected to drop into the 50s tonight, and the forecasters are calling for a good chance of rain. That could make things interesting. While the Seahawks have had cool weather at their training camp, they have not yet had to practice in full-on rain, though some days were marred by drizzle.

There is a story in the Post Crescent, the newspaper in the tiny little town in which I am staying, that begins with the release of WR Robert Ferguson, but goes on to speculate that that former Seahawks WR Koren Robinson will be brought back once his one-year suspension is lifted on Sept. 18. Robinson would be the Packers' sixth receiver, even after Ferguson was cut, but he apparently has been working out with a personal trainer in Arizona getting ready for his return.

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Here's Frank's story for today on the status of Matt Hasselbeck for the game. I didn't get a chance to post Dave's column on Marcus Tubbs bringing sexy back.

Here's the Wisconsin State Journal's breakdown of Saturday's game.

Arizona Cardinals
Linebacker Chike Okeafor is going to try and fight his way back from surgery. Arizona's first team offense hopes to get a first down this weekend. Fullback Terrelle Smith, an ASU grad is happy to be back home. Third receiver Bryant Johnson still has plenty to prove this season.

San Francisco 49ers
Tight end Vernon Davis is trying not to be a psycho on the field. Frank Gore says the broken hand is healing quickly. Either way, his absence is making his back-ups better players.

St. Louis Rams
A nice little story on some longshots who are just hoping to make the roster — every team seems to have a few. Wide receiver Derek Stanley is getting a few looks from the Rams. Here's a column on Rams coach Scott Linehan.

This week's opponent — the Green Bay Packers
The Pack is going to part ways with receiver Robert Ferguson. The Packers are still trying to find a way to reduce turnovers. Boise State linebacker Korey Hall could be the Pack's starting fullback. It looks like seven of the Packers 11 draft picks this year will make the team.

Other Stuff

ESPN Page 2's DJ Gallo offers some funny thoughts on each team for the season, he even takes a little dig at Shaun Alexander's running style.

When the Hawks make the Super Bowl, we'll all have to deal with Ryan Seacrest. That's just cruel.

Coach Holmgren made some interesting comments about Saturday’s game against the Packers being “very important” for No. 3 quarterback David Greene. It spurred questions from some readers for a perspective on Greene’s situation. We’ve addressed this in earlier threads and the theme always comes back to Greene’s inaccuracy as a passer.

We don’t know how Greene “performs” in meetings, the film room, or in the huddle. Perhaps he’s a terrific student who is absolute aces with the playbook, or maybe somebody can sense great leadership potential. I can’t testify.

I can say that I’ve never heard a teammate or coach make an unsolicited observation to the effect of: “That David Greene is going to be a starter in this league.” Or, “David Greene is making real progress.” There’s always a disclaimer or a polite mitigation such as Holmgren’s “David has strengths and he has things he’s been working on since he’s been here.” In this case “… things he’s been working on since he’s been here” translates to “.. things he still hasn’t mastered in three years.”

Some examples of Greene in practice. At times the quarterbacks work on drills where they go through various drops and rolls and deliver passes into a net with three one-foot-square pockets. Frequently, Matt Hasselbeck and Seneca Wallace fire the ball directly into the pockets, or at least bounce it off the net close to the squares. At times, Greene misses the entire net. Even on little routes to backs, of only a few yards, he sometimes throws high or behind the target. That’s not every attempt, but enough that it’s fair to say he is noticeably less accurate than the top two quarterbacks.

As you know, there is more to being a quarterback than pure passing ability … particularly in practice. And Greene has had some solid performances in the preseason. It’s probably reasonable to label him a “gamer” as he quarterbacked Georgia to 42 wins, breaking Peyton Manning’s NCAA record of 39 while at Tennessee. He also was a third-round draft pick, which, right or wrong, creates at least some leverage for him.

Holmgren’s statements may have been meant to crank up Greene’s intensity and focus. It’s just as likely that we can take them purely at face value … the staff simply needs to start seeing more out of the guy.

The learning curve is different for quarterbacks. Still, the last third-round quarterback they took, Brock Huard (1999), had four starts by the end of his second season. Circumstances were different then, of course. But this is Greene’s third camp and it always seems as if he’s a lot closer to being displaced by the No. 4 quarterback than he is to overtaking the No. 2. That’s not the kind of progress they expect of any player at any position.

If nothing else, it gives you something to watch closely ... you know the staff will be.

After doing the roster report the other day, I did a little background checking on DeJuan Groce, the defensive back the Seahawks recently signed. He obviously is on the bubble for the 53-man roster, but his odds improve because he has a history with Larry Marmie, the defensive backs assistant coach. Marmie was the defensive coordinator in St. Louis when Groce played there, and apparently he liked Groce when they were together. Marmie was the reason that Groce was signed, as well as, I suspect, because Pete Hunter did not have a great first game.

These quotes were transcribed by the Seahawks. I have not read through them.

Shaun Alexander
August 16, 2007

(On preseason playing time…) “That’s usually what I do the second game, try to keep everybody in the second quarter, hopefully get two, maybe three, reps. This game usually lets us see what happens when there is some potential bad things that go on; a drive not go so well. Of course, that’s not the goal but it’s still exciting. It’s exciting taking the steps to getting ready for the first game.”

“For me, maybe get tackled once so we get that out of the way. That’s about it. Everybody’s different. I always have been a person that watched enough film and studied how people are doing stuff and look at my techniques in practice and prepare for the game by the stuff that I see on film. It’s still the same way.”

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This is a press release the Seahawks issued this afternoon about an exclusive new club:

Seahawks Open New Private Club at Qwest Field
Cadillac Reserve Club to Feature All-Inclusive Amenities

KIRKLAND, WASH. — The Seattle Seahawks will open the sold-out Cadillac Reserve Club tonight,
which is located on the club level at the northeast entrance of Qwest Field and offers upscale amenities to
its members not available in the general seating areas.
The Cadillac Reserve Club offers optimal sight lines and inclusive food and beverage selections, private
bar service and televisions carrying every NFL game in progress.
Levy Restaurants, the premier food provider for Qwest Field, will offer both local and regional menu
items. While the Club will feature a rotating menu throughout the season, members can expect to see
innovative culinary items such as Citrus Shrimp Martini’s, Charred Ahi, Watermelon Skewers and grilled
wild Alaskan King Salmon.
The Cadillac Reserve Club members will also be hosted to a full-service bar featuring a wide selection of
beer, wine, and liquor and will showcase a high-end wine list featuring Washington and Oregon Wines.
The 3,600 square-foot Club accommodates 80 members. Each membership consists of one reserved seat
with full amenity privileges as well as access to Club Wells Fargo. Cadillac models will be on display at
all Cadillac Reserve Club events or Seahawks Home Games

Cadillac Reserve Club Features:
• Upscale suite environment
• Exclusive Reserved parking privileges in the North Lot of Qwest Field
• Private restroom facilities
• Five plasma televisions to feature NFL Sunday ticket
• Dedicated service staff to provide premium all inclusive food & beverage
• Butler passed hors d’oevres
• Full-service coffee bar including a personal barista and two private chefs
• Private full bar
• Suite elevator access
• Preferred entry through NE VIP Entrance up to three hours prior to kickoff
• Concierge services
• Padded extra wide seats for outdoor club seating

Sorry for the delay on all this folks, I was in the office all afternoon meeting with editors to plan out our special section, which is coming out Sept 6., as well as doing expenses before I fly to Green Bay tomorrow. I am leaving early so Brother Boling is going to man the blog tomorrow, and I think he'll have some interesting stuff for you. Also, there was a question about Joppru's mobility. From what I saw of him, he did not look to be hindered at all. We'll see if he gets playing time Saturday. Also, I have not had the time to read through these Holmgren quotes because I still have to write my daily stuff, so if there are mistakes, I apologize.

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Coach Mike Holmgren did not definitively address the Matt Hasselbeck situation, though he strongly hinted that Hasselbeck would not play against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday. He said he is going to have a heart-to-heart with Hasselbeck and then make a decision.

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Wide receiver Jordan Kent is a subject of much debate, in part because he could earn a valuable roster spot on the team. He is a very raw product, not playing in college until 2005, but is an incredible athlete with a great body (6-4, 219). The Hawks already have four and probably five WR spots locked up with Ben Obomanu, and they traditionally keep about that many. To keep Kent, they would have to keep a sixth WR, which would likely mean either a RB or OL loses a spot. The question the Hawks have to answer is do they think Kent is worth it?

If they place him on their practice squad, there is a good chance he gets plucked off by another team who values his potential. In talking to some folks in the organization, it seems that a decision has not been made and they want to see how Kent performs throughout the entire camp and in the exhibition games before making a decision. But don't forget this aspect: D.J. Hackett is set to become a free agent after this season. Hackett is the No. 2 receiver right now and has a body type (6-2, 210) very similar to Kent's. So if the Hawks feel that Kent one day, maybe two or three years from now, can become Hackett, maybe it is worth keeping him in case they lose Hackett in free agency. If nothing else, it could give you leverage or peace of mind during the Hackett negotiations. If Hackett leaves, that gives you Branch, Burleson, Engram and Obomanu as your top four until Kent hopefully develops into the type of receiver you project him to be. This, of course, also is not taking the Courtney Taylor situation into account. Is he more talented and valuable than Kent? Can you put Taylor on the IR? There are a lot of interesting dynamics at play with the wide receiver situation, and Kent's potential is always at the hub of that discussion.

The afternoon session was very uneventful, helmets and shells and running through plays. The one thing of relative significance is that Ben Joppru was out there and dressed, though I didn't see him run through any plays. It could mean though that he is close to returning from his hip injury. Also, Rocky Bernard and Marcus Tubbs were not present at the afternoon practice.

Of more significance is this:

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These were transcribed by Hawks. I read through them and made a few changes but they look good.

Matt Hasselbeck
August 15, 2007

(On preseason playing time…) “I’m doing what they say. I realize that I am just one guy on this team and that they have to get a look at other guys and also find out some things about different positions. I would love to play as much as they put me in there and if they don’t, they don’t. Either way I have to prepare like I am playing each game. I think it’s good practice getting ready for the season.”

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Here's Frank's story from today's paper about Mike Holmgren running sprints. I heard Boling and Frank were also running with them to get in shape for the regular season — Boling was faster...

Arizona Cardinals
The Cards are emphasizing improved special teams play this season. Top draft pick Levi Brown has moved into a starting spot on the offensive line. Second round pick Alan Branch is also impressing coach Ken Whisenhunt.

San Francisco 49ers
Head coach Mike Nolan wasn't impressed with his team's defensive line play or the overall run defense. Remember bruising fullback Tom Rathman? He's returning to Frisco as a running backs coach with the Raiders. The battle to be Frank Gore's back-up is in "dead heat" according to Nolan.

AUDIO:Here's Nolan's weekly radio show on KNBR. Niners play by play man Joe Starkey offers his thoughts on the game. Here's color man's Gary Plummer's analysis.

St. Louis Rams
Rookie defensive lineman Adam Carriker continues to draw rave reviews for the Rams. Defensive end Leonard Little believes the defense will be better this year. Cornerbcak Ron Bartell bounced back after a shaky start against the Vikings.

This week's opponent — The Green Bay Packers
Coaches hope Brett Favre plays it a little safer in his decision making. Here's some quotage from Favre. And here's another story about Favre. Safety Nick Collins isn't fazed by a change at the other safety position. Quarterback turned receiver Carlyle Holiday is making a push for a roster spot. Receiver Greg Jennings is frustrated with his production in practice and in the exhibition game.

Assuming that the offense keeps 25, we gave the same number to defense, with four defensive ends, five or six defensive linemen, seven linebackers and then seven, eight or nine defensive backs. If you keep six defensive linemen, the Hawks likely have to make a decision between Craig Terrill and Marcus Green, though it should be noted that Terrill got work with the No. 1 defense today. That decision, of course, affects the secondary, where Jordan Babineaux's health could be a factor and where newly acquired Groce is an unknown factor. Pete Hunter seems to be the other player in the mix there. If you keep five defensive linemen, you can keep eight defensive backs and two of three among Babs, Hunter and Groce. If you keep Terrill or Green, you are down to eight DBs and have to make a decision between the three, though Babs, similar to Womack, is a swing guy who can play both CB and safety, which makes him more valuable. Keep in mind, all this is speculative and a lot of it will be determined in the final three exhibition games.

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Just a quick note ... I spent the morning practice watching Marcus Tubbs, and a post-practice session visiting with him for a Thursday column. Can't remember when I've seen a guy happier to be on the field. He was dancing around, kidding with everybody ... at one point he pretended like he was going to tackle Ray Rhodes.

We've told you how he's changed his body composition. Well, he's trimmed the mid-section, obviously, but is still absolutely massive. He's turned into a pretty good interview, too. He claims he's a lot sexier now ... I told him I would leave that for others to judge. About the new mohawk hairstyle that replaced his rasta dreads, he says it's a "grown-man's mohawk" not a "Mr. T mohawk." Not certain I could explain the distinction, but he added that it, too, made him sexier.

I'll tell you who is most impressed by his current looks (and it has nothing to do with his sexiness) ... the staff ... his teammates ... and all the fans who grew weary of the Hawks being run on repeatedly in his absence. To everybody, he looks best in uniform and on the field. He didn't take part in the contact stuff Wednesday, but he was padded up and is easing into things.

Check the full story in the morning.

It was a two-hour practice in full pads and there was some pretty good hitting going on.

The two things that stood out to me were that Floyd Womack was back full speed and was getting some work with the second team at left tackle. With all the time off, I would not say he looked overly impressive. On one play, Darryl Tapp blew around him and would have decapitated Seneca Wallace if he could hit the QB, and on another play he was pass blocking and got thrown backwards. But, it's early and he has not had a lot of work.

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I caught SI's Peter King on with Mitch this morning as I was driving in, and he said he thinks the Hawks are better now than when they played the Steelers in the Super Bowl. He thinks that the defense is stronger because of Kerney and the new secondary. The interview is worth a listen, both for his Hawks views and some league stuff.

Boling and I went through the roster this morning and analyzed how the roster is breaking down. I am going to post the thread on offense now, and I'll post defense after this morning's practice. The way we have it worked out, if the team keeps five WRs, nine OL, three TEs, three QBs and five RBs, that gives 25 players on offense, as well as three on special teams, leaving 25 for defense. There could be some flexibility, perhaps, with six WRs being kept and only eight OL, which would likely mean Floyd Womack has to go. Keep an eye on the TEs, where a third has not really emerged. Boling likes Joppru but his injury may have him headed for IR. Also, the fifth RB is a question, probably between Weeks and Parry.

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Leonard Weaver was on KJR with Softy Tuesday morning, as was Bryce Fisher.

Josh Brown was on with Ian Furness, who was doing Groz's show.

These were transcribed by the Hawks and look pretty good:

Marcus Tubbs
August 14, 2007

(On time off…) “As much as I appreciate and love this game it makes you hungry for it. To have to be on IR last year and have to sit at home and watch the teams go to the playoffs and stuff, it hurts inside. It makes me appreciate this day, coming back and the guys welcome back, pass by and give me a high five. I really appreciate that.”

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A few highlights from Holmgren's presser that I forgot to mention earlier:

Holmgren said he is leaning toward the starting offensive line being basically the same way that it ended last year -- though with the caveat that a final decision has not been made.

He said he has to get David Greene some reps this week in Green Bay to see where he is.

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It was a light, 50-minute special teams practice that worked on kickoffs and returns, punts and returns and then punts in the back of the end zone. Nate Burleson fielded all the returns.

The kickoff return team on Sunday, by the way, was Bentley, Laury, Boulware, Parry, Mike Green, Stephens, Tafisi, Willis, Wrotto, Obomanu and Burleson.

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A lot of stuff from today, I'm going to sift through my notebook rather than do it by order of importance. Also out were rookie CB Josh Wilson (heel), as well as Will Heller, Ben Joppru and Leonard Stephens. With the last three guys out, Andy Stokes actually got some work in today.

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Here's Frank's story from today's paper ....

Arizona Cardinals
It's looks like the Cardinals may have lost two starters — Oliver Ross and Chike Okeafor — for the season. Coach Ken Whisenhunt is expecting more from third receiver Bryant Johnson than he's been giving. Here's a notebook from Monday which talked about a freak hailstorm at practice.

San Franciso 49ers
Everybody is slurping up the Alex Smith Kool-Aid, just look at this column, and this story. and this story. The Niners offense survived without Frank Gore, but it's not something they want happening in the regular season. Here's the actual game story from the SF Chronicle about the loss. Last year's leading tackler Brandon Moore wasn't happy with his tackling in the first game.

St. Louis Rams
Former Michigan St, Louisville and University of Idaho head coach John L. Smith was named as a scout for the Rams. Receiver Fred Gibson's road to the Rams was anything but smooth. Two former Nebraska Cornhuskers (boooo!!) are making an impact on the Rams defense.

This week's opponent — the Green Bay Packers
It looks like starting safety Marquand Manuel might not be a starter much longer because of the play of Atari Bigby. (I used to dominate the old Atari basketball and Colecovision baseball). Running back DeShawn Wynn needs to learn the difference from being hurt and being injured. Long time tight end Bubba Franks may have also lost his starting job. Charles Woodson is still a good player and he showed why in practice yesterday.

As I'm standing at practice, I see this No. 35 running around that I have not seen before. The Hawks signed DaJuan Groce, a defensive back cut from the Rams, and they released punter Kyle Stringer.

I need to get back out to practice so I will put in the particulars on Groce later, but while I'm in front of the computer I should also mention that Kirtman, Craig Terrill and Marcus Tubbs are working out this morning. Walter Jones and Sean Locklear are not, and Ray Willis was working at starting right tackle this morning.

I caught Mitch Levy's interviews with Darryl Tapp and Ben Obomanu on the drive over to Kirkland. The Tapp interview does not reveal a great deal but the Obomanu interview is worth a listen because he seems like a really interesting guy.

Also, offensive coordinator Gil Haskell was on with Mitch earlier in the morning. I did not catch that interview.

Heading out to practice, I'll blog when it's over in a few hours.

Some folks asked for occasional opinions about the differences in covering the NBA and the NFL. The locker rooms of the two are very, very different. NBA locker rooms are, by comparison, pretty low-key places. There are only about 12 or 15 guys, and each has a pretty sizeable locker, so there is far less craziness. NBA players shower, generally dress in the back or get dressed with a towel around them, and then conduct interviews if they are in the mood to do so. But that aspect is more of a chore for them than anything. The Seahawks locker room was a free-for-all on Sunday, and I think that is pretty common. There is not a great deal of modesty as players scramble to fight with 80-some other guys for a spot in the shower and then to get dressed. There is equipment everywhere so you have to step over and around a lot of obstacles. But the players are far more open to talking about the game, and far friendlier. I’ve seen NBA players go through an entire season without knowing the names of writers – or caring. The Seahawks are very respectful, some give you yes sirs and no sirs, and they all shake your hand when meeting you. A great deal of that, I am told, is the culture around the Seahawks, where the expectations are for players to deal with the reporters covering the team, but another aspect of it is that with so many guys on a team, players are sometimes happy just to be interviewed or mentioned because it means they are relevant. There obviously is a big difference between Hasselbeck and say, Bryce Fisher, but you get the idea.

Security at NFL games is far tighter as well. Part of the reason Boling and I were somewhat detained getting to the press room and blogging is that the security checks you bag, takes your name, your driver's license number, double checks it all and then lets you in. NBA security is a quick glance in the bag, a peek at your credential and a free pass.

It also takes some getting used to being so far from the game. At Sonics games, we are right on the court and can hear and appreciate the interaction between players, between players and refs, and sometimes between players and fans. In a stadium, you miss those nuances and any detail of what happens on the field has to come from second-hand accounts. And there is one tool that I never needed before that I have to go out and purchase immediately: binoculars.

The Seahawks took Monday off, meaning they have only three days to prepare for the Green Bay Packers. They will have two full practices on Tuesday, a full practice and a special teams practice on Wednesday, then a full practice and a light walkthrough on Thursday. They travel Friday.

The teams have played only one before in the preseason, a 21-3 Seattle victory in the preseason opener in 2003. They have played in the regular season in three out of the last four years, plus the 2003 first-round playoff game.

Sean Locklear got his sore knee looked at today, but I doubt we will hear about the outcome of that until tomorrow. It also should be around the time that fullback David Kirtman is coming back. When he injured his hand, Holmgren said the surgery should allow him to come back in seven to 10 days. I’ll check on that tomorrow.

Is it me or did anyone think that the NBC coverage was a little heavy on San Diego information? And yes, something is wrong with Chris Collinsworth making those picks for division winners. Jacksonville? San Francisco? Pittsburgh?

Here's Frank game story on the first preseason win and his notebook that discusses the HD replay and some other stuff. Dave's column discussed the good (Rob Sims reception) and the bad (the first half play of Seneca Wallace). Dave also did his game grades...

The Chargers weren't exactly pleased with how sloppily they played. Many felt it was a forgettable performance. But at least nobody got hurt for the Chargers.

People weren't exactly to happy with SI's Peter King after his trip to Kirkland, but his Monday Morning QB column is a must read for NFL fans.

NFC WEST
ARIZONA CARDINALS
I watched the replay of Arizona's 27-23 loss to the Raiders and there are definitely some things the Cardinals can work on or polish up. Arizona may have lost two players for the season with injuries. Here's the East Valley Tribune's game story and notebook.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
The Niners won't play their starters too much in tonight's game against Denver. Ashley Lelie will be playing against his old team. Here's a little story on the revamped MNF crew that will debut tonight.

ST. LOUIS RAMS
The Rams won on a last second field from Kevin Lovell in a 13-10 barnburner against Minnesota. Starting WR hopeful Dominique Thompson displaced two ribs and his competition Marques Hagans had a big game. The Rams top draft picks played well in their first game. Fullback Brian Leonard seems to just make plays when he is in the game.

This week's opponent, the Green Bay Packers...
Aaron Rodgers the heir apparent to Brett Favre? Well, at least after this season's first preseason game. The second string offense looked much better than the Pack's first string offense. Here's a nice story on rookie James Jones overcoming long odds. Here's a notebook with lots of Packers' info.

Good to see everybody juiced up a bit about the first game. Did you have the TV up loud so you could hear the pads popping?

From an analysis standpoint, it’s been my experience that it’s wise to treat these games like the early chapters in a book. They are there to lay the groundwork and build the suspense … but it’s not the real drama, yet, and there will be a lot of surprises and plot twists before we really see where it’s all headed. I’ve found myself inclined to arrive at judgments after seeing a player (particularly young ones) for a few series in the preseason only to discover he’s a different guy in a couple weeks. Everybody reacts differently to success and failure, and until we see that, it’s hard to know who the best 53 guys are going to be in September. Just my theory on the matter.

The win over the Chargers, though, certainly raised some issues warranting valid consideration.

The Seneca Wallace Dilemma, for instance. He’d been having a marvelous camp. Really. He looked more comfortable with the offense, which probably allowed him to be more confident with his passes. He bounced back last night after a dreadful start, but the early struggles had to cause queasiness among staff and fans.

I visited with one assistant after practice one day recently, and I won’t tell you who it was because it was a casual conversation for background purposes. Without my raising the topic, he started praising Seneca’s play. He said that everybody wants to judge him next to Michael Vick – because they’re both elusive types with the ability to run. He said that “Sen is better because he’s really a much better passer … he can make all the passes.” So, a veteran evaluator of football talent rates him that highly.

We must then ask: Is he good enough to be a backup in the NFL? I think last year’s performance, going 2-2 as a starter, validated his qualifications. We’ve all heard the stories about his athleticism. Supposedly, there’s a pipe or something hanging in the training room 12 feet off the ground, and Seneca’s the only guy on the team who can jump up and touch it. I can’t testify to that, but the gist of the story is that he’s an outrageous athlete.

Wallace obviously has reached a point where the staff is confident he can come in if Hasselbeck goes down and play at least well enough to keep the team in games. There’s terrific value in that … in allowing Holmgren to sleep better at night, if nothing else. But what is the opportunity cost of keeping this athlete on the bench? He’s in his fifth season at quarterback. How long do you keep him off the field in an effort to protect him as an insurance policy for Hasselbeck? Is the value of a capable backup quarterback greater to the team than his potential value as a receiver/return man?

An unknown variable here is that nobody really knows his value in any role other than backup quarterback. Is it possible he could be a Pro Bowl receiver/returner? Wouldn’t he almost have to be at that level to justify the risk? Fact is, the Seahawks are better stocked at receiver depth than they are at quarterback. A No. 2 quarterback would be of greater relative value, I would think, than any receiver who wasn’t, say, in the top two on the team.

Most importantly to the discussion, how is the team better served? It’s obvious that the front office has explored bringing in veteran quarterbacks to back up Hasselbeck, which would free Wallace for other duties. It appears to me they simply haven’t been able to find the right fit to warrant undoing the status quo.

Given those circumstances, for now at least, leaving him where he is may seem conservative, but prudent. But like any good mystery, this one could develop some plot twists.

Josh Wilson: The coaching staff is presumably going to be patient with Wilson, but he got burned on a touchdown pass from Billy Volek to Malcolm Floyd, then fumbled a kickoff return. The coaches kept him out there on the next return, but he covered up the ball with his both hands before he even started running so you know he was thinking about the fumble on that return.

Baraka Atkins: THe fourth-round pick from Miami was called for a facemask penalty on one of his first plays. He did not do much else. His camp has been lackluster and he did not do much to change that view.

Pete Hunter: I thought he had looked pretty decent in practices, but it was unanimous in the press box that he did little to impress in this game. He had a few passes thrown right in front of him and I think missed a tackle.

Leonard Weaver: Not that there still isn't optimism about his future, but he did not do a great deal in this game. Four carries, six yards. He did have one catch for eight yards, but he also was the intended receiver on Seneca Wallace's interception and did not seem to know where the ball was in the air.

Sean Locklear is going to have his knee looked at on Monday just to make sure nothing is wrong with it. He said he doesn't know if it is an MRI or just an exam but it has been bothering him since Thursday. He said he warmed it up before the game and decided to play and it was OK.

Leonard Stephens re-aggravated the ankle that he hurt in Friday morning's practice. Holmgren said he was limping around on the sidelines toward the end of the game. Stephens' injury is the reason they signed Andy Stokes. Here's Holmgren's quote: “Our tight ends are really banged up so it was a numbers thing,” Holmgren said of the Stokes signing. “We need three healthy ones to practice almost so we signed him. We just needed the extra bodies for practice as much as anything.”

Okay, column's filed.

Holmgren loves games like this because there's a ton to coach to and correct, but enough good stuff that he's not too irritated. Mostly, he's happy when the offense executes. And it did. Especially the first group which looked sharp on the first drive (with a little help from a Charger holding call).

He said he was glad that Seneca managed to "dig himself out of a hole" by playing better in the second half. He singled out Darryl Tapp (two sacks) and Ben Obomanu (five catches).

Hasselbeck was asked about Seneca's night and he said it's all part of playing quarterback. You've got to clear the memory after mistakes and try to keep your confidence up even when things look bad.

Seneca said Holmgren got after the team a little at halftime about the attitude. He wanted the energy and focus picked up in the second half. Seneca credited the receivers with a nice game, especially Obomanu for his touchdown grab.

Talked to Brandon Mebane afterward and he said he heard a lot of positive feedback from teammates and the staff. He got good pressure on the quarterbacks and did so with a variety of moves. Once he dented the pocket with a powerful bull rush, another time he applied pressure with a quick jab step into the gap.

The best interview of the night was Rob Sims, who had a 16-yard reception of a deflected pass. I asked him what route he ran, and Chris Spencer, standing next to him, chimed in: "That was the Fat-Boy Route." Sims played along with it, saying he had about 20 moves he was prepared to lay on the safety in his way, but the guy cut him low and he had no hope.

Subjectively, all in all, it was a pretty good effort. A couple things that might have surprised me: I thought Locklear did a really nice job early at right tackle especially considering he's got a sore knee and was going against Shaun Phillips. I thought Leonard Weaver was uncharacteristically unimpressive. I thought the tackling all too often looked like it did last year when guys weren't wrapping up ballcarriers and weren't pinching down at the proper angles to prevent the cutback. The Chargers averaged 5.6 yards per carry ... and that's without LaDainian Tomlinson.

Charger receivers were given too much cushion much of the night. Josh Wilson had a night to learn from. Will Herring is kind of growing on me. He looked too skinny when he showed up for minicamp, but I think he's beefed up a little bit and seems to have good ball instincts.

In my opinion, snapper Derek Rackley is a potential disaster. He had several troublesome snaps late last season, and had another that was high and wide Sunday night. Yes, JP Darche was underaized as a blocker, but he was nails as a snapper.

Okay, those were just some quick reflections off the top of my head and not comprehensive. I'm sure I missed a guy or two who was notable either for good or bad. But I know you guys want this stuff as quickly as you can get it.

Feel free to ask questions and I'll get to them as soon as I can.

Ben Obomanu: The receiver clearly separated himself from the other WRs vying for the spots beyond the top four. He caught five passes for 83 yards, including a one-handed touchdown pass from Seneca Wallace that he hauled in. He played well on special teams and he looked to me like there is not a huge gap between him the guys immediately in front of him on the depth chart. Chris Jones had a nice series of catches from Wallace in the second half, and Logan Payne had a few nice grabs, though he dropped a difficult pass that he should have caught. I found it interesting that Jordan Kent was not brought into the game until very late, and he did not have a catch.

Darryl Tapp: The defensive end was all over the field and had two sacks to show for it. But he was in the backfield a few other times harassing San Diego’s various quarterbacks and could help him earn more snaps in the rotation. Rookie Brendan Mebane also had a nice game; sometimes you focus on him just to see what he is doing and he always seems to be pushing somebody in the backfield. On one play, he bullrushed a San Diego OL and met Will Herring at the quarterback for a nice sandwich.

C.J Wallace: After opening some eyes with some big hits in the team’s srimmage, he intercepted a pass near the goalline in the closing seconds. That’s two competitive opportunities and two nice performances.

Seneca Wallace: Though he was awful in the first half, he showed Mike Holmgren that he has poise enough to rebound from a poor performance in the same game. Who knows what Holmgren would have been thinking had the second half continued along the same route as the first.

Deion Branch: He only had one reception – but it was for a touchdown and allows him to start to lay claim to the title of No. 1 receiver.

As some have pointed out, Seneca Wallace looks dreadful. They expect him to be more polished than that.

THe tackling looks the way it did at times last season when guys weren't wrapping up ball carriers.

Line protection has been good for th emost part. Locklear looked really good at the start against a really good end in Shaun Phillips.

We've wondered about the Hasselbeck connection to Branch ... if they were developing the necessary rapport .. .TD makes it looks like that's happening. They've spent a lot of time working together, and the timing on the TD pass was a good display of the results.

Rookie Josh Wilson looks like a rook. He was nowhere near Malcolm Floyd on the Chargers TD, looking as if he had been fooled by the bootleg action.

Some good individual plays by Kerney, running down a screen pass. Mebane getting good pressure on an incomplete third-down pass attempt. Sims on his reception and run ... his first career NFL reception, we might note.

The Chargers look inordinately sloppy. Wonder what Marty Schottenheimer would think of this penalty- and mistake-filled performance?

Hasselbeck hit Deion Brnach on a skinny post for a 33 yard touchdown. THe best catch of the first series of the season, though, came from an unlikely source ... guard Rob Sims. Sims pulled down a deflected pass and ran 19 yards with it. No one looked too eager to tackle him. Nice protection up front, too. One worrisome play in that drive .. Shaun Alexander dropped a pass wide open in the flat. Have we seen that before?

S Miguel Merrick
RB LaDainian Tomlinson
G Erik Robertson
TE T.J. Cottrell

Malcolm Floyd will start at WR for Eric Parker
Ryon Bingham will start at DE for Igor Olshansky
Tim Dobbins will start at LB for Matt Wilhelm

I just spent half an hour detailing topics of concern for tonight's game only to have it disappear before it posted. Some of it can be found in this morning's column.

A shorter version ...

Don't be concerned how the separate units look, especially the offense. The timing isn't there yet. Having not game-planned for San Diego, the Chargers' 3-4 defense can create some real problems for the Hawk offense. Plus, the Chargers really get after it defensively ... first preseason game or not.

These are great chances to watch the individuals, though. IT's the first real chance for the young guys, particularly, to start making themselves noticed. A perfect example ... Leonard Weaver two years ago. The unknown converted tight end from a Division II school started breaking off nice runs and he earned a roster spot because of it.

Maybe tonight we see the next Leonard Weaver.

I'm curious to see if Josh Wilson is as fast as he looks against NFL opposition as he is in practice. I'm curious to see if Jordan Kent, whom we've called a "great athlete" for weeks, will use this opportunity to start making some great athletic plays. I'm curious to see if young players like Will Herring and C.J. Wallace and others can make early impressions on special teams.

Do yourself a favor, be sure to keep your focus on the game even after the stars hit the sidelines. Some of the best hits and greatest effort comes from the newcomers late in the game as they try to make the roster.

You don't normally worry about depth in a preseason game, with the 80-man roster, but there are some issues at tight end for the Hawks, and they don't need to be playing 35-year-old Marcus Pollard all night.

Okay, I hope this posts without more headaches.

We'll try to send some notes tonight, but we have columns, gamers, notebooks, etc., to deal with as well.

--

The Chargers are wearing those old white helmets with the yellow lightning streak that they used to wear when Dan Fouts was playing. I think I like the other ones better.

TE Leonard Stephens just emerged from the locker room and is in full uniform, and he doesn't appear to be limping so I assume he is playing -- which also leads to the next question of why exactly they signed Stokes if Stephens is not injured, though with Joppru and Heller at home they still need backup TEs, particularly in exhibition games.

Chargers linebacker Matt Wilhelm and wide receiver Eric Parker are not dressing for the Chargers.

The Seahawks' special teams guys just took the field but their regulars are not out there. Josh Brown and is practicing field goals from about 58 yards right now and that looks to be about as far as he can go back. San Diego has about 15 guys out on the field.

I am told that newly signed Andy Stokes is at the stadium, and that he is expected to get some playing time, though it is still unclear how much. Perhaps some special teams work at the end. Stokes, by the way, will be wearing No. 45.

It also is unclear if Leonard Stephens is going to play, probably the reason Stokes was signed. Stephens hurt his ankle toward the end of Friday's practice, though the Seahawks have not clarified yet how serious the injury is.

About to head to the stadium.

It's hot here. Has to be in the mid-80s, I'd guess. It should cool off as the game progresses, but it will be interesting to see how the team plays when it's still pretty warm on the field.

Have those 60 and 70-degree days in the Kirkland drizzle prepared them for these kinds of games? Will there be a cost to them when the season arrives for not having gone to Cheney one last time and sweated it out there?

People can say what they will about the Cheney experience, but it was terrific for conditioning.

As Frank and Dave were making their way to San Diego today, the Seahawks made a roster move. The team release:

Kirkland, Wash. – The Seattle Seahawks have released cornerback Gerard Ross and signed tight end Andy Stokes, the team announced this morning.

Ross, who attended Florida State University, signed to Seattle’s active roster from its practice squad on January 12, 2007 and played in one postseason game.

Stokes, who attended William Penn University, is a free agent, released by the Arizona Cardinals.

Saturday is a travel day for team and media, so there’s not going to be much chance for anybody to make news for the weblog. I thought I’d throw a question out there that might be grounds for a column in the future.

I can’t even imagine how many fans I see wearing team jerseys at games. I’ve always wondered if the selection of the jersey is a difficult issue. What goes into making that decision? Is it a player’s style of play or character or image or a combination? Do you think your selection says something about you? Does the jersey reflect that player’s qualities onto you?

Is it exclusive? Can you have more than one? Do you then feel like you’re cheating on the first player? Have you ever abandoned a jersey after the player hits a down streak or gets in a legal scrape? (These things aren’t cheap!)

Have you ever run into a player on the street or at a function while you were wearing his jersey? Did he say anything about it?

So, while you’re waiting for the Seahawks to get the 2007 preseason going, I’d like you to share your perspective on a fan’s connection to the players through the jerseys they buy and wear.

Thanks. Off to San Diego.

QB Matt Hasselbeck was on with Softy and Hugh Millen on KJR earlier today.

Frank wrote about Marcus Trufant and his breakout fall camp. Here's another story about Tru from the folks at realfootball365.com

Arizona Cardinals
UMass rookie Steve Baylark is following in Marcel Shipp's footsteps. Not a big fan of Baylark since he ran all over my beloved UM Grizzlies in the national semifinals. You wont's see Cardinals assistant coaches calling head coach Ken Whisenhunt anything but coach. Saturday's game against Oakland will be the first for as new staff together for Arizona.

San Francisco 49ers
TE Vernon Davis doesn't act like Terrell Owens. He's just a little cocky. Mike Singletary got to be head coach for a day. The 49ers safefties have a new lease life. The field at Monster Park will be named after Bill Walsh.

AUDIO: Here's the weekly podcast of the 49ers coordinators.
St. Louis Rams
The Rams could have some rookies vying for starting spots, here's a look at their chances. Head coach Scott Linehan is going to learn a lot about his revamped team in the first exhibition game. The Rams starters will play maybe a series or two.

This week's opponent, the San Diego Chargers ..

Here's a notebook featuring a look at the Chargers special teams. The Chargers have plenty of good wide receivers. John Madden, who will call Sunday's game, offers his thoughts on the CHargers. Cornerback Drayton Florence is playing with nothing but confidence.

It was a lickety-split, 30-minute practice in helmets and shells, during which Holmgren had the players run through all the different game scenarios.

Some members of the all-hands team to receive onside kicks included Leonard Weaver, Joe Fernandez, Robert Ortiz, Leonard Stephens, A.J. Harris, Logan Payne and Omowale Dada.

Payne made a great one-handed catch during red zone drills as he was backpedaling out of bounds, perhaps making up for yesterday's two drops.

Other than that, very uneventful.

These were transcribed by the Seahawks. I have read through them and they look OK.

Coach Mike Holmgren
August 10, 2007

(On Matt Hasselbeck…) “Matt (Hasselbeck) will start the game like we always do. Depending on how many snaps we get, I can’t even tell you what that number is, probably a couple series. We’ll see how it goes but he is going to start the game.”

“I thought he had a really good off season in his rehab, he’s been very diligent and he’s had a good camp. I don’t know if I ever thought he would miss the first one.”

=> Read more!

Mike Green, Sean Locklear and Chuck Darby all sat out practice, but coach Mike Holmgren said afterward that it was strictly precautionary and those three players, as well as Leroy Hill, will play in Sunday's game in San Diego.

Players who will not travel include Floyd Womack, Ben Joppru, Will Heller, Craig Terrill, Marcus Tubbs, David Kirtman, Niko Koutouvides and Courtney Taylor. Womack was on the far field today working out pretty hard, pushing a sled weighted down with, well, weights.

=> Read more!

Here's a pretty good story about the Bill Walsh funeral that Mike Holmgren and several assistants attended on Thursday.

This is a quick press release by the Chargers announcing that the blackout has been lifted.

C.J. Wallace was interviewed on KJR.

Chuck Darby was on with Groz and Gas earlier this week, as was Russell Davis.

These were transcribed by the Hawks. I have read through them and they look OK.

Shaun Alexander
August 9, 2007

(On how much playing time he will get on Sunday…) “We haven’t even talked about it at all. I feel like, for us, preseason games are always about just getting better, just like these practices. They are all to get us ready for September when the real games are coming. This is no different than any of the other years.”

=> Read more!

These were transcribed by the Hawks. I have read through them and they look OK.

Coach Gil Haskell
August 9, 2007

(On gathering after the practice…) “Well Mike (Holmgren) does that. In the special category, today it was four minutes. That’s when offense has four minutes to control the ball and control the game at the end. They are trying to get it away and they have three timeouts. You have to explain to them what you are doing otherwise they just think it’s another series.”

=> Read more!

Chuck Darby, Eric Taylor and Will Heller all sat out the late practice. Heller, remember, has a sore ankle. The Seahawks did not say if there were specific injuries with Darby and Taylor or whether they were being given the afternoon off. They are waiting for Mike Holmgren to return to disclose the decision.

The practice itself was a light, abbreviated affair that was more of a walkthrough than anything else. They also worked on kickoff returns on special teams, as well as goalline and short-yardage situations. Leroy Hill and Patrick Ghee both participated more in this practice than they did in the morning session.

Sorry about the lapse in links, the laptop decided it wasn't going to function, again.

Arizona Cardinals
Marcel Shipp is "stoked" to return kicks this season, and he is a steady presence for the Cardinals. Kurt Warner plans to play out his contract. He understands his role as back-up to Matt Leinart. No word if his wife still has the same haircut as him. The local Arizona media isn't happy with the new vest policy for media members on the sideline. I have to say they do look a little like a Valet service uniform. Can new coach Russ Grimm solve the Cardinals yearly offensive line woes. New coach Ken Whisenhunt took the team to the movies instead of film session.

Former TNT man and current NFL guru John Clayton weighs in on the CArdinals from Flagstaff. Here's John on ESPN's Mike and Mike talking about the Rams and his H.O.F. induction.

AUDIO: Defensive end Bertrand Berry discusses his new trimmer look and the new 3-4 defense.

San Francisco 49ers
Head coach Mike Nolan is none too pleased with him team's schedule this season. WR Ashley Lelie regrets holding out back when he was a rookie. Left guard seems to be the universal spot for the Niners. Players have been plagued by dehydration at camp. Nolan is going to use preseason find subs for the injured Aubroyo Franklin. One of those subs is Isaac Sopoaga.

St. Louis Rams
All-everything running back Steven Jackson doesn't mind being hit in practice. Rookie defensive end Adam Carriker pronounced himself "ready to go" for the season. Another story on newly acquired kick returner Dante Hall. Pisa Tinoisamoa is working on being a better tackler. Converted quarterback Marques Hagans is making a push for playing time at wide receiver.

AUDIO: Here's Dante Hall on KFNS. ESPN's Chris Mortenson offers his insights on the Rams. He thinks the Rams offense could be one of the five best in football.

This week's opponent: The San Diego Chargers ...
Remember Kris Dielman and his fear of cold weather. GM AJ Smith is glad Dielman will be suiting up for him and not the Hawks on Sunday. The Chargers new strength coach is earning kudos. New defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell isn't going to make major changes to the scheme. The Chargers starters will play about 15-to-18 plays, except for Ladainian Tomlinson, who won't play at all.

I have noticed a number of questions and commentary about the safeties and corners lately. With Jordan Babineaux sidelined, Pete Hunter has been getting the work as the fourth corner. I think he has looked pretty solid and at 6-2, 212 he has good size. I asked Boling if there was any way they keep Hunter over Babineaux because of the injuries to Babs, and Boling said it certainly is possible. If the guy can't get on the field, he is not doing himself much good. I actually think Hunter has looked better than rookie Josh Wilson, who is super fast but has been beaten on deep passes several times already.

Mike Green also looks solid to me. He had a nice hit on Joe Fernandez that I think would have been much more violent had Green not held up. Green to me has stood out more than Michael Boulware.

Last year the team kept nine defensive backs on the active roster, one on the practice squad and put two on injured reserve. So there is a precedent to keep Grant, Russell, Green, Boulware, Babineaux, Trufant, Jennings, Wilson and Hunter, and then perhaps place Gerard Ross and/or even C.J Wallace on the practice squad.

A lot of unhealthy folks were back in uniforms this morning: Leroy Hill, Patrick Ghee, Niko Koutouvides and Mansfield Wrotto all were dressed and practicing, though only Wrotto took part in the contact portions of practice. Craig Terrill, Jordan Babineaux, Courtney Taylor, Floyd Womack, David Kirtman and Marcus Tubbs all still sidelined, though Tubbs continues to do sprints on the far fields.

=> Read more!

Here's my story on Mike Holmgren and some members of his staff missing practice and here is Boling's story on the Hawks' return to Husky Stadium.

Here's a story on former Seahawks corner Ken Lucas.

CEO of Vulcan Sports Tod Leiweke was on with Mike Gastineau on KJR.

Here's a story previewing the NFC West that predicts the Seahawks will win the division. The guy who wrote the column was out at practice the other day broadcasting a show for NFL Radio.

These were transcribed by the Seahawks. I made a few edits and made one note:

Matt Hasselbeck
August 8, 2007

(On how where the franchise has gone since the Seahawks played in Husky Stadium…) “I’ve kind of erased this from my memory. No, you know it was a lot easier playing today without (Trent) Dilfer waving the flag at the fans. I found it was him. He’s starting those things.”

“This is one of the best venues in all of college sports to play a game but I think when we were here, when they were letting us borrow their field on Sundays, it had that feel like there was a really big game the day before here. Like this was the second best game going on, maybe the third if Bellevue and Eastlake are playing or something.”

=> Read more!

The special teams practice was back at the facility in Kirkland. It was an abbreviated affair that was, thankfully, under sunny skies that broke through. The team, in helmets and shells, worked on kickoffs and kickoff returns, nothing earth-shattering happening.

I did not see Patrick Ghee at the morning session, though he was in a helmet and shell for the special teams practice. He did not however participate.

Will Herring once again was working on his long snapping after practice.

Steve Raible was on with Softy earlier today on KJR.

CB Kelly Jennings was on yesterday with Dick Fain.

These have been transcribed by the Hawks. I have read through them and they look OK:

Coach Mike Holmgren
August 8, 2007

(On comparing today to when they used to play at Husky Stadium…) “I remember it well, and I think that transition time was hard, but it really allowed us to be the team and organization that we are today football-wise. We experienced some things that maybe hadn’t been experienced before, certainly I did. The culture of winning and expecting to win, being in the playoffs and challenging for the championships, those types of things had to be learned. It had to be experienced a little bit and I think our time here in those years, that’s what we were doing. There was a big change over in personnel, in the first four years, and I think that as great a football city as this is, and has been for years with the University of Washington, when we played here we were kind of still the step-child just because this was someone else’s stadium, someone else’s place, even though it was our home field. I think historically you look at the league and the teams that have had to do that; it has been difficult but University of Washington was great with us. If you remember during that time we were still trying to figure out who was going to be quarterback, we had some older fellas on the team that probably did not buy into my program to be honest, and that happens. I think we are quite different now than we were then.”

=> Read more!

Everything is a little delayed today because this morning's practice was as Husky Stadium.

The practice at Husky Stadium had about 500 people, give or take, attend, with a healthy autograph session afterward. The players in the autograph session were Mebane, Tatupu, Tapp, Sims, Burleson, Branch, Pollard, C.J and Seneca Wallace, Josh Wilson. Kerney, Alexander and Darby. Matt Hasselbeck joined the line after finishing interviews. The session went about 20 or 25 minutes, then was extended by five minutes so more folks could get autographs.

=> Read more!

It was late. I had typed a lot during the day. I was trying to get extra stuff in. I stopped reading after the 10th TWolves joke. Go Bullets!

I spoke with Seahawks president Tim Ruskell earlier today about Seneca Wallace and the backup QB situation. Basically I asked him why he did not go out and find a No. 2 QB so they could use Seneca more extensively. He said they did, that they spoke with David Carr, who saw that Hasselbeck was firmly entrenched and decided not to come to Seattle even though he loved the town and the facilities, and they spoke to Drew Bledsoe, who insisted on retiring. I asked about Tim Rattay and they said they are not sure he is a No. 2. He said they will continue to pursue it but there is not much they can do right now. However, he said that if David Greene plays well enough in the exhibition games to make Mike Holmgren feel comfortable enough with Greene at the No. 2 spot, then they could pull the trigger on using Seneca more in other situations.

Now that I have figured out yet another technology aspect of the blog, I will try to regularly include some of these podcasts from KJR.

WR Jordan Kent was on with Dave Grosby this afternoon.

And Safety Brian Russell joined Groz as well.

Ol Tom Ashworth was on with Groz, as was K Josh Brown.

Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said the plan is for DT Marcus Tubbs to be back by the third preseason game. Tubbs has been on the physically unable to perform list, though he has looked pretty spry running sprints up and down the sidelines while his teammates practice. The third game is Aug. 25 against the Minnesota Timberwolves at home. So far, Rocky Bernard and Chuck Darby have been getting most of the work at starting DTs.

It was a light, 75-minute practice in helmets and shells. The most noticeable thing was that Walter Jones dressed and worked out, though it was little to no contact. Still, it was the first time since last Thursday that he saw any action, so that was encouraging, though as you saw in an earlier post Holmgren is not too worried about Jones and his sore shoulder.

During special teams drills, Burleson and Josh Wilson were returning punts. Josh Brown and Kurt Smith booted some nice field goal attempts, though Brown clearly has the stronger leg. On the final kick, Smith's attempt fell well short of the goalpost while Brown's made it over the crossbar by about 10 feet.

Kelly Jennings had a nice afternoon practice, breaking up one play and stepping in front of a receiver on another to intercept a pass by David Greene.

Here's Frank's story on OL Chris Gray helping mentor Ray Willis. Dave wrote about free agent wide receiver Logan Payne, who has some of the best hands in camp.

Here's Dave's weekly appearance on KJR.

Sando on the Seahawks for ESPN.

SI's Peter King was at Hawks' camp.... here's his thoughts.

The Seahawks' game tickets were the hottest seller in the country according to this release.
Dave

Arizona Cardinals
Arizona quarterback Matt Leinart is impressed with the play of his offensive line. After last year, it's hard not to be better. This notebook talks about the Cardinals aggressive defensive scheming. Several players like the change from the 4-3 defense to the hybrid 3-4 look.

How about some audio from coach Ken Whisenhunt from 680 KTAR? Here's some more from linebacker Karlos Dansby.

San Francisco 49ers
Can volatile tight end Vernon Davis keep his emotions in check? The Niners will pay tribute to Bill Walsh before the home opener. Aubrayo Franklin will miss the preseason, but the nose tackle free agent signee should be ready to come season starting.

For people looking for some audio, this Niners coach Mike Nolan's weekly radio show on KNBR. Here's some audio from the Niners offensive coordinator also on KNBR.

St. Louis Rams
The stifling heat in the midwest has forced the Rams to practice indoors. The Rams No. 3 running back spot is up for grabs... does it really matter?

AUDIO: Former coach Jim Hanifan breaks down the Rams.

This week's opponent, the San Diego Chargers
Can all-pro tight end Antonio Gates get even better? That's a frightening thought for opponents. New defensive coordinator Ron Rivera could push the Chargers over the top. Part of that success will be dependent on two new inside linebackers.

Walter Jones missed his fifth straight day with soreness in his shoulder. This was Holmgren's take:

“We’re not going to have one of these diary, day six, day seven, day eight are we? He’s going to be fine. He’s fine. He didn’t practice today but honestly, with him, I really just want him ready to play in the first ball game. He is very honest about how he feels. He could play. He’s in good shape and I’m just taking it real slow.”

(Will he sit out Sunday's game?) “I don’t know. We’re going to have that meeting. What’s today, Tuesday? We’ll have that meeting Thursday and decide who’s going to play and how much.”

(Unintelligible) “I think his shoulder started it, because it’s a little sore. There really isn’t anything going here. That just triggered, ‘What am I doing? Listen, I have to be smart with this guy. He’s going to be one of our guys we need to play all season long and play well.’ I’m probably being a little bit nice to him.”

This is courtesy of a Seahawks press release:

The Seahawks open their preseason with the first of two back-to-back road games, this at San Diego on national television on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, August 12 at 5:15 p.m. (PT). The game will
be shown on channel 5 in Seattle.
This will be just the eighth time the Seahawks and Chargers have
met in the preseason, with Seattle holding a 4-3 advantage. The preseason series began with three games played from 1976-78 with Seattle winning twice. Seattle also took two of three games when play resumed from 2002-04.
In last preseason’s matchup, the Chargers came away with a 31-20 victory at Qualcomm Stadium.
In the regular season, these former AFC West rivals have met 47
times and Seattle’s 25-22 record against San Diego is the best against any other AFC West team.
This week’s game features the last two NFL MVPs and two of the top
touchdown machines since 2001 in Seattle’s Shaun Alexander and San
Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson. Alexander won the 2005 MVP award after he set the single-season total touchdown record with 28 and rushed for 1,880 yards en route to Seattle’s Super Bowl XL appearance. Last season, Tomlinson bested Alexander’s mark with 31 total touchdowns and 1,815 yards on the ground.
Since 2001, the two have combined for 194 rushing scores
(Tomlinson, 100) while Tomlinson ranks tied for fifth all-time and Alexander is eighth all-time with 100 and 96 rushing scores, respectively.

During his post-practice meeting with reporters, Mike Holmgren was asked to evaluate the tight ends. Pollard is the unquestioned starter. Will Heller is No. 2, and then, Holmgren said, it was wide open. Joppru's injury now plays a role, obviously. He said it has been a slam dunk in the past who the three TEs are they are going to keep, but that is not the case this year.

=> Read more!

Leonard Weaver was on KJR with Mike Gastineau on Monday.

Seahawks president/GM Tim Ruskell was on with Gas earlier in the day.

And before that, left guard Rob Sims was on with Gas.

It was a cold, and sometimes wet, morning session, which could not have made the QBs happy because the first thing they did after stretching was go through sliding drills -- on a Slip and Slide. With former Mariner John Olerud coaching them, the QBs ran a short distance and then slid across wet plastic, which may have been nice in Cheney but certainly not in Kirkland this morning. Kenny Mayne, however, was out at practice and to play off the Slip-and Slide aspect he had Shaun Alexander and I think Leonard Weaver spin around on a Sit and Spin, and then Leonard Stephens and somebody else were beating each other with those noodles that help you float in a swimming pool. Pretty good stuff.

=> Read more!

I don't necessarily agree with the premise of one of the folks who responded after I posted quotes following Saturday's scrimmage at Memorial Stadium, but it at least was the impetus for a conversation that affects the blog.

On Saturday, as I was writing my daily piece on deadline at KeyArena, the Seahawks emailed me the transcribed quotes from Mike Holmgren and Matt Hasselbeck. Because of time constraints, I simply cut-and-pasted the quotes in the blog without reading them, thinking folks on the blog would appreciate the full account of what happened from the coach and QB. Unfortunately, there were some mistakes in the transcription that made their way into other blogs as well.

The question we asked ourselves on Monday was should we just cut-and-paste quotes transcribed from the Seahawks directly into the blog? The Seahawks' take is that they do the transcribing for journalists, they are not meant for full public consumption other than what is chosen by the respective journalists to be placed in the paper, and they do not want to be held responsible for mistakes that inadvertently find their way into the transcriptions since they too are working on deadline with time as a factor.

After some discourse with Boling about responsibility and accuracy, we decided that we will post transcribed quotes when we can, but only AFTER we put a set of eyes on them and give them a thorough read for potential mistakes. What that means is that if we get quotes on deadline like last Saturday night, or presumably this Sunday night in San Diego, we will likely not be able to post them until after we have filed our daily stuff, or the next day.

Hope that helps explain the decision-making.

Here's Frank's story on Walter Jones and his recent missed practices.

Arizona Cardinals
New coach Ken Whisenhunt didn't like his team's intensity during a workout and let them know. But he is willing to listen to a players' complaints. At one point, NT Alan Branch wanted to beat up Mel Kiper Jr., he probably isn't the only one to have such feellings. Even with Fitzgerald and Boldin, the running game is key for the Cardinals. Arizona has their own version of Mack Strong, his name is Terrelle Smith.

San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback Alex Smith is trying to become more mobile. Nice guy Kwame Harris hopes to make the 53-man roster. A little dust-up between teammates during the scrimmage. Rookie linebacker Patrick Willis is already making plays. Head coach Mike Nolan is banking on his four high-priced defensive free agent signees.

St. Louis Rams

Brock Berlin is playing well in camp, to bad he didn't do that at the University of Miami. Tempers ran a little hot at the Rams scrimmage. Free agent Drew Bennett brings an added asset to the receiving corp — his height. Will return specialist Dante Hall help the Rams?

This week's opponent the San Diego Chargers ...

A big story on lanky wide receiver Vincent Jackson, who torched the SEahawks last season... And another story on coach Norv Turner's third stint as an NFL coach.

The autograph session after Wednesday's open practice at Husky Stadium is not going to be as inclusive as the one at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. It is going to be about 10 or 15 players signing instead of the whole team.

It was a short, 47-minute affair (no, we are not talking about Paris Hilton) with the special teams. Nothing earth-shattering, but one thing of interest afterwards was that LB Will Herring was working on long snapping, which could possibly open up a roster spot if Herring could do the job that Derek Rackley currently is doing. However, Brother Boling, who knows a thing or two about long snapping, said Herring needs to be more consistent. Boling says he has good velocity but his location needs work.

Patrick Kerney visited with the Blue Angels contingent after practice and then said that was amazed by them because he is actually a pilot himself and appreciates what it is they are able to accomplish. Somebody brought up to Hasselbeck if he feels better having Kerney on the plane as a pilot just in case something goes wrong. Hasselbeck laughed.

Thanx to Boling for covering the blog while I waited to interview Chris Gray.

Marcus Trufant has an excellent first practice, with an interception, a strip of Deion Branch that resulted in a fumble, and two or three pass breakups. He was all over the place. The only time he got beat was on a deep ball to Deion Branch, and in fairness to Trufant he was actually in great position but Branch made an excellent play and took the ball away from him.

The Western Washington football staff was on hand to watch the practice.

Today is Seneca Wallace's 27th birthday.

Trufant on Deon Grant: "He has nice sweet feet. I always call him The Big Corner."

Josh Wilson stayed after practice to get some one-on-one instruction from assistant coach Larry Marmie. Wilson got beat for a TD by D.J. Hackett and then again in Sunday's practice by Branch, if memory serves me.

Hasselback spoke after practice and talked about sitting down with NFL Films in July for a feature on the careers of backups to Brett Favre. He said it was a really interesting experience and he loved hearing some of the stories that the other guys who also were once in his position had to tell.

As Boling mentioned, I'm doing a piece on Chris Gray and Ray Willis for tomorrow's paper, and everybody, including Hasselbeck, seems much more confident that the line is much stronger this year and that there is a sense of fluidity and continuity that was missing last year. The best thing that Hasselbeck had to say was that the line was a topic of conversation among the players last year and it has not been discussed this year at all.

Gray was good during the interview and says he realizes that Willis may earn the starting job. He said 10 years ago it would have bothered him, but at this point in his career he is not as concerned about it. If Willis gets the job it is because he has earned it.

Frankie's still waiting for an interview, so I'll jump in quickly and empty my notebook from the morning practice to give you something to chew on until he can offer his report.

As practice progressed ...

--offense and defense had a nice 9-on-9 session (no WRs or CBs) featuring the rushing game. With Walter out, Tom Ashworth was at RT, while Kevin Bentley stepped in for Leroy Hill (hammy) at linebacker.

This drill was another reason to support my theory that Rob Sims is the next rising star of this team. If a young guy makes it to his first Pro Bowl this year, I bet it will be Sims. On one of the early plays, Sims blocked down and collapsed the entire right side of the defensive line, clearing a nice hole for Shaun Alexander. Later, he absolutely snowplowed Lofa Tatupu. Sims' power, agility and foot speed are extraordinary. And after practice, on his own, he added some extra sprint work. Major, major, major stud who also happens to have a terrific attitude.

Tatupu made a couple nice stops thereafter, and the defensive front, especially the DTs, did a good job of stacking up the middle. You might be tired of reading this, but Brandon Mebane was a disruptive force in there again.

A rookie making more plays and showing more talent than might have been expected is linebacker Will Herring. I initiallly thought he looked like just an undersize, high-motor, "effort" guy, but he's looking like a real football player, too, getting to the ball and making plays. He has the look of a special teams big hitter, and he's also staying after a lot of the practices to work on deep snapping. If he could master that, it might clear up a roster spot.

In a later session, Nate Burleson pulled in a couple more impressive catches. I'm not so sure he isn't one of the very positive surprises of camp ... considering his 18-catch season in 2006. He's catching everything, going TO the ball to make the catch, playing with a lot of confidence.

Rookie Josh Wilson came on a corner blitz on one 11-on-11 situation and would have sacked Hasselbeck without being touched.

Of the battle at right guard, (which Frank will examine for the morning paper), Ray Willis had a nice run block on Russell Davis (a load to root out) on a carry by Mo Morris. Both Willis and Gray had some problems during the one-on-one pass-blocking drills.

Marcus Trufant had another strong practice, coming up with several pass deflections.

In the pass blocking session (remember, defenders enjoy a big advantage in this drill), Kerney beat Ashworth a couple times. Bernard beat Gray twice. Fisher raced past Locklear the first time and the two had a standoff on the next one (this was with Locklear at LT instead of Walter). Eric Taylor beat Willis twice.

Then, in one of the great moves of camp, Mebane shot off the line so quickly that fellow rookie Mansfield Wrotto missed him entirely. Wicked move. The defense screamed. "Bang-bang," they shouted. Bang-bang is the nickname that Mebane had claimed for his own, although Chuck Darby said they're holding off a little on that until they can come up with a better one.

Of note, this was the practice when NFL Films had Mike Holmgren miked. I can't testify for certain, but I think it's the one practice when everybody on the field is warned to watch their language.

This afternoon is a special teams practice.

Also, the TV guy this morning who said it would be in the high 70s in Kirkland was far off- base. It was 60 degrees at the morning session.

I forgot my press credential so I'm doing a quick blog while I come up to the media room to retrieve it.

Walter Jones sidelined for the fourth consecutive day with a sore shoulder. Also out, everybody from yesterday: Womack, Tubbs, Taylor, Kirtman, Heller, Terrill, Babineaux, Leroy Hill and Ghee and Joppru. No word on the extent of Joppru's injury.

Also, 27 members of the Blue Angels are in a tent watching the practice.

Keep in mind that you will have another opportunity to see the Seahawks if you didn't get to go to Saturday's scrimmage. The Hawks are having an open practice at Husky Stadium on Wednesday morning from 9:15 until approximately 11:50. The event is free, but the parking is not. Sorry about that, I originally posted it as free parking. Apparently it is $5 in the E1 parking lot, but parking is limited. It is only the morning practice that is at Husky Stadium. The afternoon special teams practice is back at the practice facility in Kirkland. For those planning to have the rare Wednesday morning tailgate, no alcohol is permitted in the stadium.

Walter Jones was asked about the difficulty of last year, and having to play next to a bunch of different players at guard. He basically said he is not going to worry about who is playing next to him this year, that person is on his own.

"I think it was more of a situation where I was worrying about too much, making sure they was doing the right thing. I think I should have just been doing my thing. Not saying I wasn’t concerned but in this game you have to go out there and focus on your job. When you worry about somebody else’s job things happen to you that you don’t want to happen. I think that was something that I tried to do last year. I won’t do that again. Whoever they put out there, they have to figure it out on their own. (Sims) has done a good job of that, figuring that out on his own. I think it should be a lot easier for everyone this year."

Holmgren was asked if there were certain starting positions that had not yet been solidified, and the one name he brought up along the offensive line was Ray Willis at RG. I asked offensive line coach Bill Laveroni this: If Willis was the guy they viewed as next in line, why was he not inserted at right tackle when Walter Jones is out and Sean Locklear moved to left tackle? He said they are trying to get Willis to learn the right guard spot and they don't want to throw too much at him right now, and Tom Ashworth started six games at RT last year when Locklear went down and so he has experience at the spot. But it sounds like they like Willis and he will have a future in some capacity, particularly with Chris Gray starting his 15th season.

The two-hour practice in shorts and shells was relatively uneventful, though some interesting developments came out afterward.

Mike Holmgren announced that rookie wide receiver Courtney Taylor injured his left knee in Saturday's scrimmage and is out for four weeks. He walked off the field before the practice with a full-length brace. Now, I have to admit, this is where the vague aspects of the NFL throw me a little because if this was the NBA, reporters would be all over that. What does it mean? Will Taylor now get cut? If he is out the full four weeks, will he have a chance to impress the team enough with one week left to earn a roster spot? Is he headed for the IR? What I have concluded is that nobody really knows what it means, or at least is not saying. It certainly doesn't help Taylor's chances of making the team, and my guess is that with all the talent at WR this year he does not make it, but so many things can happen between now and the final cutdown day that it's too early to say definitively what the injury means.

Elsewhere, Ben Joppru seems to have suffered a serious hip injury, but Holmgren was not specific on the amount of time he will be out. Leroy Hill has a tweaked hamstring. The biggest surprise of all was that Ben Obomanu practiced. He left the scrimmage with a neck injury and went to an ambulance, but after a series of tests Saturday night he was cleared to go today and said he had not residual affect.

Walter Jones also missed his third straight practice, so I spoke with him about it. He said it is nothing serious and that he plans on playing in Sunday's game in San Diego. He has soreness in the shoulder but is not concerned about it.

Also out were Craig Terrill (knee), Will Heller (ankle), and then the regulars (Tubbs, Babineaux, Womack, Kirtman, Ghee).

First team offense vs. Second team defense

1-10 35 Hasselbeck to Weaver for 4 yds
2-6 39 Hasselbeck to Branch for 8 yards
1-10 47 Alexander 4 yds
2-6 49 Hasselbeck inc pass
3-6 49 Hasselbeck inc pass
4-6 49 39 yd FGA good Josh Brown

Second series

1-10 35 Weaver 3 yards
2-7 38 Hasselbeck inc pass
3-7 38 Hasselbeck to Hackett 13 yards
1-10 49 Morris 7 yards
2-3 42 Morris 4 yards
1-10 38 Hasselbeck to Hackett 13 yards
1-10 25 Weaver 7 yards
2-3 18 Morris 0 yards
3-3 18 Hasselbeck to Hackett 4 yards
1-10 14 Morris 0 yards
2-10 14 Hasselbeck to Hackett 6 yards
3-4 8 Hasselbeck to Weaver TD
PAT Kurt Smith good

Third series Second team offense vs. First team Defense

1-10 35 Greene to Weeks 5 yards
2-5 40 Greene to Taylor 7 yards
1-10 47 Weeks 5 yards
2-5 42 Greene to Obomanu 9 yards
1-10 33 Weeks -2 yards
2-12 35 Greene to Parry 6 yards
3-6 29 Greene inc pass
4-6 29 Josh Brown 48 FGA good

Fourth series

1-10 35 Harris 7 yards
2-3 42 Harris 1 yard
3-2 43 Harris -1 yard
4-2 43 Greene to Obomanu 4 yards
1-10 47 sack 0 yards
2-10 47 Greene to Fernandez 2 yards
3-8 49 sack -2
4-10 47 Greene to Obomanu 17 yards (I think this is the play Obomanu hurt his neck on)
1-10 35 Weeks 5 yards
2-5 30 Greene to Weeks complete then Weeks fumbles; Tapp recovers

From here they went to Red Zone offense, and then they went back to regular scrimmage conditions and my play by play fell apart a little, particularly as I watching Obomanu get in the ambulance. But the fifth series ended with Wallace hitting Hackett for a 39-yard TD. The sixth and seventh series went nowhere.

Matt Hasselbeck
August, 4, 2007

(On progress during training cam…) “It’s getting better as we go. We talk through everything. I think Coach Holmgren gets nervous when he sees us talking all the time, but we are talking about splits, running hard in your motion, getting your depth, not slipping, catching the ball first. He’s doing a great job. We never talk about the same thing twice. We’re growing. We’ve been in our system a long time. All of our guys, all of our wide receivers, they’ve been doing a great job.”

(On D.J. Hackett…) “He’s going to be relied upon but it’s not going to be one guy. It’s not going to be just Deion Branch. It’s not going to be just Bobby Engram. We’re counting on Nate (Burleson). We’re definitely counting on Hack (D.J. Hackett). Those guys have to come through and I think they will.”

(On replacing Darrell Jackson…) “The obvious guy would be Bobby Engram. We’ve spent so much time together. I had all the confidence in the world in Bobby (Engram) and that hasn’t changed. I still feel that way about Bobby.”

(On playing time in exhibition games…) “I don’t know. I know what my surgeon said in Alabama. I know what our team doctors have said here but I don’t know that that is something that can’t change depending on how I do. I’m working hard. When we’re not practicing I’m trying to get better, trying to get stronger. Hopefully we can push the envelope on that a little bit.”

(On the influence of a live crowd…) “There is a lot going on in Seattle today. It’s a beautiful day. There is a lot of other places people could have been. To have them out there was great. It was loud. It is loud right now. It was fun. It was definitely an adrenaline boost for us. We appreciate it.”

(On the offense progressing slower than the defense…) “There ahead of us right now but the defense is always ahead of us a little bit this year. We have a big fat playbook. Their playbook says man or zone. What else is there? So its okay.”

(On his own scrimmage performance…) “It was okay. It was just okay. I accomplished a lot of what I set out to accomplish today. I didn’t get hurt. I didn’t get anybody hurt. Those are two big things right there.”

(On the post-Super Bowl off season…) “I wasn’t tired necessarily. It was a short off season though. I felt the extra attention and the extra conversation about the Super Bowl loss and that streak where the teams who had loss hadn’t been to the playoffs. It’s a drain on you, talking about it day after day after day. I guess we had a taste of what some teams deal with; talking about T.O. (Terrell Owens) or Tiki (Barber) or whatever.”

“We’re talking about little stuff. It’s nice. With it being in Kirkland it’s all business, all about football. I know our fans our disappointed they can’t be there but there are no distractions. It’s just football. It’s just training camp and it’s been good that way.”

(On Deion Branch…) “I have a lot of confidence in Deion. He’s learning a new position so there are things that we’re going to need to continue to work on, continue to rep, but I love him. I think he’s great and, like I said, it’s not just one guy. It’s not going to be one guy replacing Darrell Jackson. I think we have four guys that can step up, that will step up, and I’ll spread it around.”

(On personal improvements…) “When we run our offense we run the same basically the same plays that have many personnel groupings, many formations, and we’ll have a play that Darrell Jackson has repped in practice or a game hundreds of times. In fairness to Deion, he has run them a few times. To expect it to be the same is unfair but we’re getting there and our coaches are smart. They know what they’re doing. We’re getting that work right now. We’re getting a lot of work.”

(On wide receivers…) “That’s up to the coaches, how they decide to do it but we definitely put certain people in the game for certain things.”

“I am just going to read the plays. The coaches are going to put in there who they think is the best. If we are running a post, they’re going to put in the best post runner. If we’re running a corner, they’re going to put in the best corner runner. Maybe that’ll be the same guy both times. I don’t know. That’s what these guys are out here competing for. There is a lot of competition. Those guys are getting after it. They’re tough on each other. They are good friends. Nate (Burleson) and Hack (D.J. Hackett) are playing great right now. I think the competition has a lot to do with it.”

Coach Mike Holmgren
August 4, 2007

(On the Saturday scrimmage…) “A scrimmage is a scrimmage. We have some good things that happened and some things that we know we have to correct. All in all I think that it was a good day. It was a good day for the fans. We had to bang around a little bit before our first game. ”

(On D.J. Hackett …) “I thought that he had a good day. He caught the ball well, moved well and we need that from him. Matt (Hasselbeck) went to him and he moved very well.”

(On David Greene) “Dave (David Greene) did alright. When his group was in there, they moved the ball against a pretty good defense so I was encouraged by that.”

(On the depth of the team…) “ I am not amazed yet but I am hopeful that we have good depth.”

(On the injuries…) “We have a couple injuries but do not have all the details on them yet. (Ben) Joppru hurt his hip, Ben (Obomanu) hurt his neck a little, Courtney (Taylor) tweaked his knee and a couple other hamstring things that I think will be ok. The ones we have to watch for are (Ben) Obomanu and (Ben) Joppru.”

(On Craig Terrill and Walter Jones…) “He (Craig Terrill) banged up his knee a little the other day. It was pretty sore so we held him out. Walt (Walter Jones) is still sore, his shoulder is a little bit sore. He could have practiced today, but he didn’t have to.”

(On Kelly Jennings’ red zone defense…) “It was good. I think he had an advantage because everyone stopped, so that helped. I like the effort by the quarterback trying to chase him down, normally we would blow that. They are so used to having that play blown dead in practices so that is hard. Everyone stopped and Kelly (Jennings) kept going and it was good, that is what he is supposed to do. It was exciting for everybody. I liked it”

(On Seneca Wallace chasing Kelly Jennings…) “Seneca (Wallace) is supposed to do that. He is our last line of defense in an interception like that. With my experience I felt that if you throw an interception, then you are going to be the one to make the tackle. You don’t like it when you throw interceptions.”

(On the fans …) “Yea it is really something. These folks were great today and we appreciate them very much and now they are going to get some autographs from the guys. Then we go back to the rigors of training camp.”

(On Leonard Weaver…) “He will have an expanded role he has to play. We’ve talked about Mack (Strong) not getting as many reps, Mack knows that. Leonard (Weaver), you will see him a lot in the preseason.”

Tackles

Niko Koutouvides - 6 (4 solo)
Gerard Ross – 4 (3 solo)
C.J. Wallace – 4 (2 solo)
Lance Laury – 3 (1 solo)
11 players with 2 tackles

Sacks
Russell Davis – 1 for 5 yards
Will Herring – 1 for 12 yards
Patrick Kerney – 1 for 8 yards
Lance Laury – 1 for 9 yards
Darryl Tapp – 1 for 7 yards
Lofa Tatupu – 1 for 5 yards

Interceptions
Kelly Jennings – 1 for 99t

Forced Fumbles
Niko Koutouvides – 1

Fumble Recoveries
Darryl Tapp – 1

Passes Defensed
Josh Wilson – 2
Dennis Davis – 1
Deon Grant – 1
Kelly Jennings – 1

I am going to try to post the play-by-play at some point tomorrow, but for now I'll summarize:

The scrimmage started out with some special teams work, and as Dave mentioned one of Plackemeier's first punts was blocked. Neither of us saw who got the block. Plackemeier did have a beautiful 60-yard (approximately) punt that landed inside the 10 and bounced sideways out of bounds. The crowd was vocal after that.

Then the first team offense started from the 30 and went against the second team defense. Those are very fluid terms because players were shuttling in and out, so it was never really the same players going against each other, but more of a concept. The first possession ended with a 39-yard field goal by Josh Brown. Second possession ended in an eight-yard screen pass touchdown to the left to Leonard Weaver behind Sims and Spencer.

Third possession was second team O vs. first team D, though the wrinkle was that David Greene ran the offense instead of Seneca. Holmgren said he wanted Greene and Wallace to have the same number of reps and for that to work out in the end, Greene ran the second unit at first. That ended with a 48-yard FG by Josh. Fourth possession ended when Greene completed a pass to Marquis Weeks but it was ripped by Niko Koutouvides and recovered by Darryl Tapp. Holmgren let them kick a FG after that but Kurt Smith missed left on a 43-yarder.

Then they went into red zone drills, though they got only one possession on each play and did not advance the ball. It was two downs from the 20, two from the 15, two from the 10, two from the 5. With Hasselbeck in they only scored once, from the 5, a pass in the front corner of the end zone to Nate Burleson.

With the second team, Seneca connected on a TD from the 15 to Logan Payne. Later, he threw an interception to Kelly Jennings that Boling detailed in his earlier post. It was very impressive and fun to watch.

After red zone offense they went back to regular scrimmage conditions. Most of the regulars were done for the day and it got sloppier. More sacks, less crisp plays, though Seneca did complete a 39-yard TD pass to Hackett, a soft lob over his shoulder that beat rookie Josh Wilson. Derek Devine was tentative, missing all four attempts.

That's it for now, I have to write my daily stuff, but I will follow up with more stuff either later tonight or tomorrow at some point. They have only one practice tomorrow, in the afternoon, and I'll also file after that.

Walter Jones did not play; Holmgren said he has a sore shoulder though he could have practiced if they needed him to.

Will Heller did not go due to sore ankle that kept him out of practice two days ago.

Ben Obomanu had a neck injury that forced him to be carted off in an ambulance. Holmgren did not have the latest word on him.

Ben Joppru injured his hip and was walking off the field after the scrimmage with a noticeable limp. I'll have an update on him Sunday afternoon.

Courtney Taylor tweaked his knee.

Craig Terrill banged up his knee in practice the other day so they held him out.

OK, I just got over to the Key because the players had an autograph session afterwards and Hasselbeck was delayed for a long time.

Here are stats from the scrimmage (it should be noted that none of these stats include the red zone offense):

Passing

Hasselbeck 7-10, 56 yards, 1 TD of yards to Weaver
David Greene 8-9, 61 yards
Seneca Wallace 3-5, 65 yards, 1 TD, 1 int.
Derek Devine 0-4

Rushing

Shaun Alexander 1-4
Maurice Morris 5-20
Leonard Weaver 2-10
Marquis Weeks 4-12
A.J. Harris 3-8

Receiving

Weaver 1-4
Deion Branch 2-20
D.J. Hackett 5-65 1 TD
Weeks 2-10
Courtney Taylor 1-13
Ben Obomanu 3-29
Josh Parry 1-6

I'll crank something real quick because I got up to KeyArena before Frank did. Most importantly, from the scrimmage at Memorial Stadium, receiver Ben Obomanu left with a neck injury. He walked off on his own and got in the ambulance, and it drove away without sirens on. I was interviewing elsewhere so I didn't hear Holmgren's report on it. Also, tight end Ben Joppru suffered a hip injury. Frank will have more details.

It was hot on the artificial turf, and the angle of the sun caused some problems, most notably when Josh Wilson muffed a kickoff before gaining control and making a return.

Walter Jones again had the day off (second day in a row). Holmgren said Friday he's just resting him. He knows what he can do, after all. With Walt out, Locklear went to left tackle and Tom Ashworth stepped in at RT. THe middle three were Sims, Spencer and Gray.

During early special teams drills, Ryan Plackemeier got a punt blocked, but it was with the ball on the 1, so he didn't have much room to step into it. Burleson, Seneca and Engram were returning punts.

In the scrimmage portion, on the first play, the Hawks went four wide with Leonard Weaver at running back. That ring your bell, you Weaver fans out there?

Frank will have some more detailed play by play stuff coming later, I'm sure. Other quick highlights, though ...

Former Husky safety C.J. Wallace had a number of big hits.
Weaver scored a 8-yard TD on a screen pass from Hasselbeck behind the blocking of Sims and Spencer.

Russell Davis had some nice stops in the middle against the backup O line.

The dramatic Kurt Smith-Josh Brown battle for the kicker position lost a little heat when Smith missed a 43-yard attempt.

As was the case last year, Seneca had a good scrimmage, giving a convincing performance for the argument that he needs to stay at backup quarterback. He had a nice touchdown pass to Logan Payne and another to Hackett.

The play of the day probably was a Kelly Jennings pick of Seneca. Jennings jumped up and returned it 98 yards, slaloming through the defense, including two impressive tackle attempts by Wallace, who got blocked once, and then kept fighting his way back at Jennings, who just outran him to the end zone. Great effort on both of their parts ... that will be part of my column for the morning, which I need to get writing right now if I'm going to make deadline.

The Hawks do not have any availability today. Their only team function is tonight's scrimmage at Memorial Stadium. As I understand it, there is not even a press box at the stadium so it will be difficult to blog from there. But here is what Boling and I have worked out: A Seattle Storm game is being played at KeyArena at 7, so after the scrimmage and after interviews, Boling and I will trundle across the Seattle Center campus to the Key and work from the press room there. I will blog as soo