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Thursday, January 31st, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 01:54:48 pm
As I was walking from the media center to the hotel for this 2 o clock online chat, I ran into Seahawks defensive end Darryl Tapp. He said he was in town to do a seminar on HIV and AIDS awareness. I asked him if he was staying for the Super Bowl and he said he was flying home right away. Flew in this morning, out this afternoon and to the Pro Bowl with teammates next week. He said he didn't want to be at the Super Bowl unless he was playing in it. He was bummed that they came so close, and said he knew right after they lost that Dallas was going to lose to New York, which made him second-guess even more because then the NFC championship game would have been at Qwest if they were able to get past Green Bay.
Categories: Miscellaneous
• 31 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 01:00:01 pm
I am doing an online chat at 2 pm pacific, just go to the News Tribune Web site, www.thenewstribune.com, to take part. This was the final day of player media availability, only Tom Coughlin and Bill Belicheck are available tomorrow. These 8 am press conferences are brutal because you have to get up at 5:30 to make it out to the teams' hotels. Not surprisingly, there were far fewer members of the media at the Patriots 8 o clock news conference than at New York's 10 o clock. All the players at this point are ready to play the game. They seem weary of answering the same questions over and over, tired of preparing for what is going on two weeks, and you get the sense that they wish it would go straight to Sunday. There was a press conference a few minutes ago to name the GMAC defensive player of the year, and Patrick Kerney was one of the candidates. He was not at the press conference though so he did not win. I would have liked to catch up with him and ask him about his surgery. I saw Matt Hasselbeck again and chatted with him. He is spending more time at the Media Center than I am. He said he has been working out down here with some of the guys who run the combine in Indianapolis trying to get prepared for the Pro Bowl. He leaves for that in a few days he said. He is not sticking around in Phoenix for the Super Bowl. He said his wrist is a little sore but otherwise his health is pretty good.
Categories: Miscellaneous
• 6 comments
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 04:10:59 pm
I caught up with Matt after the Pro Bowl press conference he did with Ben Roethlisberger and Larry Fitzgerald. It was funny because both Roethlisberger and Fitzgerald show up dressed very nicely, and Matt shows up in basketball shorts and a sweat top. He said he was late coming from the Jim Rome show and then got stuck in traffic. In any case, here is the transcript of the interview: What are your thoughts about Jim Zorn leaving? "It was one of those things that was leaked out that he might be leaving. I didn’t think he would go but when he decided to go, I have been with him a long time and he has meant a lot to me. In the one sense I was happy for him, but it is a bit of a loss for us and for me."
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 02:07:32 pm
Last night's Media Party was fun, held at a place called Corona Ranch. One of the funnier things I have seen is Ravens offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden trying to ride a mechanical bull, then trying to rope a mechanical calf. The Gin Blossoms, from Tempe, ended the night with a concert, though you got the sense that they were not particularly happy to be playing before a sparse crowd who weren't exactly stage diving. I hung out with KJR's Mike Gastineau and his producer, Matt Muller. This morning came early because the media sessions were in the morning out at the teams' respective hotels. More of the same questions, for the most part, not as maniacal a scene as yesterday's Media Day at the stadium. I give the players a lot of credit for having to answer the same things over and over and over again throughout the week. Downtown Phoenix, dead on Sunday and Monday, is starting to liven up as more and more people arrive in town for the weekend's festivities and the game. Matt Hasselbeck is doing a press conference for the Pro Bowl in about an hour, so I am going to try to catch up with him afterward. I'll post some of his quotes from that interview on the blog afterwards. Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 02:21:54 pm
This is the big day that you hear so much about because of a circus-like atmosphere and questions like the one to Redskins quarterback Doug Williams, "So, how long have you been a black quarterback." The day started with a convoy of buses transporting the media from our downtown hotels to the stadium. I soon realized we were getting a police escort. They shut down the entire freeway for us, and we had policemen on motorcycles escorting us down the highway. Once they did open up the freeway, cars pulled up next to us and people were snapping pictures of us with their cell phones. I'm sure they thought we were the players and couldn't see us because of the tinted windowns. It's a pretty weird feeling.
Categories: Miscellaneous
• 26 comments
Monday, January 28th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 05:58:39 pm
So far things in Phoenix have been pretty tame, but it is still early in the week. The only bizarre thing that has happened is that on the way to Patriots media availability yesterday, they shut down the entire freeway for about 25 minutes, a cop car doing circles across the four lanes to prevent cars from going past. It turns out it was just a two-car accident. As it turned out, the Patriots were late landing so it didn't cause us to miss anything but an odd start to the week nonetheless. I just got back from the Giants media availability. They flew in today and went to their hotel in Chandler. It was not as nice as where the Patriots are staying, New England's place is PLUSH. The Giants were all wearing black as a sign of team unity. A couple members of the team have gotten the flu and the trainers are trying to ward off it spreading through the team.
Categories: Miscellaneous
• 28 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 09:15:55 am
I was working out this morning watching the Worldwide Leader run its top 10 plays of the day -- and how Tiger's putt was No. 2 instead of No. 1 I'll never know -- and thought I'd do a Top 10 Seahawks Plays -- which, of course, are always subjective and debatable. 10) Rocky Bernard's sack of Alex Smith. (Not only did it establish the Seahawks as the team to beat in the NFC West, it essentially ended the Niners' season.) 9) Lofa Tatupu's third interception of A.J. Feeley in Philadelphia. 8)Matt Hasselbeck's 22-yard TD pass to Nate Burleson against Cincinnati with less than a minute remaining. 7)Matt Hasselbeck's long TD pass to Mo Morris in the season opener against Tampa Bay. 6)Nate Burleson's 90-yard punt return against St. Louis. 5)Nate Burleson's 94-yard punt return against Cleveland (after which he paid homage to LeBron James.) 4)Jordan Babineux's interception return against Washington. 3)Marcus Trufant's interception return against Washington. 2)The goal line stand against St. Louis that ended with Gus Frerotte fumbling the snap. 1) Matt Hasselbeck's touchdown pass to D.J. Hackett against Washington. (Given the point in the game, it was the play that turned around that game.)
Categories: Awards and honors
• 42 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 08:50:49 am
Here is the link to the story I wrote about Greg Gadson, the soldier who was injured in Iraq and has become a source of inspiration for the New York Giants.
Categories: Miscellaneous
• 3 comments
Sunday, January 27th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 06:42:37 pm
First off, it is absolutely dumping rain in Phoenix, something all the Patriots commented on, especially after they left their pep rally at their stadium this morning amid snow flurries and expected to arrive in warm weather in the desert. Their flight was delayed by about 45 minutes, which meant they were delayed to meet with the media. After avoiding the media all week, quarterback Tom Brady was one of six Patriots players to be grilled on Sunday night. He said he will play in Sunday's game, no question. He said he hurt his ankle early in the third quarter of the game against the Chargers, when he was sacked, but that he knows enough to know that he will not be prevented from playing. His teammates already seem to be sick of the topic: "I don't know how many times we can say it: Tom is going to be there," Tedy Bruschi said. "To be commenting about how it feels for me to see him walking normally, it just doesn't make sense." Brady said he did not practice with his team last week but plans on trying to practice three days this week. Everything else was pretty vanilla. The only controversial topic was the claim by the Giants that Matt Light is a dirty player. The Patriots basically said that football is a tough sport and sometimes you have to play tough. Giants coach Tom Coughlin and six members of the Giants meet with the media tomorrow night, after they arrive. The rain is not suppose to abate until Tuesday. Somebody mentioned that it has rained for the first three days of the last four Super Bowls.
Categories: Miscellaneous
• 28 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 02:17:03 pm
As was mentioned a few threads ago, it appears the Seahawks are not going to the UK next season for a game. According to the San Diego Union Tribune, the Saints and Chargers will be the teams. Here is the link.
Categories: Schedules and calendars
• 9 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 01:33:23 pm
It dawned on me on the flight to Phoenix that my interview with Greg Gadson was not governed by the NFL restrictions. So I wanted to include it on the blog. Take a listen, he's a good guy and it's a good story. The sound quality at the start is not very good but it gets better about 30 seconds in.
Categories: Audio Files
• 3 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 09:45:16 am
I'm sitting here at the Alaska gate with my man Mike Sando waiting for our flight to Phoenix to cover Super Bowl week. I took yesterday off to spend some time with the family, but I will blog on what is happening as the week in Phoenix progresses. Tonight, we meet with Patriots coach Bill Belicheck and six New England players. I also on the flight will write a story for tomorrow's paper that is a heartwarming piece that I ran across in Green Bay last week. While I was interviewing Corey Webster, the D back who intercepted Favre, somebody asked if he kept the game ball. He said no, he had given it to a guy named Greg Gadson, a soldier who has served as an inspiration for the Giants. So I asked around and find out the story: Gadson was the former roommate of Giants wide receivers coach Mike Sullivan. They played together at Army, and played in the 1989 Sun Bowl together. Gadson goes to Iraq last year and gets his legs blown off by a homemade bomb in Baghdad. While he is recovering at Walter Reed hospital in DC, Sullivan asks him if he will come speak to the Giants when they are playing the Redskins. He didn't do the Win One for the Gipper speech, but talks so pointedly about how these young kids need to appreciate the lives they have and the opportunities presented to them that everybody says you could hear a pin drop. So the team asks him to come to Tampa Bay with them for their first playoff game. He does and they win. He couldn't go to Dallas because he was getting prosthetics, but he makes the trip to Green Bay last week as an honorary captain, gets the ball from Webster and was in the locker room after the game. Now he is headed to the Super Bowl with the team. As I was interviewing him, player after player came up and hugged him on the way out of the locker room. He has really connected with Plaxico Burress because they grew up in the same area, and he offers Burress advice on life issues now. It's a really good story and I'm sure one of the networks will pick up on it this week. Very little goes uncovered at this event. But I wanted to write it now to kick off the week. I'll provide a link to it tomorrow.
Categories: Miscellaneous
• 23 comments
Friday, January 25th, 2008
Posted by Darrin Beene @ 03:52:12 pm
Jim Zorn, one of nine Seahawks players in the team's ring of honor at Qwest Field, will leave the Seahawks to become the offensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins, according to Internet reports. Zorn, 54, was the Seahawks starting quarterback in the franchise's debut season in 1976. He played nine years and then became the quarterbacks coach in 2001 after a three-year stint as the Detroit Lions quarterback coach. Zorn interviewed with the Redskins this week and got the job despite the team having not named a replacement for head coach Joe Gibbs, who retired after the Redskins' playoff loss to Seattle. Zorn's deal is reportedly for three years. Zorn is the latest coach to leave Mike Holmgren's staff. Holmgren announced the 2008 season will be his last. Already, receivers caoch Nolan Cromwell and quality control coach Gary Reynolds have left for jobs at Texas A&M. Offensive line coach Bill Laveroni was fired and replaced by Mike Solari.
Categories: Answers to your questions
• 113 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 09:45:27 am
This is a look at the Seahawks' last five drafts: (And for whatever reason, I can't get the columns to line up so you are going to have to bear with it until I can read my Excel for Dummies Book. Just look at each column vertically, in 2003 the Seahawks had nine picks, two of which are now starters, one is a backup, two play for other teams and four are out of the NFL.) 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Totals TOTAL PICKS 9 7 9 7 8 40 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Categories: NFL Draft
• 40 comments
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 04:16:48 pm
The Washington Post's latest story says that it looks like Seahawks quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn is staying in Seattle. It doesn't give much detail beyond that, but the Redskins coaching search sounds like a mess.
Categories: Coaching Staff
• 17 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 04:07:36 pm
The Seattle Seahawks have named Mike Solari offensive line coach, the team announced Thursday. Solari spent the past 11 seasons with Kansas City Chiefs, including the last two as their offensive coordinator. He was one of just six assistant coaches in team history with more than a decade of service with the Chiefs. Interestingly, Solari was preceded at Kansas City by Al Saunders, whose job Jim Zorn now may be taking in Washington. Solari was fired after this season by the Chiefs and replaced by Chan Gailey. Prior to his role as offensive coordinator, he spent nine years as the team’s offensive line coach. Since 2001, Kansas City’s rush offense finished in the top-10 five out of seven years. A graduate of San Diego State University, Solari spent five seasons (1992-96) as the tight ends/assistant offensive line coach for the San Francisco 49ers before joining the Chiefs.
Categories: Coaching Staff
• 19 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 12:19:48 pm
Somebody asked in the last post what the offensive coordinator's duty is under Mike Holmgren. Holmgren has cut back on his time in the office so that he can spend more time with his family. Believe me, this doesn't mean that he works six-hour days. I think his days are more like 10 hours, from like 9 or 9:30 to 7. But Gil Haskell works the really long days, coordinating everything for Holmgren, setting up what needs to be done before Holmgren gets into the office. He also assists Holmgren on play-calling and putting together the game plan, then is up in the box during the game talking almost exclusively to Holmgren during the game. Hasselbeck talks to Zorn.
Categories: Coaching Staff
• 18 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 12:14:41 pm
As always, these are courtesy of Bodog. Match-up – Eli Manning Super Bowl XLII vs. Peyton Manning Super Bowl XLI Most Passing Yards Eli Manning -115 Peyton Manning -115 (Note: Peyton had 247 Passing Yards)
Most Pass Completions Eli Manning in Super Bowl XLII vs. Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLI Eli Manning +2 -130 Peyton Manning -2 Even (Note: Peyton had 25 Pass Completions)
Categories: Miscellaneous
• 2 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 09:29:13 am
Here is a link to today's Washington Post story regarding the Redskins' pursuit of Jim Zorn. The story says Zorn headed back to Mobile, Ala. to be with Tim Ruskell after interviewing with the Skins. ESPN however is reporting that the Redskins are not expected to name a coach until after the Super Bowl because they want to interview some of the assistants on the two teams in the game. There is speculation all over the internet that the Seahawks are going to promise Zorn the Seahawks' offensive coordinator job next season in order to keep him around.
Categories: Coaching Staff
• 26 comments
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 03:46:47 pm
Here is a new link from the Washington Post that updates that Jim Zorn situation. It says Jim Fassel is about to be named the Redskins' new coach and that Zorn is the front-runner to become his offensive coordinator. I know that Mike Holmgren and Fassel have a pretty close relationship, so I can't imagine that Holmgren would be too pleased if Fassel stole Zorn from his staff.
Categories: Coaching Staff
• 40 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 02:33:45 pm
I have talked to most of the agents of the Seahawks' free agents, and from everything I can tell general manager Tim Ruskell has not yet contacted them about talking about contract extensions. From the agents with whom I spoke, they were assuming that Ruskell was waiting to hear about the decision of Mike Holmgren before he starts negotiations with anybody. Also, there was a question earlier in the day about what Holmgren's status means for the hiring of new coaches. I was wondering the same thing myself this morning because if Holmgren is definitely out after one year, and Mora replaces him, does that mean there is continuity in the coaching staff or will Mora want to bring in his own people. I suspect a little of both -- and I would think that whomever the new offensive line coach is needs some assurance that he will be here longer than a year. Some of that also probably depends on the success the team has next year. If they are good, it may not make sense for Mora to replace his staff. But if they have a poor season, it would only be reasonable that he would want to bring in some of his own folks with whom he would be more comfortable.
Categories: NFL free agency
• 24 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 12:22:06 pm
According to the Washington Post, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder flew Seahawks quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn from Mobile, Ala., site of the Senior Bowl, to D.C. to interview for the team's offensive coordinator position. Here is a link to The Post blog.
Categories: Coaching Staff
• 20 comments
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 02:49:13 pm
This is the last year that Mike Holmgren will be coaching the Seahawks, he said at his press conference announcing that he is coming back. Now, there seems to be some confusion about what exactly that means because he said that what he said last week about possibly wanting an extension was misconstrued. He said that it was always only option A (staying) or option B (retiring), and option C (staying for a longer period) was never an option. That is not what he said last week. He clearly said that something longer was a possibility. But he said on Tuesday that, despite reports over the weekend, there was never a conversation with the organization regarding an extension. Regardless of the details of that, the bottom line is that he is coaching the last year of his contract for the Seahawks. He did not answer the question about whether Jim Mora was his replacement, saying that is a question for another person at another press conference. He also said he did not think it was appropriate for him to recommend his replacement.
Categories: Mike Holmgren press conferences
• 118 comments
Posted by Jeff Hendrickson @ 12:01:32 pm
Frank reports from the road that Mike Holmgren has scheduled a press conference for this afternoon to announce his decision to return as coach of the Seahawks. More to come.
Categories: Answers to your questions
• 76 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 10:54:10 am
I know everybody is waiting anxiously for an update on Mike Holmgren and his status regarding retirement or coming back. There should -- and I stress "should" -- be some sort of announcement by 2 or 3 this afternoon, I am told, but that is not a guarantee. I have calls in to Mike's agent, though those have not yet been returned. I will let you know something as soon as I know something.
Categories: Coaching Staff
• 21 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 08:06:42 am
I spent most of yesterday either on a snowy runway in Milwaukee or in the air on the way back from the Midwest, so I didn't hear this interview until this morning. But this is a link to Shaun Alexander's interview on KJR yesterday. It is interesting in that he still obviously thinks he is an elite back in the NFL. He says he thinks he will be back next year, he says he doesn't think the Seahawks will ask him to restructure his contract because they are "too classy" and he said he doesn't think the team is going to use a high draft pick on a running back, among other things. Take a listen.
Categories: Miscellaneous
• 53 comments
Sunday, January 20th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 03:36:32 pm
There is a story on ESPN.com that says the Seahawks are one of four teams being considered to play in the UK next year. I confirmed it with a league official. The other teams are Tampa Bay, New Orleans and Kansas City. The league hopes to have a decision by the Super Bowl. Tampa Bay is the only team on that list on the Seahawks' schedule next season. Keep in mind, Bucs owner Malcolm Glazer also owns the Manchester United soccer team, so there is a chance the game could be in Manchester. The other thing that I find of interest is that the story also talks about Buffalo getting a game in Toronto to strengthen its Canadian fan base. Seattle has a game in Buffalo next season.
Categories: Schedules and calendars
• 163 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 01:38:02 pm
You have not experienced cold until you take a crack at 13 below with the wind chill, which it is right now at Lambeau. I don't have any idea how the players can play in this. In the few minutes I had to take off my glove to get out my ID to procure my credential, I couldn't really move my fingers. Unbelievable. I rode the elevator up with an oldster who was telling the story about how he was here for the Ice Bowl 40 years ago, and somehow he got down on the field and they didn't boot him off so he was standing near Lombardi the entire game. That's his story, anyway, and he's sticking to it. He said that today's conditions are just about the same as that game way back when, which ended with Bart Starr sneaking in from the 1. There was an interesting story in the Milwaukee paper today about the guy who took that picture of Starr laying across the goal line. Apparently, it was taken by a 16-year-old kid who is now a photographer at SI. He was working with his Dad, who was a newspaper photog, and at the end of the game he told his son to take a picture if anybody scores, he was going over to the Packers sideline to get a shot of Lombardi if the Packers won the game. The father said he got a photo of Lombardi's back while his son took one of the most famous pictures in NFL history.
Categories: Miscellaneous
• 15 comments
Saturday, January 19th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 10:30:28 am
TE Zac Alcorn (ended '07 season on Chiefs practice squad) PRACTICE SQUAD GUYS CB Omowale Dada I'm flying to Green Bay for most of the day.
Categories: Seahawks Roster
• 26 comments
Friday, January 18th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 03:44:23 pm
“I want to thank the Redskins organization and owner Daniel Snyder for the opportunity to interview for the head coaching position. The process reconfirmed that the quality of life for my family in Seattle is my first priority. This past year has been a great experience both professionally and personally for myself, my wife Shannon, and our kids. We are very happy members of this community and the Seattle Seahawks organization.” -- Jim Mora
Categories: Coaching Staff
• 32 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 01:48:55 pm
I am told that Seahawks assistant Jim Mora has withdrawn his name from the race for the Redskins vacancy. Not sure entirely what that means, though it could mean that he knew he was not going to get the job so he pre-empted any announcement from Washington by bailing out in a timely fashion. I'm sure there are other conclusions to which people will immediately jump, as well. Also, the Seahawks are going to announce on Tuesday (MLK holiday is Monday) a list of between 10-20 free agents that they have signed to future contracts, including some or all of their own practice squad players. Presumably that list will include Zac Alcorn, the tight end mentioned in an earlier post.
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 10:08:22 am
There is a story in a paper called the Black Hills Pioneer that reported that the Seahawks signed a tight end named Zac Alcorn to a two-year contract on Monday. I have a call in to the Seahawks to clarify.
Categories: Street free agents
• 33 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 10:05:18 am
Apparently, Jim Mora had a pretty impressive showing with Redskins owner Daniel Snyder and is being seriously considered for the Washington head coaching job. One person I spoke with back there said he thinks Mora may be the front-runner; since Gregg Williams has interviewed four times, the person thought, he must not have been that impressive, and there may be some internal friction regarding decision-making. However, there was one other person quoted in the story that I linked to above that thinks Mora's impressive interview was predictable, but still is not suited for the job. "Mora will give you a great interview," said one NFL executive who previously took part in a head coaching interview with him. "He's bright and engaging and he's incredibly prepared. I could definitely see him charming Snyder, there's no doubt in my mind about that. But he's also a little bit out there, with what he says and does sometimes. I'm not sure how you can sit there as an owner and talk about stability, stability, stability and then hire Jim Mora, but I can see why Snyder would be attracted to him."
Categories: Coaching Staff
• 10 comments
Thursday, January 17th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 04:51:01 pm
Player Procedure MD Shaun Alexander Left Wrist Dr. Ed Khalfayan/Dr. Carleton Keck Baraka Atkins Left Wrist Dr. Carleton Keck Will Herring Arthroscopic – Right Knee Dr. Ed Khalfayan Josh Scobey Left Lower Leg Dr. Ed Khalfayan/Dr. Lawrence Holland Floyd Womack Right Biceps Dr. Ed Khalfayan/Dr. Lawrence Holland Ray Willis Arthroscopic – Left Knee Dr. James Andrews (Birmingham, Ala.) Additionally, Chris Spencer will undergo shoulder surgery and reconstructive thumb surgery on Friday. Shoulder surgeries will also be performed next week on Patrick Kerney and Walter Jones. Deion Branch will undergo knee surgery in the near future.
Categories: Injuries
• 15 comments
Posted by Mark Briggs @ 12:18:25 pm
Frank called and asked me to point this out: Mike Holmgren talked with Mitch in the Morning on KJR this morning. Listen to the interview.
Categories: Coaching Staff
• 18 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 11:13:58 am
There is a story in the Philadelphia Daily News that says Hawks Pro Bowl defensive end Patrick Kerney is going to miss the Pro Bowl to have surgery. Here is the link. . The Seahawks have confirmed the details of the story. Mike Holmgren did not mention this in his postseason press conference the other day. The story says Trent Cole will replace Kerney on the Pro Bowl roster.
Categories: Injuries
• 7 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 09:27:46 am
Mike Holmgren was on KJR radio this morning with Mitch Levy in what I thought was a very informative interview. The thing about a forum like that as opposed to the free-for-all that is Holmgren's Wednesday press conference is that in a one-on-one setting, you can lead Holmgren down a certain path and stay on topic. At his press conference, just when you get him on a certain track, somebody else jumps in with their own question and the conversation veers elsewhere. Having said that, the biggest news that came out of that interview was that Holmgren said the Seahawks are going to have to concentrate on their own free agents, Marcus Trufant, Josh Brown and Sean Locklear, which will preclude them from going after big-name, big-money guys like Alan Faneca. He said they will still be in the free agent market, but not in the same fashion they were last year with Kerney, Grant and Russell. They will have to take second-tier guys, as they have done in years past. I would say he did not sound overly optimistic about re-signing D.J. Hackett, though he didn't rule it out. He also said placing Deion Branch on injured reserve next year is a possibility, depending on how Branch rehabs from his surgery.
Categories: NFL free agency
• 81 comments
Wednesday, January 16th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 07:20:11 pm
Here is the link from the Washington Post regarding Jim Mora's interview with the Redskins. Though Mike Holmgren said Mora was leaving today for the interview, this story says Mora interviewed yesterday with Daniel Synder. Gregg Williams still is apparently the front-runner for the job, based on Snyder's assertion that continuity was a key in the wake of Joe Gibbs' retirement.
Categories: Coaching Staff
• 19 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 01:42:13 pm
Since it's the offseason, let's start breaking down the team piece-by-piece. We'll try to do a different installment each day, time permitting. This is my first offseason, so I am still getting a handle on the free agency aspect of the beat. I will post as much stuff as I can as it becomes available, and as I speak to various agents and contacts throughout the league. But I'm throwing the disclaimer out there that this is an entirely different animal. THE QUARTERBACKS When I look at the draft and listen to Mike Holmgren, one of the first thoughts I had was do the Seahawks need to take a quarterback somewhere in this draft and start developing him for the time when Matt Hasselbeck no longer is able to carry this team. It's sort of like the economy: When things are going really well, why don't people/companies/organizations sock away some savings for when times get hard? Yes, things are gravy right now with Seattle's quarterback position, and they have a viable backup. But do the Seahawks want to become the 49ers and when Matt Hasselbeck, 32, isn't in his prime any more, do they want to start over or do they want to try to make a seamless transition to the next QB? I think most people agree that while Seneca Wallace is a talented backup, he is probably not ready to step in as a full-time starter the way maybe Aaron Rodgers is in Green Bay once Brett Favre leaves. And Charlie Frye, while a nice insurance policy, is not that player, either. Of course, one of the Seahawks' coaches told me this year that the most important room in any organization is the draft room. If you mess that up, you screw yourself for a long time. If you make good choices, you can sustain a good organization for a long time. That being said, with draft picks so valuable, and the offense needing an overhaul, can the Seahawks afford to use a pick to take a QB who will not see significant time anytime soon? Hasselbeck was a sixth-round pick and took, what, four or five years to develop, including a full year on the Packers' practice squad? Is there a Hasselbeck out there this year that can be taken late and given time to develop? And if there is, can the Seahawks afford to take him and put him on the roster, even if that means four QBs would be on the roster? Furthermore, how much longer will Hassebeck be in his prime? Most people look at Favre this year and think that he skews everybody's opinion because everybody thinks, "What if my guy can play til he's 38?" That, to me, is wishful thinking. Matt played 16 games this year, but that too is probably an aberration. So let's say realistically he will be able to play at a high level until he is 35 or 36. You take a young guy now, let him be tutored under Hasselbeck and Seneca Wallace -- and hopefully Jim Zorn and Mike Holmgren -- in four years he is 25 or 26 and ready to step in for Hasselbeck once Hasselbeck no longer is able to play at the level he is playing now. That is looking way ahead, but Tim Ruskell's job is to project ahead if he wants to maintain a certain level of excellence.
Categories: Roster Analysis
• 47 comments
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 04:11:06 pm
Mike Holmgren spoke for about 40 minutes, mostly about his decision to retire. The biggest news out of that is that he said that not only is he open to retiring or coming back, but that he would be open to an extension as well -- though he did say that there are other people (Paul Allen) involved in that decision as well. Deion Branch did tear his ACL. He will have surgery done by Dr. James Andrews in the next few days and will not be back probably for 9 months, but will not be completely right for a year.
Categories: Mike Holmgren press conferences
• 90 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 02:36:36 pm
• Cris Carter – Wide Receiver – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins • Fred Dean – Defensive End – 1975-1981 San Diego Chargers, 1981-85 San Francisco 49ers • Richard Dent – Defensive End – 1983-1993, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles • Marshall Goldberg – Back – 1939-1943, 1946-48 Chicago Cardinals • Randy Gradishar – Linebacker – 1974-1983 Denver Broncos • Darrell Green – Cornerback – 1983-2002 Washington Redskins • Russ Grimm – Guard – 1981-1991 Washington Redskins • Ray Guy – Punter – 1973-1986 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders • Bob Kuechenberg – Guard – 1970-1984 Miami Dolphins • Randall McDaniel – Guard – 1988-1999 Minnesota Vikings, 2000-2001 Tampa Bay Buccaneers • Art Monk – Wide Receiver – 1980-1993 Washington Redskins, 1994 New York Jets, 1995 Philadelphia Eagles • Andre Reed – Wide Receiver – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins • Paul Tagliabue – Commissioner – 1989-2006 National Football League • Derrick Thomas – Linebacker – 1989-1999 Kansas City Chiefs • Emmitt Thomas – Cornerback – 1966-1978 Kansas City Chiefs • Andre Tippett – Linebacker – 1982-1993 New England Patriots • Gary Zimmerman – Tackle – 1986-1992 Minnesota Vikings, 1993-97 Denver Broncos
Categories: Awards and honors
• 8 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 12:29:06 pm
Remember, Mike Holmgren's postseason press conference is at 3 today. I will post details immediately after. As always, these are from Bodog: Will Mike Holmgren return as head coach of the Seahawks for 2008? Yes -140 No Even
Who will be the starting Running Back for Game 1 of the 2008 Season? Shaun Alexander 1/2 Maurice Morris 5/4 Other 9/5
Categories: Miscellaneous
• 14 comments
Monday, January 14th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 09:48:35 pm
The Seahawks' secondary coach is a candidate for the vacancy left open by the retirement of Joe Gibbs, according to an Associated Press report out of Washington. Here is a link to the story, which also lists the other candidates.
Categories: Coaching Staff
• 39 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 03:04:13 pm
The Seahawks say they are not going to release Deion Branch's injury until Holmgren's press conference tomorrow. I spoke to his agent, Jason Chayut, who said they are seeking a second opinion on the injury. When I asked him what the injury was, he declined to say. That, to me, does not sound good. A few people I spoke with who saw him grab his knee said the way he grabbed it was indicative of an ACL injury. I have a few other calls out and will update that if the information becomes available. If it actually is that serious, it could affect the way the Seahawks now view D.J. Hackett and his free-agent status. While he may not have been as valuable before, if Branch is not going to be completely right for a year -- which would be the case if it is an ACL -- Hackett's value may have just increased.
Categories: Injuries
• 57 comments
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