The Cincinnati Enquirer got an email from Jim Steiner, Shaun Alexander's agent, this morning, telling him that he is contacting the Bengals about a possible spot for Shaun. Here is the link.

As always, these are from our friends at Bodog:

Matt Walsh Odds

Will there be any evidence turned in against the Patriots in regards to the 2002 Super Bowl against the Rams?

Yes -500

No +250

Will there be any videotapes turned over by Matt Walsh at the meeting?

Yes -1200

No +500

=> Read more!

The Seahawks have added defensive tackle Larry Triplett, linebacker Wesley Mallard and quarterback Dalton Bell. Here is the team's release:

The Seattle Seahawks have signed defensive tackle Larry Tripplett, Wesley Mallard and claimed Dalton Bell off waivers, the club announced today.

Originally drafted in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft (42nd overall) by Indianapolis, Tripplett played four seasons for the Colts before signing with Buffalo in 2006. In 92 career games, he has registered 195 tackles, 8.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and one interception. Tripplett, 29, attended the University of Washington.

A native of Hinesville, Georgia, Mallard attended the University of Oregon before being drafted by the New York Giants in the 6th round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Mallard has played in 59 career games, mostly on special teams.

Bell signed as an undrafted free agent with Carolina in 2007 before being released after training camp. Green Bay signed Bell on September 11, 2007 before releasing him a week later and eventually signed him again to a future contract on January 23, 2008 before placing him on waivers.

I did not hear the interview, but KJR's Mitch Levy had Mike Holmgren on this morning and the station is reporting that Holmgren revealed that Marcus Tubbs had follow-up surgery on his knee to clean it out. Holmgren said Tubbs may not be available until the regular season. John Marshall did not mention this when we interviewed him the other day, though he did sound pessimistic about Tubbs' return.

I am listening to Mitch go back over the interview, and apparently Holmgren said Rob Sims will be the starting right guard, the running game will be by committee, which means that Mo Morris will be on the roster, and he does not expect one back to ever get 25 carries in a game.

=> Read more!

Tim, we hardly knew ye.

No surprise, after drafting Tyler Schmitt, the Seahawks today released snapper Tim Lindsey, like Owen Schmitt a former West Virgina Mountaineer. Remains to be seen if they get the roster back up to 87 by signing another undrafted college free agent.

Thought I'd bring this up for some thoughtful debate a few days before the start of mini-camp:

I was sitting here writing a piece about the Hawks' offseason and draft moves, and this question dawned on me: If Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett ultimately are not the answer to replace Shaun Alexander, should Tim Ruskell have done a different trade in the draft? After all, he traded up to get John Carlson in the second round. Should he have traded up in the first round to get Rashard Mendenhall, who went to Pittsburgh at No. 23.

I'm going back to the Trade Value chart. The pick that they got from Baltimore was worth 580 points, which required them to trade the 55th pick (350 points) and the 86th (160 points) for a total of 510 points.

=> Read more!

I caught up briefly with offensive coordinator Gil Haskell after this morning's news conference, and we covered a few topics:

* They liked John Carlson because he is good at both blocking and receiving. They felt like Fred Davis and Dustin Keller could stretch the field more than Carlson, but Carlson will give them that blocker that they need in the run game that has been missing for so long. Carlson will be used in the open spaces underneath in the passing game. There also is a chance that Carlson and Will Heller are used more together.

=> Read more!

Seattle Seahawks' new players Lawrence Jackson, left, John Carlson, middle, and head coach Mike Holmgren are introduced at the press conference today in Kirkland.

Seattle Seahawks' new players Lawrence Jackson, left, John Carlson, middle, and head coach Mike Holmgren are introduced at the press conference on Monday, April 28, 2008 in Kirkland, Wash.

I'll say this: The two draft picks from big football factories already have their lines down. Both Lawrence Jackson and John Carlson said everything they were supposed to say to endear themselves to their new teams, though at times they seemed too guarded. At one point Carlson said Charlie Weis was good for his football career, and when I asked him to elaborate he went to great pains to make sure that he was not insulting Tyrone Willingham, who recruited him to Notre Dame.

=> Read more!

We are meeting with Lawrence Jackson and John Carlson in about 10 minutes. I will blog the details afterward.

By the way, of the college free agents signed, Rob Rang said the most consideration should be given to safeties Jamar Adams and Kelin Johnson, as well as Washington State wide receiver Michael Bumpus.

The Seahawks have agreed to terms with these players. They have not yet officially signed.

Safety Jamar Adams, Michigan
CB Donovan Alexander, North Dakota
WR Travis Brown, New Mexico
WR Michael Bumpus, Washington State
LB Matt Castelo, San Jose State
G Dustin Dickinson, Houston
CB DeMichael Dizer, Grambling
LB David Hawthorne, Texas Christian
S Kelin Johnson, Georgia
T William Robinson, San Diego State
WR Anthony Russo, Washington
S Eric Wicks, West Virginia

That is it for me, folks. I am finishing my daily story and heading back across the lake. Good day!

Seven draft picks puts the Seahawks roster at 75. Tim Ruskell said they are aiming to have 87 players on their roster for the mini-camps. They are in the process of signing those players now and will announce who the college free agent additions are later tonight. Ruskell said the signings will be heavy on the offensive line, linebacker and wide receiver positions that they wanted to give depth to but were unable because of how the draft fell. Ruskell said Mike Holmgren (who did not attend the news conference) has wanted a run-stuffing tackle since he got here, and they think they finally got one.

=> Read more!

Defensive coordinator John Marshall met with us for about 25 minutes and was great, discussing most aspects of the defense.

When he was asked about what he likes about Red Bryant, he said, "He's country. And I love country."

Marshall very obviously is a big fan of Bryant. He said he just loves sitting down and talking to the guy. He called him "unique." Marshall said he thinks Bryant is at about the same place development-wise that Brandon Mebane was at this point, but he thinks that once they go through training camp and the preseason, he will be ready to contribute. He said he thinks that Mebane and Bryant can play together, or he can sub in for him and complement Rocky Bernard and Craig Terrill.

Marshall said Marcus Tubbs is still "a ways off" in his recovery from knee surgery. He said they will not really know anything until Tubbs gets out on the field and starts pushing off against live bodies. Marshall said he rehabbing diligently and doing everything he needs to do to come back, but there is no way of knowing at this point if he was successful.

=> Read more!

The Justin Forsett interview was not good. One-word answers, no insight.

Coutu said he has been working with Morten Anderson and Anderson's personal trainer to improve his kickoffs. "I have the leg strengh to kick a 60-yarder from a few steps away, I should have the leg strength to kick the ball into the end zone from 10 steps away," Coutu said.

Seemed like a bright kid, very aware of the Seahawks' history. Said he spoke to John Kasay a lot about the organization. Said he is not afraid of a competition with Olindo Mare, there are veterans on every team and he does not expect to be handed the job.

He said he had been speaking with special teams coach Bruce DeHaven and thought the Seahawks would take him, but he thought they would have taken him sooner than the 7th round. Still, he said, he was honored they used a draft pick on him when they could have easily asked him to come out as a free agent.

He has hamstring problems the last few years, but he said that was not the case. He said he injured the leg trying an onside kick technique that "I will never use again." But he said the leg is fine now.

K BRANDON COUTU, GEORGIA

RB JUSTIN FORSETT, CALIFORNIA

They are on the clock again

Tyler Schmitt said he has had many discussions with special teams coach Bruce DeHaven and is well aware of the Seahawks' difficulties at the position. He said as the No. 1 snapper in the country, he expected to get drafted. He said he began snapping in the fifth grade and had a natural knack for it. "But I never thought it would get me a full ride to San Diego State and I never thought it would get me drafted," Schmitt said.

He said he had been on the line with New Orleans coach Sean Payton when the Seahawks called and told him they were going to take him. He said he weighs 235-240 and some teams told him they would like to see him put on more weight, but he said he does not want to lose his speed for coverage purposes because he tries to make the tackle on every play.

He said he has never had an errant snap.

This is great stuff. Make sure you read to the end about Al Davis' brother. Thanks to Ryan and Albert for the contributions. I think they provided some compelling and funny stuff.

Round Six

Even though Radio City Music Hall looks full on TV, there are only three places where fans are sitting and that is in front of all of the cameras. The crowd is thinning out, but the diehards remain. If you want to guarantee a seat at next year’s draft, all you needed to do was get here before the draft started today and stay until the end. Most of the people we talked to did this and come to the draft every year. Our informal survey shows that about 40% of people at the draft today are from out of town.

Trey Wingo is really playing it up to the crowd. They love him. Rachel Nichols was hanging around Trey off camera for a while, but we think that she left. The last ESPN note is that Jaws gives the most thumbs up to fans. Every break ESPN has, Jaws is thumbsing someone.

=> Read more!

Schmitt was understated, but you can tell he has a pretty good sense of humor. He said he now has a shaved business Mohawk. He said he was tired of the scraggly look and wanted to look more decent. Someone asked if that was possible with a Mohawk. "I'm an ugly guy, so I don't really think the Mohawk is the thing I have to worry about."

He said he has relatives in Spokane and so is familiar with the area. He said he knows about Mack Strong because Strong was always one of the best FBs in the business. He said he is just looking for a chance, it doesn't matter that he was taken in the fifth round.

=> Read more!

TYLER SCHMITT, LONG SNAPPER, SAN DIEGO STATE

Here are Rob's choices:

OLB Wesley Woodyard, Kentucky

RB Mike Hart, Michigan

C Steve Justice, Wake Forest

S Jamie Silva, Boston College

K Brandon Coutu, Georgia

He also had WR Kevin Robinson but he was just tabbed.

Thankfully, Rob is putting his shoes back on. But he says this is a good pick. He says Schmitt is the best lead blocker in the draft, a pure bad-ass who had 11 broken face masks. He is 6-2, 247. He benched 225 pounds 18 times. Ran a 4.57 in the 40. He was first-team all-American as a senior. Craig James is quoted as saying, "He has a forehead made of steel."

OWEN SCHMITT, FB, WEST VIRGINIA

Assuming that he is still there when the Seahawks pick, Rob Rang has them taking Appalachian State free safety Corey Lynch. I told Rob I will kneel down and kiss his mangled feet if they take him.

Day 2

We made it over to Radio City Music Hall a few minutes before the Seahawks fourth round pick. As we write this, the Seahawks just selected Red Bryant, a DT from Texas A&M. Pearl Jam’s “Alive” preceded this pick and the Cowboys pick right after. All of today's picks are announced over the PA system by a guy sitting at a desk near the front. The podium is still on the stage, but no one is using it.

We are sitting on the ESPN side of the main floor today. We are about four rows behind media central, sandwiched between Patriots, Broncos and Raiders fans. As I look at all of the media laptop screens, it appears that most media are either checking their email, or on the ESPN website. They also have some portable TVs, all tuned to ESPN.

The ESPN crew just took a quick break and walked right in front of us. Jaws was signing autographs, Trey Wingo posing for photos and then wolfing down a sandwich, Mel Kiper reading some notes, and Mort checking his Blackberry. Chris Carter is hamming it up for fans in the first balcony. They are throwing footballs to him and he is autographing them and sending them back up. The ESPN set has six cameras pointing at them and about 20 throughout the room.

On the NFL Network side of the room, Adam Schefter is having lunch and reading Frank’s blog (we can’t confirm that last part).

=> Read more!

I don't even know where to start with this guy. He is beautiful. You all will love him. A quote machine. Funny. Simple. Honest. He and Brandon Mebane are going to be a riot along the defensive front this year.

First: He is Jacob Green's soon-to-be son-in-law, engaged to Janelle Green. When he was asked how he felt about being drafted by the Seahawks, he yelled "EXTREMELY excited." He was actually at Jacob Green's house when he was doing the interview, though he had to leave the phone for a second because one of the dogs got out of the house.

He was asked about getting into a fight with Vanderbilt's Chris Williams at the Senior Bowl. "As you can see, being the 14th pick, he is a good football player. But I felt like he was trying to take advantage of me, and I had to let him know right off the get-go that I wasn't going to take it."

Was it shoving or pushing or did you swing?

"I was trying to break his facemask. I think I almost did it too. I think he had headaches for about two days."

=> Read more!

I have to say, Rob Rang is the man. He sat here in the media room and called this pick. He real name is Joseph, Red is his nickname. Rob says he is very good at what he does, which is stuff the middle. At 6-4, 318 pounds, he has very little pass rush ability. Can take up one or two blockers and frees up Lofa to make plays. Rob said Lofa will love him. He is a good fit for them. I guess during the Senior Bowl practices, Bryant swung at a few players -- impressing scouts with his "attitude."

With the 121st pick in the 2008 draft, the Seattle Seahawks select ...

RED BRYANT, DT, TEXAS A&M

It is a cool and rainy Seattle-type day in New York this morning. ESPN just showed a “live” outdoor shot of a sunny Radio City Music but don’t let that fool you.

The Seahawks were on the clock twice in the first round. “Bitter Sweet Symphony” from The Verve and Pearl Jam’s “Even Flow” were played as they segued to the Seattle pick. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from Nirvana was played before the trade. The first round was done in record time, due to the new reduced times teams get to make their pick. Roger Goodell has his subordinates announcing the also-rans.

=> Read more!

Rob Rang says there are very few backs left worth the Seahawks drafting. The names that are still left are Tashard Choice from Georgia Tech, and Rob is not sure why he has not been taken yet; Chauncey Washington from USC is a guy, but Rob doesn't see the Hawks going after him. Mike Hart from Michigan might be picked up later.

Board met with us yesterday regarding Lawrence Jackson, and this was what he had to say about Darryl Tapp and Jackson competing:

(On what happened with Darryl Tapp in the second half of the year…) After he had the breakout game, that was the game he broke his hand in. He came back and played with a broken hand, and I think his hand affected him a lot during the season. Once you break that hand, you don’t want to use it quite as much. It takes a while to get your confidence back.

=> Read more!

The Ravens used the 86th pick that they got from Seattle to select Tom Zbikowski, a 5-11, 211-pound safety from Notre Dame.

I didn't provide any info on John Carlson's teleconference with media yesterday, so I thought I'd just file the transcript of his quotes for you to peruse:

(On the his rise in value between the Combine and the Pro Day…) I was sick. I was unhealthy, and I lost a bunch of strength in the process. I had the opportunity to get the strength back, and I performed better at the Pro Day. I don’t think it was anything out of the ordinary, I was just healthy again, and things went well.

(On whether he thought about not running at the Combine…) I wanted to go there and compete. I knew that every NFL team would be there, and it was a chance to perform in front of them. The receiving drills went well, and the interview process went well, and I wanted to go down there and compete.

=> Read more!

Here is a link to some photos that Ryan and Albert took in their time in New York. Day 2, Round 3 gets started.

Draft wrap-up, Day 1

After the First Round ended, Radio City Music Hall emptied out, leaving only
the diehards remaining. The energy that was in the building for the first
few hours has also left. The room still comes to life when the Giants, Jets
or their divisional opponents made their picks. There is no entertainment
between the picks in the second round.

Most of the fans who remain here have magazines, newspapers and notebooks
all scattered around their seats and are debating each pick. Judging from
the fans reactions today, the most controversial pick was the Jets choosing
TE Dustin Keller.

Most of the TV personalities have been sitting in their perches the whole
day. While off camera, Adam Schefter is on his Blackberry all the time.
Keyshawn Johnson is on the phone. Ron Jaworski talks to the fans. Most of
the b-stage announcers are reading the web. Rich Eisen was the first eat off
camera.

The difference between watching the Draft on TV and seeing it live is
similar to watching televised poker. On TV, you only see the important
things. There's a lot of dead air, no commentators talking, just a room full
of grown men acting like kids. We don't think anyone's drinking because of
the ridiculous prices of beer, so the crowd is relatively tame.

An agent right out of the Jerry Maguire movie, complete with golden hair and
a deep tan, is sitting behind us talking. Something about a Reggie Bush
commercial and one of his players who was falling in the draft and how he
needed to get on the phone and call some teams to drum up interest.

Most of the people we talked to here liked the Seahawks picks as they
addressed a depth need (DE Lawrence Jackson) and an immediate need at TE
(John Carlson).

All in all, it's about 8:30pm ET, the crowd is about 1/4 full. I think it's
time we go back to our hotel and watch all the draft highlights over and
over again.

Tim Ruskell and Mike Holmgren just finished meeting with the media, and these are the highlights of what they had to say.

Holmgren said Jackson will play exclusively defensive end. Ruskell said they had targeted Jackson all along, and that when it became apparent they could still get him by moving down they decided to make the trade with Dallas. Holmgren said after speaking with the defensive coaches that they felt end was a bigger need than tackle because they felt Patrick Kerney got worn down last year. By getting another end, they will implement a rotation that allows Kerney to get more rest. Holmgren said when mini-camp starts next week Jackson will line up at right end.

=> Read more!

Lawrence Jackson, or LoJack, as he says he is known, had a teleconference call with us for about 10 minutes. Seemed like a pretty affable guy. Said he wore blue shoes in anticipation of being picked by the Seahawks. Not sure if it was a line or serious, but makes for good storytelling. Said he lived close enough to Lofa that he could have spit on his door from his apartment. Said he has the versatility to play defensive tackle or end, the reason he thinks the Seahawks chose him -- though at 268-275 he seems a little light in the pants to be playing a lot of tackle. He said for the first eight games last season, when it was third down he would slide to tackle. Said he met with and got tutoring from Michael Strahan.

John Carlson is on the line. I have to go talk with him. Will be back shortly.

The Seahawks gave the Ravens their second and third rounders to move up to 38 in the second round and take John Carlson.

The Seahawks traded up to get Baltimore's 38th overall pick and took Notre Dame tight end John Carlson. He was the second TE taken, after Purdue's Dustin Keller.

The Seahawks just made their pick. We have found four other Seahawks fans
here. Two Lofa Tatupu jerseys, a Shaun Alexnader jersey and one baseball
cap. We all got together so that it looked like there were lots of us on
TV, but the cameras never panned to us, despite all of our planning.

We spoke with Mike London, the new Head Coach of the Richmond Spiders. He
was the position coach for Chris Long at Virginia. Long did a quick press
conference after his pick and was off to the airport and then St. Louis.
After the first six picks, each player was whisked downstairs to face a
barrage of questions from the media.

We have been talking to Leah from ESPN. She is a production assistant from
Seattle and is planning to move back there in three weeks. She keeps asking
us what's happening every time she runs by. There are over 1,000 people here
from ESPN, NFL Network and the NFL and they all seem have a favourite team.

We have seats right on the main aisle where all of the team personnel walk
by, so we have been talking to a lot of them.

We are going to post some photos to Flickr shortly and then come back with
more for the blog. The place is going crazy again as the Jets just made a
trade.

With the 28th pick in the 2008 draft, the Seattle Seahawks select:

LAWRENCE JACKSOn, DE, USC

The Chargers took cornerback Antoine Cason, meaning WR Devin Thomas, as well as defensive linemen Phillip Merling, Kentwan Balmer, Lawrence Jackson and Calais Campbell are still on the board. No tight ends have been taken. No wide receivers have been taken. Almost all the offensive tackles have been taken. They also could trade down again.

The Seahawks swapped first-round picks with Dallas. They also got the 5th round pick (163 overall) and their seventh round pick (235 overall).

With the 25th pick in the 2008 draft, the Seattle Seahawks select:

NOBODY. THEY TRADED IT TO THE DALLAS COWBOYS.

With Rashard Mendenhall going to Pittsburgh and Felix Jones gone, the Seahawks obviously need to turn their attention elsewhere. The one player who has slipped is wide receiver Devin Thomas, who many thought would go either to Buffalo at 11, Tampa at 20 or Washington at 21. Will the Seahawks take him, given his value at 25? Is he the best player available. They will be able to get a defensive lineman of their choice, it appears. This is the perfect time for them to trade down because they could still get one of those D linemen and pick up an additional pick.

Joe Flacco going in the first round is a surprise, which may make somebody fall to Seattle. Rashard Mendenhall is still on the board, as are the four defensive line players, Phillip Merling, Kentwan Balmer, Lawrence Jackson and Calais Cambpell.

This reminds me of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, except it's Ryan and Albert's. Here is Albert's first offering from New York City:

After the first ten picks, here are some observations from New York.

The food at Radio City Music Hall is as expensive as Qwest Field. But not as good.

The fans stand up for every pick. And then talk about it until the next pick.

They play lame music about each city before their pick. WKRP in Cinncinati was played before the Bengals pick. They changed the words to Shout for the Bills pick. Maybe they couldn't find any Buffalo Springfield.

Our first non-football celebrity sighting was Jim Cramer from Mad Money.

The Patriots were booed twice due to their trade and the pick.

People keep coming up to us to ask why we released Alexander. The Seahawks went over our heads to make that decision.

The NFL is making this a great experience. We'll try to be on NFL Network for the Seahawks pick.

More from the fans in a few hours.

Seahawks fans' dreams are shattered. Jonathan Stewart, the Timberline High and Oregon product, was just chosen with the 13th pick by the Carolina Panthers. That leaves Rashard Mendenhall still on the board. One player who has slipped some is Virginia guard Branden Albert. '

As Rob Rang predicted, it did not come as a shock that New England traded its No. 7 pick to the Saints, who took Sedrick Ellis. But that Jacksonville traded up from 26 to 8 to take Derrick Harvey was something of a shock, and that the Patriots, who had traded down to 10, took linebacker Jerod Mayo at 10 raised more than a few eyebrows. Most of the mocks I looked at didn't have Mayo anywhere close to that high. I wonder if the Pats would have taken Mayo if the Bengals didn't take Keith Rivers with the previous selection.

Ryan is sending emails to me from his cell phone. Here is his latest offering:

Inside Radio City Music Hall

These entries will be short as the WiFi that was working went down. The draft room is nuts. There are about 5,000 fans here by our count. We are sitting right in front of the NFL Network broadcast. When we came in the NFL gave fans a radio so everyone can listen to the ESPN or NFLN audio feed. There are monitors everywhere to look at.

When you see a pick made on TV it appears that there are camera flashes everywhere. Those are really strobe lights.

We saw that Matt Ryan was picked before they announced it. Scoop for us. Just talked to a Jets official. Look for them to trade down now that McFadden is gone.

1) Jake Long
2) Chris Long
3) Matt Ryan
4) Darren McFadden
5) Glenn Dorsey
6) Vernon Gholston

I don't think there are any surprises here in terms of the players taken, though Dorsey dropping to No. 5 was something of a surprise. There was some feeling that if Dorsey was there at No. 3, then the Falcons would take him. Clearly they were not comfortable with their QB situation. I am sitting next to Rob Rang, who said there is a chance New England trades this No. 7 pick. We'll see.

This is Ryan's first post, which he sent as he was heading into Radio City Music Hall. I have not heard from him since so I am assuming he does not have Wireless access. But maybe he can email from his cell phone:

Live From New York

12:45 EST and we just arrived at Radio City Music Hall. It looks someone
spilled a bag of Skittles on the corner at Radio City Music Hall. The most
popular flavor is Big Apple, or Jets fans. They are everywhere. The Jets
fans outnumber every other fan combined by a 2-1 margin. There are a lot of
Eagles, Steelers and Chargers jerseys too.

We saw a Seahawks fan and told him we were doing this blog. He asked if
Frank was here. We told them that he was manning the west coast operations
of Seahawks Insider; the fan was disappointed.

Right after that, Matt Ryan drove by in an NFL Draft Hummer. Albert swears
he was wearing a Falcons¹ jersey.

A few Patriots fans walked by and got a loud round of boos from everyone. We
joined in as we were prepping for Sunday Night Football in December. The
Patriots fans would not allow us to take videos of them, but they took video
of us.

We are going to head inside shortly, hope to have WiFiaccess inside. If not,
we will have a fan¹s recap later tonight. We will try to post some photos on
Flickr, so search for the user ryanlejbak

We are going to try something here that I hope everybody enjoys. A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by two Seahawks fans living in Canada who are attending the draft in New York. They wanted to see if they could contribute to this blog from a fan's perspective, and after some discourse I agreed that it may be an entertaining and informative thing. As I understand it, Ryan and Albert have some concerns about wireless access at Radio City Music Hall, but they will provide what they can whenever they can and I will post it. Until they actually get to the draft, we won't know if they will post throughout the day or only a wrapup at the end once the draft is over.

As for me, I will be out at Seahawks headquarters around noon and throughout the day. Here is Ryan's first post, sent to me last night:

Since Frank will be at Seahawks HQ in Kirkland, he has
entrusted us to blog from a fan¹s perspective in New York. We want to
capture the sites, the sounds, and the smells that you won¹t see on TV.

Last year, Albert and I watched the NFL Draft on TV and we were crushed to
not see a Seahawks jersey when the cameras panned the fans. We decided that
we had to represent the 12th man this year, and we secured some seats at the
draft.

=> Read more!

As you are by now well aware, Matt Hasselbeck is pretty good at spinning a yard. This is a link to a classic Hasselbeck story about how he spent his draft day.

This is my mock draft for tomorrow's News Tribune:

1) Miami Dolphins – Jake Long, OT, Michigan: The sides have already reached an agreement on a five-year, $58 million contract, with $30 million guaranteed. He is only the second offensive lineman since 1970 to go No. 1.
2) St. Louis Rams – Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU: The Rams had only 31 sacks last season, fourth-worst in the NFC, though Chris Long also is a possibility here.
3) Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College: The Falcons have many needs, but replacing Michael Vick is at the top of the list.
4) Oakland Raiders – Chris Long, DE, Virginia – Despite reports that suggest otherwise, it is too tough for Al Davis to pass on former star Howie Long’s son.
5) Kansas City Chiefs – Vernon Gholston, DT, Ohio State: The loss of Jared Allen makes picking up a player along the defensive front paramount.
6) New York Jets – Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas: The talented back slips – relatively speaking. He is too talented for the Jets to pass on, assuming he gets past the Raiders.
7) New England Patriots – Keith Rivers, LB, USC: The Patriots could afford to lose their own first-rounder because they got this one from the Niners. They use it to add depth to their defense.
8) Baltimore Ravens – Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC: Ellis is the best player left on the board and the Ravens have needs just about everywhere.
9) Cincinnati Bengals – Branden Albert, OG/T, Virginia: He’s big enough to slide to tackle even though he played guard for the Cavaliers.
10) New Orleans Saints – Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy: Top three corners are from small schools. McKelvin says he can be like Devin Hester.

=> Read more!

Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren has joked on several occasions that the one award he wants to win is the Horrigan Award, given to the person who helps out the media the most. In his final year, he was finally given the award by the Professional Football Writers Association. Here is a story in the Cincinnati Enquirer detailing that award, as well as several others, including the Rozelle Award, which was given to the Seahawks' PR staff.

Rob says he has a strong feeling that the Seahawks are going after Kentwan Balmer, in large part because Rocky Bernard was arrested earlier this week. Bernard also is in the last year of his contract, so even if this case is never tried there is a chance that Rocky is not back next season.

The one issue I have with the choice of Balmer is Ruston Webster's comments today regarding taking one-hit wonders, which Balmer would qualify as: “That is always something from a scouting point of view is good to look at. The guys that are four-year starters, especially at the big schools, that means something. You do have to be a little careful of players that are one-year guys because you don’t know the circumstances that totally surround that year and they are less proven so that does come into play with us. I have always personally been partial to four-year starters.”

=> Read more!

The Seahawks' GM and its vice president of player personnel met with the media a few minutes ago, and I have to say not a great deal more was revealed than when the beat writers met with Ruskell last week.

One of the questions I asked was how does the Rocky Bernard situation affect Ruskell's approach to this draft. He didn't answer the question per se, but did say that they have been targeting defensive tackles all along anyway. He said he operates under the assumption that you have to rejuvenate the offensive and defensive lines each year, even if you feel good about them, so that is a position they are likely to take anyway. Ruston said defensive ends are stronger in this draft than tackles, but they are looking at both.

=> Read more!

This is Rob Rang's latest look at some possibilities for the Seahawks in the draft at wide receiver.

Rob says he thinks third or fourth round is a pretty good spot for this choice, though he points out that Ruskell never has taken a wide receiver higher than the sixth round in his three drafts with Seattle, lending strength to the notion that the Seahawks feel they can pick and groom players at the position. Ben Obomanu and Courtney Taylor are the best examples. Mike Holmgren's one first-round pick was, ahem, Koren Robinson.

Rob said he really likes Jordy Nelson, a walk-on at K State who went from safety to receiver and turned himself into an All-American.

Hey folks, The News Tribune's Joe Barrentine and Darrin Beene put together a pretty cool slide show commemorating Shaun Alexander's career in Seattle. There are some great photos from his time as a Seahawk, and that soothing, sultry voice you hear narrating is none other than my man Darrin. Take a look and enjoy.

Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce and former running back Eddie George were on The Best Damn Sports Show, Period. They were not kind to Shaun Alexander:

Antonio Pierce (about Alexander): “He’s soft. You will hurt yourself as a defender trying to tackle him. You ain’t gonna hit him because he’s going to fall down before you get there….The guy runs hard. I have a lot of respect for how he runs the ball. But when it comes down to the toughness of the game, the physicalness of the game, he doesn’t want no part of it.”

Eddie George (about Shaun Alexander) “Losing (guard) Steve Hutchinson exposed him for the runner he is. And he’s not an aggressive running back to begin with. When Steve was there, the holes were bigger than this room. My grandmother could have run and got those yards. Now when it calls for him to get the hard two and three-yard runs, he’s not accustomed to doing that.”

Well, I figured out how Rocky Bernard ended up in jail so quickly. I had to do expense reports down in Tacoma this afternoon, so on the way home I decided to stop in at Ibiza, where Rocky Bernard was arrested early Monday morning for domestic violence assault, and see if I could scare up any information. I didn't realize until I got there that the nightclub is only three blocks from where Bernard spent the night in jail. Basically, I think, the victim told police what happened, they called back to police headquarters, the police sauntered down the street and then escorted Bernard a few hundred yards to the correctional facility, where he spent the next 34 hours.

=> Read more!

These are, as always, courtesy of Bodog. Obviously these were done before Jake Long agreed to the contract with Miami.

Team Draft Odds

Who will the Miami Dolphins select with the #1 pick in the NFL Draft?

Jake Long Even

Vernon Gholston 2/1

Chris Long 9/4

Matt Ryan 11/2

Field 13/2

Who will the St. Louis Rams select with the #2 pick in the NFL Draft?

Chris Long Even

Glenn Dorsey 2/1

Jake Long 12/5

Vernon Gholston 7/2

Field 4/1

=> Read more!

There is a story in the New York Daily News this morning that says the Seahawks, Saints and possibly the Falcons have expressed an interest in trading for Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey, who missed the Super Bowl and the latter portions of the season with a broken leg.

UPDATE: 9:32 AM -- I am told there is not any legitimacy to the rumor.

With the Rocky and Shaunwinkle sagas playing out today, it was easy to forget that the draft is coming up in a few days -- although my editors have not forgotten and still want a third story. That said, here is Rob Rang's latest draft chart, on offensive linemen.

It is almost a foregone conclusion the Seahawks will add some sort of offensive lineman this weekend. Tim Ruskell has said he considers it policy to always take at least one, and the Seahawks still are in the midst of revamping their running game. The question is whether they take one in the first round or not.

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Seahawks GM Tim Ruskell confirmed Shaun has been unconditionally released. He said the delay in Shaun's release came about because both sides agreed they wanted Alexander to be healthy when he was released. Ruskell said he told Alexander all along that this was a possibility, but they wanted to wait to make sure he was healthy before they made a firm decision. He had his physical today and was told he was fully healthy.

Ruskell said the decision was predicated on the team's promise to revamp and revitalize the running game. He said they are happy with the signings of Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett but that they still may do something in the draft to address the running game.

=> Read more!

A statement by Shaun Alexander:

We received the news from the Seahawks’ front office today that I have been released. While it really isn’t a surprise, this news marks a major transition in my life. I started my NFL career in Seattle and hoped I could remain with the team through the rest of my days as a player. That said, things change.

I will be playing for another NFL team this fall, and doing everything I can to contribute. I am healthy, energized and looking forward to beginning the next chapter of my NFL career.

I want to thank the Seahawks and Coach Holmgren for all they have done for me and my family over the years. I have nothing but respect and affection for the Seahawks staff, my teammates and the organization. I wish them the best.

I especially want to thank the Seahawks fans. You made me feel proud every time I stepped on the field as a Seahawk. I look forward to hopefully returning to Qwest Field one day to play against the Seahawks, and the daunting task of facing the 12th Man —Seahawks fans are among the best.

Finally, Valerie and I want everyone to know that Seattle is home for us, and it will remain so no matter where I play next. We have made far too many wonderful friends to say goodbye. My family will remain in the Seattle area, and when my days in the NFL do eventually come to an end, I plan to retire here. Our hearts are woven into the fabric of this community, we are blessed to be part of it, and we enjoy contributing to it in every way we can.

Thank you, Seattle. You have become a part of me and you will forever remain in my heart.

----

Give your opinion on the move by voting in a Hot Button poll.

Tim Ruskell is meeting with us in a few minutes regarding Shaun. I will update as soon as he is done talking.

OK, there are conflicting reports but the bottom line is Shaun is gone. NFL Network's Adam Schefter says Shaun has been released. Alexander's agent, Jim Steiner, told the AP that an announcement is pending. I am out at Seahawks headquarters and they have not officially told us anything. We all have calls into Steiner, and I think instead of having to talk to all of us individually he is choosing to speak with one reporter with the AP and get it over with. I'll update this when the Seahawks tell us what the plan is.

This is a picture from Rocky Bernard's court hearing at the King County Correctional facility in downtown Seattle this morning. Bernard pleaded not guilty to the charge of domestic violence assault. He was released on personal recognizance. He has a pre-trial hearing scheduled for June 2 at 10 am -- which is the same date as the start of one of the Seahawks' minicamps.

=> Read more!

KJR's Dave Mahler is reporting that a family member of Shaun Alexander told him that Alexander is going to be cut today.

Here is what I know. Shaun had a physical today. The Seahawks have not been given the results of his physical. So nothing has been done -- yet. This is not to say that Softy is wrong, it is only to say that the Seahawks have not officially made any moves.

I have been in court all morning dealing with the Rocky Bernard situation. I will post that in a few minutes.

This just in from the Associated Press, which means the No. 1 offensive lineman in this year's draft is now off the board:

Michigan tackle Jake Long has signed a multiyear contract with the Miami Dolphins, who plan to select him with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft on Saturday.

The Dolphins were interested in trading the top pick, but no suitors surfaced — so they decided to sign Long and avoid a possible holdout.

Last year’s top pick, JaMarcus Russell, missed all of training camp before signing a $61 million contract with the Oakland Raiders.

The new Miami regime led by Bill Parcells began negotiations last week with Long’s agent, Tom Condon. Offensive line is considered the biggest need for the Dolphins, who went 1-15 last year, and new Miami coach Tony Sparano coached the offensive line with the Dallas Cowboys.

On to the running backs in this year's draft. Rob Rang says after speaking with sources across the league, there is no way Jonathan Stewart slips to Seattle. He said Mendenhall and Stewart are likely to go in the mid-teens, probably to Chicago and Detroit, respectively. But if those teams don't take them, some other will gobble them up.

I also asked Rob if Felix Jones has moved into the first round. He said he thinks that is speculation because Dallas owner Jerry Jones went to Arkansas and it makes for good copy, but it does not really seem like it is steeped in a great deal of reality. Here is Rob's chart for the running backs. Just to be clear, because there was some confusion about the chart regarding tight ends, these are Rob's choices during each round, taking into account who he thinks may be available, not an order-of-talent ranking.

=> Read more!

I spoke with the Seattle court system, and since Bernard was arrested and booked early this morning (today), he will not be arraigned until tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, which means he has to stay in jail today and overnight.

Here is what the police report said, verbatim:

"Ofc. Briskey and I responded to a DV assault call, where the victim was waiting in a vehicle at (redacted). When we arrived, we contacted (redacted). They stated they were at (redacted) night club located at (redacted) and had left about 10 minutes prior to our arrival. They stated the victim's ex-boyfriend/father of her baby was at the club.

=> Read more!

According to several reports, Seahawks defensive tackle Rocky Bernard has been arrested and charged with domestic violence assault. His bail was denied, according to the King County Jail Inmate Lookup Service. The Seahawks said they are aware of the situation and are monitoring it but have no comment.

I am working with our city side reporter to try to get a police report and will provide more information when we get that.

I have been going over some of the quotes from the scouting combine in recent days as I have been writing my stories to preview the upcoming draft, and I came across this quote from Billy Devaney, hired in St. Louis from Atlanta. The question was Devaney's impression of Virginia defensive end Chris Long:

"I think he's good. I don't think that's his forte. He's a tremendous run
down players. He's a tremendous run-down player. He's an effort pass rusher.
Every play, you have to block him to death and if you let up, that's where
he's going to get his sacks from.

"A lot of guys operate that way.

"We had a kid in Atlanta, Patrick Kerney who was a lot like Long,. He's a
try-hard guy, a good athlete, but he's relentless. Did Patrick lead the
league this year? Or he was number two? It was incredible. He's got the
same mentality as Chris Long. Or Chris Long is just like Patrick.

"But against the run, he'll be a force.''

I am writing a story on the tight ends in this draft class for tomorrow's News Tribune. Along with my stories this week, we are running charts done by draft expert Rob Rang, a frequent contributor to the site. So I thought I would include his chart here beforehand.

I spoke with Rob about my story, and he seems to think that of all the guys in the draft, Carlson is the one whose stock has been rising. I find an interesting comparison with Carlson and what Tim Ruskell said about Leroy Hill.

=> Read more!

The Sea Hawkers Booster Club is having their annul draft day party next Saturday at Acme Bowl in Tukwila from 12pm-6pm. The event will include Blue Thunder, Blitz, and several Seagals. There also will be a raffle of Seahawks memorabilia.

The News Tribune's daily coverage leading up the NFL draft begins in earnest tomorrow. With that in mind, I have put together a mock draft for Sunday's newspaper. Here it is:

1) Miami Dolphins -- Chris Long, DE, Virginia
2) St. Louis Rams – Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State
3) Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
4) Oakland Raiders – Darren McFadden, RB, Arkanas
5) Kansas City Chiefs – Jake Long, OL, Michigan
6) New York Jets – Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
7) New England Patriots – Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy
8) Baltimore Ravens – Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
9) Cincinnati Bengals – Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
10) New Orleans Saints – Keith Rivers, LB, USC
11) Buffalo Bills – Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan State
12) Denver Broncos – Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State
13) Carolina Panthers – Jeff Otah, OT, Pitt
14) Chicago Bears – Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illionois
15) Detroit Lions – Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon
16) Arizona Cardinals – Branden Albert, G, Virginia
17) Minnesota Vikings – Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt
18) Houston Texans – Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida
19) Philadelphia Eagles – Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas
20) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – DeSean Jackson, WR, California
21) Washington Redskins – Philip Merling, DE, Clemson
22) Dallas Cowboys – Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas
23) Pittsburgh Steelers – Mike Jenkins, CB, USF
24) Tennessee Titans – Kenny Phillips, S, Miami
25) Seattle Seahawks – Calais Campbell, DE, Miami
26) Jacksonville Jaguars – Kentwan Balmer, DT, North Carolina
27) San Diego Chargers – Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College
28) Dallas Cowboys – Limas Sweed, WR, Texas
29) San Francisco 49ers – James Hardy, WR, Indiana
30) Green Bay Packers – Brandon Flowers, CB, Virginia Tech
31) New England Patriots – forfeit
32) New York Giants – Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville

Seahawks GM Tim Ruskell said on Friday that the team is likely to sign 8-14 college free agents after the draft. Given that the roster is currently at 69, and six draft picks puts them at 75, they only need five to get to 80 for training camp. But Ruskell said that they can initially be over on their roster until they start signing their draft picks. Once that happens they have to start making roster moves.

Also, the first post-draft mini-camp is May 2-4.

One of the questions I asked Tim Ruskell in the this morning's interview session was whether he agreed with the perception that he is better at drafting defensive players than offensive players. In his three years with Seattle, he can be credited for Lofa Tatupu, Leroy Hill, Kelly Jennings, Darryl Tapp and Brandon Mebane. His best offensive players are Chris Spencer and Rob Sims. Ruskell flatly disagreed with the assessment.

“No. I do not. Absolutely not. When we came here, the defense was not holding up their end of their bargain. We had some holes over there and so we have had to spend an inordinate amount of time getting that thing built up to match the offense and to be something we can win with. We attacked it right away. I do come from what happened with the Buccaneers. There are other players I really like. We just went by what we needed. I just have to prove them wrong.”

After transcribing some of the interview with Seahawks GM Tim Ruskell, it seems more apparent to me that Ruskell would not want to wait all the way until the second round to pick up a player and another pick. Here is the quote from Ruskell when asked about flexibility:

"If you have a list there, and you have five guys all graded the same, then you can play the drop-down game. If we are happy with all four or five guys on this list, then how far can we go and still get one of them? And that is good because we would not mind picking up extra picks in this draft. We don’t have our fifth. And the extra picks have been good to us. We look at them as gold. If we could drop down a couple spots in the first, second, third round, which is about the only time you do it, and pick up something, we will look at that every round. That is something we will talk about every round."

My interpretation of that is that Ruskell is willing to drop a few spots but not all the way into the second round. In 2005, he traded the 23rd pick to Oakland for the 26th pick (Chris Spencer) and the 105th pick (fourth round, Ray Willis).

=> Read more!

This was mentioned in the comments section of the last post, but I have seen it touched on here before as well, that folks are hoping the Seahawks trade their 25th pick for two of Atlanta's three second-rounders, either the 34th, 37th or 48th overall picks. Tim Ruskell did not address this specifically, but you can deduce it yourself from what he said in general. He said he and all the other GMs religiously use the trade chart, which I have linked to.

Ruskell joked that he does not even know about the birth of the chart, but for whatever reason everybody uses it. Basically, the chart assigns numerical values to each draft pick. So if you do a trade, the value of the picks for which you are trading have to come close to matching with the value of the picks you are receiving or you are not getting equal value. Ruskell joked that sometimes folks try to force emotions into a negotiation and say, "But I know you REALLY want the pick." But, he said, for the most part they don't depart from the formula.

=> Read more!

The beat writers just spent 45 minutes with Tim Ruskell discussing the upcoming draft. I will file an expanded post a little bit later about most of what we discussed, but I wanted to put out immediately that the team is discussing moving down in the draft.

He said the talks have been more intense lately, in part because they value additional draft picks "like gold" and not having a fifth-round pick is irksome. Ruskell said they have groupings of players, and he said if they feel they can get one of the players that they like a little further down and pick up an extra pick, they are willing to do that.

=> Read more!

Here is the story I just filed for The News Tribune:

Seattle Seahawks fullback Leonard Weaver will sign his one-year, $1.417 million tender offer today, according to his agent, Harold C. Lewis.
After no other team showed a desire to give the Seahawks a second-round pick to sign Weaver, a restricted free agent, the fourth-year player from Carson-Newman decided to sign the team’s tender offer, which was given at the beginning of free agency.
“This is the next step for Leonard to spend what he hopes is the rest of his career with the Seattle Seahawks,” Lewis said.

=> Read more!

OK, maybe not. But when the NFL schedule came out on Tuesday, the Patriots learned they had back-to-back trips to the West Coast -- Oct. 5 at San Francisco followed by Oct. 12 at San Diego -- and later in the season, Dec. 7 at Seattle and Dec. 14 at Oakland. Patriots coach Bill Belichick is considering keeping the team out west throughout the week of those games. "We've talked about that and that's something we'll look into," Belichick said. "I think that's certainly a consideration.

Here is a link to the latest news, which has NFLN filing a complaint with the FCC against the cable giant.

Defensive tackle Brandon Mebane was on with KJR's Dave Mahler this morning. Here is the link. From the part that I heard, Mebane talked about his new "diet" so that he can lose some fat to get quicker so he can get to the quarterback more easily. He said he eats like four or five meals a day, then rattled off about 12 things he eats during the course of the day, including a bowl of fruit at 11 at night before he goes to bed.

One of the things I have been trying to do during some of this down time is go back and re-construct some of the things that Sando did before he left. One of the projects was re-doing the Excel roster that he did so that we can include it whenever there is roster movement. I currently have a 68-man roster. Keep in mind, the spreadsheet is not entirely up to date yet, but the primary parts of it are and currently lists all the players on the roster. I'll attempt to keep it up to date as players are added during and after the draft, and then into training camp and throughout the season. Sando had a number of other spreadsheets that he fiddled with that I need to go back and do some work on. I'll make those available when I get them done.

As always, these are courtesy of friends at Bodog:

What will be the lowest rated MNF game in the 2008 Season?

San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals 3/2

Cleveland Browns at Buffalo Bills 2/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers 9/2

Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints 5/1

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans 6/1

Other 9/4

=> Read more!

In today's Seahawks story in The News Tribune, I erroneously wrote that this year's game on Thanksgiving is only the second time the Seahawks will play on Turkey Day. Several readers wrote to inform me they remember Thanksgiving Day in 1980, when Dallas trampled Seattle, 51-7. I stand corrected. A google search also reveals that was six days after we all found out Who Shot JR.

Here is a story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution about Julian Peterson, who lives in the A-T-L in the offseason. Suffice it to say, they treated Julian a little better than they treated Jim Mora.

The preseason game against Minnesota originally scheduled for Saturday Aug. 9 has been changed to Friday Aug. 8.

Sept 7 -- Seattle at Buffalo 10 am FOX
Sept 14 -- San Francisco at Seattle 1:05 pm FOX
Sept 21 -- St. Louis at Seattle 1:05 pm FOX
Sept 28 -- BYE
Oct. 5 -- Seattle at New York Giants 10 am FOX
Oct 12 - Green Bay at Seattle 1:15 pm FOX
Oct. 19 -- Seattle at Tampa Bay 5:15 pm (Sunday night game) NBC
Oct 26 -- Seattle at San Francisco 1:15 pm FOX
Nov. 2 -- Philadelphia at Seattle 1:15 pm FOX
Nov. 9 -- Seattle at Miami 10 am FOX
Nov. 16 -- Arizona at Seattle 1:05 pm FOX
Nov. 23 -- Washington at Seattle 1:15 pm FOX
Thurs. Nov. 27 Thanksgiving Day Game -- Seattle at Dallas 1:15 pm FOX
Dec. 7 -- New England at Seattle 5:15 pm (Sunday night game) NBC
Dec. 14 -- Seattle at St. Louis 10 am FOX
Dec. 21 -- New York Jets at Seattle 1:05 pm CBS
Dec. 28 -- Seattle at Arizona 1:15 pm FOX

* No Monday Night games for the Seahawks

The Seahawks open at Buffalo on Sunday, Sept. 7. It is 10 am PT. So much for the Seahawks playing the Bills in Toronto. They also play the Thanksgiving Day afternoon game at Dallas. I am working on getting the PDF of the entire sked and will post that when I get it.

I'm not sure exactly what Jim Mora did to anger the folks down in Atlanta -- well, other than that whole unfortunate KJR interview -- but they crack on him pretty regularly in some of the stories from there, and I have to think it comes from somewhere inside the organization. Here is a story about new Falcons coach Mike Smith, and how he compares with Mora and Bobby Petrino. It's a bit odd actually because the story talks about how enthusiastic Smith is during a workout, while Mora, who runs stadium stairs before some games, is, well, enthusiastic.

Not that this should come as a surprise to many of you who feel the Seahawks are often overlooked, but when the NFL Network broadcasts the NFL draft on April 26-27, at least for now they are not sending a reporter to Seattle. Here are the teams that are getting reporters on-site:

Reporters at Team Facilities:

Þ Brian Baldinger (TBD)

Þ Michelle Beisner (Atlanta Falcons)

Þ Paul Burmeister (Oakland Raiders)

Þ Scott Hanson (Miami Dolphins)

Þ Kara Henderson (New England Patriots)

Þ Derrin Horton (Dallas Cowboys)

Þ Solomon Wilcots (Cincinnati Bengals)

NFL Network will have a two-hour show, which starts at 11 am Pacific, that will announce the regular season schedule. Here is the NFL's release on that:

NFL Network’s NFL Total Access 2008 Schedule Release Show sponsored by GMC, has been extended to two hours for the announcement of the National Football League’s regular season playing schedule.

The show will air Tuesday, April 15 at 2:00 PM ET and will encore at 6:00 PM ET and 9:30 PM ET. NFL.com will make available the entire league and team-by-team schedules and feature show clips throughout the day.

The NFL Total Access 2008 Schedule Release Show will be hosted by Fran Charles joined by analysts Jamie Dukes, Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders, Solomon Wilcots and reporter Adam Schefter.

The schedule will be announced on a week-by-week basis, highlighting all the compelling games and culminating with a countdown of the 10 most-anticipated match-ups of 2008.

The special also features interviews by Rich Eisen live from the NFL Sponsor Summit with guests commenting on next season’s schedule.

Fan reactions will be highlighted as e-mails are answered live on the air.

The Seahawks added punter Reggie Hodges to their roster. Hodges was released by the Indianapolis Colts on August 23. He was originally a sixth-round pick of the Rams in 2005. He played five games for the Rams and then three games for the Eagles, failing to catch on anywhere for good. Here is a Wikipedia entry on him.

Here is a link to a small item about the Seahawks having an interest in the Bruins' injured defensive tackle. Given that he is coming off hip surgery, he likely would be college free agent signing after the draft.

Also, there were quite a few Seahawks at the Sonics' game last night. I saw Lofa and Kevin Hobbs, and Nate Burleson was up in the suite with them as well. I was surprised the in-arena crew didn't flash them up on the overhead big screen -- though it probably would have only served as a bitter reminder about which team is staying and which team is going.

And this particular mock draft in the Dallas Morning News would put something of a crimp in that ESPN First Take mock draft I took part in, where I had the Seahawks taking Keith Rivers at 25. This mock has Rivers going at 5.

Here is a link to a story on former Seahawks defensive back Pete Hunter, who now is playing for the Dallas Desperadoes of the Arena League.

The Lions apparently never called T.J. Duckett during free agency, allowing the Seahawks to sign him. He says he has no hard feelings, in this story.

This is from Seahawks.com

SEATTLE, Apr. 11, 2008 — The Boeing Classic and the Seattle Seahawks announced today an expansion of the team's partnership with the Champions Tour event, highlighted by the Seahawks new title sponsorship of the tournament's two-day Pro-Am. The newly titled Seattle Seahawks Pro-Am will take place August 20-21, 2008, at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge as part of the week of events leading up to tournament competition August 22-24.

=> Read more!

There is, admittedly, very little news regarding the team these days, at least until we meet with Tim Ruskell, which hopefully will happen sometime next week. One item that did pop up today though was this report by KFFL that says UW running back Louis Rankin was the best player in a workout of 16 players. The item does not say who else Rankin was competing against.

This is from a Seahawks press release:

KIRKLAND, WASH. -The Seattle Seahawks announced today that Ms. Aniece Gibbs has officially moved back into her home. Seahawks fans donated more than $85,000 to the rebuilding project. The campaign was launched prior to the Seahawks game vs. the New Orleans Saints on October 14.

The Seattle Seahawks, News Talk 710 KIRO and Rebuilding Together, a non-profit organization based in New Orleans, set a goal to help one family move back into their home in New Orleans. Aniece Gibbs, 88, lost her home of 50 years in Hurricane Katrina.

“My heartfelt thanks to all the Seahawks fans and my new Seattle family who provided the resources for me to move back into my home of 50 years,” said Ms. Gibbs.

=> Read more!

Here is a story from the Oregonian's Aaron Fentress, who on a part-time basis covers the Seahawks, about whether Stewart will possibly drop in the draft, perhaps to the Seahawks. The story says there is a chance that he drops into the second round, which I can't see happening, but if his toe injury is severe that could be the case -- I guess.

Thanks to a reader for pointing this out, but linebacker Cameron Jensen, as well as quarterback Travis Lulay, have been waived by the Seahawks. Lulay was more procedural, is my understanding, while Jensen's release leaves the Seahawks with only six linebackers heading into the draft.

On to the defensive side of the ball, where the Seahawks currently have 31 players under contract. Again, we’ll use the number of 25 players on the defense, with the remaining three players being Ryan Plackemeier, Olindo Mare (or someone better) and long snapper Tim Lindsey (or someone better). Let’s say that since Tim Ruskell is traditionally better at selecting defenders, both his picks on defense will make the roster, meaning there are 23 spots left for that side of the ball. (And yes, I do know that if we say they keep two defenders, it skews the average of five Ruskell draft picks making the roster because yesterday we said four offensive players will make it. Work with me here.)

=> Read more!

I ended up choosing USC LB Keith Rivers on ESPN's First Take this morning. I don't really think he will be available to the Seahawks in reality, but if this indeed is the way the draft will fall, he is the best player left available for Tim Ruskell to choose, which he has set himself up to because of the free agents he has acquired this offseason.

As I mentioned yesterday after my conversation with Rob Rang, Rivers would give the Seahawks depth at the position if Leroy Hill ends up going elsewhere in free agency next offseason. There still is a chance, of course, that they sign him to an extension once he gets comfortable with his agent, but just in case he leaves Rivers would be a good signing in this instance. Thanks again to all for your suggestions and opinions on this topic. It was a good debate.

Thanks to everybody for giving their opinions on who the Seahawks should take with the 25th pick in the ESPN Mock Draft. After going over many of the suggestions, I called Rob Rang, resident draft expert. He thinks there are probably two people I should consider: Keith Rivers or Calais Campbell.

=> Read more!

With news slow for a few weeks, I thought I’d do a roster analysis, since everybody they are adding to the roster right now obviously can’t make the team. I’ll go over the offense first and we’ll see if we can figure out who fits where.

Right now they have 34 offensive players on the roster. They have six draft picks, and I am going to assume that given their struggles last year four of them are likely to be on the offensive side of the ball. A preliminary guess based on need is an offensive lineman, a tight end, a running back and a wide receiver, with an outside shot at a quarterback. Since Tim Ruskell took over in 2005, an average of five of his draft picks – regardless of how many selections were made – made the active roster. If last year was any indication, Mike Holmgren splits the roster almost evenly, with 25 on offense, 25 on defense and three on special teams. So we’ll work with the number 25, and let’s assume three of the draft picks are going to make the active roster on the offensive side of the ball, leaving 22 spots to fill.

=> Read more!

Here is the official press release:

KIRKLAND, WASH. – The Seattle Seahawks signed cornerback Omare Lowe to a one-year contract, the club announced Monday.

Originally drafted by Miami in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft, Lowe has played for the Dolphins, Jets, Vikings, Patriots and Falcons. He played in all 16 games for Atlanta in 2006, leading the team with 14 special teams tackles before spending last season on injured reserve.

A native of Maple Valley, Wash., Lowe played four seasons at the University of Washington. He finished his career with 100 tackles, five interceptions and a school-record 24 passes defensed.

ESPN has asked me to go on their First Take Show on Wednesday morning as part of their NFL draft preview. I am going to give you the order of the players that have already been taken, chosen by writers covering their respective clubs. Given this information, who should the Seahawks take with the 25th pick?

1. MIA - CHRIS LONG (DE)
2. STL - JAKE LONG (OT)
3. ATL - GLEN DORSEY (DT)
4. OAK - VERNON GHOLSTON (DE)
5. KC - SEDRICK ELLIS (DT)
6. NYJ - DARREN MCFADDEN (RB)
7. NE (FROM SF) - AQIB TALIB (CB)
8. BAL - MATT RYAN (QB)
9. CIN - PHILLIP MERLING (DE)
10. NO - LEODIS MCKELVIN (CB)
11. BUF - MALCOLM KELLY (WR)
12. DEN - RASHARD MENDENHALLl (RB)
13. CAR - RYAN CLADY (OT)
14. CHI - SAM BAKER (OT)
15. DET - DERRICK HARVEY (DE)
16. ARI - MIKE JENKINS (CB)
17. MIN - JEFF OTAH (OT)
18. HOU - CHRIS WILLIAMS (OT)
19. PHI - DOMINIQUE RODGERS CROMARTIE (CB)
20. TB - DESEAN JACKSON (WR)
21. WSH - BRANDEN ALBERT (G)
22. DAL (FROM CLE) - FELIX JONES (RB)
23. PIT - JONATHAN STEWART (RB)
24. TEN - DEVIN THOMAS (WR)

No, the Seahawks do not already have a picture of their new signing, defensive back Omare Lowe; this is a picture from when he was in camp in 2005, before being released. Tim Ruskell continues to try to add depth to the roster before he heads into the draft and the subsequent mini-camps. The deal, initially reported by ESPN.com, is for one year and $605,000.

Like many other players on the roster, Lowe, a UW alum, has Atlanta connections. He played for the Falcons under Jim Mora in 2005 and 2006. Here is a full bio.

This story is more of a feature about the Redskins, but if you want to get some information about Jim Zorn and his thinking as a first-time head coach, this is a decent read.

By my count, the Seahawks currently have 65 players on the roster. Tim Ruskell said they do not plan on adding anybody else between now and the draft, though that could change if he feels there is somebody there that would allow him to add to his depth. But for now, let's take the Number 65. With six draft picks, that would mean the Seahawks would need to add 9 college free agents. That is about middle of the road -- and also not taking into account the potential release of Shaun Alexander.

By comparison, the Kansas City Chiefs currently have 55 players and, assuming they sign no more free agents, will take 25 rookies to training camp, including college free agents signed after the draft.

That is plenty for today's NFL but not unprecedented. Baltimore in 2002 took 47 first-year players to camp and started the season with 19, an NFL record. The Ravens finished 7-9 that season, though it came back the next season to win the division.

I wrote a wrapup of the NFL Combine, trying to give a flavor of that, so I thought I would do the same thing with the Owners Meetings.

First off, they are held at The Breakers hotel, which is incredibly stunning, sitting right on the ocean in Palm Beach, down the way a bit from Trump's Mira Lago and a few other notoriously beautiful homes. In fact, many of us were joking that when Roger Goodell said with a straight face that the NFL was operating on the thinnest of margins, the reason they need to renegotiate the CBA, a good start might be to hold the meetings at a less ostentatious hotel. It was definitely top notch. Put it this way, in the mini-market, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich was $8.

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Washington Times NFL writer Dave Elfin did a lengthy Q&A with Redskins owner Dan Snyder during the owners meetings this week. It was a very interesting read. At the end, Snyder lamented losing the game. Here was the question Elfin asked and Snyder's interesting answer:

Q: The NFC East has been a great division for years. Does the Giants
winning the Super Bowl give you inspiration?

A: "It's the best division. We think we should've been that team. Joe
(Gibbs) and I thought if we get through Seattle, we were very much looking forward to going to Dallas and then we were looking forward to the rematch in Green Bay. We owed them something. We were very, very comfortable with where we were. We just couldn't get our of Seattle. If that recovery by Anthony Mix had been a touchdown with the rule the way we'd like it to be, that game's probably over. I haven't brought it up this week because it looks like I'm a sore loser."

The Professional Football Writers Association announced that Seattle's public relations staff is one of five nominees for the Pete Rozelle Award, given to the best PR staff in the NFL. In fact, the Seahawks received more nominations than any other staff in the league. They won the award two years ago.

Also, Mike Holmgren has been nominated for the Horrigan Award, which is given to the coach who best helps the media. Holmgren occasionally jokes that this is the award he wants to win before he retires. It wouldn't surprise me to see him win it. Many writers often come up to me and comment about what a joy it must be to work with a coach who is so good with the media when he is accessible. The Miami writers, for instance, have only talked with Tony Sparano twice since he was hired, and they never get to speak with Bill Parcells.

By the way, here is a link to today's story in the News Tribune that has some quotes from other NFL coaches about Holmgren and his impending retirement.

"Obviously Seattle is a very difficult team to play. We split with them last year. They are a good team that is a proven winner and very difficult to play. San Francisco beat us twice so obviously we have some ground to make up to beat those guys. They are a team that maybe didn't meet expectations but they play very hard so I think they will be better this year. And St. Louis, even though we beat them twice, they were decimated by injuries. I anticipate them being a lot stronger this year when their tackle is back, their quarterback is back healthy and those guys play together another year. And I feel good about the strides we made in the division. I think a lot of people think the NFC West is not a very good division. I don't agree. I think you have some young teams that are making strides. You have a consistently good team that has won the division since its existence. You have another team that is going to get its players back healthy and that has been a good team in St. Louis. I don't know how you say anybody has taken a step back or improved (in free agency) because like us whenever you lose a player you have a young player who is stepping in and taking their spot. Once we go through preseason and get into the season, you will have a better idea on that. I can't make a judgment on that at this point."

I have included the entire preseason schedule as an Excel document.

"Just starting with us, I think we got better. Every time you are getting a couple players, you lose some as well. We lost a couple players. But I think we got a little better than we did worse. Arizona lost a couple guys, but they also got a couple guys. It's hard for me to say exactly how things will work out right now, it really is. You always see the 'big signing,' but you don't know how the other guys are going to work out. And the draft is such a huge part of it. The draft is going to fill out the rest of the roster. Right now those first-day guys have to play, so they affect things quite a bit. Until somebody unseats Seattle, they are still the team to beat, that is pretty easy to say. St. Louis, if they can stay healthy they can be good. Unlike they were last year. And Arizona has been talented for a long time."

The Seahawks announced their 2008 exhibition schedule today.

"It's hard to say. I know there has been some additions to some other teams that maybe swing the matchup tight. There have been some changes where when we play a team we say, 'Well, that is their strength now, not a weakness, or vice versa.' If I go back, Kerney having the type of year he did created a lot of problems for our line. He wrecked one game, and probably both, but he definitely wrecked one game completely. The year before that, them getting that kid who is an outside linebacker (Julian Peterson), those are the kinds of things that make a difference. You wouldn't have thought Kurt Warner was going to be a factor, but then Leinart gets injured and he ends up carrying his team. I'd have liked to have seen Trufant sign somewhere else, but them keeping him keeps them solid at corner. San Francisco added a bunch of defensive guys. San Fran's defense has suddenly become very talented. We are relying on staying healthier. I think we will be. We had a lot of injuries early. So I think guys will be back at it sooner rather than later. That is just part of it. We have to play better, too. Coach better.

I caught up with St. Louis coach Scott Linehan to ask him if the two kicks that Josh Brown made in 2006 that beat the Rams was the primary reason that he went after Brown:

"Well, those are the two kicks I remember the most. If not for those two kicks we win the division. But the rest of them have been pretty important too. He is very accurate. More importantly is how he has performed over the course of his career. And being a field goal guy and being able to kickoff. That is a big weapon. That's big if you can have a kickoff guy put it back there and force a guy to take a knee or come out of the end zone is critical. Plus, for at least eight games he is going to be kicking indoors, so that has to be a weapon as well. It's a rare combination to have a great kickoff guy who also is a great field goal kicker."

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Here are some comments from Mel Kiper about the upcoming draft. He seems to think that Brandon Albert could fall in the range where the Hawks are picking, which could be an interesting selection given Kiper said he thinks Albert is a few years away -- as is Walter from retiring:

On Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan ….
“You make your determination on a quarterback during the year. What type of season he had, the physical attributes he brings to the position and other intangibles he brings. There’s not much you’re going to do during a workout to change the opinion of an NFL team. Peyton Manning did not have a great individual workout but he was still the first overall pick and now he’s a Hall of Fame quarterback. Most individual workouts are outstanding. They’re not many players that don’t nail an individual workout. In terms of Matt Ryan, what he did against Virginia Tech, that throw he made to win that football game, and elevating a team that didn’t have great talent around him … He’s very similar in the way he goes about his business to an Eli Manning, a Ben Roethlisberger and a Phillip Rivers. Those three quarterbacks, that particular year, if he had been blended into those, there are a lot of similarities. And two of those quarterbacks have already won Super Bowls. I think that’s why he’s the No. 1 quarterback … where he ends up right now is anyone’s guess. At worst, he’ll go eight to Baltimore and the other teams would be Miami, Atlanta and Kansas City.”

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I caught up with Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke today to discuss several things Seahawk:

* The team has a 95 percent renewal rate on its season tickets. The team currently has 61,000 season ticket holders. It also has 16,000 folks on a waiting list to get season tickets. I am no math major, but according to my calculations, if you signed up for season tickets today it would take almost eight years before you could get your seats. Better hurry.

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During the press conference announcing rules changes that had and had not been passed, somebody asked Jeff Fisher, one of the members of the competition committee, if he was surprised that the seven teams that voted against the radio devices in helmets of defensive players all had offensive-minded head coaches. Seattle and Washington were two of those teams. Fisher joked that he heard that the biggest opponent to the resolution had snuck into the building last night to wield his power. Somebody asked if that particular coach had a mustache. "This coach wasn't here," Fisher said. "The ONLY coach who wasn't here."

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When I ran into Matt at the Super Bowl, one of the things he said about Jim Zorn leaving for Washington was that he felt a little rudderless because Zorn would have given him six things that he needed to work on in the offseason.

We had breakfast with the NFC coaches -- except for Mike Holmgren -- this morning, which afforded me the opportunity to ask Zorn what some of the things were that he would have given Matt to improve on.

"One of the things I would have talked to him about directly was that he has achieved an awful lot. He still has to push. You have to do so much in the offseason to get ready for the regular season. What is your motivation? He has been an all-pro. He has been in the Pro Bowl for three years. He loves to go to those offseason quarterback deals with other QBs. What is there left? What I tried to instill in him, what is left for him, is to be the MVP of the league as a quarterback. Those are kind of the areas that I would try to push him. He is already good. Who cares? He is already a starter. He has good stats. He wins. He is a playoff QB. So all those things I try to treat as fluff for him. Because there is an even higher goal that he has to attain."

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Here is Ruskell's quote concerning Olindo Mare and the possibility of taking a kicker in the upcoming draft. Hope this provides some clarification.

"Nothing is ruled out even though we have signed Mare. We like him and we certainly think he is capable of doing the job. We were also happy with what we were seeing in the college market. It depends how that plays out. Again, certainly not something we are feeling like we have to take in the draft. So it depends how that plays out."

Also, here is the link to my story in today's News Tribune, which has more Ruskell quotes.

Also, my gut is that Shaun still is going to be cut. It's not 100 percent yet, but I still think that is the ultimate outcome. I would not doubt if they still approach Shaun about taking a pay cut, but there is a strong feeling he will not accept that. Without the pay cut, I think he gets cut. Also, I know there is some question about why they can cut Mack Strong with an injury but not Shaun. The answer is that Mack chose to retire. Shaun has not chosen to retire. The situations are entirely different.

I caught up with a harried Tim Ruskell going from one meeting to another at the hotel here, and he gave me some time to discuss many things Seahawk. Here are some of the things we covered:

* He feels good about free agency, primarily because it allowed them to not feel like they are hostage to filling a position in the draft. He said he thought they exceeded expectations in free agency, Josh Brown leaving the only blemish. Ruskell declined to comment about whether he thought St. Louis tampered with Brown or whether he contacted the league about it.

* Speaking of kicking, Ruskell said he thinks recently signed Olindo Mare can do the job, but they are not ruling out taking a kicker in the draft. It depends on how that plays out, Ruskell said, meaning if one of the top kickers is still available in the sixth or seventh round, they are likely to take him. Otherwise, they will go with Mare. Ruskell said though Mare still has one of the strongest legs in the NFL, accuracy has been his problem, and Mare has said it is because the long snapper/holder/kicker combination has not been good in recent years. It is up to Mare to prove he still can be accurate.

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Seahawks offensive guard Rob Sims was 18th in the NFL, earning an additional $245,566 from a performance-based pay fund, which is part of the league's collective bargaining agreement. The system awards lower-salaried players with extra money for playing time.

Sims made $542,000 last year, but started the entire season at the left guard -- a job he has since lost after the team signed Mike Wahle. It remains to be seen if Sims becomes the team's starting right guard.

Under the system, a player's regular season playing time is divided by his adjusted regular season compensation. Each player's index is then compared to those of the other players on his team to determine the amount of his performance-based pay. Pittsbrugh's Willie Colon earned the biggest payout in the league, at $309, 534.

After speaking with Tony Dungy this morning, he made it seem as if the owners are intent on keeping the rosters set at 80. Part of the thinking with this, I would have think, is that if the owners are currently claiming their margins are thin and they need to re-negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement, they can't at the same time say, OK, let's expand the training camp rosters and give more players more money and signing bonuses and whatever else comes along with expanding a roster. It sets a bad precedent for future CBA negotiations.

One other thing that came out of yesterday that I forgot to mention is that there is currently a proposal on the table that would allow a long snapper to dress but not be counted against the active roster. That would give the team a little bit more flexibility in naming its inactive players on game day.

This issue of speaking with players before free agency opens has been a big topic of debate here at the owners meetings, but other than imposing a five- to seven-day moratorium at the beginning of free agency that would prohibit any contracts being immediately signed, it does not seem as if much else is going to be done.

Part of the problem, everybody says, is that it is difficult to prove somebody tampered, much less enforce the rules prohibiting it. Here is what happens, several coaches said at this morning's breakfast with reporters: You happen to be talking to an agent about a player on your team. In this day and age, that agent may represent five or 10 or even 15 other players across the league. And all of a sudden, the conversation turns from talking about your player to discussing these other players. It's "just talking," right? But when does it become illegal? And how would you gauge illegal when it comes during the course of undertaking everyday business?

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The NFL just approved the resolution to allow a defensive player to have a radio in his helmet similar to what a quarterback now wears. Two players can be designated each week, but they may not be on the field at the same time. The secondary player will have a backup helmet on the sidelines and can switch if the primary player comes out of the game. If the secondary player fails to inform the umpire that he is wearing a radio device, there will be a 5-yard penalty. My guess is that Lofa Tatupu will be the primary player and either Deon Grant or Brian Russell will be the secondary player for the Seahawks. They will have some sort of marking to indicate the radio device, though I think it will be a bit more advanced than a green sticker this year.

Not that there was much intrigue with this one, but exclusive rights free agents Lance Laury and David Kirtman have officially signed their contracts. They each had tender offers of $445,000.

Also, Mack Strong has officially had his contract terminated because he failed his physical. These were all procedural moves that come as no surprise.

We had a breakfast interview session with AFC coaches this morning, which afforded me the opportunity to ask Kansas City coach Herm Edwards about the Seahawks' new offensive line coach, Mike Solari, who was fired as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator after serving for a long time as their offensive line coach:

Q: How do you think Mike Solari is going to work out in Seattle?

A: He is going to work out great. He is a fantastic football coach. A really good football coach.

Q: The Seahawks are looking to overhaul many aspects of their running game. Is there a hallmark of Mike's style that you can see him using?

A: He will be good for them. He is good with offensive linemen. He can develop them. He is very thorough, very detailed. He will do a great job.

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