The Seahawks announced today the training camp, practice dates that will be open to the public, from Aug. 3 to Aug. 20. The team will use The Landing, a mixed-use facility next to Boeing in Renton, as a staging area for parking. Fans will have to pay $5 to park there and will be provided transportation to the team's facility.

Anyone interested in attending practice can register beginning July 16 at 10 a.m. at Seahawks.com.

The Seahawks also will have two free practices at the University of Washington on Aug. 7 and Aug. 18. The public will have to pay for parking at UW. For more info check out the press release below.

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Here's a copy of the column running in the Thursday TNT regarding Mike Holmgren's KJR radio interview -- Dave Boling

After the emotional good-byes and the recap of 10 years of joys and disappointments, Mike Holmgren seemed ready to hang out the “Do Not Disturb” sign. Or maybe it was “Gone Fishin’.”
The Seattle Seahawks coach had promised his wife that he would take a year away from football.
He said he would evaluate his options after that, and be open to just about anything.
Sure, he had an itch to get back into the front-office side of things. He still felt the sting of having that taken away from him with the Seahawks, and he was certain he had learned from the experience and would be better the next time.

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THe NFL announced today that Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis has been fined $10k for throwing that snow boulder into the sdands at Sunday's game. Ellis said, "It was all in fun."

Here is a link to a story in the New York Daily News that says the Jets have talked to defensive end Shaun Ellis about hucking the snow boulder into the stands.

In case you missed Holmgren's quote yesterday regarding all the snowballs, here is what he said: “First of all, the people at our stadium don’t see snow that much, so it had to be a tremendous novelty, you know? So I know if my grandkids were up there, and there was a snowball sitting right there—and they’re good kids, they’re not mean kids—it’d be pretty hard for them not to throw it. No one got hurt, which is a good thing, and the best thing we can do probably, is [work on] our preparation in getting the snow out of the stadium if it should ever happen again. That’s a big deal. We had to deal with all that in Green Bay all the time. All the time. Cleaning the stadium before the game started. I’m glad no one got hurt, and I don’t think anyone’s trying to hurt anybody, it’s just Christmas, and there’s snowballs, so here we go.”

Two thoughts: These were not grandkids up there throwing snowballs, they are adults. And, it's a difficult position for Holmgren to be in because he certainly doesn't want to criticize a 12th Man who has been so supportive over the years, but I have to think he didn't appreciate nearly getting hit in the noggin on several occasions.

Here is a column Dave Boling wrote for today's paper criticizing the snowball throwers.

One man's opinion: I was on the field at the time, and I certainly didn't get the feeling that the snowballs were "all in fun," as many have suggested. There was definitely a hint of meanness in the actions. For those on the sidelines, you had to keep one eye on the field and one on the stands to make sure you weren't plunked in the head. And believe me, when an ice ball comes from the upper deck from a couple hundred feet above and hits the ground with a heavy thud or hits somebody in the head -- as I saw one hit the line judge -- it is not "in fun." The line judge went down on one knee and looked like he was close to being knocked out. This was not a friendly little scrap between teenagers with fluffy snow. There was definitely a sense of anarchy. Take that for what it's worth.

The Seahawks have issued the following press release, urging fans attending the game to plan ahead and consider alternative transportation options in getting to the game. Here's the press release:

Please be advised that Sunday's game versus the New York Jets will be played as scheduled at 1 pm at Qwest Field. With the recent winter storm and more snow expected this Sunday, the Seahawks want to make sure that fans have a safe and enjoyable trip to Qwest Field. The Seahawks strongly urge you to take advantage of the following transportation options:

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Remember a few years ago, when the Seahawks were supposed to play a preseason game in China as part of the NFL's attempt to promote the sport internationally? The game was canceled because logistics had not yet come together. Well, those plans are postponed permanently, according to PFT, per the Sports Business Journal.

I know this makes many in the Seahawks' front office happy. I think they viewed it as being more of a pawn in the league's attempt at global saturation, and while the experience would have been cool it does nothing logistically but hurt the team because of the arduous travel.

My man Curtis Crabtree at KJR compiled some stats regarding the team's pressure situation in the Dallas game -- since that is the game that the players complained about a lack of pressure, and subsequently backed off at the urging of ... somebody.

Re-watching the game film, Curtis determined that when the Seahawks had only a four-man rush, Tony Romo was 11-for-13 for 167 yards and three touchdowns, compiling a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

When they blitzed, Romo was 11-for-21 for 158 yards and one interception, with a 57.2 passer rating.

According to Curtis, when Seattle rushed seven guys, Romo was 0-1. When they brought six, he was 3-6 for 52 yards and an interception. And when they rushed five, Romo was 8-14 for 106 yards.

Not until Dallas' 21st offensive play did Seattle bring more than four men rushing, and when they started bringing a blitz consistently they were down 21-3.

Deon Grant may have backed off his statements immediately after the game, but he wasn't wrong.

The league responded to my inquiry regarding Cardinals defensive back Adrian Wilson. They confirmed that Wilson will not be fined for his on Matt Hasselbeck. It was, they said, a legal hit.

I called the league to see if they had an idea about whether Adrian Wilson's hit on Matt Hasselbeck was an offense warranting a fine. I have not heard back from them.

Just to add perspective, when there was a question of whether Leroy Hill would be fined for his big hit in Tampa Bay, the league responded almost immediately, saying that Hill's hit was legal and he would not be fined.

Not sure if that means anything, or if it means they are looking at Wilson's hit more closely since he was fined earlier this season. But if the league gets back to me, I'll post it.

Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt responded today to Matt Hasselbeck's assertion after the game that he thinks fine will be coming down this week for some hits in the game.

Here is a link to Pro Football Talk's take of it, which includes the comments from Whisenhunt, who goes on to say that Hasselbeck had been out for so long that he forgot what it was like to be hit.

An airman from McChord Air Force Base will participate in the pregame coin toss tomorrow. To read a bit more about it, check out FOB Tacoma, our military blog.

This was issued by the team:

Starline Luxury Coaches will operate shuttle bus service from both the Federal Way and Kent Park & Ride Lots beginning on November 16 when the Seahawks host Arizona. Fans should look for white Starline buses, as they will operate the same direct to Qwest Field service as Metro Transit has done in the past.

Metro Transit will to continue to provide bus service from the three other park-and-ride lots including: Northgate, South Kirkland, Eastgate. Fares for both Starline and Metro service is $4 each way, or $8 round trip.

Other transportation options for fans include the following: regular Metro service, Sound Transit ST Express buses and the Sounder Train. ST Express buses offer transportation from areas throughout Pierce, King and Snohomish counties with service every 30 minutes and stops within three blocks of Qwest Field.

Remember those Matt Hasselbeck-Jason Campbell commercials for Expedia that I posted here a few weeks ago. Here's another one. As always, pretty humourous.

Practice is at 11:45 today. I'll have something afterwards from Mike Holmgren, this is his day to talk prior to the game.