Sep 27th 2008 8:30AM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Giants, Seahawks, NFL Fans
You know what’s really funny? Making jokes about 9/11 (waging message board war, if you will) because nothing screams “I’M ALL GROWED UP!1!” like someone calling themselves “Mason” posting his favorite terrorism-related memories on a popular Seattle Seahawks fan site in an effort to rile up Giants supporters in anticipation of their Week 5 get-together. Brilliant.

Deadspin’s A.J. Daulerio writes: On many occasions, team message board trash talk veers toward some very unpleasant depths, but some of the stuff being circulated on the popular Seahawks fan message board “Seahawks Huddle” right now has sparked an amazing amount of negative responses thanks to its unprecedented levels of classlessness.And MSG’s Dan Benton points out that “[these] were some of the cruelest and most sickening jokes I’ve ever read in my entire life. Most were aimed at the actual victims (firefighters and police officers included) of 9-11, while precious few had anything to do with the New York Giants, their fans or the upcoming game.”

’s Bob Glauber updates a post titled “When Idiot Fans Go Too Far” to report that the Seahawks message board has issued a formal apology, though if you click the link it goes to one of those corners of the tubes Senator Ted Stevens warned us about.Continue Reading

Sep 17th 2008 1:00PM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: Seahawks, NFC West, NFL Rumors, NFL Free AgencyIt was kind of obvious when the Seahawks inked Koren Robinson that people would start asking about things like “character” and “crazy” and “policemen”. And, sure enough, reporters wanted to get GM Tim Ruskell’s take on K-Rob’s return to the great northwest.
Sure. There’s risk. Obviously I feel better about it now [than] when I first heard about [it] or thought about the idea. We did a lot of research. We didn’t just do this haphazardly or spur-of-the-moment. A lot of people in the organization were involved. Initially when I heard, or Coach [Holmgren] had brought it up, I was against it, just because everybody knows what our commitment is philosophically in terms of character. My first involvement with Koren, he was going through some tough things and some bad incidents that had gotten public.

My whole deal was, we just can’t have knuckleheads around here. That can’t happen. That’s not how you win. So we got rid of several players that, I felt, fell under that umbrella, and I thought that would be the end of it. Obviously this little crisis we’re going through with the receivers made a lot of names come up and I really wasn’t even thinking of Koren.

Lots of research, huh? Was this before or after both Logan Payne and Seneca Wallace both got hurt?

It’s entirely conceivable that Ruskell and the Seahawks management have been talking about K-Rob for a while, but to imply that there is anything that relates to character here seems a little disingenuous. I don’t expect them to go out and ink Chris Henry or anything ridiculous like that, but this signing is obviously fueled by desperation, not some long thought-out process re: quality of character. Also, great to have you here, Koren! looking forward to working with you.

Sep 16th 2008 9:00PM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: Broncos, SeahawksThe Panthers got rid of Keary Colbert (okay, fine not , but you know …) after three horribly mediocre years. He was promising as a rookie, catching 47 passes for 754 yards but never topped 350 again. And just to be clear, the Panthers let him go — I want you to know that such a transaction says very little about his future.

Of course, you wouldn’t have known that based on the three year, $7.2 million deal that the Denver Broncos foolishly handed him this offseason. But then you might be deceived by the news that Jay Glazer dropped today.
Seattle has swapped a late-round draft pick for Broncos wide receiver Keary Colbert, FOXSports.com has learned.
Or perhaps you know it. After all, for a team to be at the point that they need to acquire Colbert midseason, well, things are not going well.

On the other hand, this is kind of like finding out you were your girlfriend’s eighth choice of guys to take home from the bar, so it’s not like Colbert is loving life either.

But the Seahawks weren’t done! No, sir! They also inked former ‘Hawk Koren Robinson. So, they’re not stacked, but they’re certainly better off than they were yesterday. I think.

Despite that awkward “Yeah, you were all we could get” type of thing going on here, Colbert and Robinson are actually interesting adds because the Seahawks like to pass. I like Robinson better for upside, but as mentioned, Colbert did catch almost 50 passes his rookie year and he is literally all the Seahawks have at wideout right now. This does not say anything good about Courtney Taylor either.

Sep 14th 2008 11:45PM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: 49ers, Seahawks, NFC WestLet’s go ahead and get the good news out of the way first. Julius Jones rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, flashing the revamped running game that Mike Holmgren had mentioned bringing back around the Northwest.

As for the rest of the news (all bad), the Seattle defense allowed: San Francisco to score 33 points, J.T. O’Sullivan to throw for 321 yards, and Isaac Bruce to catch 153 yards worth of passing. Yipes. On offense, John Carlson seems nice … which is good because he’s all they’ve got in the passing game. Courtney Taylor — fresh off bemoaning his potential release — was nonexistent, and Seneca Wallace didn’t catch a single pass. That could be because he got hurt the game, joining Logan Payne, Nate Burelson, Deion Branch and Bobby Engram on Seattle’s Red Cross list.

Also, Matt Hasselbeck was a horrid 18 of 36 for 189 yards and two interceptions, probably because he has no receivers.

So, yeah, Seattle is more or less finished at this point, in all honesty. The crazy thing is that if ‘Beck can somehow manage to get kind of healthy and Branch can come back, they could still win the NFC West.

Why’s that? Because the Niners, who needed two shots at victory (Joe Nedney whiffed the potential walk off field goal) to topple these pathetic ‘Hawks. And they’re the second best team in the division. Epic fail indeed.Continue Reading

Sep 12th 2008 10:34PM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: Seahawks, NFC West, NFL Injuries, NFL CoachingThe last thing the Seattle Seahawks need is another injured starter. But, well, they’ve got one. Marcus Trufant, their All-Pro cornerback, might (not?) have to miss time with what sounds like a pretty painful hand injury.
Seahawks defensive back suffered a cracked bone in his hand in yesterday’s practice and was wearing a cast on his hand today. Mike Holmgren said they are going to try to affix something smaller to his hand for Sunday’s game to make it more workable. Trufant said he has played with an injured hand before, against both UCLA and the Apple Cup one season at Washington State, though it was on his right hand not his left and it was his thumb not his hand.
The Hawks Insider also mentioned that Lofa Tatupu is sporting a cast on his finger right now, although he’s apparently making plays anyway, intercepting a Charlie Frye pass during practice. So yeah, Seahawks = dinged.

So dinged, in fact, that Seneca Wallace, who will not likely play cornerback, will probably see some time at wide receiver.
“I’m confident,” Wallace said. “I’ve just got to go out there and be able to make sure everything is correct. No busted routes. And after that, you’re just out there playing football. You’ve got to catch the ball.”
Well, it all does come back to fundamentals I guess. Still, just the fact that Wallace — their backup quarterback — is being pressed into duties is proof my above mathematical equation which clearly shows that this could be a rough week for the Seahawks. Certainly too rough to stake them seven points anyway.

Sep 11th 2008 1:00PM by Tom Mantzouranis (author feed)
Filed under: Browns, Jaguars, Patriots, Seahawks, Titans, NFL Fans

It, um, doesn’t really look good now that Vince Manuwai and Maurice Williams have both been placed on the IR. I really like Fred Taylor, and was glad to see him get the recognition he’s deserved last year, but he is 32, and he and Maurice Jones-Drew really struggled against a physical Titans team. Which is a troublesome sign, as the Jaguars have built an identity on being a physical team on both sides of the ball. But if you take away that dimension to their offense, things don’t look very good, especially if Jerry Porter’s bum hammy keeps rearing its ugly head. Do you really trust David Garrard to carry a team for an entire season if the Jaguars can’t get their run game figured out? I certainly don’t. And the Jags face some physical defenses this year in Buffalo, Tennessee again, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Chicago, Green Bay, and Baltimore.Continue Reading

Sep 11th 2008 10:30AM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: Seahawks, NFC West, NFL RumorsIt would appear that Mike Holmgren taught Brett Favre everything he knows. Or, in the case of “how to retire”, maybe it’s the other way around. See, Holmgren announced his retirement following this season, primarily based on one of the league’s top defenses, a [theoretically] revamped running game and Matt Hasselbeck finally winning a Super Bowl.

Or something enchanting like that. Whoops.
This season is business as usual. We made the decision, Kathy and I, to come back for one more year, and I’m at peace with that. Then, Jimmy (Mora) is going to be the head coach next year.

“I’m going to take some time off. And I made that promise to my family. And then I’m looking at it as a sabbatical leave. I’m going to take some time off and see how I feel. I don’t know right now how I’m going to react to that. And make some decision after that.

“This season, it’s business as usual and I coach like I coach and I act like I act, and I want to do well.
I generally find the Retirement Shuffle to be a tiresome, pointless parade, but in Holmgren’s case, I kind of understand. We’re just one week into the NFL season and he’s already had his team essentially decimated.

So it’s understandable that he looks at his career, in which he built two winning franchises, picked up a Super Bowl and became known as an offensive mastermind, and says: “I will go out like … like … .” (/points at T.J. Duckett and Samie Parker)

Sep 8th 2008 7:00PM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: Seahawks, NFC West, Fantasy Football, NFL InjuriesThe one bright offensive spot for the Seattle Seahawks during Sunday’s beatdown at the hands of the Bills was Nate Burleson. And how could he not be? After his star rose briefly in the absence of Randy Moss in Minnesota, he fell just as quickly, becoming a great punt returner (not a compliment) in Seattle. But this year … this year was different. After all, with Bobby Engram and Deion Branch both out, Nate was set to become Matt Hasselbeck’s next great target.

Until he got hurt for the entire season.
… Burleson suffered a torn knee ligament in the third quarter of Sunday’s loss in Buffalo, and will undergo season-ending surgery. Burleson caught five passes before leaving, including a touchdown. He led the team in scoring receptions last season with nine.
This is the very definition of a devastating blow to a Seahawk team that was struggling already to find an identity and straight up reeling after the loss to Buffalo. This now also makes Courtney Taylor the number one wide receiver on Seattle’s roster.

And it also guarantees that Branch, who may or may not have any business coming back seven months after ACL surgery, will be playing in Week 2. It’s Holmgren’s last season and this is a team that had serious Super Bowl aspirations with a stout defense and a revamped running game, so seeing Branch continue to sit would be surprising.

Drop Burleson, obviously. And I’d go grab Branch, because honestly, I think he’ll be back next week. Taylor is a pretty nice add at this point too, because someone’s gotta catch the passes.

Sep 7th 2008 11:25PM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: Bills, Seahawks, AFC East, NFC West
The outcome of this game should not come as a huge surprise. The Bills were better than their record last year, have an offense on the rise, and the Seahawks offensive unit is currently best classified as “in shambles”.

Okay, perhaps that’s a bit strong — there are plenty of signs that Seattle will end up being alright this season. Such as: Matt Hasselbeck’s second half performance, the Bills scoring two touchdowns on special teams, Nate Burleson didn’t even play in the second half and, um, the rushing game gained positive yards.

Or, to put it more accurately: the Bills played like a team that was interested in putting the rest of the league on notice. Which they did. Marshawn Lynch, a.k.a. Beast Mode (in whose style of prose I was tempted to type this entire recap) bulldozed in for an early 21 yard touchdown. Lee Evans got 102 yards on four catches. Robert Royal hauled in a TD. Brian Moorman (punter of you-got-jacked fame) threw for one. So, really, routine stuff.Continue Reading

Sep 6th 2008 9:53AM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Cowboys, Seahawks, NFL FansJulius Jones was part of the Bill Parcells Reclamation Project. During the 2004 draft, the Cowboys traded out of the first round and used their first pick, a second-rounder, on Jones. The former Notre Dame star would start seven games as a rookies, 12 the following season, and 32 more the last two years.

But it became clear at some point during the ‘06 campaign that the full-time gig would eventually go to Marion Barber. “Eventually” turned out to be “the 2007 playoffs,” and that had everything to do with why the Cowboys chose not to re-sign Jones last off-season.

The Seahawks picked him up — along with T.J. Duckett — to replace Shaun Alexander, who currently holds the record for going from NFL MVP (2005) to unemployable (now). But with virtually no competition for the job, Jones will officially begin his Seattle career just like he ended is Dallas one: on the bench. After years of backing up former league MVP Shaun Alexander, Maurice Morris will be the Seattle Seahawks’ starting running back — on Sunday. …On the eve of the Seahawks’ first regular season game, coach Mike Holmgren is sticking to his plan of having co-starters replace the departed Alexander. Holmgren plans on having Morris and Jones split the carries (the AP calls them “co-starters”), but DMN’s Cowboys blogger Tim MacMahon points out that Morris ain’t exactly in the same league as Barber, (Football Outsiders agrees).Continue Reading