Tim Ruskell Speaks the Truth

by: Michael Steffes

Fearless leader and master architecht of the Seahawks Tim Ruskell has a great blog post that I classify as a must read. It reaffirms all of the optimism/homerism that this blog was being rightfully accused of. Ruskell talks about the teams goals...

Going into the season is no different than it has ever been. What we expect out of this team is to always compete for a championship. That’s our mindset. That’s our culture, and we never want that to change. We didn’t get distracted from what we think we are, and that to me was one of the important things of this whole camp. We feel good about ourselves, so this is good.

I love it when he talks like that. As a fan, could you ask for anything more. And it isn't lip service, this team is committed to that goal. Ruskell also talks about the ONE young guy that really exceeded expectations...

We did not expect everything we got out of a free agent rookie like (linebacker) David Hawthorne. We knew he had ability, but to say he was going to come in here, make the team and never look back, we couldn’t possibly have been able to predict that. So he turned out to be a pleasant surprise. He’s one of the guys who actually exceeded expectations, so that’s a real bonus all the way around for us.

He also talks about what seems to be his biggest concern, the running game...

Our sense is so far so good in what we’ve seen out of the running game. It’s been in steps and then in stages as far as improvement. Now here’s the big test. We’ve got to see it in the regular season on a consistent basis. Even over the last two years when we struggled, we had good games and good moments, and good streaks.

Ruskell is right. We need to run it, and run it well all season. One good game does not make a consistent running game. The beauty of how the season is setting up for the Hawks is this: They are going to have to run the ball a lot in the early part of the year. If they do it well, right around the time teams start respecting the Seahawks ground game will be when the Hawks have enough talent/savvy on the outsides to make them pay.

As for being consistent all year long, well that is one of the reasons for the depth. One injury won't deter the Hawks from running. One player not living up to expectations can force them to a pass first approach. This is truly an organizational commitment, and it has prepared to the Hawks to be in a position to accomplish the organizational goals. Now all they have to do is execute. ~END~ Read More!

A Seahawk Addicts Special Thank You

by: Michael Steffes

Seahawk Addicts would like to take a moment to thank the Fox Broadcasting Network for not dispatching Tony Siragusa to Western New York this weekend. There are many ways to describe Tony Siragusa, but I have never heard him called a welcome addition to a telecast.

In fact, Seahawk Addict readers recently voted him the most hated football TV personality. I would say mean things about him, but he might track me down and eat me. Therefore, I will leave that up to you.

In case you were wondering, Mike Sando is reporting that Ron Pitts, Tony Boselli and Charissa Thompson will be doing the Buffalo game. Whoooo hoooo! Just to be safe though, you might want to avoid flipping over to the Eagles/Rams game with your volume up. ~END~ Read More!

Kent Has Come a Long Way

by: Michael Steffes

Admittedly the Seahawks took a chance drafting Jordan Kent in the sixth round. He was about as raw as they come. In the past, sprinters, and basketball players have both been coached into good football players. However, the numbers who made it were far outweighed by those who didn't. Jordan Kent was both.

This year in camp he really turned a corner. Hopefully that will propel him into becoming a solid contributer in 2008. First he had to make the team though. Aaron Fentress wrote a nice piece chronicling Kent on cut day. Check it out. ~END~ Read More!

Leroy Hill Won't Be a Secret for Long

by: Michael Steffes

Seahawk fans know how good Leroy Hill is. My guess is that NFL personnel people know who Leroy Hill is. And I know NFC quarterbacks know how good Leroy Hill is.

Pretty soon so will the rest of the world. Especially if he keeps getting national recognition, such as this article by Mike Sando in which he was asked to identify an NFC West Player on verge of stardom.

Sando focuses on Hills outstanding playoff efforts and his desire to make that a consistent level of play. However, this is partially a team issue. The whole defense has been inconsistent over the last few years. Hill will need his teammates to take the same approach.

When Leroy burst on to the scene in 05', the team basically sent him after the QB. However, with the arrival of JP he has become a much more complete linebacker. He covers tight ends, is stout in run support, and can still get to the passer when asked. What does it all mean.....

The Hawks better be ready to cough up some cake for Mr. Hill come next February. If not sooner. ~END~ Read More!

Week 1 Power Rankings

by: Michael Steffes

I hope you enjoyed our detailed Season Preview post. We thought that with this the last Seahawks off day before the 2008 NFL season starts we would focus on looking at the season as a whole today. Along with the season preview, we have compiled the Seahawk Addicts official power rankings. You may remember earlier in the year we were just ranking NFC teams. Well, it has been extended to include the entire NFL.

The plan is to keep this going for every week of the season. Now that all the teams have been added, it shouldn't be too hard. So for now, here are your....

WEEK ONE POWER RANKINGS

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Like every good football publication or blog, Seahawk Addicts has compiled a season preview. Essentially, we stole the four letter network's format of expert picks. Only we just used three people. Someday we might have 746,000 experts, but that day is not today.

Anyway...to see our picks and to get a quick explanation what we were thinking....

DIVISIONAL CHAMPS

	STEFFES	SULLIVAN	PARKER
NFC WEST	Seattle	Seattle	Seattle
NFC SOUTH	New Orleans	Carolina	New Orleans
NFC NORTH	Green Bay	Minnesota	Minnesota
NFC EAST	New York	Dallas	Philly
AFC WEST	San Diego	San Diego	San Diego
AFC SOUTH	Indianapolis	Indianapolis	Jacksonville
AFC NORTH	Baltimore	Pittsburgh	Cleveland
AFC EAST	New England	New England	New England

NFC WILDCARDS	Dallas, Arizona	Philadelphia, New Orleans	Carolina, Washington
AFC WILDCARDS	Houston, NYJ	Jacksonville, Denver	Indy, NY Jets

Michael Steffes: As for the NFC, I took New Orleans to win the South, Green Bay to repeat in the North, and the Giants to win the East. I have Dallas and Arizona as the Wild Cards. What it came down too on some of these decisions was character. I just think that Giants have shown some, while Dallas simply has some (characters). However, we won't count Dallas out. The Wild Cards have done well in recent years. I think Arizona is going to somehow manage to claim a WC spot. It just seems time. I really don't expect them to contend for the division, but an easy first half schedule will put them in position to get in late. Especially when the Hawks rest everybody week 17.

In the AFC, my one real surprise was Baltimore. I am just not really fond of the the AFC North this year. I think Pittsburgh is closer to the team that needed shootouts to win late in the year than the one that shut out the Seahawks. Plus they have the toughest schedule in the league. Also, the next time Cleveland covers anybody will be the first time. Baltimore could see a defensive resurgence this year, and they now have two good backs to run the ball. My opinion is that 9 wins secures this division. Mostly I just hate Pittsburgh and Cleveland, so I had to pick somebody, right?

Chris Sullivan: Not any huge surprises in my NFC picks, but I do think that Carolina will re-emerge as a threat in the South and Aaron Rodgers will not quite be ready to usurp the throne in Green Bay leaving the North wide open for the Vikings to pillage. Dallas holds onto the East, but not by much, with Philadelphia breathing down their cocky, criminal necks.

In the AFC, not a whole changes. While I personally love the Jaguars (well, love is too strong a term, really), I think Indianapolis still has all the right threats, despite a fairly shallow team. The Chargers take out the weak West with their incredibly deep team, and Pittsburgh holds on in the schizophrenic AFC North. The Pats make the playoffs by default in their "division."

Mike Parker: A brief bit on my sleeper picks: If Cleveland can hold it together with their rapid-fire offense led by surprise stud QB Derek Anderson, they have a legitimate shot at winning the AFC North. Part of this is Jamal Lewis's health, of course, and it also depends on how deep their secondary can entrench itself as being a weapon that receivers fear.

As far as the NFC goes, Minnesota has what it takes to claw their way into a Wild Card spot, but again, that largely depends on whether QB Tavaris Jackson can play like he has a pulse. He couldn't blame his line last year, and this year, he can't blame his receivers, with Sidney Rice and Bobby Wade's development, along with the signing of Bernard Berrian. Oh, and that guy named Peterson ain't too bad either.

PLAYOFFS

	STEFFES	SULLIVAN	PARKER
NFC CHAMPS	Seattle	Seattle	Seattle
AFC CHAMPS	San Diego	Indianapolis	San Diego
SUPERBOWL CHAMPS	Seattle	Seattle	Seattle

Michael Steffes: First off, all three of us have the Seahawks winning the Superbowl. That is the beauty of this time of year. Everybody has hope. When you have a team as deep and talented as the Hawks, hope comes with high expectations. I have picked an all West Coast Superbowl. That will really throw the east coast bias for a loop. A rematch from the preseason. We will see if it plays out that way.

Chris Sullivan: Seattle, obviously runs wild on all opponents and reaches the Superbowl, then dominates whoever dare look them in the eye funny. I think the Colts will make it back after a one year hiatus, mostly because I don't really trust the Chargers and I think the Pats fall off substantially this year. It ain't gonna be the Stealers, so it might as well be Peyton and crew that we bash to holy heck.

Mike Parker: San Diego gets the nod at my projected AFC champion, as I think the Patriots have lost a step in the secondary that could spell more passes sailing over their heads. And I really believe last week’s pre-season meeting between the Chargers and Seahawks could’ve very well been a Super Bowl preview. Though we're all holding high expectations with the hometown team, this is Holmgren's last hurrah, and you can expect the team to play accordingly.

PERSONAL PERFORMANCES

	STEFFES	SULLIVAN	PARKER
COACH OF THE YEAR	Gary Kubiak	Mike Holmgren	Brad Childress
MVP	Brett Favre	Peyton Manning	Adrian Peterson
OFFENSIVE POY	Drew Breese	Ladanian Tomlinson	Brian Westbrook
DEFENSIVE POY	Mario Williams	Demarcus Ware	Marcus Trufant
OFFENSIVE ROY	Matt Ryan	Steve Slaton	Jonathan Stewart
DEFENSIVE ROY	Jerrod Mayo	Keith Richards	Glenn Dorsey

Michael Steffes: For my awards, you can see I think Houston is going to impress this year with Kubiak for Coach and Williams for DPOY. I went with Favre for MVP. Not sure really why, other than I think he will be trying to prove something this year and it would be a great story after this offseason. Ted Thompson might get lynched. I see Matt Ryan impressing the football world, and Jerrod Mayo having the East Coast Hype machine behind him.

Chris Sullivan: Well, I'm hoping to see Holmgren get a well-deserved shout out in his final year with the Seahawks, and I think it could happen. I'll give LT a nod for carrying his team, and Ware a DPOY for being a Cowboy... I mean, I've listened to a lot of ESPN, and apparently they are God's gift to football. Ware is the best defensive player for the 'Boys, ergo, he gets my nod. Offensive ROY I am going with a dark horse candidate in Steve Slaton

Mike Parker: Some of you might call me insane, but I think this could be Westbrook’s season to emerge as a standout with a healthy McNabb at the helm. Westbrook’s ability to receive out of the backfield is highly overlooked by defenses, but definitely not by fantasy owners. I also say that Jonathan Stewart starts outplaying the living snot out of DeAngelo Williams come Week 3, and Carolina's offense may be given a boost as a result of his bruising running style.

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Matt is Back, Others Miss, Mare to Kick

by: Michael Steffes

Well the Seahawks have finished their light practice session for the day and some questions have been answered, and others can now be asked.

First off, the best news is that Matthew was back under center for practice. He has proclaimed himself 100% healthy and ready to go. Thank god! If any of you saw Frank Hughes on ESPN News today, he cast a less than optimistic light on this situation saying Matt looked stiff and had ice on his back during the Raider game. Hogwash! The fearless (and bald) leader is back.

As for other injuries, well things weren't so great. Lofa, Locklear, and Branch all sat out, along with Walt, who is on the veteran rest program. I wouldn't expect Lock or Branch on Sunday. Lofa I am optimistic about, but you never know. Willis will be an adequate fill in for a week or two, giving Locklear time to recover. However, there is no such thing as an adequate fill in for Lofa Tatupu.

Finally, Bruce DeHaven announced that Olindo Mare is the kicker of record. He won out in a close duel, but gained the edge via his kickoffs. This is not a surprise. What is a surprise is that Coutu is still around, however that could change shortly. If you read into DeHaven's comments, it sure appears his release is upcoming. However Bruce does believe he has future in the league. ~END~ Read More!

Seahawk Addicts Podcast - Episode 2

by: Chris Sullivan

Well, Addicts, it's your friendly neighborhood podcasters, back with another show. This time, we were able to keep it at a reasonable length, so there's only one part, hurrah!

Today, we focus on the Seahawk's roster cuts and how that might all crack out, and focus a bit on the Special Teams situation -- two kickers, poor coverage in the preseason, and who the hell is going to be returning punts?! Finally, we discuss our personal picks for the top Seahawk performers this year on both sides of the ball, both veterans and new guys.

Please give us some feedback -- we know the audio isn't perfect, we're working on a way to fix that still. We have arranged a time to do weekly podcasts during the season, so you should be able to look forward (or dread) them pretty regularly.

All that said, please click here to listen to the new podcast, or below to listen in iTunes. Hurrah!
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Seahawk Addicts Experts League-- Draft Addition

by: Michael Steffes

Some of you may have noticed that the blog was pretty quiet this morning. That is probably because it is Labor Day, but also the Seahawk Addicts Expert League Draft took place. At least for the first of two leagues. Lonestarhawk will be updating us on the other league shortly.

First, without ego, I can tell you I have the finest team ever assembled. Many through out terms like "traitor" and "Benedict Steffes", when I selected players like Frank Gore and Josh Brown. However, I persevered and built a roster set for total domination. There were teams that took unconventional routes to building their roster, and now we all get to see how it works out. I will be throwing up posts every once and a while updating the readers who aren't involved. I am sure most of you don't care, so it won't be a major deal.

Anyway...for now....you can check out the draft results right HERE. ~END~ Read More!

Every Little Bit Helps....

by: Mike Parker

Even though the Hawks won't have Rocky Bernard or Jordan Babineaux going into Buffalo on Sunday, the Bills are worried about the shape of their own offense without Pro Bowl LT Jason Peters.

According to various sources, the veteran's holdout may extend into the regular season, which would be very bad news for a QB situation that remains a question mark at best.

I think this absence in the Bills' lineup is going to hurt their offense a hell of a lot more than the Hawks not having Babs or Rocky available on defense. Red Bryant looks like he's already prepared to step in and fill Rocky's shoes for a game, judging by his rock-solid performance against the Raiders the other night. Granted, the Raiders' second-string isn't exactly a stalwart opponent, but I was just relieved to see Bryant recover from knee surgery so quickly. That definitely bodes well for an already deep front seven.

The season looms just ahead, my friends.....-END- Read More!