Raiders Hire John Marshall

by: Mike Parker

Oh, the irony.

Danny O'Neill has reported that the Oakland Raiders are in closing talks with none other than John Marshall for their defensive coordinator job.

First of all, words can't even begin to describe how amused I am at this. Marshall might've had his success as a defensive coach with the Seahawks a few years ago, but I don't even have to go into detail about how bad the same defense that allowed 15 TD passes in 2007 looked in 2008 with Marshall calling the shots.

All in all, further proof that Al Davis is losing his mind and the Seahawks know when to cut their losses. In other words, all is right in the world.

Good luck with this one, Al! And don't call up Jim Mora in the middle of the Week 4 game and yell about wanting a refund. We'll love to say "we told ya so" in case you forget. -END- Read More!

Salary Cap Troubles?

by: Chris Sullivan

A number of people are talking about the Seahawks' cap room this offseason being around $9 million, which should definitely concern us. I think that number might be off by a bit (Sando suggests that as of last week it was closer to $20 million), but it might not be. If we are really this low, then we most likely we have some tough cuts to make in addition to some contract restructuring. John Morgan at FieldGulls suggests that the prime candidates for being cut are Hasselbeck (will. not. happen.), Walter Jones (also won't happen--you don't cut a hall of famer outright, though there is a small chance-- 10% maybe--that Walt will renegotiate his contract. He was willing to help keep Hutch, don't forget).

Then there was Patrick Kerney, Julian Peterson (I believe both count about 9 million against the cap in 2009, though I haven't looked it up recently and can't at the moment), and Deon Grant. Any of these are possibilities, but I have to believe they are more likely to renegotiate than to be cut, especially since Mora helped bring Grant and Kerney onto the squad. Peterson would appear to outsiders as our most valuable guy (as the only Seahawk pro-bowler this year) but I think I am not alone in saying he may be our most expendable defender outside of the secondary.

If we go after Hill, I would be fine with the Seahawks trading Peterson if possible or cutting him if not, but I can't imagine cutting a pro bowl linebacker outright. That doesn't mean it can't happen, but its a tough pill to swallow. Brian Russell may see his cap hit decrease from a few million to zilch, but Ruskell has made it sound like he has a future here (then again, Ruskell has said the same thing about everyone else who he has ever cut). Barring any major roster moves, the Seahawks will simply be unable to pursue free agents heavily; they will be forced to focus on holding money out for our draft picks, who will cost considerably more than they have in recent years.

How do you think this will go? Any salary cap experts out there want to give it a go? ~END~ Read More!

Official NFL Combine Invitee List Announced

by: Chris Sullivan


You can check it out here. Who are you most excited to see? Thanks to Danny O'Neil for posting this.

Interesting Combine fact of the day? Central Washington University has as many invitees as the UW and WSU combined. Congratulations to TE Jared Bronson and QB Mike Reilly for the invites, both from CWU. The Huskies will be represented by their standout o-lineman Juan Garcia, and the Cougars will be represented by their sole Senior Bowl participant (who didn't actually participate due to an injured ankle) WR Brandon Gibson.

The Combine will be held from February 18th - 24th. I'll be busting my butt to cover it as best I can (my TiVo will be doing most of the heavy lifting), and I'll be doing my best to cover the others who are watching it. I know Sando will be there, and as always Rob Staton will have it covered from a Seahawks angle.

Tell me in the comments who you guys are watching for, and I'll do my best to keep up on them especially. ~END~ Read More!

Re-Assessing the Cardinals

by: Chris Sullivan

How is it that we appear to have gotten it so wrong on the Cardinals this year? It seems pretty clear that they were a good team -- though, I resist calling them great, as they still finished the season 6-8 in non-division matchups. Thinking back to the beginning of the year when we arrogantly wrote them off, I think these are the areas where they most surprised me.

• Kurt Warner -- no one could have expected this sort of year from Warner, though perhaps that is why we should have expected it. Warner has been written off since before he was even in the league and everytime he was counted out he bounced back and made success where there was none prior. He had an excellent year with three excellent targets, and should be commended for it.
• Larry Fitzgerald -- We knew he was good, but no one knew he would be so great. He turned it on once Boldin suffered his injury and, as went Fitzgerald, so went the Cardinals. While Warner was good, he didn't always have to be with Fitzgerald receiving. Warner would heave the ball in his direction and time after time after time Fitzgerald pulled in a circus catch for a TD or first down.
• Cardinals Defense -- While they weren't great, they were decent. That's all they had to be to get through the NFC West, and upon reaching the playoffs they tightened up and played with a lot of heart.
• Coaches -- This is how the Cardinals won in the playoffs. They came into games as the underdog four weeks in a row and won three of the four games. They outcoached the Falcons, the Panthers and the Eagles (most incredibly the Panthers). Credit to the players who understood and implemented the game plans perfectly, and credit to Whisenhunt and his coordinators (especially on the defensive side of the ball) for coming up with the plans. Their half-time adjustments yesterday almost did the trick against a team that throughout the season looked vastly superior but were made to appear equal yesterday.

Where does this leave the Cardinals for 2009? No one knows. They will likely lose a few coaches and a number of players, but they will also gain some. Terrell Suggs has reportedly expressed interest, and I'm sure others will before Free Agency starts on the 27th. What do you guys think of the Cardinals' chances this year in the NFC West? Will this be the year that there is finally real competition in the division again? I see the Seahawks, Cardinals and 49ers all being competitive this year, assuming things go alright in the offseason for each team. Read More!

Chris Gray is Courageous

by: Chris Sullivan

At least, that's the implication I got upon reading that recently retired Seahawk Chris Gray was awarded the Ed Block Courage Award. The award is given to a player on each NFL team who best exemplify strength and courage.

Other NFC West winners were Gabriel Watson (Arizona), Orlando Pace (St Louis) and Manny Lawson (San Fransisco). Other notable recipients (to Hawk fans) are Joe Jurevicius and Marquand Manuel. Former Husky Damon Huard was awarded Kansas City's Ed Block award. Congrats to them all and especially to Gray. The complete list is available here, if you're curious. Read More!

02/01/2008 - The End of an Error

by: Chris Sullivan 

Well, however you feel about the results of the game, this much is true: The 2008-2009 NFL Football Season is over. That means that the 2008-2009 Seattle Seahawks football season is over. It was a catastrophe from start to finish (more or less), but I think in the end this year could be very good for our Boys in Blue. 

Seeing the Cardinals play well in the biggest game of all should give the Seahawks the extra motivation they need to play on the level that they should be playing at. No more wasted efforts, no more giving up, no more copping out, no more anything but playing hard and winning. No more. 

We now walk into the most exciting part of the season -- at least, the most exciting if your team flippin' stunk up the joint like ours did last year. We'll be doing our best to cover Free Agency in the coming days and weeks, followed by the NFL Combine and ultimately the Draft. There is a lot to be excited by as we move from the end of the season to the beginning of a new one, and honestly, getting to this day has been my goal since mid-November. 

Feel free to make this an R-Rated post guys, but be civil. We're all Seahawks fans, and we're all Football fans. It doesn't matter who you wanted to win or lose the Super Bowl, if you were for the Cards -- most of you were -- I feel for ya. If you were for the Steelers, I feel for ya -- it's not fun to root for the Evil Empire. But remember, the reason we're here is that we are all SEAHAWK fans, and in 2009 we have a NEW team, a NEW coach, and NEW expectations for your Seattle Seahawks... Super Bowl XLIV or bust... we can call it "X-Live" if we wanna seem hip. 

GO SEAHAWKS! And thank you to every single one of your readers, you make this hobby a lot of fun and have made me personally a better and more informed fan. Michael Steffes founded this blog one year ago tomorrow, and I think we all thank him for that. FOOTBALL ROCKS!

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BillT's Quick Take

by: William P. Tomisser

I thought the Pittsburgh offensive line should have been given the game ball. All day long they gave Ben Roethlisberger time to stand tall in the pocket and find his receivers. Conversely, the Arizona offensive line couldn't keep the Pittsburgh pass rush off Warner and consequently took Arizona's superior receivers out of the game because he didn't have the time to find them or let plays develop.

Like three years ago, the penalties mounted up on the Cards while the Steelers were assessed 100 yards less in that department. Unbelievable.

I'm going to throw this up so we have somewhere to post our discussion of the game. Vent away or whatever.

Hasta,

BillT

END Read More!

Pre-Game Show Quote of the Day

by: Mike Parker

(Describing the feeling of being doused with a jug of Gatorade:)

"It's sticky. Really sticky. But a good sticky."

-Mike Holmgren




-END-
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An interesting history of the Cardinal-Steelers

by: Chris Sullivan

Here's one I had not heard before, but Sando linked today...

In 1944, the Cardinals and the Steelers merged for one season due to their teams being depleted during World War II. They were no good at all, they actually pulled a Detr0it that season, but it was an interesting tale. Here's an excerpt:

History called this merger the Card-Pitt combine. But this winless, luckless group of military rejects was commonly called a name that sounded like "carpets" because, in the published words of one disgruntled fan, every other team in the league "walked all over them.

Anyway, there's not a ton to the story that wouldn't just be copy-and-pasted, so read it for yourself if you're interested. I myself found it quite intriguing and well worth the read. Read More!

Super Bowl Sunday

by: Chris Sullivan

Well guys, the day is finally upon us. Super Bowl XLIII in beautiful Tampa, Florida pitting the Seattle Seahawks against the 18-1 New England Patriots!

Oh wait.

Right right, it's the Tardinals vs. the Stealers, sure to be a phenomenal battle for the the title of "Most Hated Team Other Than the Raiders to Seahawks Fans." And the world championship, but y'know, whatever.

The Seahawk Addicts faithful definitely favor the Cardinals in this one, though I just can't get behind that. I don't really favor the Steelers either, but I can't route for the Cards. I tried to... but I can't. I would like the SB Losers curse to give us an extra kick next year towards beating their bird butts into the ground.

Either way, I'm hoping for a good game and FAIR officiating. That's really all that matters... the key things I'll be watching, feel free to add your own...

• Can Ike Taylor control Larry Fitzgerald? Can anyone?
• Can Kurt Warner handle the pressure well? I am certain the Steelers will be bringing the heat, if Warner can stay focused the Cards have a good chance of winning.
  
• How many times will Cris Collinsworth complement Fitzgerald's hands? I'm guessing five.
  
• Will Ben Roethlisberger compete with himself for lowest QB Rating in a Super Bowl? He's got to beat 22.3, I believe. Could be tough...
• How important is Boldin in this game? The Cards have a couple of reasons to focus on him: 1) if they want to trade him, a Super Bowl MVP tag really increases a player's value [cough cough Branch cough]; 2) the Steelers game plan is most likely Fitzgerald-centric... if Boldin becomes the center of the offense for the first two quarters, Fitz could potentially turn it on once they shake their gameplan a bit at the half.

Finally, do you guys want a chat room for the game today? Lemme know. I for one will not be around to chat in it, and I imagine a lot of you won't be either, but I'm happy to toss it up if you'd like. Read More!