Link from Sando's Blog:

2010 YAC Allowed (per reception)

The simple answer for me here is to point to the one or two screen passes that go for big yardage every game.  I'm at a loss as to why the team still has not adjusted to better defend against that particular play.  I had spent the last 4 years getting used to Leroy Hill blowing up screen plays in the backfield.  With him gone it seems we can't stop anyone from succeeding with it, but it cannot just be a personnel problem, right?

Of course bad tackling by the secondary on downfield pass plays doesn't help either.

Here is a link to all the team's transactions in 2010 on Seahawks.com:

http://www.seahawks.com/team/transactions.html

Pulling certain players from that page, here is my perspective on how they affect winning today vs. winning in the future.

Signed/Traded For:

Mike Williams (BMW): Win today, win tomorrow, win forever.

Ben Hamilton/Chester Pitts: Stop-gap today, no future.

Lawyer Milloy: Win today, while mentoring young defensive backs for tomorrow.

Chris Clemons: Surprising contributions, surprising health. 29 years old.  Debatable future.

Brandon Stokley: Immediate Contributor.  No long-term future.

Kentwan Balmer: Strongside DE today because of Red Bryant's injury.  Could be part of long term rotation.

Marshawn Lynch: Please give him more time with a healthy Okung...  YPC went way up yesterday.  Fumbles as well.  Better backfield partner with Force than Julius Jones.

Charlie Whitehurst: In my opinion, no.  Not given enough time as of yet to prove either way.

Released/Traded Away:

Josh Wilson: Would have been better today, but trade paved way for Thurmond III playing time.

Rob Sims: Not seen as pure "ZBS" fit.  Major loss in lieu of abandonment of pure "ZBS."  Major loss regardless.

Kevin Vickerson: Confusing.  How is Guitar God Craig Terrill better today or tomorrow?

Lendale White: No.

Seneca Wallace: Replacement level today.  Nothing more, nothing less.

Darryl Tapp: Not a Leo(per se) and not big enough for strongside.  Right guy, wrong scheme.

Deon Grant: Too small for SS, too slow for FS.

Draft:

Russell Okung: Right GD Now.  Stay healthy for 10 years please.

Earl Thomas: Start Immediately.  Make rookie mistakes.  10+ years.

Golden Tate: Spot duty.  Needs to take his lumps and grow.

Walter Thurmond III: Amoeba, Bandit, crazy dime package participant. Larry Fitzgerald's nemesis.  What a great gamble and potential success.

Etc, etc, etc. 

This is obviously just a sampling.  250+ transactions, many with the same players over and again, is astronomical.  My point here is to say, on the grand scale, that I have faith in this Front Office based upon their talent evaluation and willingness to take risks on players.  Many of these players are part of the solution beyond this year and next.  If you were to put Seattle on the spectrum of win now on one end and full rebuild at the other, they would fall somewhere in the middle.  The risk of being in the middle?  Mediocrity now to be followed by mediocrity later.  The hope?  Mediocrity now that maintains suppressed excitement among the fan base followed by success.

Sam Presti took the Seattle Sonics(sorry to bring them up) and gutted the team.  They stockpiled top draft picks, took some great players, and suffered through a couple years of bad play.  Their patience has been rewarded and they will be great for years.  Maybe the Seahawks should have done that, like so many here want.  It doesn't always work.  Many cities do not have the patience to endure the few years of bottom-dwelling.  OKC was the perfect fit because it matched a complete rebuild with a brand new city coveting a major team regardless.

There are several ways to skin the cat, and based upon team performance, must be adjusted just like a team would adjust at halftime.  Forgive my optimism, but I like what I see.

Sea!  

There are good arguments for each being the starter Week 3.  What is the measuring stick used?  I see it, in no particular order of importance, as being:

-Accuracy

-Arm Strength

-Mobility

-Leadership

-Durability

-Decision Making

-Intangibles?  Other Catch Words?  Dirt Bag-ness?

I'm interested in seeing where Field Gulls comes out on this issue.  We've heard from the vocal few for the past week.  I'd like to see a larger sampling of opinions.

Raise your hand if, back in May, you had Mike Williams and/or Deion Branch sitting atop the depth chart heading into early September.  Branch has always been a known entity- unrealized potential and injured too often.  Watching Saturday's game on NFL Network's tape delay was encouraging*.  I did not have a chance to DVR the game but the highlight package on Seahawks.com contains two plays that stood out in my mind.

 Watch Highlights Here.

 2:38 Mark- Seahawks are lined up in an offset I with the FB positioned left and Carlson next to Locklear.  At the snap Hasslebeck gives a half-hearted play action motion to the RB, who with the FB immediately runs at Jared Allen for a backfield double team.  Wrotto turns inside which effectively creates a 5-on-3 situation for Seattle's line against the Williams Wall and Ray Edwards.  MAX PROTECT.  Both Wideouts and Carlson run vertical patterns.  Deion Branch runs 4 yards, gives a step toward the right sideline for a quick out, then crosses back over(sans basketball) which leaves Antoine Winfield stumbling with broken ankles.  John Carlson runs right past LB Chad Greenway who was momentarily frozen by the play action.  Carlson then angles in on a post route.  BMW on the left does not gain separation but occupies both the corner and safety on his side.  With Carlson and Branch both beyond the right corner and all LB's, the safety must choose between them.  He chooses Carlson and Hasslebeck hits Branch in stride 20 yards downfield.  Branch has room to run for 20 more before the Vikings close in.

 Why did this play look so easy?  The Viking LB's were encased in cement for some reason, and I refuse to believe it was all because of the play action.  Branch made Winfield look bad and the pass pro was adequate.  Matt's throw was closer to 30 yards from his drop, and it appears he has just enough left in the tank for mid-range passing.  The were significant holes in the Vikings cover 2 on this play.

3:26 Mark- Seattle runs another play action with both backfield mates again running at Jared Allen for pass pro.  The formation was in tight with the receivers stacked on the right side and Carlson close in on the left.  The Vikings LB's this time drop much quicker into the 2nd level but Williams is able to find a hole over them but underneath the safetys on a crossing route.  Hasslebeck hits him on his left hip, which BMW catches easily and in the same second plants and redirects in front of a Viking with too much momemtum carrying him the opposite direction. ATHLETICISM.  Williams jukes another defender towards the left sideline and then powers for 5 more yards with 3 of them wrapped around him.  Once again, max protect with enough time, receivers fast enough to get beyond the LB's, and Hasslebeck with great precision and just enough zip to sling it downfield.  

John was right.  Williams might be the sleeper of the year.  Welcome back vertical passing game.  We missed you. 

*The NFL Network broadcast was by the Viking commentators.  Their color analyst was fairly bland and couldn't praise Antoine Winfield enough.  Apparently Winfield is one of the best corners in the league and is the toughest pound for pound.  I do not entirely disagree, but those accolades did not stop Hasslebeck from targeting Housh for a 10 yard curl route in front of Winfield, followed by Branch's absolute destruction.  Just sayin'.

Morning all. Colin Cowherd of ESPN Radio just opened his show talking up the Seahawks.  He says it's hard to grade the draft on its own too early because you never know which late-rounders will make the final roster.  Apparently the Texans have had the most draft picks from the last 2-3 years make the roster.  No one ever gave them high draft grades though.  Here's Cowherd's take. My comments in Italics

While the Seahawks' draft, especially Day 1, was great addressing in needs with the best available "safe" talent, Colin also factors in other offseason happenings.

He claims Housh is worth 16 game starts and 70 caught balls.  Easily the best signing of the offseason for any team.  Fits the system like a reborn Bobby Engram

Hasselbeck, worth 7 starts last year, easily doubles that number this year.

Curry is worth 16 starts.  How many starts did we lose off the linebacking corps last year?  A few from Tats?

Unger is worth 16 starts. This one might be a stretch, only happens if Spencer or one of the guards has regressed that much.  One possible scenario, left to right- Walt, Unger, Spencer, Sims, Locklear.  That leaves Willis, Wahle and Wrotto as primary backups.  Thank you Lord.  Anything to see Vallos not play another snap off the practice squad.

In Cowherd's mind, he sees at leat 50-57 starts we lost last year to injury being replaced.  He gives 4 other teams "A's" based on offseason signings and draft picks.  The Bears, Eagles, Browns, and Falcons.  Good take in my opinion.  The Eagles adding Peters, Hobbs, and two major rookie offensive weapons certainly grades high.  No mention of our Denver 1st rounder next year.

Taken from Yahoo Sports.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)—Super Bowl star Plaxico Burress was suspended for one game by the New York Giants on Wednesday for an undisclosed violation of team rules.

General manager Jerry Reese and coach Tom Coughlin informed Burress of the suspension Wednesday morning before the team held a bye-week practice.

The suspension takes effect immediately, meaning Burress will miss the Giants (3-0) game against the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 5.

Burress will be allowed to return to team activities the following day.

This bodes very well for the Hawks.  The only thing slower than Brian Russell is Amani Toomer.  Are things beginning to look positive for a change?

Update by John Morgan: Typically, I argue not to overstate the value of one player. Great teams make stars, but stars do not make great teams. Plaxico Burress is an exception. Not just because he's so much better than the Giants other receivers, but because he's perfectly matched for Eli Manning's abilities and inabilities. In 2007, Burress accounted for 139 DYAR. Manning, -70. While that could be a function of Burress' position, scouting data backs up the numbers. Manning is notorious for his overthrows and the 6'5" and exceptionally rangy Burress was the perfect foil for Manning's inaccuracy. Well, nearly. Burress receives a lot of wild passes "targeting" him, and as such has hovered around a 50% completion percentage in his three years with New York.

In the past three season, Burress has missed one game. In 2006, against the Houston Texans, Eli Manning, including sacks, attempted 30 passes for an adjusted net yards per attempt of 4.43. That season, Manning and the Texans opponents averaged 5.6 adjusted net yards per attempt. What production Manning had that day came through his tight end and running backs. The wide receivers combined for five receptions for 52 yards. The only remaining wide receiver from that group of Mike Jennings, Tim Carter and Amani Toomer is Toomer. Toomer suffered worst of all, targeted four times, for an interception, an incomplete and two receptions for 16 yards. Toomer is now 34, and tore his ACL in 2006. Toomer is also now New York's nominative number one receiver.

Toomer and Burress have accounted for 55% of Manning's passing yards in 2008. The team doesn't "lose" Burress' production as some would imply, but that doesn't example how dependent on his top two wideouts Manning is. With the loss of Burress, Toomer will presumably shift into the number one receiver spot on the right, and Steve Smith will move into Toomer's spot on the left. The 5'11" but fast Smith is a better physical matchup for Kelly Jennings (or Josh Wilson) than the 6'3", slow but physical Toomer. With Marcus Trufant more than able to shut down Toomer, the Giants will need to emphasize their run game. Brandon Jacobs, fast for a big man, but slow and inagile for a running back, is the type of bruiser Seattle's fast, gang tackling and aggressive front seven feasts on. Needless to say, the loss of Burress creates a cascade that weakens the Giants offense and improves Seattle's matchups. It doesn't, however, weaken New York's still dominant defense. Seattle must manage to sustain drives and protect Matt Hasselbeck or risk losing a defensive-led bloodbath.

As taken from Seahawks.com

Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu has released the following comments regarding the events of this past weeked.

"I want to apologize to my family, teammates, the Seahawks ownership and organization, and the fans for making a poor decision and putting myself in a bad situation. I take seriously my role as a leader on this team, and in the community, and because of that I'm disappointed and embarrassed by the level of poor judgment I used last weekend. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. This will never happen again, and I hope through hard work on and off the field to begin earning your respect and trust again."

I believe this may end up having a positive effect on the entire team.  Lofa knows he is in the doghouse with the coaching staff, management, and especially the fans.  I bet he's really ashamed of himself right now.  What better way to put this behind him than to redouble his efforts and put even more focus into football.

I'm almost hoping he has to miss a game for this.  This is a serious problem, and we cannot have public figures and role models for young athletes going out and making these kind of mistakes.  I would like to see Lofa talking to children about the dangers of drinking and driving in the future.  A single game suspension would send a clear signal as to the gravity of his mistake. 

Maybe D.D. can have one start this season...