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Ballistic Bob
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TheLionKing wrote:Took in a bit of the Cleveland Washington game last night. Self proclaimed Johnny Football was aweful (so was Hoyer). Fans must have gotten to Manziel and he saluted them with the middle finger leaving the field. Real classy move. Still have a ton of maturing to do.
It was the Washington bench. Im wondering why sports announcers call it the "Bird" then. Thnx BB
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I'm sure other teams will be harassing Johnny Football to throw him off his game.
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notahomer
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The NFL network has a new show debuting in October that I think will show the other side of preseason. IIRC, the show is called UNDRAFTED

It will highlight the work and breaks and process of players who WERE NOT drafted by an NFL team. Admitedly some NFL teams have a small number of possible projects that they feel comfortable NOT DRAFTING simply because they feel OTHER TEAMS may not know of the player or he fits into their scheme.

One of the suppossed strengths of the Seattle Seahawks has been the later rounds of drafting and even UNDRAFTED players.

I am definately going to try and watch this show simply because I get the impression it will show not only the process of making an NFL team (or NOT making it) from the perspective of an undrafted player but the regular life aspects that come up with all of that too. For e.g. in a short clip showcasing the show UNDRAFTED this undrafted player went through his morning routine, did some community outreach/public speaking, hit the weight room and then met his wife where they found out they'll soon be the proud parents of a baby girl. IOW, from my perspective, a lot more interesting than whether or not Johnny Football should or should not have spent a weekend in VEGAS. Not putting Manziel down, it just seems to be more intersting to me to watch this players story. I can see Manziels on every other network, even ones not covering football.....
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Oh, sorry. Looks like I double-posted. See next post.
Last edited by South Pender on Wed Aug 20, 2014 5:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Interesting article about Robert Turbin, the Seahawks' backup to Beast Mode the last two years. The thinking going into this season was that Christine Michael, the 'Hawks' 2nd-round pick in 2013, would supplant Turbin behind Lynch. Michael is very very good, but so far Turbin has looked just a bit better and may have solidified his No. 2 spot. For me, the most interesting part of the story is the childhood obstacles Turbin had to overcome to make it as a football player. You'll see more detail on that in the second link below; I found it touching.

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/201408 ... /140829948

http://www.fieldgulls.com/2012/5/15/301 ... rbin-draft
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An interesting piece on the contrast in styles and values between Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh (but written by a Seahawks blogger, so factor that into your reading of it!):

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2169 ... ld-as-well
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One thing I just discovered is how the NFL teams use the preseason games, and, in particular, the last 2 of the 4 games. It appears that the 3rd preseason game is considered a dress-rehearsal for the regular season, and features quite a bit of playing time for the starters. Evidently, teams use the 4th and last game almost entirely to look at backups and guys on the bubble, with the starters seeing almost no playing time. I guess this makes sense since teams have to cut their rosters from 75 (I think) after Game 3 to their final 53 after the last game. The initial cut from 90 to 75 happens, I believe, after Game 3.

So, tomorrow night's Seahawks-Bears game (in Seattle) might be worth watching. (I don't usually watch preseason games, but this one might be worth it.) One big question will be how well the Legion of Boom handle the Bears' really topnotch set of receivers--Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, and now Santonio Holmes, not to mention their really imposing TE, Marcellus Bennett or their excellent pass-catching tailback, Matt Forte. With a gunslinger like Jay Cutler at the controls executing Marc Trestman's offense, the Bears should be awesome offensively in 2014. The only question will be--as it was last season--on defense. The Bears look very good to me, and their goal will be to finally beat the Packers and take the NFC-North title. Meanwhile, we'll get a glimpse of the Seahawks' offense with Percy Harvin as the No. 1 receiver and the possibility of both Harvin and rookie speedster Paul Richardson (2nd round from Colorado) on the field at the same time (maybe).

The lingering question for the Seahawks is their O-line. It was their weak link in 2013, and not much looks different heading into 2014. The word from camp is that James Carpenter is looking good at LG, having slimmed down to a svelte 321 lbs. and that J.R. Sweezy is looking good at RG. Right tackle is a big question mark, with the departure of Breno Giacomini, and two guys are fighting it out for the starting RT position--one, their 2nd-round draft pick Justin Britt (from Mizzou) and the other, veteran Eric Winston. Another question, I guess, will be whether the 'Hawks lost anything significant on defense with the departures of D-linemen Red Bryant and Chris Clemons. The linebackers and secondary are back intact, but the D-line has been changed some. With the acquisition of Kevin Williams from the Vikings, I don't see much, if any, drop-off against the run, but you never know. The Seahawks are looking at 3 or 4 guys for the Leo (9-tech) position formerly manned by Clemons.

Edit: For those of you who are really into the Seahawks, here's a follow-up to my earlier comments about the changes to the D-line. Just ran across it. Marsh, Schofield, and Mayowa are the guys I was referring to as being looked at for the Leo position, although behind Avril. I think we can expect the Seahawks to keep 8-9 D-linemen to rotate through their base 4-3 and keep the big guys fresh. What a luxury, eh! Our poor Lions are lucky to have a 6-man rotation.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/2014 ... 26073101=0
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From around the NFL on a Friday morning:

Report: Johnny Manziel fined $12,000 for flashing middle finger
Posted by Mike Wilkening on August 22, 2014, 11:52 AM EDT

Johnny Manziel’s Monday night middle finger didn’t go unnoticed — or unpunished — by the league office.

The NFL docked Manziel $12,000 for his gesture in the third quarter of Monday’s game at Washington, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday. The hand signal was caught by the ESPN cameras and went viral in a snap.

Manziel can appeal to have the fine reduced, as it is more than 25 percent of his weekly salary of $24,075.

Here’s the applicable language in the CBA between the NFL and NFLPA regarding fine reduction appeals:

“On appeal, a player may assert, among other defenses, that any fine should be reduced because it is excessive when compared to the player’s expected earnings for the season in question. However, a fine may be reduced on this basis only if it exceeds 25 percent of one week of a player’s salary for a first offense, and 50 percent of one week of a player’s salary for a second offense.”

Manziel will enter the regular season as the Browns’ backup quarterback after Brian Hoyer was named the club’s starter earlier this week.
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Looks as if Johnny Football will be holding a clipboard for a while. But Brian Hoyer is no world-beater...so we may see the obnoxious one sooner rather than later.
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Here's a short video with Peter King of SI giving his 5 observations about the 2014 Seahawks from watching them practice:

http://mmqb.si.com/2014/08/21/five-thin ... -seahawks/

Interesting that he thinks that the new "points of emphasis" from the officials (crackdown on contact by the secondary on receivers beyond the 5-yard point) will be a problem for the Seahawks. The members of that secondary have said that they don't think it will affect their play, but Peter King sees it differently. Time will tell.
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And in advance of tonight's preseason game with the Bears, here are the opinions of three writers on what to watch for from the Seahawks tonight:

1. From John Boyle of the Everett Herald: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/201408 ... /140829650

2. From Brett Cihon of Fox Sports: http://q13fox.com/2014/08/21/5-things-t ... s-matchup/

3. From Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times: http://seattletimes.com/html/seahawks/2 ... 22xml.html
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notahomer
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Well thanks for another week of solid preNFL info, South P.

IMO, and I haven't watched much pre-season, the 'point of emphasis' will impact the Seahawks and a lot of other secondaries too. Once November/December come around, is it going to still be called that way and/or will it impact JUST THE SEAHAWKS? IMO, NO to both. Other teams will get nailed too.

WHAT I WANT IS THIS TO BE CALLED ON THE OFFENCE TOO. Yes, there is hand-fighting etc... But so much of the PHYSICAL play of your Boldins and Megatrons should be called too. Or do what they probably want the Zebras to do, just leave things alone. I'm all for player safety but put too many restrictions on defence, it becomes too easy, IMO. I know offence is suppossed to sell tickets but COME ON MAN (wait thats a lame MNF reference, sorry :cool: ). Seriously though, start calling things as the rulebook says to and that'll mean a lot more offensive flags too (holding, INT grounding, Offensive PI etc...).

Just my :2cents:
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notahomer wrote:WHAT I WANT IS THIS TO BE CALLED ON THE OFFENCE TOO. Yes, there is hand-fighting etc... But so much of the PHYSICAL play of your Boldins and Megatrons should be called too. Or do what they probably want the Zebras to do, just leave things alone. I'm all for player safety but put too many restrictions on defence, it becomes too easy, IMO. I know offence is suppossed to sell tickets but COME ON MAN (wait thats a lame MNF reference, sorry :cool: ). Seriously though, start calling things as the rulebook says to and that'll mean a lot more offensive flags too (holding, INT grounding, Offensive PI etc...).
Well, the refs may have been listening to you, nota, in last night's Seahawks-Bears game. There were at least two calls on the offense (one on each team) that I thought were marginal. One was an offensive pass interference call against one of the Bears' big receivers, Marshall or Jeffery (I can't remember which of the two), that, on replay, looked very close and maybe unwarranted. The other was on the Seahawks' rookie right tackle, Justin Britt, for rolling up on a guy he blocked. That one really looked unwarranted, but, evidently, that's another "point of emphasis" re the officiating--rolling up on a guy once you've blocked him. In the replay, it just looked like a good block that Britt finished, with no intention of hurting the guy he blocked. With more stringent blocking rules, it may all even out (between D and O) in the end. Time (and the regular season) will tell. (Actually the follow-up explanation of the penalty against Britt reminded me--and I had to smile--of the way that Rob Murphy used to maul the guys he blocked for our Lions!)
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Who are the NFL's best fans? Nope, not the Seahawks' fabled 12s! They're only ranked 9th best in a Forbes survey. Best? Green Bay Packers fans (no real surprise there). Here's the story. You might disagree with the criteria used in this survey (and, let's face it, all lists like this are based on criteria that we may disagree with).

http://www.forbes.com/sites/christinase ... st-fans-2/
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South Pender wrote:Who are the NFL's best fans? Nope, not the Seahawks' fabled 12s! They're only ranked 9th best in a Forbes survey. Best? Green Bay Packers fans (no real surprise there). Here's the story. You might disagree with the criteria used in this survey (and, let's face it, all lists like this are based on criteria that we may disagree with).

http://www.forbes.com/sites/christinase ... st-fans-2/
Thats what those TOP TEN shows on the NFl network are all about. Top 10 draft busts, Top 10 Elite QB's, Top 10 Dallas Cowboys etc... and lots of the chatter is how they (the shows producers) screwed up the rankings in somebodys opinion.

I think EVERY SINGLE professional team has its HARD CORE of fans. The Seahawks WERE blacking out games not that long ago. Does that mean their hard core fans are not fans? Heck NO, IMO. I'd like to see more recognizing of the hard cores of teams. For e.g. IS RIDER NATION amazing? Okay, maybe. What I find just as amazing, IMO, is how some fans stuck through an AWFUL decade of Tigercat football or a wretched couple of Eskimo years etc.... No question the Riderfans have been there when the wins were NOT plentiful too. I'm glad there are fans who stick up for their team regardless, or these so called great fanbases (RiderNation, SteelerNation etc...) would have a league for their beloved team to play in.

What is really nice for me, as a reserved Seahawk fan, is I don't have to listen to friends laugh about how the Seahawks have NEVER won the big one. THey have one Tiffany now, oops, sorry Lombardi :cool:
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Turned it off in the THIRD quarter but if that was a boxing match, the officials would have stopped the preseason matchup between DaBears and DaSeahawks. I like how the Seahawks look and hope they continue playing this kinda smashmouth football. It must be getting disheartening too. Long drive ends in missed field goal. Another long drive ends in a missnapped ball and Cutler throws an Int rather than throwing the ball away. Sorry to see Trestman get demolished in Seattle......
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OK. It's the dog days of August, with the start of the 2014 season more than a week away. So here's another list of the 10 greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time (ho-hum):

http://wallstcheatsheet.com/sports/the- ... 11/?ref=OB

And just for fun, here's another top-10 list, this time the top 10 quarterbacks currently playing (personally, I'd switch nos. 1 and 2):

http://fansided.com/2014/08/03/nfl-powe ... 2/#!bJvMzs
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Preseason injuries of note (so far).

Sam Bradford, Rams - out again for the season with ACL tear (on same knee as last year). This is a colossal blow to the Rams' offense for 2014. Looks as if 34-year-old Shaun Hill (career QB rating of 85.9) will take over, although I wouldn't be surprised to see the Rams trade for a QB.

B. J. Raji, Packers - out for season with biceps tear. Not a critical blow, but the Pack will miss the big nose tackle, I think. The Seahawks may be relieved not to see him in Game 1, but nobody likes to see injuries.

Also out for the season in Green Bay, TE Colt Lyerla (knee).
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Here's an interesting tidbit--a rating of the NFL coaches:

Pete Carroll Ranks High Among NFL Head Coaches

Mike Sando of ESPN.com polled 30 NFL insiders - a number that included current and former general managers, executives, coordinators, and position coaches - to provide a 1-5 rating of all 32 current NFL head coaches.

His findings have the Seahawks' Carroll as the second highest-rated coach behind New England Patriots front man Bill Belichick.

Sando writes: "Bill Belichick led the way with 28 votes in the first tier, followed by Pete Carroll (23) and Sean Payton (22). No one else commanded more than a dozen top-tier votes, drawing a clear line after these three coaches in the eyes of the 30 insiders."

Around the NFC West, San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh came in at No. 8, St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher at No. 11, and Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians at No. 13.
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I guess winning is the No. 1 factor in these rankings. All of the top 3 have won Super Bowls.
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And here's Peter King of SI who knows a thing or three about football on why the Seahawks won't repeat as Super Bowl Champions:

Why the NFL’s Best Team Won’t Win the Super Bowl
Despite Seattle being just as strong as it was in 2013—if not outright better—there’s one convincing reason it won’t lift the Lombardi again.

RENTON, Wash. — One after one, they fell out of the sky, these purrfect or near-purrfect throws downfield from Russell Wilson, always landing close to, or in the hands of, a sub-4.4 sprinter like Percy Harvin or wispy rookie Paul Richardson. I mean, always on target. Such beautiful deep balls, and isn’t Wilson supposed to be a system quarterback or game manager, or whatever negative connotation you can think of when you don’t want to acknowledge he’s a top 10 quarterback in the league after two seasons and one Lombardi Trophy?

“His ball’s so good it looks like it’s coming out of a JUGS machine,” Richard Sherman said.

There’s nothing not to like here. Maybe the offensive line, which worries the smart football people in the building. But nothing else. If the Seahawks stay relatively healthy, they should be favored to be the first team since the Patriots (2003, 2004) to repeat as champs.

But I’m not picking them. History is the reason. Stuff happens. It always does. And the game is justsoclose. Since New England’s second Super Bowl win a decade ago, and not including the ’13 Seahawks, this is the total playoff victories of the eight Super Bowl champions the following year:

Zero.

Of the 27 teams I witnessed in person this summer, Seattle’s the best I saw. But the reality of repeating is that it’s become the toughest thing to do in sports.

I can’t give away my pick here; it’ll be in Sports Illustrated this week, in the annual pro football preview. I feel good about the pick, but I also feel that, of the 27 teams I witnessed in person this summer (at 22 camps, four games and one joint practice session), Seattle’s the best I saw. Stubbornness is a good reason why one of the other 31 teams will be my call, but the reality of repeating is that it’s become the toughest thing to do in sports. Think of it: For eight straight years, the defending champ has either not made the playoffs or hasn’t gotten past its first playoff game.

By what I saw in camp with the ’Hawks last Monday, I just might be blissfully unaware. This team’s stacked. The biggest thing might be the health of Harvin, who is as dangerous a non-quarterback as there is in football. Watching him run around the field on a pristine August day in Seattle, you almost forget what a mess Harvin was last season, when his year was wrecked by a torn labrum in his hip that required surgery. He was never right until Super Bowl Sunday. Harvin sure looks right now.

“That was the big frustration,” Harvin said. “Not practicing one day, trying to practice the next day, not feeling right, sitting out a few days, maybe being 60 percent for a few days. Frustrating. This year, I’m flying all over the place. Totally different world.”

“Iron sharpens iron,” Richard Sherman said. “Him practicing against our defense, Russell practicing against our defense and working with Percy, I think we’re going to be improved.”

Pete Carroll hasn’t focused on the R word. “Teams not repeating—that’s not topical to us,” he told me. “I just asked them to have the best offseason of their lives and to come back ready. They have. It’s all about putting your work in to be better. Just get better. Practice better, study better, play better. Do we maintain the same kind of intensity we had last year? I think so. But you’ve got to have the right guys. Like, Russell pulls his receivers together today before a drill and says, ‘Guys, okay, this next drill, full speed, catch every ball, it’s important. Let’s get better.’ ’’

Hard for any team that won the Super Bowl by 35 points to look better the next year. But if Harvin plays every week—which is no lock, with his recent injury history—I could well be eating my prediction in five months. Which, as you know, will be nothing new.
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Maybe a safe prediction. After all, it's just damn tough to repeat in a 32-team league, and King is so right in saying "stuff happens." Like Russell Wilson going down for an extended period, or Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman injured and backups having to man the Legion of Boom. Of course the unpredictability of the game is one major factor in making it interesting. Maybe someone who reads Sports Illustrated this week can fill us in on Peter King's SB-winner prediction.
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NFL cuts have come, with more on the weekend. All teams are down to 75 men today (from 90) and must be down to their final 53 by Saturday. There have been a few mild surprises so far, but it will be really interesting come Saturday with the final cuts. These cuts will provide a few guys who can play with the opportunity to find a new team--one team's castoff may be another's missing piece of the puzzle. And those who don't catch on with another NFL team may be just what some CFL squads need at the moment. I'm expecting Wally to bring in a few NFL cuts--maybe more for 2015 than for this season.

As for the Seahawks, here are a few fearless predictions re their final roster:

1. Chris Matthews (6-5, 230), formerly of the Bombers and 2012 CFL rookie of the year won't make the final cut in Hawkville. He hasn't shone in TC or the preseason so far, and the Hawks are fairly deep at receiver. I'm disappointed about Matthews as I'd hoped he'd make the team and give them a big, strong red-zone presence. Where he goes from here is anyone's guess, and he could conceivably end up back in the 'peg. Our Lions might want to take a look at him, as I don't think he still officially belongs to the Bombers.

2. Terrelle Pryor will be cut (or put on IR or dealt with in some other way to keep him without having him on the roster). Again, I'll be disappointed if this comes to pass as I thought he'd be worth keeping, not necessarily as the backup QB (Tavaris Jackson is fine for that), but more to add an offensive dimension for the Seahawks. The guy is a bit of a freak of nature, and I'd really like to see OC Darrell Bevell design a few plays for his unique blend of super-speed (he's been clocked in the 4.3's) and size (6-6, 233). I hope he stays, but don't think he will.

3. Justin Britt (rookie out of Mizzou) will be penciled in as the No. 1 right tackle. He has looked good in the preseason and is picking up Tom Cable's O-line schemes well. Veteran Eric Winston will be kept as an experienced backup.

4. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Seahawks jump on (a) an O-lineman and (b) a D-lineman if a good one is released in the final cuts. The Hawks are a little shaky at the guard position, and they could use one more pure pass rusher.

Interestingly, most of the talk around Hawkville lately has been about Percy Harvin and what great shape he's in. The 12s have to hope he avoids injury (he's had his share of injuries). If he plays 16 games, the Seahawks' offense could be close to unstoppable (or at least closer in potency to their D than it was last year); the guy's a true game-changer.

More when the cuts come....
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Michael Sam survived the cuts today! A little surprised (but mayby not). Haven't seen him play but some commentators have stated he just hasn't looked that noteworthy. Coach Fisher knows what he's doing, I'm sure Sam will do just fine once the games go live......

Superbully Ritchie Incognito has been cleared by the NFL to restart his career. Probably will get a chance somewhere but the microscope will be on him, IMO. I hope for his sake he gets to showcase what he can do on the field and leave the behaviours that led to his wrist slap behind him. I'm not so sure he has or can. Before the report was released he (and his legal team) were claiming victory and that things were going to work out fine. Thankfully, things did not work out fine and I hope everyone can move on having learned from this.

Richard Sherman is the latest to co-star with his MOM on the chunky soup ads. I've only kinda seen his advertisement once (I was doing paperwork, shuffling forms/reciepts etc...) but when I realized it was a Seahawk I paid attention. Kinda mocks himself (self-deprecates?) with some comment about over-reacting etc... Always respect a person who can poke a little fun at oneself....
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