The Qwest for Flight | Yawkey's Seahawks Franchise

[Yawkey Way]

in that resources thread that is stickied.

[TheSanchize]

ah thanks man

[Yawkey Way]

Seattle Makes Roster Moves, Cuts down to 52

With the annual training camp first cuts deadline in less than an hour, we have learned of who Seattle has let go. On the offensive side of the ball, there was one more offensive lineman than needed. Unfortunately for Ray Willis, he was the odd man out. The 5th year man out of Florida State appeared in all 16 games last year for Seattle, and was primarily used at right tackle.

6th year veteran Craig Terrill of Purdue also got the axe, as he would not garner much playing time as the fourth defensive tackle in the rotation. Terrill recored 21 tackles and two sacks just a year ago for Seattle. Unfortunately, Terrill could not find his way into Jim Mora's rotation.

LOLB Lance Laury was the final man to be cut. With DE/OLB Nick Reed capable of playing both positions, Laury was not need as much backing up Aaron Curry. Laury is in his 4th season out of South Carolina, who's high point with Seattle came in 2007 when he recorded 19 tackles and forced a fumble.

[Archer]

This is starting to look really sexy

[Skins2K9]

tough game against the Chiefs

[Yawkey Way]

Reserves Look Surprisingly Sharp, End Preseason at 2-2

17
30

Seattle Seahawks Stats

Mike Teel 10-18 156yds 1TD, 1INT
Seneca Wallace 3-4 75yds TD

Louis Rankin 26car 101yds, TD
Cedric Peerman 12car 89yds

Deon Butler 2rec 108yds TD
Deon Branch 2rec 75yds TD
John Owens 2rec 30yds

Will Herring 4tkl, Sack
D.D Lewis 4tkl, Sack
Colin Cole 3tkl, Sack

[Yawkey Way]

Tough Final Cuts are Made

With the 2009 preseason wrapping up in Seattle yesterday, the club knew it had some tough choices to make. With Justin Forsett ready to join the club again as an active participant, there was an odd man out at the halfback position. Both Louis Rankin and Cedric Peerman showed they were capable runners, especially for the third spot. Unfortunately for one, it was the end of the road in Seattle and that one was Louis Rankin. The club loved what they saw out of Peerman, but acknowledged that Rankin played great when given the carries. Hopefully Rankin can latch on to another team quickly.

The final roster cut was known to be coming from the fullback position, the real question was who and why. The incumbent fullback Justin Griffith was the who and the why was simply because Owen Schmitt played better and was younger while being the cheaper alternative.
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Outlook for the 2009 Season
As a GM, you have to set certain goals heading into the season. For winning teams, your goal should be to win every game(Bill Polian) and win the Super Bowl. But there is also a realm of sanity that I intend to stick too, so winning the Super Bowl may not be a realistic goal. This is an "evaluation" year of sorts. We need to see what Matt Hasselbeck has left to offer us. There are two years left on his contract and we need a plan after this off-season.

There are also decisions to be made at the halfback and wide receiver positions. Hopefully, Justin Forsett can prove himself throughout the season giving us a reliable option moving forward. Barring a Julius Jones outbreak, we may need to address the RB position in this year's draft. T.J Houshmanzadeh is our star wideout, but after that who is their? Nate Burleson and Deion Branch cannot be relied upon, will Deon Butler be that guy? He's definitely shown there is a big play ability there this preseason, i'm encouraged with what i've seen.

On the defensive side of the ball, the front line looks strong and there looks to be depth for the future. Brandon Mebane is a force in the middle, and we have three defensive ends who are all valuable with only two spots to play them in. I like the David Hawthorne and Lofa Tatupu pairing up the middle, this team could definitely take a step towards implementing the 3-4 style defense. This season may be rough at times, but it's all about dealing with adversity and improving the youth for the future.

[Yawkey Way]

2009 SCHEDULE

NFC WEST games in BOLD
All Times Pacific Standard Time

[Yawkey Way]

Heading into the opening week of the 2009 season, fans are treated to possibly the most boring matchup of the day. The St. Louis Rams are well, bad. The Seahawks are above bad but below average. There is a lot of question marks as to how good(or bad) the Seahawks really will be this season.

St. Louis Players to Watch
No, this isn't a paradox, there are actually a few players on the Rams roster to watch. Obviously, starting HB Stephen Jackson is one of the best all around backs in the league and he's been doing it on a below average team his entire career. The Seahawk run defense has looked dicey in their first four preseason games, so maybe Jackson can win some fantasy owners their opening week games. I'll also be interested to watch WR Donnie Avery. If Keith Null or Marc Bulger can get him the ball, Avery can do some special things in open space.

Seattle Seahawks Players to Watch
Matt Hasselbeck has had his ups and downs in Seattle. The downs have been more profound than the ups recently, but 2009 is a chance for Matt to redeem himself to the Seahawk faithful. I will also like to see how Aaron Curry responds in his first NFL game. Curry was the Seahawks top draft pick, and brings uncapped potential to the linebacking core in this Seattle defense. Curry will need to plug the gaps and not allow Stephen Jackson to break outside in the runge game.

Prediction
Seattle Seahawks 24
St.Louis Rams 20

[TheSanchize]

Should be a good if boring game...good luck

[Yawkey Way]

Seahawks Mount 4th Quarter Game Winning Drive, Escape Rams

18 25

Washington As long as you win, it doesn't really matter how you do it. Those were week one words to live by for the Seahawks, who narrowly escaped a loss to the St. Louis Rams. John Carlson left his mark early on in the second quarter of this one, reeling in a 16 yard touchdown pass. Carlson hopes to emerge as Matt Hasselbeck's 2nd target as the year progresses. Seattle went into halftime up 14-3, looking as if they would hold onto a comfortable lead throughout the second half.

Marc Bulger was not informed of Seattle's plan, and made a mockery of Marcus Trufant in the process. Donnie Avery reeled in 70 and 81 yard touchdown receptions from Bulger, who was letting it fly often. Normally, the Rams would have been caught in a pickle without the running game of Stephen Jackson who was bottled up for most of the day. Bulger reminded everyone that he still had some of that talent from back in the Mike Martz regime.

Down 18-17 with 4:30 left to go in the game, Matt Hasselbeck took over on his own 20. An array of short passes and then a big breaker by Nate Burleson put the 'Hawks on the 1 yard line with 1:52 left to play. Hasselbeck went with the playaction fake to Julius Jones and wheeled off right tackle on a naked bootleg. Deon Butler was left all alone in the flat, and Hasselbeck had no problems hitting him for the go ahead touchdown. John Carlson caught the two point conversion. St. Louis made it interesting, driving down to the 15 yard line but a botched 4th down scramble by Marc Bulger came up one yard short of the markers and the game was Seattle's.

Team Statistics

QB
Marc Bulger 17-32 | 323yds | 2TD

HB
Steven Jackson 15att | 32yds

WR
Steven Jackson 4rec | 19yds
Donnie Avery 3rec | 178yds | 2TD
Danny Amendola 2rec | 49yds

DEF
James Laurinitis 6tkl
Paris Lenon 6tkl
James Butler 4tkl | 4ast | 1tfl

Team Statistics

QB
Matt Hasselbeck 23-33 | 289yds | 2TD

HB
Julius Jones 21car | 42yds | TD
Justin Forsett 5car | 11yds

WR
John Carlson 8rec | 86yds | TD
Deon Butler 4rec | 33yds | TD
Nate Burleson 3rec | 81yds

DEF
Lofa Tatupu 4tkl | 2ast
Leroy Hill 4tkl | 2ast | 1tfl
Aaron Curry 3tkl | sack

[Yawkey Way]

Although the season is already underway, there is already a chance to turn a partial bit of attention to the upcoming off-season. More precisely, the draft. As a General Manager, it is my job to pinpoint the most needy positions on the team and do the best possible job at strengthening them.

Problem Areas.

-QB
-HB
-Oline
-Defensive Depth

Matt Hasselbeck is a good player, don't get me wrong, but he's old. There are two years left on his contract, so ideally we would want to get a QB for the future in here this off-season so he has a year under Hasselbeck. Justin Forsett is a young guy, but there are questions whether he can hold up a full season. I see Forsett as more of a change of pace guy, which would make us target a bigger more bruising style back. Julius Jones is just not the answer. The offensive line is what baffles me the most. Obviously Walter Jones is most talented, but age is a factor with him. We have younger guys with potential at each position, but it's very hard to gauge whether they are in fact offensive lineman of the future. Here are some guys we will be taking a close look at.

QB

Both Tim Tebow and Jimmy Clausen are guys we will take a hard look at. Tim Tebow you ask, why would he fit in with Seattle. Well Jim Mora likes to run a west coast offense and Tim Tebow is more accurate than strong when it comes to his arm. Clausen is the more NFL ready QB, coming out of Notre Dame under the tutelage of Charlie Weis. There will be more to come on these two as we gather more scouting reports.

HB

At HB, it is also a touchy position. Ben Tate, Keith Toston, and Keiland Williams are all halfbacks we plan to look at. They are stronger style runners who can take a beating and offset Justin Forsett perfectly.

Other players of Interest

-Mike Williams WR, Syracuse
- Danarrio Alexander WR, Missouri
- Jordan Shipley WR, Texas
- Sergio Render LG, Vtech
- Brandon Carter RG, TTU
- Dace Richardson RG, Iowa
- Brandon Sharpe LE, TTU
- FS Taylor Mays, USC
- Van Eskridge FS, ECU
- Sergio Kindle RE, Texas
- Colt McCoy QB, Texas
- Montario Hardesty HB, Tenn
- C.J Spiller HB, Clemson

The DT class is also very strong, this will be a tough draft.

[Yawkey Way]

Division rivalries at it's finest. The 1-0 Seattle Seahawks travel to San Francisco to take on the 0-1 49ers. I know it's early, but there is always divisional implications on the line here.

San Francisco Players to Watch
The 49ers continue to improve their team, each year looking more and more like the trendy pick for the playoffs. On offense, it all starts with the RB Frank Gore. Gore can carry the ball 30+ times a game or be a threat out of the backfield. When Gore isn't carrying the load, it will be interesting to see Michael Crabtree get in the mix. It's only his second week in the NFL, but he is already developing a bond with QB Alex Smith. Defensively, Patrick Willis is the tackling machine. Willis will blow up run plays and catch your fastest WR from behind, watch out for number 52 buzzing around the field.

Seattle Seahawks Players to Watch
I want to see more from the Justin Forsett and Julius Jones combo. Neither had an eye popping first game, so getting back on track in the running game will take a ton of pressure off Matt Hasselbeck. The defensive line as a whole will need to win the line of scrimmage so Frank Gore doesn't do something nasty to us. Pressure on the QB is also a must. Look for Deon Butler to become more prominent, him and Hasselbeck are developing a nice relationship.

Prediction
Seattle Seahawks 17
San Francisco 49ers 14

[Yawkey Way]

Frank Gore Caps off Comeback, 'Hawks Lose Tough One

27 23

San Francisco It was a tale of two halves for the Seattle Seahawks today. Coming out of the gate, the Seahawks looked like a force to be reckoned with. Two drives stalled out forcing field goals, and then Colin Cole forced a fumble, recovered it, then stumbled his way into the endzone. The Seahawks went into halftime up 20-3, looking to chew clock and walk out with a victory in the second half.

Shaun Hill, who replaced an injured Alex Smith, was hitting his marks today only misfiring on a few passes. Hill calmly led the 49ers down field throughout the second half, utilizing 10-15 yard crossing patterns over the middle which is a weakness to Seattle. The safety play for the 'Hawks was less than ideal which could be a problem moving forward. Under two minutes to go in the 4th quarter and down 23-17, Shaun Hill dumped off a harmless screen pass to Frank Gore, or so we thought. Gore slide stepped one tackler and stiff armed another breaking it 76 yards down the field. Jordan Babineaux had a chance at stopping him, but took a terrible angle and missed the attempted dive.

Team Statistics

QB
Shaun Hill 14-17 | 232yds | 2TD

HB
Frank Gore 15car | 54yds | TD

WR
Vernon Davis 5rec 55yds | TD
Isaac Bruce 4rec | 65yds
Frank Gore 4rec | 78yds | TD

DEF
Tarell Brown 4tkl | 1tfl
Justin Smith 3tkl | sack
Michael Lewis 2tkl | INT

Team Statistics

QB
Matt Hasselbeck 16-32 | 202yds | 1TD | 1INT

HB
Julius Jones 13car | 46yds
Justin Forsett 9car | 8yds

WR
John Carlson 5rec | 27yds
Deon Butler 4rec | 102yds | TD
T.J Houshmanzadeh 4rec | 42yds

DEF
Lofa Tatupu 5tkl | TFL
Lawrence Jackson 2tkl | 2sacks
Colin Cole 2tkl | 2sacks | FR | TD

[TheSanchize]

I really liked the draft update. Might do something along those lines in mine..if you don't mind. Also, tough win and good luck against the 49ers.

Check that tough loss again