Mike Parker's Seattle Seahawks fan blog

Originally posted at seahawkaddicts.com

Mike Holmgren sat out on today's practice due to a reported minor medical procedure, and is expected back for tomorrow's workout. Gil Haskell took the helm in Holmgren's absence.

On a more intriguing note, Sean Locklear moved from the right side to the left of the offensive line today, due to the absence of Walter Jones and Floyd Womack. And Rob Sims finally got in on today's action for the first time since coming off knee surgery. Ray Willis also worked with the first unit, which is a rarity, but he seems to be showing signs of good progress. That's encouraging.

On the subject of other recovering 'hawks, it seems nothing changed beyond Sims. But as Michael said in a previous post, the team seems to be on the mend. And I'm liking the looks of how things are coming together even so early on.

Continue reading "Holmgren misses a day of practice"

The Seahawks' pass rush is going to be downright lethal this year.

Lawrence Jackson, this year's 1st-round draft pick, has been faithfully updating a blog.  Surprisingly, he says feels more comfortable in the rain than in the heat. He definitely came to the right place to play football, even though the weather back east during the winter is a hell of a lot more intense than it is here. Let's hope LoJack is ready for week 1 in Buffalo, where it's known to get so cold that the average eskimo freezes his nuts off for 3 months straight.

In other news, Holmgren is now screaming at the young WRs during practice, which can only be a good thing. In Holmgrenland, if you're worth a damn, you're yelled at. I can safely say my fears of some of the newer guys not making the cut have been partially assauged, but training camp is still a little ways off from officially starting.  

Continue reading "Lo Jack on the rise"

A convicted steroids dealer who met with the NFL to release names of alleged users was found shot to death in his home this morning.

According to sources at ESPN.com, 35-year-old David Jacobs and his girlfriend were found by police making a welfare check of the residence. The Plano Police Dept. says they're treating it as a homicide investigation, obviously. 

Before this morning, Jacobs was quoted by ESPN writer Shaun Assael as saying "the kinds of people I know about could put a bullet in the back of my head." Jacobs was apparently nervous and very hesitant to go public with any of the information in his possession, and his fears turned out to be nothing short of prophetic.  

It doesn't take a lot of critical thought about this to put some pieces together and realize who would probably want Jacobs dead the most. The last thing I want to do is point any fingers, but I have to wonder how deep the rabbit hole goes on this one. 

Continue reading "brief change of subject"

DE Daryl Tapp, who had a monster game against St. Louis last year, is stepping up and taking his game to the next level this year.

At least, that's what he's telling Seattle Times reporter Jose Miguel Romero.

"Playing defense period is just an enthusiastic type of thing," Tapp said. "You have to be able to dig deep in times when you really think you don't have it. So when guys do well, you've got to let them know."

Tapp's energy is infectious, they say, on and off the field. He's exactly the kind of young upstart player that we need in Seattle, and at the perfect point in his career to keep the defense strong in the long term, and also to provide an inspiration for the rookies.

It's a hell of a good thing to see this happening so consistently in the minicamps so far. Like Tapp himself, the rising, frenzied vibe of what this new team is capable of is nothing short of infectious.  

Continue reading "Tapp taking over"

Would-be rookie WR Anthony Russo was reportedly hurt in last week's minicamp, and the Seahawks have enlisted the services of former Colts WR Trent Shelton to fill up the roster spot.

Shelton apparently spent the majority of his career on the practice squad for Indy, where he was then released in February.

So far, the results of the move have once again proven fruitful. Ruskell is making excellent decisions, and it looks like Clare Farnsworth at the PI agrees with me.

"I try to get noticed out there with my hustling. That's a big part of it for a guy like me. I've just got to out and give 100 percent.

"I've got to show the coaches I can handle this sort of stuff," Shelton says.

Well, this chance in Seattle is giving him an opportunity to do just that. Doubt me all you want, but this group of receivers is growing more and more intriguing by the day. And it likely won't even be at 100 percent until October.  

Continue reading "Hawks sign former Colts WR Trent Shelton"

I had been wondering about this for a while, but all questions have been answered on the subject of how Julius Jones feels about his untimely demise with the Dallas Cowboys.  

Mike Sando of espn.com wrote up this great story on Jones and the Seahawks' revamped running game, in which Jones was anything but shy about laying down exactly how he feels on the subject of his final year in Dallas.

"I definitely have a chip on my shoulder," he said. "I'm going to carry it every single year, every single practice, every single game. It's not going anywhere until I can prove what kind of back that I am and kind of redeem myself from the embarrassment that they have kind of put me through." 

For those who don't remember, Jones lost the majority of his playing time to Marion Barber. By the time the playoffs came, Julius Jones was a fading memory at best, finishing the playoff loss to the Giants with the same number of carries as QB Tony Romo.

Continue reading "Mike Sando on Julius Jones"

Clare Farnsworth at the Seattle PI seems to agree with my musings about all things Logan Payne, if yesterday's minicamp was any indication.

"With leading receiver Bobby Engram still a no-show in hopes of getting a contract extension and starting flanker Deion Branch still recovering from reconstructive knee surgery, the Seahawks passing game is in the hands of Nate Burleson and a foursome that has become known as "the young guys" -- Payne and recent late-round draft choices Ben Obomanu (2006) and Courtney Taylor and Jordan Kent (2007)."

It seems official now - two of "the young guys" (a name that sounds like a Backstreet Boys cover band, but forget about it) will need to step up and produce in the regular season. The coaching staff has begun to constantly shift the rotation from split end, flanker and slot. Offensive coordinator Gil Haskell says incredible progress has been made already. 

Continue reading "no Payne, no gain"

Today marks the start of an eight-practice Seahawks minicamp that's to be spread out over the next two weeks, and also the start of a vow to myself to update this goddamned blog more often. Being unemployed certainly has its merits, but that's another story...

So, first thing's first. 

I'm going to jump the gun on this one and dub WR Logan Payne "White Chocolate" or "The Great White Hope." I've heard buzz about this guy since he was signed off the practice squad last December, just before the playoff game in Green Bay. If Holmgren has faith in this kid, no better example of that could've been shown than signing him before the most important game of the year. Nevermind the fact that it was somewhat ill-fated. Besides, we cut Marcus Pollard's ass quicker than the average Jets' fan cuts the cheese. No point in hanging onto the dead weight that blows the game when it counts. (I won't mention names, but Jerramy Stevens really fu...oops, too late.)

Continue reading "minicamp, day 1"

It started with something rather shocking and unfortunate. 

A few weeks later, it evolved into something somewhat obnoxious and concerning.

And last weekend, it took a turn for the worst.  

If Lofa Tatupu can screw up and find himself in handcuffs, it can happen to anyone in the NFL. His recent drunk driving-related arrest should serve as an example to this, despite the fact that GM Tim Ruskell is always so vigilant about finding players who set an example off the field as well as on it.

But what bothers me the most about this incident is what preceded it - Rocky Bernard accused of hitting a woman in the face at a Pioneer Square club, and then Bobby Engram demanding more from the contract he had already agreed upon.

But as they say, things come in threes. The end of this rough spot could already be here.

Continue reading "a fluke, not a flaw"

The experts have already put the "anal" back in "analysis" with their neverending regurgitations of how they feel Tim Ruskell did this year in the draft, but I'm going to tell you why this is one of the best drafts the team has ever seen.

The depth the 'Hawks acquired this time out is nothing less than outstanding. They addressed every need the roster was missing, and filled some holes that are definitely going to make the team more competitive this year. But I'm getting ahead of myself already, and that's probably because I'm completely wired off my ass for no reason at all at 12:33 a.m. on a Tuesday night (Wednesday morning?) Alas, this is what unemployment does to me. 

When it was announced that the first acquisition of the day was some defensive end from USC, my heart sank and I almost spit out my beer in pure shock. "Lawrence Jackson, defensive end from USC," they said, as the crowd fell silent at the sound of the name. Clearly it wasn't registering with anyone, and we hung our heads in disappointment.

Continue reading "draft recap"