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Seahawks Pulse
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Seahawks Central: Winning Our Way |
Seahawks Central: Winning Our Way
SEATTLE - After an eventful off-season which saw previous GM George Markakis bolt for greener pastures in Baltimore, the Seahawks took the field for the first time under new GM Dave Bauer, and the end result could not have been more satisfying for the 12th Man, as the Seahawks jumped out to a commanding lead in the 2nd quarter thanks to some of Bauer's new additions and never looked back, defeating the Green Bay Packers 34-20.
Matt Hasselbeck, whose performance was highly criticized during the off-season by NFL experts, was not even sure he'd have the starting job after Bauer's hiring. Bauer quickly asserted that Hasselbeck was their guy, despite an impressive pre-season by 6th Round pick Thaddeus Lewis, and Hasselbeck responded in kind, throwing for three touchdowns. The first came in the second quarter on a three yard pass to fullback Owen Schmitt, taking the lead that the Seahawks would never relinquish. After a holding call wiped out a Brett Swenson field goal with four seconds in the half, Hasselbeck was given two more chances for points, and he connected on the second by hitting rookie wide receiver Trindon Holliday in stride as he cut to the inside for a beautiful 43 yard touchdown strike. His third would come in the fourth quarter to rookie Pat Simonds, all but clinching the win.
Toby Gerhart, who Bauer pegged as the key to the offensive success, did not disappoint either. With a long of only 13 yards, his 147 yards rushing were earned by consistent gains on the ground, setting up shorter second and third downs, which led to a 6/11 conversion rate on 3rd Down. The young back also added a touchdown run in the fourth quarter as well. His offensive line and fullback Owen Schmitt played a big role as well, with rookie Drew Davis piling up ten pancakes and allowing zero sacks, with Schmitt tacking on another nine. Walter Jones and Chris Spencer both had six. Furthermore, Matt Hasselbeck was not sacked once during the game, adding another impressive note to a dominant game by the line.
The Seahawks defense did not pitch a flashy effort, but it was certainly a good one nevertheless. Two goal line stands led to missed field goals by Mason "Anti-Clutch" Crosby, and the Packers offense rarely got into gear. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was never sacked, but he was rarely able to get comfortable passing into Seattle's secondary, and was picked off once by Eric Berry. If there is an area on the team that needs improvement, it is the pass rush. Green Bay's rushing attack was stifled, Aaron Rodgers had troubles against Seattle's secondary, but he was rarely in danger of taking the hit or a sack.
Next week Seattle will travel to St. Louis to take on the Rams, who won the NFC West last season, and swept the Seahawks in three games, including a loss in the playoffs. Seattle goes into the game healthy, while the Rams will be missing superstar tight end Antonio Gates. Even though it is still early, this is a must-win situation to put the NFC West at notice. |
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Forum Discussion
(by D_Bauer on 06/18/2010)
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Replies - 0 :: Views - 9 |
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Seahawks Central: GM Bauer Makes Useless Statements |
Seahawks Central: GM Bauer Makes Useless Statements
SEATTLE - Newly hired Seattle Seahawks general manager Dave Bauer held a brief press conference today, and the general consensus is that there was little to no point to it. Seattle fans continue to scratch their heads and wonder what exactly was going on in their general manager's head as he took the time out of a busy off-season to explain rather trivial details.
"Earlier today, we informed both Ronald Fields and Damion McIntosh of their release," stated Bauer, on the first of his many topics. "I would like to take the time, however, to dispel exactly why they were let go. First off, the AAO incorrectly reported that Ronald had thrown a sweaty towel at Coach Holmgrem. That is incorrect, for had he actually done that, we would have given him the richest contract in the NFL. We're guessing the associated press just likes telling Antonio Bryant's story to the world. Secondly, Damion McIntosh was let go because, quite frankly, we were pretty damn tired of staring at his horribly pixelated face. Considering the drafting of Drew Davis and the contract Damion had, that was more than enough of a reason to release him."
"You know what else is weird?" continued Bauer. "We drafted a nice young man named Thaddeus Lewis, who had the thankless job of playing quarterback at Duke. However, NFL officials seem to believe he played at Virginia Tech. I realize people who attend or are associated with Duke tend to be *bleep*, but what happened at Virginia Tech just doesn't allow NFL officials to decide, 'Well ok, let's attribute what this young man has done to someone else!' If I did indeed miss this memo, I'd like to receive credit for the six Super Bowls the Pittsburgh Steelers have won. I was responsible for it."
"Practice today was pretty fun," continued Bauer. "Toby Gerhart got a little too antsy and just bowled over rookie linebacker Jarvis Geathers, and the team got a kick out of it. Jarvis got up and was a little angry, but then he gave Toby a high five, they got a good laugh out of it, and hugged it out. George W. Bush even showed up and hung out with all of us, and we decided to make a jersey and give it to him... right now. Everything is just sunshine and radios here in Seattle."
"In conclusion, I would like to state that we have been working on unveiling a new scheme to help increase the home field advantage, I feel that even with the 12th Man advantage, we can add something even more devastating to visiting teams," concluded Bauer, who then proceeded to walk off the stage, then suddenly leap back onto it and make one final announcement:
"At this time, the Seattle Seahawks have not traded back into the draft, nor would they like to make any other outdated announcements."
Seattle radio hosts are completely and utterly baffled by this turn of events, and the national media has gotten wind of it as well. ESPN's Michael Wilbon is on record as calling Bauer a "knucklehead," while Woody Paige asserts that the Denver Broncos will go 16-0 and urinate all over Al Davis and his cat. Can this off-season get any wilder? Perhaps that's a question that shouldn't have been asked. |
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Forum Discussion
(by D_Bauer on 06/05/2010)
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Replies - 0 :: Views - 17 |
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Seahawks Central: Draft Day Review |
Seahawks Central: Draft Day Review
After a tough loss against divisional rival St. Louis in the playoffs, Seattle's fortunes looked even bleaker when general manager George Markakis walked to take the Baltimore Ravens' vacant GM position. The position sat open for several weeks until the Seahawks finally announced the hiring of Dave Bauer. However, Bauer issues no official statement, and kept quiet as the NFL Draft quickly approached. How did Seattle do during this crucial draft?
1.21: OT Drew Davis, Alabama - Despite repeated attempts to move up in the first round, Bauer's attempts were dashed. However, he was thrilled to see that Davis had somehow fallen into their laps at the 21st overall pick, and wasted no time submitting the pick. After a dominant season at Alabama, Davis declared for the NFL Draft and quickly established himself as an elite talent. Boasting elite strength, outstanding athleticism and great fundamentals, Drew Davis enters the NFL as prepared and ready to play, to the point that the incumbent starter, Damion McIntosh, was released less than two days later. Davis is already better as a rookie than McIntosh ever was, and will form an excellent bookend tandem with the immortal Walter Jones.
2.21: WR Pat Simonds, Colgate - When Bauer first evaluated Seattle's roster upon his hiring, he quickly determined wide receiver to be the weakest position on the roster. With TJ Houshmandzadeh regressing and no longer at the prime of his career, Bauer decided an impact needed to be made at the position. With no truly elite prospects at the position, Bauer decided to wait until the second round, and grabbed the monstrous Pat Simonds. At 6'5, Pat towers over NFL corners, and possesses solid athleticism for his height. He has decent hands for a rookie, but his biggest threat will be his massive frame and the ability to out-jump defenders for the ball.
3.21: WR Trindon Holliday, LSU - The youth movement at wide receiver continues with the selection of Holliday, who is perhaps the complete opposite of Pat Simonds. While Simonds is a tall possession receiver, Holliday is the tiny, but deceptively quick receiver whose hands need some work. He will be the slot receiver at best, and even then that is unlikely this season. He will have time to do his damage against dime defenses, and he has the ability to gain separation against single coverage. A bit of a gamble in the third round, but he could prove to be a rare spark in the Seahawks' passing attack in due time.
4.21: OG Casey Bender, South Dakota State - Bender is a tremendous physical talent at offensive guard. He's big, smart, very strong, and he's athletic. So how did Bender slip all the way to the fourth round? His lack of fundamentals are an absolute killer, to the point he went from a 1st or 2nd round pick all the way to the second day. With his strength, his poor fundamentals were a non-issue at South Dakota, but in the NFL, poor fundamentals lead to an injured quarterback. Bender will not be starting right away, but with his powerful frame, if he can work on his blocking skills, he may very well force his way into the lineup down the road.
5.21: OLB Jarvis Geathers, UCF - While Seattle is very strong at the linebacker position, Geathers was simply too good a prospect to not grab here. He may not be an amazing, can't-miss prospect, but he is a very solid linebacker who would be able to fit into any scheme and do well. He has few, if any, weaknesses as a rookie, and he will likely be penciled in as the primary backup for Leroy Hill.
6.21: QB Thaddeus Lewis, Virginia Tech - Is Lewis the future for the Seahawks at quarterback? Bauer is a fan of his accuracy and ability to stay in the pocket and deliver the accurate throw. Thaddeus has a weak arm, however, and improving upon his throwing power will likely be the single-biggest thing he can do to show that he deserves a shot at the starting quarterback role once Matt Hasselbeck hangs up the cleats. Not bad for a 6th round pick.
7.21: DT Ernest Williams, Pittsburgh - For a 7th round pick, Williams is surprisingly decent. He likely won't see much playing time this year, but with Colin Cole aging and making more money than Bauer feels he should be, don't be surprised to see Williams eventually start seeing some playing time in the near future, possibly even becoming a starter. |
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Forum Discussion
(by D_Bauer on 06/04/2010)
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Replies - 2 :: Views - 25 |
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Hawks lose to Rams - GM leaves for Baltimore |
Shortly after their 21-23 loss to the Rams in the wildcard round of the playoffs, the Seahawks had lost their GM as well as George Markakis announced that he is moving to Baltimore.
"I want to thank the Seattle Seahawks for their faith and co-operation in trying to bring this team forward.
The decision to leave now, was made for various reasons. One of the most important was that any new GM can decide himself what route to go in terms of the roster, especially at quarterback, and wont have to live with a decision made by me.
Overall the team is in good shape and even while the cap doesnt look like it, with a few of the bigger contracts running out or only one year left the next Seahawks GM has a good chance to navigate the team through the offseason without any problems or as i said, he can at least make his own decisions about them. I'm leaving behind a team that now has a strong runner in Toby Gerhart, Mike Iupati and Chris Spencer to build the line around and a good defense with many playmakers and a very strong group of linebackers.
I'm looking forward to the new challenge i will face in Baltimore and hope i can be as productive there as i was here in Seattle"
While he answered many questions about his decision to leave the Seahawks, Markakis wouldnt adress any rumours about him watching TV in his VIP Lounge instead of watching his team play.
The Seahawks made a late push with two Toby Gerhart touchdown runs but ran out of 2-minute luck when the Rams won by a 55-yard field goal with only a few seconds left. Mark Bradley, who was signed midseason and replaced the much more expensive Nate Burleson, scored the other Seahawks touchdown, but the team couldnt overcome three Matt Hasselbeck interceptions. |
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Forum Discussion
(by G_Markakis on 05/16/2010)
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Replies - 5 :: Views - 61 |
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Seahawks at the bye week |
Sometimes, a bye week can give a team an additional week to get some players back from injury. But this isnt going to work for the Seahawks.
In a matter of a couple of minutes, last week against the 49ers, the Seahawks lost starting receiver Nate Burleson and slot man Deon Butler because of a torn pectoral and a torn shoulder respectively. All that while the team was hoping to get steady production from the passing game while rookie Toby Gerhart grows into his role. Seattle quickly signed Mark Bradley to play opposite T.J. Houshmandzadeh and will probably use TE Cameron Morrah in a few multi-receiver packages.
The Seahawks are still a promising 4-1 team and there's no panic in the teams headquarters...at least not yet. And definitely not when some of the youngsters are performing the way they do.
Gerhart just had his first 100-yard outing, Mike Iupati has solidified the left guard spot and free safety Eric Berry has shown that 5'11" is tall enough to make plays and tackles. But when reporters asked GM George Markakis which selection satisfied him most, the answer was somewhat surprising:
"Our rookie specialists".
Seriously? we asked.
"Yeah. If i say Gerhart you would question why not Iupati or Berry, if i say Iupati you would ask why not Gerhart or Berry and so on. So i say our specialists and you're pretty much speechless and this is satisfying". Markakis waited a few seconds, then showed his trademark grin and continued "Get real guys, you know i dont have real favourites. We're 4-1 so every guy in this team is doing something right and i hope they will continue to work like that. When we picked Iupati we obviously wanted him to solidify the LG spot, when we picked Berry we did because we wanted a playmaker back there. No matter who we picked, we did because we had something in mind, and right now they all do what we hoped and expected. We didnt pick Toby to have him run for 40 yards a game. We want him to dominate and dictate the tempo of the game one day."
OK, so what about the specialists after all?
"Swenson is perfect in FG's and XP's, Malone is better then what we had last year stat wise. So i think we did everything right. I dont think you can ask for much more. We're simply getting what we expected to get. But i see you guys are not going to let up, so if you want my opinion, 5 catches and 3 of them for touchdowns is a freakin good percentage by a guy like Aaron Hernandez who many experts said isnt fast enough to play. This is probably the most satisfying pick. So far at least." |
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Forum Discussion
(by G_Markakis on 04/05/2010)
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Replies - 1 :: Views - 19 |
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At A Glance
| INJURY REPORT |
| PLAYER |
POS |
OVR |
LENGTH |
| NFC West |
| RNK |
TEAM |
W-L-T |
PCT |
DIV |
| #6 |
 Rams |
6-2-0 |
0.750 |
4-0 |
| #5 |
 49ers |
6-2-0 |
0.750 |
1-1 |
| #14 |
 Seahawks |
4-4-0 |
0.500 |
1-3 |
| #28 |
 Cardinals |
1-7-0 |
0.125 |
0-2 |
| SEAHAWKS SCHEDULE |
| WK |
DATE |
OPPONENT |
TIME/RESULT |
| 1 |
Sun |
vs  Packers #31 |
|
| 2 |
Sun |
at Rams #6 |
|
| 3 |
Sun |
vs 49ers #5 |
|
| 4 |
Mon |
at  Titans #21 |
|
| 5 |
Sun |
vs  Buccaneers #20 |
|
| 6 |
Sun |
vs  Colts #8 |
|
| 8 |
Sun |
vs Rams #6 |
|
| 9 |
Mon |
vs Cardinals #28 |
|
| 10 |
Sun |
at  Cowboys #13 |
1:00pm |
| 11 |
Sun |
at  Bears #1 |
1:00pm |
| 12 |
Sun |
vs  Vikings #30 |
4:15pm |
| 13 |
Sun |
vs  Texans #23 |
4:05pm |
| 14 |
Sun |
at Cardinals #28 |
4:15pm |
| 15 |
Sun |
at  Jaguars #32 |
1:00pm |
| 16 |
Sat |
at 49ers #5 |
4:05pm |
| 17 |
Sun |
at  Lions #2 |
1:00pm |
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