Seattle Seahawk rookies and veterans report to training camp July 31st. The players will break out their cleats, put on their pads and get to work for new Head Coach Pete Carroll. The first practice is at 9:00am, the second starts at 4:00pm. My expectations are low. Yes, after the Pete Carroll hiring, expectations raised a bit. But by in large they remain low.

Seattle has 11-5, 12-4 type talent, but I’d settle for a 8-8, 9-7 year.
This, after two straight dismal seasons (9-23) by in large due to injuries and suspect personnel moves. Just finish better than the Rams, Cardinals, and push the 49ers is all I want to see this year!

But enough about the past, it doesn’t matter. What matters is the 2010 season is here. And, Seattle has new life, new talent, new schemes, and a new attitude; hopefully all that new stuff means Seattle will meet or exceed expectations. Having said all that, questions about the team remain. Most of them will be answered before Week 1.

Here’s what I want to see happen by the end of training camp.

1.) I want Justin Forsett to be named the starting running back.

The smart money is that Justin Forsett will be the starter. The Seattle would have already dealt for Marshawn Lynch if they didn’t believe in Forsett. The team must love him and I’m pretty sure they like Leon Washington (acquired on draft day for a 5th rounder). That means, Julius Jones is probably not going to see a lot of playing time unless Washington’s injuries hold him back. That is something I don’t want to see.

2.) I want Matt Hasselbeck to remain healthy?

No, no, and no. I don’t see Charlie Whitehurst starting for the Seattle. Carroll wants to push Hasselbeck by getting the former 3rd round pick. From all accounts the coaches plan is working. I don’t even think Whitehurst will start more games than Hasselbeck in the season unless number #8 gets seriously injured. Whitehurst is an insurance policy, a huge one at that, but that is all. I’m not buying he is even the next franchise quarterback just yet. The only way Seattle will be respectful is if Matt Hasselbeck can stay healthy and under center.

3.)  I want T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Deion Branch to start opening day.

Houshmandzadeh had a decent year for the team last year, but it’s fair to say Seattle would have liked to get more production out of him. Deion Branch, I love the guy, but since coming over from the Patriots, he’s struggled to make an impact because of a variety of injuries. He can play, I saw that first hand when he lined up for the University of Louisville. Seattle needs both guys to get healthy and produce. I like Mike Williams, Golden Tate, and Deon Butler but if the team is relying on those three for a large portion of the season, the team is in trouble.

4.) I want to see Golden Tate emerge as a big play guy.

Tate just signed a 4-year deal and should be able to stretch the field, open things up for the other receivers underneath. I’m only skeptical that will happen because the last Seahawks offensive rookie to make a substantial impact with the team was maybe Curt Warner. If your not named Randy Moss, rookie receivers tend to struggle their first year in the NFL.

5.) I want to see the Seahawks develop a dominate pass rush.

Last year, how many times did you yell at the television because Seattle was giving the other team all day to pass the ball? Yeah, that was me too. Lawrence Jackson has yet to step up and be an impact player. Patrick Kerney is retired. Red Bryant could be the answer. I think Seattle is going to use linebackers Aaron Curry and LeRoy Hill to rush the quarterback. Still, somebody up front needs to step up and anchor the defensive line.

Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth to the Hawks? That is one of the latest rumors from the NFL rumor mill making its rounds on the web.

From the outside looking in, Haynesworth to Seattle makes a lot of sense.

Last year, the Seahawks defense at times, seemed to lack a certain presence. The 29 year-old All-Pro is certainly a presence and then some.

Haynesworth recorded a modest four sacks in 12 games played for Daniel Snyder’s Redskins. This after the owner signed Albert to a 100 million dollar contract the previous year. That is a lot of cash to give one player, and for what the Redskins received in return on the field is why Haynesworth is on the trade block.

Plus, Washington is taking calls on the defensive lineman because reportedly Haynesworth isn’t happy with the teams new defensive scheme. Albert was promised to play in a 4-3 defensive front before he signed; not in a 3-4 defense. New Head Coach Mike Shanahan has the keys to the castle in D.C. and wants to use that particularily defense. And, Throw in the fact that reportedly some of his teammates have called out Haynesworth for being “selfish.” This after Albert demanded a trade and reportedly said he was skipping the Redskins mandatory mini camp moments after cashing a 21 million dollar bonus check.

Shockingly, there is a lot of scandal in District Columbia right? Why wouldn’t the Hawks trade for Haynesworth? Do it yesterday I say. Albert is still relatively young (29), he is a presence, can anchor the defense like former Seahawks defensive lineman Cortez Kennedy once did. Plus, if Haynesworth decides to not stick to the script he might still have enough value to flip him to another team. Haynesworth is a beast and when healthy, there are not a lot of offensive lineman that can handle him.

The Seahawks may not want to make a trade for Haynesworth. I could see why. The team just released running back LenDale White for his lack of work ethic and attitude. Do the Hawks really want that kind of distraction on the team. That is why Head Coach Pete Carroll and General Manager John Schneider get paid the big bucks. Haynesworth is demanding a trade and he’s available. But I say make the trade if the right price.

I just got back from a trip to Seattle. My sister married. The event gave me a chance  to reunite with several aunts, uncles and cousins I haven’t seen in a long time. One of my aunts is a huge Seahawks fan. At least that is what I remember most about Aunt Anne. Anne told me she recently went to a Seattle Sounders game and led me to believe she was becoming a fan of the team. Her son is a huge fan.

(photo courtesy: Joshua Trujillo/Seattlepi.com)

And in the same breathe admitted she is waning on the Seattle Seahawks. I can’t blame my aunt. It’s not like the Seahawks recent record the last two season (9-23) did anything to inspire her or the 12th Man. It must be pretty bad in Seattle, when a professional soccer team, the Sounders, are turning people away from the mainstream Hawks.

I’m not going to break down the Sounders. All I know is the team is 4-5 and second to last in their group. Sure, I’m happy my aunt still supports the Seahawks but she is showing support for another football team, which is somewhat surprising.

Is that a problem Seahawk fans? A trend sure to continue? Probably not, football is king in Seattle and around the nation. Still, I would not be surprised if more Seahawk fans jump on the Sounders bandwagon because the Seahawks have stopped winning games. Or maybe it’s the fact the Sounders are new, fresh, something different. And that is why that appeals to people.

(photo courtesy: Jonathan Fervey/Getty Images)

Whatever the case is, I’m not worried. Pete Carroll is in place, the team looks great after the draft and free agency. The NFC West is up for grabs. Here’s hoping Matt Hasselbeck and company can stay healthy and restore order in the division and the NFC west once again. That would give once die hard but now waving Seahawk fans like my Aunt Anne a reason to believe in the towns true football team.

Check out Seattle Seahawks Memorabilia here!

Dez Bryant, a top 10 talent in the 2010 NFL Draft managed to fall all the way to the 24th pick in the first round. Jerry Jones and the Cowboys took full advantage and made a trade with the New England Patriots to move up 3 spots to grab the “Playmaker 2.” Is it too early to talk Bryant up to the level of one of the greatest receivers to ever play the game? I mean he missed nearly his entire senior season at Oklahoma State because he lied to the NCAA about his involvement with former Cowboy and NFL Network personality, Deion Sanders.

Say what you want about Bryant, but the kid is a stud and has the potential to be one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Jerry Jones was not about to pass up on another potential Randy Moss type impact player and have that haunt him for years to come.

Bryant showed up to Cowboy’s rookie minicamp and was a little out of shape. Taking knees, breathing hard and rolling his ankle had him limping around the last hour of practice. The injury is not serious but did keep Bryant out of sprints after practice. The most impressive part of this was that even though he was not in the best shape, he still pushed through every drill and gave it 100 percent. That shows a lot of grit and shows that he can be a leader.

Many people have given Bryant a bad wrap and say that he can slack and be complacent. But that was not evident what so ever during the 3 days of practice last weekend. Coach Wade Phillips was even quoted as saying, “In 33 years there’s not very many that I can say look that talented at their position for a three-day period.” Strong statement coming from a guy like Phillips who has seen a lot of ball in his day.

There has been talk of Bryant returning punts and kick-offs on special teams. It sure would be exciting to see him and Kevin Ogletree back deep. Expect big things out of Bryant in his rookie season and for him to have an immediate impact. It will also be interesting to see how Jason Garrett fits Bryant into the Cowboys scheme with Miles Austin, Jason Witten, and Roy Williams.

Guest writer Andy Burrell is an up and coming sports personality that played football for TCU and will be covering football at both the college and NFL level for us here at studyofsports.com.  Check out his site below.

www.andyburrell.com

Just when you think ex-NFL cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones has run out of chances, he finds a way to get another one.  The Cincinatti Bengals have signed Jones for at least this season with the deal possibly being a two-year deal.  Jones has not played since 2008 with the Dallas Cowboys where he was given a chance to play after numerous problems off the field.  The Bengals are hoping he can keep it together and help them on the field while staying quiet between gamedays.

For all the diehard Seahawk fans out there, you already knew Seattle traded long-time quarterback Seneca Wallace to Cleveland for a 2011 undisclosed draft pick. I didn’t write about the move when it was first announced for a few reasons. I wanted to get a sense from the 12th Man as to what they thought about the move and mesh it with my thoughts. And, Wallace is a backup quarterback! There isn’t much to say about the move involving a backup quarterback who rarely sees the field.

The consensus from the fans is the move was a good one and I am on board with that. Wallace never was going to start for Seattle with Matthew Hasselbeck under center. He may get a shot to start in Cleveland.  Our old friend, Mike Holmgren was on the other end of the trade. Why else would anybody but the Browns take Seneca? Wallace will help the Browns install Holmgrens’ offense if not manage it for a year. In seven seasons with Seattle, Wallace started 12 games, had a 5-7 record, passed for 3,547 yards, 25 Touchdowns and 14 picks.

As a backup Wallace was solid. You don’t want your backup quarterback to be better than the starter, just not as bad as the third stringer. Somebody to manage the offense until the starter gets back. Wallace did his job and I wish him well in Cleveland. Now the question for Seattle is simple. Who will be the backup now that Wallace is a Brown. The latest rumors around the world of sports think maybe Seattle will sign former Browns starter Derek Anderson as the number two. Various reports out of Seattle say Anderson is scheduled to meet with the team this week. Anderson’s best year was in 2007 when he passed for 3787 yards and 29 TDs. Seattle could do that or draft a quarterback with one of their first rounders. The smart money, I say, is the team will sign a veteran guy and not risk a major drop off that might come with a rookie quarterback. Stay Tuned!

Free agency is officially underway and already it has impacted Seattle. Various media outlets (espn.com among others) report former Seahawks receiver Nate Burleson has signed a five year deal with the Detroit Lions. If the Seahawks wanted Burleson back they could have worked out a deal or placed the franchise tag on him. If the team tagged Burleson it would have cost them almost 10 million dollars in 2010. That is way too much coin for a guy, when healthy, is productive (63 receptions, 812 Yards and 3 TD’s in 2009) but not a number one wideout. Doesn’t it appear the Lions are turning into the Seahawks? They already have former Seattle running back Maurice Norris and former Linebacker Julian Peterson on the roster and now Nate Burleson.

The move is somewhat of a shocker considering the former O’Dea High School star said he wanted to stay around town, but you can’t begrudge Burleson for signing with Detroit for the money. Plus, you can’t argue with Pete Carroll and company for not trusting the 28 year-old’s body of work. Detroit is a desperate team in search of playmakers and yes they got one in Burleson, but giving him a five year deal for around 25 million is a questionable move. Seattle needs playmakers just as much as the Lions do, but Burleson apparently wasn’t worth the risk. Last year’s big ticket signing T.J. Houshmandezah, much maligned Deion Branch, and Deon Butler remain on the roster as the experienced ones. Without “Nate the Great” this clearly opens the door for the Seahawks to make a run at Denver’s disgruntled but talented pass catcher Brandon Marshall. The rumored trade between the Broncos and Seahawks is more likely to happen now that Burleson is off to Detroit. Bringing in Marshall would be an upgrade over Burleson. Marshall is younger and more physical than Burleson.

I’d like to thank Burleson for his time in Seattle. The grass might be greener on the other side in Detroit. For Burleson’s sake, I hope it is because from accounts he is a classy guy. I cannot think though the receiver is going from a bad team to a horribly bad team with the move. But then again, you have to take the money when its offered. Seattle wasn’t going to give Burleson 25 million to stick around. Detroit was and did; now he’s a Lion.

The question that all Dallas Cowboys fans are asking as of late.  Where do the Cowboys go with Miles Austin?  Or is that Austin Miles?  Two first names and two last names?  I’m confused.  There is one thing known for sure.  The franchise tag deadline has come and gone; and Miles Austin was nowhere in sight.

Teams around the NFL had until midday Thursday to tag their players with a franchise or transition designation.  A few last minute additions to the lists around the NFL did not include 2009 Pro Bowler Miles Austin.  That tag would have cost the Cowboys $9.5 million for 2010.  After overpaying for another guy named Roy Williams, I really can’t blame the Cowboys for not wanting to pay that much for another wideout.  Two wide receivers getting paid an average of $9 million a year?  That hurts.  So when Jerry and Stephen Jones get together and say they want to sign Austin for the long haul, I believe them.  I just believe, along with them, that they can do much better than $9 million a year.

The next question.  What do they do if they can’t sign him long-term?  They would have to place a tender offer on Austin.  That would allow Austin to make $3.168 million in 2010 while allowing other NFL teams to make Austin an offer.  That offer would then have to be met by the Cowboys or that other team would then be signing Austin to that contract.  The Cowboys would receive a first and third round pick from that team if that scenario came about.  So what are the Cowboys and Austin saying about negotiations?  Nothing.  That’s right.  Nothing at all.  Austin says he’s not worried about it and that his agent will take care of it.  The Cowboys front office says that something will happen, they just can’t give you a time frame of when that may be.  So when do you start to worry Cowboys fans?  They need to get the ball rolling on a deal with Miles Austin.

The Charges let LaDainian Tomlinson go; releasing their franchise running back after nine seasons. Should Seattle take a run at signing Tomlinson? A lot of teams are probably asking themselves that very same question before free agency and the NFL Draft. On paper and reputation along, absolutely, go ahead and sign L.T.! But sometimes pulling the trigger on a deal based on those two factors isn’t always the best move (Courtesy: AP Photo/Denis Poroy).

The cons against signing L.T. might might very well outweigh the pros at this stage of his career. Tomlinson is a stud, but he’s going to be 31 years old at the start of the 2010 season. The older a running back gets, regardless of how good they have been, they have a tendency to break down. Last year, he rushed for 730 yards and 12 touchdowns (I’m sure the Seahawks would have taken that kind of production out of the backfield last year). Seattle, the fans, and the entire league for that matter knows the Seahawks need to upgrade at running back after last seasons woes.

Utlimately, how teams see Tomlinson will determine how much value they place on signing him. Most people would agree, L.T. is no longer a “carry the load” type back; he is more like a complimentary back. In Seattle’s case, L.T. could be a great “stop gap” type back. The team could bring him in, draft a stud running back to pair with him. Justin Forsett figures to be in the mix some how next year also. I know the Seahawks already tried this with Edgerrin James and it was clear that did not work out for the old regime.

Bottom Line: If the price is right, sign Tomlinson. He’ll have a chip on his shoulder to prove the Chargers made a mistake by releasing him. He’s a class act and from all accounts he is also a great locker room guy. Plus, what better running back for the young guys to learn from than one of the greats in the business.

Why did the Seahawks sign Ricky Foley? Don’t they already have Darryl Tapp, Nick Reed, Lawrence Jackson, and Patrick Kerney on the roster? I am sure Foley is a nice guy, a “Rudy” type player; undersized (6-2, 245lbs) but a high motor type guy that is just dying to be carried of the field. Foley had 12 Sacks for the B.C. Lions last year in the Canadian Football League. (Photo courtesy of Kyle Clapham/BC Lions)

I can only assume the Foley signing is to light on fire under the current players on the roster. If Tapp, Reed, Jackson, etc fail to get the job done, there’s Foley. It is always good to have a Plan “B”, “C”, and “D” if you need one so in that respect the signing was a good move.

Whatever gets the Seahawks in the backfield and in the quarterbacks face is a move worth making. I’d like to See the team sign Julius Peppers from Carolina, but that might be pushing it. Stranger things have happened before. When Seattle signed LB Julian Peterson I was pleasantly surprised the organization signed a big name free agent with some gas left in the tank.

Foley is only 28 years old and you could make the arguement size doesn’t matter. Guys like Elvis Dumervil of the Broncos comes to mind. Dumervil goes 5-11, 248lbs soaking wet and all he did was tally 17 sacks last year. Colts Dwight Freeney is another guy (6-1, 268lbs) has proven year in and year out that size does not matter.

This signing also proves the Seahawks are going to go wherever they have to find guys they believe will help the team get better.