Seattle Seahawks Offseason Blog

Vous saurez tout sur les mouvements de Seattle ici
Je remets déjà tout les vieux trucs dans deux secondes

2008 NFL Offseason Page
Seattle Seahawks


Seattle Seahawks (Last Year: 10-6)

Season Summary:
I was surprised when the Seahawks were blowed out... uh... blown out at Lambeau Field in the second round of the Doggone Playoff last year. Seriously, I thought Seattle would give the Packers a tough battle. Mike Holmgren is coming back for one more year, so I expect the Seahawks to go all out in free agency this offseason in a final attempt to win the Super Bowl.

Offseason Moves:
Seahawks re-sign OT Sean Locklear
Seahawks franchise CB Marcus Trufant
Seahawks sign G Mike Wahle


Offseason Needs:
Running Back: I've talked about Shaun Alexander's ineptness enough times on this Web site. To sum it up, he's a soft running back who runs like a 6-year-old girl prancing through a flower garden whilst glossing over the stands in search of a hot dog vendor and sliding to the turf to avoid getting hit. Seriously though, Alexander's done. The Seahawks desperately need a replacement. Rashard Mendenhall, Jonathan Stewart or Felix Jones could be the answer at No. 25.


Two Wide Receivers: Problems at this position for the Seahawks - Deion Branch tore his ACL against the Packers and may not play in 2008. Bobby Engram, the team's top receiver in 2007, just turned 35. D.J. Hackett, meanwhile, is a free agent. If Hackett isn't re-signed Seattle will need two wide outs. Luckily, this draft is really deep at that position.


Tight End: I can't believe FOX's announcers were so shocked by Marcus Pollard's drops in the postseason. The guy is old and horrible. Fred Davis would be a nice replacement in the second round.


Guard: The Seahawks brought in Mike Wahle to compete for one of the guard positions. Another guard for the other slot would help out a morbid running game that averaged just 3.8 yards per carry in 2007. Someone like Drew Radovich could be that guy in Round 3.


Offensive Tackle: If Sean Locklear isn't re-signed, the Seahawks will need a replacement. If he is, a future successor for Walter Jones would be a nice addition. Re-signed Sean Locklear


Defensive Tackle Depth: Marcus Tubbs is coming off two knee injuries, so depth at defensive tackle could be something the Seahawks want to address, especially after Ryan Grant ran for 201 yards on them.


Defensive Back Depth: Speaking of that Packers contest, Brett Favre was 18-of-23; the Seahawks just couldn't keep him from completing passes. More help in the secondary could help Seattle's chances of getting back to the Super Bowl.




Seattle Seahawks Free Agents:

Salary Cap (As of Feb. 21): $9.55 million


Josh Brown, K. Age: 29.
Josh Brown hits multiple 50-yarders every year. He's one of the top kickers in the league.

Marcus Trufant, CB. Age: 27.
While many believe Marcus Trufant wouldn't be effective outside of Seattle's system, he's still very valuable to his current team. The Seahawks wouldn't be able to easily replace seven picks.

Sean Locklear, OT. Age: 27.
Sean Locklear is a solid right tackle and could be re-signed. The problem is, he could ask for a lot of money, which the Seahawks just don't have.

D.J. Hackett, WR. Age: 27.
I marked D.J. Hackett as a fantasy sleeper. Unfortunately, he only played four full games. In those contests, however, he had 384 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Not too shabby.

Leonard Weaver, FB. Age: 25.
Leonard Weaver did a solid job replacing Mack Strong, catching 39 passes in 2007.

Pork Chop Womack, OT. Age: 29.
One of the better backup linemen in the NFL.

Niko Koutouvides, MLB. Age: 27.
Kevin Bentley, OLB. Age: 28.
Ellis Wyms, DT. Age: 29.
Bennie Joppru (RFA), TE. Age: 28.
Lance Laury (ERFA), OLB. Age: 26.
David Kirtman, FB. Age: 25.
Marcus Pollard, TE. Age: 36.
Josh Scobey, RB. Age: 28.

SOURCE : WALTER FOOTBALL

Holmgren will return to Seahawks for final season in 2008
Associated Press


KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Mike Holmgren will return for a final season in 2008 as coach of the Seattle Seahawks -- but only a final season.

The 59-year-old veteran of 16 seasons as an NFL head coach announced his decision Tuesday to fulfill the final year of his contract, after spending the weekend with his wife at their offseason Arizona home.

"Kathy and I came to this decision to finish my contract," said Holmgren, who had hinted at retirement for weeks. "This will be my last year. We are going to make it the best year ever.

"And then probably after that, I will take a little time off -- but not yet. We are going to go after it hard."

Two days after Seattle lost at Green Bay in the NFC divisional playoffs, Holmgren was asked if there was a third possibility beyond retiring or finishing the final season of his contract. He signed that extension soon after the Seahawks lost in the Super Bowl to Pittsburgh 23 months ago, at the end of a deal that was paying him about $7 million per season.

Holmgren said yes to the the "longer, larger" option of another contract extension beyond 2008, but the Seahawks have never approached him about it.

Tuesday, Holmgren said his comments about an extension were overblown and "misinterpreted," that the decision was always about working one more season or retiring.

The Seahawks have a likely heir to Holmgren in place in Jim Mora.

Soon after Mora was fired as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons on New Year's Day, 2007, Holmgren added him to the staff as the assistant head coach and defensive backs coach. Mora, 46, led Atlanta for three seasons and went to the NFC Championship Game in his first season there.

"The transition beyond this year should be really smooth. The organization is healthy," Holmgren said.

He didn't mention Mora by name, leaving talk of his successor "for another press conference. I won't be there."

Mora went to junior high and high school in the Seattle area while his father was an assistant at the University of Washington. Last week, as Holmgren was in Arizona contemplating his future, Mora removed himself from consideration for the vacant head coaching job with the Washington Redskins following two days of interviews.

Holmgren said Tuesday that Mora and all other defensive assistants will remain in their same roles in 2008.

A father to four daughters and grandfather to four more girls, Holmgren said he did not want next season to be "a farewell tour" that would take focus away from his team.

And he did not rule out a return to football in 2010 or beyond.

"Oh, I think you always have to say that's a possibility," he said, "but that's very speculative at this point."

Seattle went 10-6 and won its fourth consecutive NFC West title this season and believes its window of opportunity for a Super Bowl title is still wide open with the core of the team returning next season. Five of the Seahawks' six division titles have come under Holmgren.

"I want to do this because I want to give this one more shot with this team," said Holmgren, who led the Packers to two Super Bowls, winning one at the end of the 1996 season.

Holmgren's record with Green Bay and Seattle, where he arrived in 1999, is 170-110, one win behind former Redskins coach Joe Gibbs for 10th in NFL history. Holmgren is 86-68 in nine seasons with Seattle. He passed Chuck Knox this season for most victories by a Seahawks coach.

SOURCE : NFL.com

Mike Holmgren effectura bien sa dernière année de coaching pour les Seahawks en 2008, puis il se retirera

Mora officially named Holmgren's successor with Seahawks
Associated Press

KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Jim Mora will succeed Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, beginning with the 2009 season.

After serving as the assistant head coach and defensive backs coach for one more season, the 46-year-old Mora will begin a new, four-year contract as the head coach.

Seahawks president Tim Ruskell and chief executive officer Tod Leiweke both emphasized during a news conference Wednesday that the move gives the team stability and unity.

"What (Holmgren's) done here, by announcing his retirement a year ahead of time, has afforded this organization to make a smooth transition, to be seamless, to be non-chaotic," Ruskell said. "Which is kind of rare in the sports world -- certainly in the NFL.

"We all know about the elongated processes and the back-stabbing, some of the ugly things that can go on. Well, we're not going to have that."

Holmgren pushed for the announcement now, so players who are poised to enter free agency next month can judge Seattle while knowing who its coach will be beyond next season.

"This makes a lot of sense for the organization," Holmgren said in a team statement. "Jim is a talented coach who already had a measure of success in this league and has all the tools here needed to succeed."

Both Holmgren and Mora chose not to attend the news conference because Ruskell said they didn't want to "make a big splash" and overlook the team's mission for 2008: sending Holmgren out with the franchise's first Super Bowl title, after five consecutive playoff appearances.

"I am extremely excited about the future, but completely focused on the opportunity we have in front of us this season," Mora said in the statement.

"I would like to thank Mike Holmgren, who has helped me immensely this past season, and from whom I have learned a great deal."

The former Atlanta coach took the Falcons to the NFC championship in 2004, his first season in Atlanta, and Ruskell's only season as player personnel director there before he became Seattle's president and general manager. The Falcons, 26-22 under Mora, fired Mora on New Year's Day, 2007.

The 59-year-old Holmgren announced two weeks ago that he would fulfill only the final season of his contract in 2008 and then leave the team after 10 seasons. He is the team's all-time leader in coaching victories with 86. He has 170 in wins 16 seasons with Green Bay and Seattle, one behind former Redskins coach Joe Gibbs for 10th in NFL history.


Jim Mora Jr deviendra le HeadCoach de Seattle en 2009, une fois qu'Holmgren se sera retiré

Seahawks sign two-time Pro Bowler Wahle to multi-year deal
NFL.com Wire Reports

KIRKLAND, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks signed former Pro Bowl guard Mike Wahle to a five-year contract on Thursday.

Agent Neil Cornrich declined to specify the value of the deal, but it is believed to be comparable to what other starting guards in the league earn. That would mean approximately $3 million in base salary, plus many more millions in a signing bonus.

Wahle, a 10-year veteran who was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2005 and '06 while with Carolina, earned $18 million in base salary and bonuses in his last three seasons with the Panthers before they cut him Monday in a salary-cap move.

The 6-foot-6, 304-pound Wahle will become the fourth left guard the Seahawks have tried since All-Pro Steve Hutchinson left after the 2005 season in a free-agent deal with Minnesota. Hutchinson's contract included unprecedented "poison pill" contract provisions that the Seahawks vehemently protested but ultimately could not match.

The Seahawks then tried Floyd Womack and Chris Spencer, now their starting center, at left guard. After that failed, the Seahawks thought they had agreed on a contract with free agent guard Kris Dielman last offseason, but he chose to re-sign with the San Diego Chargers instead. So Seattle rotated inconsistent Rob Sims and the injury-prone Womack at left guard during games throughout the second half of 2007.

The Seahawks' problems in running the ball are getting coach Mike Holmgren's full attention this offseason. Wahle's signing is the first proof.

The New England Patriots and "just about every team in the league who had openings on the offensive line" were interested in Wahle, Cornrich said. But the Seahawks had inherent advantages.

Wahle's father played at suburban Bellevue High School and at Oregon State. Wahle's parents have a second home in Bainbridge Island, Wash., across the bay from downtown Seattle. And the family has many relatives in the Northwest.

"The Seahawks definitely had a home-field advantage with Mike," Cornrich said in a telephone interview from Cleveland.

Wahle's rookie season was Holmgren's final season as Packers' coach before he arrived in Seattle. Holmgren will coach his final season with the Seahawks in 2008.

The Seahawks also hired former Washington Redskins quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor as their quarterbacks coach, to replace Jim Zorn. Zorn left last month after seven seasons in Seattle to become the Redskins' offensive coordinator. Washington then promoted Zorn to head coach.

Lazor's arrival still leaves Seattle in need of a running backs coach, because Stump Mitchell left Wednesday to join Zorn in Washington.


Les Seahawks ont signé le LG Mike Wahle de 30 ans (pro bowler en 2005 et 2006) qui sera starter à cette position en 2008. Rob Sims ira donc en battle pour être starter en RG

Seahawks Place Franchise Tag on Trufant
2/21/2008
The Seattle Seahawks designated cornerback Marcus Trufant their franchise player, it was announced by the team today.

By placing the franchise tag on Trufant, Seattle will tender a minimum of the average salary of the top five cornerbacks in the National Football League, or a 20 percent salary increase, whichever is greater. Trufant will be free to negotiate with any other team, but the Seahawks can match any offer or receive two first-round draft choices if they decide not to match.

“We are excited that Marcus will remain a Seahawk,” said President & General Manager Tim Ruskell. “We will continue to talk with his representative in hopes of securing a long-term deal which is our goal.”

Trufant, a Tacoma native and Washington State product, was originally selected by the Seahawks as the 11th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. He has started all 78 career games played and finished second on the team in 2007 with 85 tackles (78 solo), leading the team with 16 passes defensed with a career-high seven interceptions, returning one for his first-career touchdown while earning his first-career Pro Bowl berth.


Les Seahawks ont Franchisé (non-exclusive tag) le cornerback pro bowler Marcus Trufant, et essayent de trouver un accord pour un contrat de longue durée

The Seattle Seahawks, who last week solidified their offensive line by adding veteran left guard Mike Wahle, further stabilized the unit by reaching an agreement with starting right tackle Sean Locklear on an extension that takes the four-year veteran out of the unrestricted free agent market.

ESPN.com has learned that the two sides have agreed to a new five-year extension with a maximum value of $32 million and bonuses totaling $12 million.

Locklear, 26, would have hit the free agent market on Feb. 29 without the extension, and retaining him was a priority for Seahawks' management.

A former North Carolina State standout, Locklear started all 16 games at right tackle in 2007, the second time in three seasons he had started in every contest. Given his youth, starting status and a still-solid upside, Locklear likely would have been among the most highly sought young offensive linemen in free agency.

After playing exclusively as a backup in 2004, his rookie season, Locklear moved into the starting lineup in 2005 and has become a fixture there for the Seattle offense.

In four seasons, Locklear has appeared in 59 games, and started in 42 of them.


Les Seahawks ont trouvé un accord pour étendre de 5 ans le contrat du RT starter Sean Locklear de 26 ans qui serait devenu free agent le 29 Fevrier

SHAUN GETTING THE SHAFT?

We’re hearing multiple rumblings from our connections at the Scouting Combine that the Seahawks could be cutting running back Shaun Alexander soon.

A media source told us moments ago that the move could come “in the next couple of days.”

It would be the last step in a dramatic fall from grace for the NFL’s MVP in 2005. Once Alexander got rewarded with a big contract in 2006, his performance began to dip. In 2007, he was, as the league insider types say, “just a guy.”

Alexander is under contract through 2013, with total remaining non-guaranteed base salaries of $43.1625 million.

Shaun Alexander (MVP 2005) décevant cette année, pourrait être cutter durant les 2 prochains jours

SEAHAWKS WON’T COMMENT ON ALEXANDER RUMORS
Posted by Mike Florio on February 21, 2008, 10:13 p.m.
Well, we’re already stirring up trouble in Indianapolis. And we’re not even in Indiana.

In response to rumors we’ve heard from multiple folks at the Scouting Combine that Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander might soon be shoved into the Pacific Ocean, the team has declined comment.

Per Clare Farnsworth of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the team said that the rumor “doesn’t deserve a response.”

But what Farnsworth wrote next makes us wonder whether the ‘Hawks are protesting too much, if Farnsworth is parroting something he was told by the club: “If he is released, it would likely come after June 1 to spread the cap hit on the remaining proration of his signing bonuses over the next two years.”

Wrong. Under the current CBA, two players per team can be cut before June 1, and the transactions can be processed as post-June 1 moves.

The better argument against releasing Alexander now is that the team would have more leverage to squeeze Alexander to take a lower salary if he’d be cut at a time after the bulk of the free-agency money has flowed. It’s another reason why agents negotiating these long-term, big-money deals need to shift some of the salary money to roster bonus payments due in late February or early March. Such terms force teams to decide sooner rather than later whether a change should be made.


Les Seahawks ont décidé de ne pas répondre aux rumeurs concernant le cut d'Alexander, dont le salaire est très haut.

Comme si on allait les lire.... lol

Lol, c'est surtout pour moi, et pour faire du boost

Lit que les phrases en gras sinon

jsuis d'accord avec LB*58 on s'en fout