By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Seattle fans are as passionate as they come. Hardly televised on a national stage, but when they are the 12^th man is truly showcased. No other team in the NFL can get the rise of their crowd as the Seahawks do. Maybe it’s because they lost an NBA team and don’t want any possible threat of an owner wanting to relocate.

In a different market though, you better believe fans would be much more vocal on decisions made under the eye of Pete Carroll. The latest moves at quarterback could cause enough destruction this season to force Carroll out.

Gambling as a head coach is reasonable, but Carroll keeps close ties to his past with former players. Seattle continues to have low talent on the offensive side of the football especially at wide receiver. For a couple of seasons Carroll rooted for the comeback of bust Mike Williams.

Williams started in 2010 when he had no business doing so. You could not of found another NFL team willing to take a shot at Williams, let alone have him with the first team. His season in 2010 was better than expected but his catches came mainly due to his size at 6’5. He had zero ability to separate from the defender, and just was not a receiver that should have been on the field.

This off-season Carroll brought in two veterans that have hit the tail ends of their careers, in Braylon Edwards and Terrell Owens. Owens could not even get phone calls from any teams for months on months. It’s a low risk investment sure, but why not sign the proper free agents or seek young talent in the NFL Draft?

Sidney Rice has not been the same since his breakout year with Brett Favre, and Golden Tate was a 50/50 talent as a second round pick. Their top receiver a year ago was undrafted rookie Doug Baldwin. The hot potato manuevering with Carroll has been all over the place with this team offensively. Carroll and his coaching staff need to come together with a plan and move forward properly.

What’s going on with the carousel at quarterback is just ridiculous. First the Seahawks brought in Tavaris Jackson for four million a year at a two year contract tenure. Not a bad move considering the Seahawks did not have much to work with a year ago after losing Matt Hasselbeck. Jackson was more of a knee jerk signing to ensure a starter post lockout.

Were I disagree with the treatment of Jackson is their denying him of an opportunity in preseason to prove himself. If you do not want him apart of the quarterback competition, trade or release him before hand. A player getting paid four million a year should not be sidelined during preseason games.

Short tenured contracts seems to be the way Seattle likes to go. Signing Matt Flynn to a three year 26 million dollar contract. Only ten million is guaranteed so the Seahawks would not be on the hook like say the Arizona Cardinals with Kevin Kolb. Money management with their quarterbacks is not the issue, it’s the handling of playing time.

Rookies just do not come in and start. Sure the last couple of seasons has bucked that trend, but the fact that Seattle wants to put in Russell Wilson to start a preseason game is stupefying. Flynn has not been stellar but deserves the opportunity to play based on the contract and research the Seahawks signed him on. All you’re doing is rattling the confidence and brewing controversy even if the team names Flynn starter after Wilson’s start Friday.

Wilson may be the eventual starter for the Seahawks, but Carroll is jumping the gun once again just like his quick free agent signings. This should not even of been a quarterback battle. When have you ever heard of a quarterback just signed for over eight million a year, having to deal with a quarterback controversy as soon as the NFL Draft was concluded?

Never Pete…..never.

Experimenting with signings such as LenDale White can’t happen anymore. Stick to certain players and build forward not backward.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

We’ve had a Mike Williams sighting. He was seemingly written off after bustling out as a first round pick by the Lions, and small stints with the Raiders and Titans. Someone has woken him up. Linking back up with his former USC coach, Pete Carrol, may have done the trick. Thus far in preseason Williams looks like the tall physical specimen everyone expected him to be. The thing different from him now than in years past is that he seems to be in supreme shape. That is enabling him to create a bit of separation against opposing defensive backs while utilizing his tight end size.

In the first two preseason games, Williams has had two solid performances. He had a big catch for a fifty one yard touchdown, and this past week had four catches for nearly fifty yards. Talks are in place with Seattle negotiating contract lingo with Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson. Delays between the Seahawks front office and Jackson’s agent could be the best thing for Mike Williams. He’d be buried if the Seahawks trade for Jackson, and would still have to fight off rookie Golden Tate. Currently it seems like Williams could be the Seahawks third receiver if the roster stays the same.

Deion Branch and TJ Housh are older veterans that have fought off injuries, especially Branch. Chances are at some point in the year either or could fade. Williams will have to stay completely focused in order to stay on the radar in Seattle. Remember he was the tenth pick in the draft in 2005. He has the talent to shine and cause some friction amongst his fellow Seahawk receivers. Hasselbeck was looking his way numerous times especially on third downs in their past preseason game.

Keep an eye on Williams as the Seahawks should have three formidable fantasy receivers. They’ve typically been fantasy friendly at the receiver position. If Hasselbeck can stay healthy it should happen again in 2010. Looking at their running back situation only spotlights the receivers more. Julius Jones and Justin Forsett are the same tandem a year ago that had a hard time netting 1,200 yards rushing combined.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

As the NFL and franchises keep facing the rise of dealing with troubling issues, teams are stepping up to the plate by going in other directions. Cutting lose from looming battles of investigations that destroy team chemistry, and allow a player to rejoin after serving a suspension. Talent level is too high to deal with such issues.  It has been a pattern too often plaguing offseason organizations and now teams are wising up.

Literally just after trading for Lendale White and supposed reunion with Coach Carroll it has ended abruptly. After another failed drug test White would now face suspension by the league. This may have been something an organization three or four years into a regime would sidestep. Not a team rebuilding with a new nucleus starting from coach to multiple position players. Tolerance of breaking the rules is not what Caroll will allow or showcase. What kind of example would that set for a team that has underachieved consecutive years?

The prior linking of White and Caroll at USC had to make the decision tough, but Carrol and the Seahawks made the right decision. White will have time to get the right people around him and rededicate himself. For the Seahawks they have chose to move forward. In an article only a few weeks ago we highlighted the Seahawks backfield as a primary battle for fantasy owners. With White out of the loop it gets even more interesting. Could the Seahawks possibly go after Brian Westbrook or bring in a free agent rookie to pose a threat of shaking up the backfield.

There are several red flags to the current Seahawks backfield situation. Julius Jones and Justin Forsett were part of the Seahawks bottoming out the NFL in productivity in the backfield. Upgrading by bringing in Lendale White and Leon Washington were glaring signs to both Jones and Forsett. All signs were that White would be their primary ball carrier. Can Forsett and Jones shake off the fact that the organization was not backing them only a few days ago?

It’s hard enough for players to compete at their highest of levels when trade talks are surrounding that player. As an NFL athlete you have to be prepared for any type of situation and hopefully these two guys are. Down the road their carousel of being misled will likely end with the typical closure of exiting papers. Before that happens though both can brighten their perceived value by making the most of their situations.

Jones looks to be the once again front runner. Leon Washington is a change of pace back that will bring excitement to Carroll’s system. When it comes to being an every down back though Washington has not shown enough capability to do that. Jones has not necessarily lit up the charts himself. Something will give as the Seahawks know they can not force a complete burden on Hasselback’s bad back and shoulders.

Looking from a fantasy value perspective we have too leave off both Forsett and Jones. Jones is on the downside of his career. He has not been getting a significant amount of carries. Running backs  just do not suddenly reemerge statistically. Forsett is a scat back type that could make a push but may not be the guy the Seahawks are looking for. That leaves Washington as the lone fantasy worthy back currently for Seattle. This is for early fantasy drafts that are happening in June. This will continue to be a hot topic based on what type of offense Carroll wants to tailor. He’ll be tinkering with all types of ideas and the debate could involve another back by the end of the summer. For now though Washington  is the main guy. He has been a blip of a fantasy performer that should only see a higher committed role than prior years as a Jet.