Friday, November 20, 2009 @ 2:28pm
ESPN's Trent Dilfer: "If I were playing QB for the Seattle Seahawks, TJ would not have 85 targets to this point."

by Chris Leeper

ESPN NFL analyst Trent Dilfer was on the show today to discuss the Seahawks, and he bluntly stated how the relationships between the QB and the WRs would be very different if Trent was playing on the team. When asked why the WRs have not bought in to the system yet, Trent said:

"Matthew as a fault, he's too nice--I was never nice. I don't think your job as QB is to be friends with everybody. It's to be respected and make sure they're doing their job's right."

Dilfer went on to elaborate that he was not throwing Matt under the bus, and Hasselbeck was a better quarterback than he ever was, but if this team is going to succeed, the offense must run at the QB's tempo, and TJ must get on the same page as Hasselbeck.

Friday, November 20, 2009 @ 1:04pm
WSU men's basketball coach Ken Bone: "I'm excited to be a part of the Pac-10"

by Chris Leeper

We had Washington State men's basketball head coach Ken Bone on the show today to talk about the change in philosophy from previous Cougar teams, the Pac-10 being a little down this year, and more. When asked about the team Bone inherited , he replied:

"They're young. Our best players are freshman and sophomores. They're good players right now, but I think we'll be a better team as they progress here in the next year or two, and they improve in their game. I like the group of guys, they're very coachable, but we need time to grow as a team."

Friday, November 20, 2009 @ 9:15am
Morning Links

Seahawks

Matt Pitman was at the VMAC yesterday when Matt Hasselbeck spoke to reporters regarding the Darnell Dockett incident. Hasselbeck said he addressed the play with Dockett during the game, saying he didn’t appreciate it. Matt Pitman also has a practice report from Thursday.

When Julius Jones was knocked out of the game last week in Arizona, Justin Forsett got his chance to show coaches and fans what he could do. Danny O’Neil spoke with the electrifying young back about being patient and waiting for an opportunity.

One of the Seahawks under the most fire lately from fans has been DE Patrick Kerney. When asked about Kerney’s dropped in production this year, he told Jim Moore “I wish I had the answer.” Eric D. Williams spoke with John Carlson about his inconsistent role in Seattle’s passing offense. Carlson is not bothered by the lack of touches; he just wants to win games.

It seems the other “poison pill,” the one used to sign Nate Burleson away from the Vikings in 2005, was not taken so hard by Minnesota fans. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, the Vikings are expecting to get back their Pro Bowl cornerback Antoine Winfield in time for Seattle’s visit to the Metrodome on Sunday.

ESPN.com Page 2 writer DJ Gallo had some fun with the 17 complaints Jim Mora sent to the NFL league office after Week 10’s loss in Arizona.

Huskies/Cougars

Coach Lorenzo Romar has been blown away by Isaiah Thomas' performance in the early portion of the year. Percy Allen examines the improvements Husky guard made to his game in the offseason.

Quincy Pondexter is the last remaining member of the 2006 recruiting class. He told Scott M. Johnson regarding the four-man class, “We wanted to pick up and leave our mark on Husky basketball.”

Klay Thompson led the Cougars with 37 points in an 89-70 blowout of IPFW.

Mariners

Larry Larue focuses his story this morning on the less-glamorized portion of free agency: minor league free agents. The Mariners rely on Sabermetrics master Tony Blengino to find possible hidden prospects.

Misc

Tim Booth has a recap of Seattle U’s stunning victory over Fresno State last night.

Thursday, November 19, 2009 @ 10:03am
Morning Links

Seahawks

Tim Hasselbeck’s appearance on our show yesterday re-fueled the Darnell Dockett situation. Matt Pitman posted the audio of Tim’s comments, and Darnell addressing the situation with the Arizona media. In the spirit of keeping controversial stories alive, Matt Hasselbeck mentioned yesterday he feels T.J. Houshmandzadeh would have chosen the Vikings over the Seahawks had Brett Favre been there earlier. However, it did not seem like there was any animosity in the comments from Hasselbeck or T.J.

Breaking News: Steve Hutchinson plays for the Minnesota Vikings. He used to play for the Seahawks. He’s a future Hall of Famer at a position the Hawks have struggled to fill the last four years. The Seahawks play the Vikings this Sunday, and Adrian Peterson is still shocked Hutch got away from the Hawks after their super bowl run in 2005. Hutchinson leads one of the best offensive lines in the game; Eric D. Williams just wishes it was still in Seattle.

Clare Farnsworth spoke with Lawyer Milloy about his contribution on special teams and possibly seeing more playing time with the defensive unit. Clare also talked with Nate Burleson about his time in Minnesota.

Huskies/Cougars

Bob Condotta writes this morning the Husky football coaching staff is keeping busy in the second bye week of the season by recruiting in southern California.

With a high-powered offense loaded with skill position players coming in to the season, media and fans knew it was up to the defense to turn around the UW football program. Ten games in to the season, the defense has been a model of inconsistency.

Former UW recruit, and current starting guard for San Jose State, Adrian Oliver will get to play one more game at Bank of America Arena. Percy Allen has more on what was supposed to be “perhaps the most heralded recruiting class in the history of the Huskies men’s basketball team.”

Women’s basketball beings tonight as the Huskies face off against BYU. Scott M. Johnson has a report on the team’s eagerness to bounce back from a disappointing 8-22 season last year.

ESPN.com Pac-10 blogger Ted Miller posted this morning senior Kevin Lopina will start at QB this Saturday against Oregon St.

Mariners

Shannon Drayer posted on her blog Rob Johnson’s third (and hopefully final surgery of the offseason) was a success.

A Seattle Mariner fell short once again of receiving a post-season honor yesterday when Don Wakamatsu finished fourth in the AL Manager of the Year voting.

Ryan Doumit is a player the U.S.S. Mariner blog believes the team should seriously consider this offseason.

Seattle posted their 33-game spring schedule yesterday for all the Cactus League fanatics out there.

Misc

Jerry Brewer jokes this morning about a professional sports team being crowned a champion again in Seattle…even though it won’t be a Seattle team. Seattle is hosting the MLS Cup this Sunday at Qwest Field.

With so many teams in the hunt for a spot in the Rose Bowl, is the Pac-10 exceptionally deep in talent this year? Or is it a case of everyone just being above-average?

Shawn Kemp Jr. signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Auburn next season. He had previously committed to Alabama.

Andrew Perloff of SI.com wrote this morning about the Wildcat failing to successfully materialize across the NFL.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 @ 1:20pm
Tim Hasselbeck: "That was a dirty, cheap shot move by Darnell Dockett."

Tim Hasselbeck joined the show today to talk Seahawks, so we took the opportunity to ask Tim about the controversial play Sunday in Arizona where Darnell Dockett pushed his forearm in to Matt Haselbeck's throat while the two were on the ground, and Tim responded candidly by saying:

"Let me tell you something, that was a dirty, cheap shot move by Darnell Dockett. I don't care what he wants to say now. I've been on teams with good guys, and I've been on teams with bad guys...bad guy. And, what he did was flat out dirty and I hope the league fines him, and I hope they fine him heavily, because I think he deserves it."

Tim mentioned in the interview he would feel the same away if Darryl Tapp had drove his forearm in to Kurt Warner's throat while he's on the ground. The rest of the interview touched on the future of the Seahawks, what Tim thinks of Mora telling his team to be nastier, and more.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 @ 8:56am
Morning Links

Seahawks

Steve Kelley writes an article this morning many Seattle fans should thoroughly enjoy. Kelley compares Seahawks GM Tim Ruskell to former Sonics GM Wally Walker. With so many fans pining for Mike Holmgren to run the franchise, and the team on the brink of planning for the 2010 draft, the Seahawks could not have picked worse time to visit Steve Hutchinson and the 8-1 Vikings.

After floundering near the bottom of the league rankings in rushing offense all season, Eric D. Williams states the new combination of Justin Forsett and Louis Rankin is creating a new enthusiasm in the run game for Jim Mora.

Seahawks Insider Clare Farnsworth reports the Hawks are still in search of a pass rush.

Mike Sando, ESPN.com NFC West blogger, posted six backups he feels have stepped up their game when called upon this season. Seattle is represented twice on the list by David Hawthorne and Justin Forsett.

Jordan Kent is taking a page out of Isaiah Kacyvenski’s book by joining the rival St. Louis Rams after being cut by the Seahawks.

John Morgan of Fieldgulls.com posted a two-part examination of Brandon Mebane and what Morgan feels is the optimal defensive line.

Huskies/Cougars

Steve Sarkisian explains to Bob Condotta why the team is attempting to kick-start the return game by placing middle linebacker Donald Butler on the kick return team as a blocker.

Cracking the line-up as a guard for the UW men’s basketball team is difficult given the depth of talent in the Husky backcourt. Percy Allen believes Scott Suggs is forcing Lorenzo Romar to seriously consider caring out some minutes for the sophomore guard.

SI is rolling out various regional covers of their college basketball preview. Isaiah Thomas was chosen to grace one of the covers after SI named him a preseason third-team All-American.

Cougars quarterback Jeff Tuel is listed as questionable for this weekend’s match-up against Oregon St. WSU is one of the worst teams in the nation for the second straight season, but Paul Wulff told Nicholas K. Geranios the rebuilding plan will pay off.

Mariners

Shannon Drayer weighs in on the difference between Zack Greinke and Felix Hernandez, and why Greinke deserved the Cy Young Award. Larry Stone proposes this morning what may be next for Mariners ace Felix Hernandez. John McGrath believes the M’s will be able to sign Felix Hernandez for at least four more seasons, but after that, keeping Hernandez around may become more difficult.

Arizona Fall League games, like the 24-15 slugfest between the Peoria Javelinas and Peoria Saguaros last night, can certainly inflate a batter’s statistics. However, Dustin Ackley’s performance at the plate this fall is still turning heads. The U.S.S. Mariner examines what young prospects the Mariners may look to add to their 40-man roster before the November 20th deadline to protect players from being taken in the Rule 5 draft.

Misc

After Jim Brown let the cat out of the bag last night, the Mike Holmgren to Cleveland rumors are heating up.

Larry Lage recaps Gonzaga’s near-upset last night at #2 Michigan State. The Bulldogs lead the majority of the game, but failed to hold off the Spartans in the last two minutes.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 @ 8:38am
Morning Links

Seahawks

Seahawks Owner Paul Allen has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is undergoing chemotherapy. After beating Hodgkin’s lymphoma more than 20 years ago, Allen “is optimistic he can beat this, too.”

Matt Pitman’s Monday report from the VMAC has audio of Jim Mora’s entire press conference. Mora was extremely candid about numerous calls he felt were missed. Pitman also reported on Darnell Dockett’s Tweet responding to Jim Mora’s criticism of Dockett’s controversial elbow to Matt Hasselbeck’s throat during Sunday’s game. When Jim Mora was repeatedly asked about the missed calls in Sunday’s game, and Darnell Dockett’s seemingly dirty play, Mora emphatically expressed his desire for his players to mimic Dockett’s actions if the refs were not going to call it.

After showing numerous flashes of talent as a receiver the last two seasons, TE John Carlson deserves a chance to become a bigger part of the Seahawks offense.

Huskies/Cougars

With the college football season nearing its end, Jake Locker will begin to hear advice from too many people regarding the QB’s plans next year. Bob Condotta writes Steve Sarkisian will only give Locker “information” on the NFL Draft, not “advice.” Condotta was also has highlights of Sarkisian’s Monday press conference. Coach Sarkisian elaborates further on his experience with future NFL QB’s facing a decision about entering the draft early. With the possibility of Jake Locker leaving for the NFL, and countless holes to fill on the roster, will the Huskies improve next season?

Considering the Seahawks and Huskies are falling out of interest quickly with every loss, Dave Boling is beginning to look ahead to the college basketball season. Unfortunately, the best match-up the state has to offer will not happen any time soon.

Washington State opened their men’s basketball season with a 67-61 victory over Eastern Washington. Klay Thompson led the way for the Cougars with 24 points.

Mariners

Shannon Drayer catches up on all the Mariner news that broke last week, and takes a look at what may be upcoming for the M’s this offseason.

Felix Hernandez pitched like a Cy Young Award winning pitcher this season. However, Larry Stone believes M’s fans will not be happy when the AL Cy Young Award winner is announced today.

Misc

With two new head coaches facing low points in their season, Jim Moore believes Steve Sarkisian is embracing reality slightly more so than Jim Mora.

Monday, November 16, 2009 @ 8:52pm
Thoughts on Junior, Wilson, Tapp and Butler

by Mike Salk

Thoughts while watching Brady Quinn squint in confusion at the Baltimore defense, then throw the ball directly to them..

Baseball

So far, I'm on board with Jack Zduriencik's off-season moves. Ken Griffey Jr. may not be a legitimate starting DH anymore, but that doesn't mean he can't provide some value to the team. He had some memorable pinch-hitting moments last year, and could provide some pop for a lineup that (as of now) needs it. Throw in a low salary, and his obvious popularity both in the clubhouse and with the fans, and you have a deal that could work in the team's favor. But a word of caution: this move only works if

a) Junior's role is limited to pinch hitting and DHing no more than a few days a week (unless injuries force an expansion); and,

b) Everyone agrees that if it isn't working, it should end. My biggest worry with having Junior around for another year is that Don Wakamatsu will feel pressure to play him because of the name. Let Wak do his job!

I also like the Jack Wilson signing. Wilson probably won't win the Silver Slugger as the league's top hitting shortstop, but he can still play the position as well as anyone. At $5 million per year, he isn't killing your budget, and the contract is short enough to allow flexibility if another option presents itself.

Plus, there really weren't any better options at the position! JJ Hardy was traded, Carlos Triunfel isn't ready, and Josh Wilson isn't an everyday option. I guess they could always inquire about Yuniesky Bettan...sorry.

Now comes the real fun. Wilson was obvious and Junior was expected. But how Jack handles third base, left field, primary DH, first base, the future of Jose Lopez, Felix Hernandez, and a number two pitcher? That's going to be fun! The Winter Meetings start December 7th in Indianapolis...

Football

Gonna be an interesting final seven weeks of the season for the Seahawks. They have a lot of decisions to make about their future – from the top on down. That means “evaluation” is the name of the game from here on out.

Brock and I mentioned some players today that we would like to see more of in the next two months. Personally, I'd like to see more of Darryl Tapp in all situations. Can he contribute on all three downs? Can he stop the run? Could he play in space if he was asked? Could he play an outside linebacker position in a 3-4? I like a lot of what I've seen from him, and I want to see more!

Can Justin Forsett be a featured back? People (including myself) will always wonder if he is big enough to take the pounding, but the Hawks now have a chance to find out. If he can mimic Sunday's performance in Arizona on a weekly basis, the team should have one half of a dynamic duo for the future.

Can Deon Butler do it all? We know he's fast, and so far he's impressed with his attention to detail in his route running. But can he put it all together into one play-making package? The only way to find out is to give him enough reps to do his thing. If he can, maybe he is a playmaker of the future. If not, then “speedy playmaker on the outside” is still on the shopping list for the draft/free agency.

Anyone else you want to see more of? Less of?

Monday, November 16, 2009 @ 8:57am
Morning Links

Seahawks


Matt Pitman’s post-game blog has audio of Jim Mora’s press conference and interviews with players from the locker room. Bob Baum has a recap of the Seahawks likely season ending loss yesterday at Arizona.

Seattle definitely showed signs of improvement in the loss to the Cards. Eric D. Williams came away impressed with T.J. Houshmandzadeh’s decision to let his hands do the talking this week. Dave Boling examines the performance of another stand-out player on the Hawks offense: Justin Forsett. Boling is impressed with the small back’s ability to perform well in all facets of the game.

With a 3-6 record, a three deficit in the division (four including the tie-breaker with ARI), and a road game at Minnesota next week, Steve Kelley is ready to call it a season.


ESPN NFC West blogger Mike Sando has his “silver linings” from the Seattle-Arizona game.


Seahawks RB Julius Jones spent the night in an Arizona hospital after it was discovered Jones had bleeding in his lungs.

Huskies/Cougars

UW did not perform much better than their cross-state rivals, losing convincingly at Oregon St. over the weekend.

Steve Sarkisian is still convinced the Huskies are a “good team.” However, after another blow-out loss, Scott M. Johnson is not buying it.


With the Dawgs’ bowl hopes officially shattered, Bob Condotta optimistically looks ahead to this year’s Apple Cup. Condotta also posted on his blog the Huskies have landed LB Victory Burnett. The 6-foot, 225 pound from Culver City, California was also being pursued by Oklahoma and Arizona.

The Husky men’s basketball team put away Portland State early in the game Sunday. Percy Allen has the story on last night’s 111-55 victory.


Nicholas K. Geranios recaps the Cougars 43-7 loss at home to the Bruins on Saturday.

Mariners


Kirby Arnold spoke with Mariners C Rob Johnson about his numerous surgeries this offseason. Johnson feels he “might hold an organizational record.”

Misc

This year’s Pac-10 Rose Bowl representative will likely be decided in the last week of the season. As Bud Withers writes this morning, there could end up being a six way tie atop the conference.

Friday, November 13, 2009 @ 3:51pm
Brock's key match-ups against Arizona

Brock Huard broke down some key offensive and defensive match-ups for the Seattle-Arizona game this Sunday.

On the offensive side of the ball, Brock feels completions will be imperative to moving the chains, the running game must improve their yards per carry, and controlling the defensive line of Arizona.

On defense, Brock wants to see Patrick Kerney get pressure on Kurt Warner, Aaron Curry play "lights-out" and be a difference maker, and to shut down the long drives the Cardinals put together in their first meeting at Qwest Field.