Saturday, May 19, 2012 @ 8:02pm

One game still sticks in Doug Baldwin's craw

Wide receiver Doug Baldwin would naturally point to the Seahawks' Week 5 win over the Giants as one of the games that stood out for him during his stellar rookie season.

After all, the Seahawks' upset of the eventual Super Bowl champions was arguably the most impressive of their seven wins. It was statistically Baldwin's best individual performance as well. He caught eight passes for 136 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The Cleveland Browns were the only team to hold Doug Baldwin catchless during his stellar rookie season. (AP)

It was also for a different reason.

"One of the games that really stood out to me which we actually lost -- and I actually played pretty decently assignment-wise but there was just something about the defense and the player that I was going against and I just didn't have a good game statistically -- it was against the Cleveland Browns and Dimitri Patterson.

"I'll never forget it because I didn't have a catch that game, and I'll remember Dimitri Patterson for the rest of my life because of the fact that he held me to zero catches."

The fact that a bad game is still on Baldwin's mind despite plenty of positive personal moments speaks to his competitiveness. That attribute was evident on a few occasions, including the end of Seattle's Week 9 loss to the Cowboys. With 23 seconds remaining and the Seahawks trailing by 10 points, Baldwin leapt over the back of a Dallas defender and appeared to simultaneously catch an underthrown pass from Tarvaris Jackson. When officials ruled it an interception, ending any chance of a Seahawks comeback, an irate Baldwin vehemently argued to no avail. Winning seems to matter a great deal to him.

Baldwin caught 51 passes for 788 yards and four touchdowns last season, becoming the first undrafted rookie to lead his team in receiving since the AFL-NFL merger. That loss to the Browns was the only game in which he was held without a catch (he actually caught a pass, but the 10-yard gain was negated because he was flagged for offensive pass interference).

Baldwin credited the entire Browns defense -- not just Patterson -- for the degree to which they were prepared for the Seahawks. Cleveland won the game, 6-3, and held Seattle to 137 yards of total offense.

"I was very impressed, and that only motivates me more to do better," Baldwin said.

Related: Doug Baldwin hoping to build off breakout '11

Wednesday, May 16, 2012 @ 2:51pm

More proof that Marshawn Lynch is one of a kind

Marshawn Lynch's unique personality has already produced plenty of entertainment.

There was that time at Cal when he commandeered a trainers cart after a game and swerved around the field for a few seconds, his way of celebrating an overtime win over Washington. There's also his tendency to call reporters "boss," the alter ego that he refers to as Beast Mode, and his affinity for Skittles, a candy he's been known to eat on the sidelines and talk about in the huddle.

Marshawn Lynch

But that's what Seahawks quarterback Matt Flynn gave us when he joined "Brock and Salk" on Wednesday. Their conversation touched on the improvement Flynn has made since his rookie season, how he's handling himself while competing for a starting spot, and finally Lynch.

Flynn called Lynch a "pretty fun guy" and said they've spent some time together at the facility in recent weeks. Flynn was asked whether he's had any unusual encounters with his new teammate.

"No. He calls me Antonio, though, for some reason," Flynn said.

Antonio?

"I don't know. I'm in the locker room and I'll hear him yell from across the way, he just yells 'Antonio!' So, I don't know," Flynn said, sounding equally puzzled and amused. "I guess I'm Antonio to him."

Why does Lynch do that?

Good question. Flynn asked him, and he still isn't sure.

"I did, and he didn't really have a good explanation," Flynn said. "He just said I look like an Antonio to him. Next time [he's] on you've got to try to get an explanation for me."

Thursday, May 10, 2012 @ 10:24am

Mike Florio says Bruce Irvin wasn't a reach at 15

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com provided some validation to the Seahawks' decision to take Bruce Irvin with the 15th overall pick.

Bruce Irvin

Florio stuck to that story when he joined "Bob and Groz" earlier this week.

"We had been picking up in the days before the draft that Irvin was rated higher than the draft experts realized," Florio said. "People want to say 'rising.' All that means when someone says that a guy is rising, it means that the media was wrong and now the media is catching up, so the guy is rising. No, the media just didn't know where the guy was viewed.

"And Irvin was always viewed higher than the media gave him credit for so he was perceived as rising, he was perceived as a reach or a stretch, and it wasn't."

The Seahawks took Irvin with the 15th pick after moving back from No. 12. They thought about trading back again and taking Irvin with a later pick, but Carroll said they were confident the Jets would have taken Irvin with the 16th pick had he been available. New York selected pass-rusher Quinton Coples.

Florio said he thought Irvin would be taken somewhere near the end of the first round, based on what he had learned in the days leading up to the draft. Florio noted that the 49ers, owners of the 30th pick, put Irvin through a private workout days before the draft, but said that could have merely been posturing.

Florio expressed some concerns about Irvin's ability to effectively play the run at his current weight. Irvin is listed at 245 pounds.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012 @ 11:47am

Carroll shares Seahawks' thinking on Ryan Tannehill

We may never know exactly how much the Seahawks liked Ryan Tannehill or whether they would have taken the former Texas A&M quarterback had he still been available when Seattle made its first-round pick.

Coach Pete Carroll didn't offer any definitive answers on the subject during his appearance on "The Kevin Calabro Show" last week.

Pete Carroll says the Seahawks would have considered taking Ryan Tannehill, who went eighth overall to Miami. (AP)

Did Tannehill's performance during his pro day workout really leave Carroll "giggling like a schoolgirl" as Peter King's report suggested?

"Well, first off, I don't know who the guy is that wrote that and I don't know what giggling like that would look like," Carroll said, seemingly a tad amused by the notion. "I can't imagine how he interpreted that. I might have been having fun with John Schneider, telling some stories or something like that but it wasn't about the workout. So that's a bunch of garbage."

Carroll's assessment of Tannehill matched up with his reputation as a supremely talented but raw prospect.

"This is a really exciting player. He has all the right makeup to be just what you're looking for because of his stature, his arm strength and his running ability and [he's] a smart kid," Carroll said. "He did not have a lot of play time behind him. He started something like 16 games or whatever it was, and he didn't finish as well this past year as he had played the year before. So there was some question marks there."

There were some who thought -- or in King's case, were certain -- that the Seahawks would have taken Tannehill if he were still there. The fact that the Seahawks took Russell Wilson in third round shows they were open to the idea of drafting a quarterback despite not having an overriding need at the position.

Seattle never got the chance. Tannehill went eighth to the Dolphins, a team that had plenty of familiarity with him. Mike Sherman, Miami's offensive coordinator, was Tannehill's head coach at Texas A&M. The Seahawks traded back from 12 to 15 and took pass-rusher Bruce Irvin, a player they said they targeted.

"It wasn't a lock that we would take [Tannehill] but he was definitely a guy that we would consider. Miami, they have the background with the same coach and all that from his college days," Carroll said. "We didn't think he'd ever get past [the Dolphins]. We thought that would really be a big sign that we would have to interpret during the draft if they didn't take him because we thought it was just a lock that they would."

Sunday, May 6, 2012 @ 11:15pm

Earl Thomas and Co. aren't resting on their laurels

There should be no shortage of confidence in the Seahawks' secondary, not after that group sent three members to the Pro Bowl in 2011.

But based on comments defensive coordinator Gus Bradley made during an appearance on "Brock and Salk" last week, that confidence won't lead to complacency.

Earl Thomas

"They're just driven that way. I think that's why we're so excited about this group."

Thomas' interception totals decreased from his rookie season to last year -- he had five in 2010 and two in 2011 -- but the improvement he showed elsewhere was enough for him to be named a Pro Bowl starter.

Strong safety Kam Chancellor, also in his second season, was added to the Pro Bowl roster as an injury replacement. So was cornerback Brandon Browner, who was technically not a rookie but was still playing in his first NFL season. Rookie cornerback Richard Sherman didn't make the Pro Bowl, but played well once he became a starter mid-season. That trio combined for 14 interceptions and, along with Thomas, helped Seattle's pass defense improve from 27th in 2010 to 11th last season.

"As Pete said when he first got here, he said, 'Gus, we are going to build this team this defense with guys that love ball. And we've got to do that. That's first and foremost,'" Bradley said. "And I think with guys like Kam and Earl and Browner, even though they've experienced some success, they just love football and that's their No. 1 deal and they just want to be greatest they can be or the best they can be at their positions."

Thursday, May 3, 2012 @ 5:13pm

Seahawks' Turbin, Lynch share more than a position

By Brady Henderson

The Seahawks saw Robert Turbin as a big-bodied thumper who could duplicate Marshawn Lynch's physical running style.

That's not the only thing the newest Seahawks running back has in common with the guy he'll likely be backing up. Both have Bay Area roots and share an affinity for Skittles.

"That's my favorite candy," Turbin said when he joined "Bob and Groz" earlier this week.

The Seahawks drafted Turbin in the fourth round, which came as a bit of a surprise to the former Utah State Aggie. Turbin said he met with general manager John Schneider, head coach Pete Carroll and running backs coach Sherman Smith at the scouting combine, but didn't have any conversations with them after that.

Turbin thought he might have been drafted higher after rushing for more than 3,000 yards and 40 touchdowns in college, but said he was neither shocked nor overly disappointed that he fell to the fourth round.

"At the end of the day, you're going to go to a team that wants you," Turbin said.

The Seahawks wanted Turbin for a specific reason: to be the bruising backup to Lynch that they didn't have last season. They found that out the hard way in a Week 7 game against the Browns, when back spasms sidelined Lynch shortly before kickoff. Leon Washington and Justin Forsett, both smaller backs, combined for 62 yards on 15 carries in Seattle's 6-3 loss.

Robert Turbin said Marshawn Lynch is one of several running backs he has emulated since high school. (AP)

Lynch became the focal point of the Seahawks' offense last season, carrying 285 times -- fourth most in the NFL -- on his way to a career-high 1,204 yards and a new contract. Turbin not only provides insurance for Lynch, but should allow Seattle's running game to maintain its edge when Lynch takes a breather.

Turbin certainly looks the part of a physical runner. He's listed at 5-foot-10 and 222 pounds -- an inch shorter and a few pounds heavier than Lynch -- and he possesses biceps that are perhaps best described a cartoonishly large.

"We liked the thought that when Marshawn comes off the field we still have that impact player, big-time guy who can keep the rhythm going," Carroll said.

Turbin might not be quite as violent a runner as Lynch, but watch highlight clips and you'll notice some striking similarities -- whether it's his sometimes herky-jerky movements, his willingness to lower his shoulder into a defender, his ability to bounce off tackles and drag a pile, and even the dreadlocks he has since ditched.

Turbin seemed reluctant to compare himself to Lynch, but did acknowledge that Lynch is one of the running backs he grew up emulating.

"I watched him when he was at Cal and I was still in high school," said Turbin, a native of Fremont, Calif. "So I tried to take some of the things that he did when he was on the field because he's really good. I did that with a lot of backs."

Turbin will get his first shot at securing a backup job when the Seahawks hold their rookie minicamps next week.

Thursday, May 3, 2012 @ 8:31am

Ex-front office executive gives Irvin an endorsement

After the Seahawks drafted Bruce Irvin with the 15th overall pick, coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider spent much of their media interview vouching for Irvin's character and insisting that his past off-field troubles will not be an issue in Seattle.

Ken Herock would agree.

"You're getting a responsible guy," said Herock, a former NFL player, scout and front-office executive who has been a combine interview coach for the past 11 years.

The Seahawks felt comfortable enough with Bruce Irvin's troubled past to make him the 15th overall pick. (AP)

"Are they going to be able to pick up my offense or my defense? I expect this guy to be a leader if he's a first-round pick; Is he the type of guy that I know that can hold my team accountable and be able to have the players look up to him?" Herock said. "I felt that with [Irvin] because I felt the energy that he exudes and I felt the intelligence that he has."

Herock came to that conclusion after a rough first impression.

"He walks in with the dreads and the tattoos and I'm thinking, 'Well, this is going to be interesting,'" Herock said. "As soon as I got to know him, as soon as I started putting him through the process, he just jumped right into it. He loved it. I find out he was an articulate guy, a smart guy, great story to tell. Interesting how he came out of what he did and developed himself into what he is today."

Irvin's rough past has been well documented. He spent two weeks in jail for burglary, dropped out of high school and even lived on the streets for a time, keeping his belongings in a plastic trash bag. Irvin earned his GED and spent time at two smaller colleges before transferring to West Virginia, where he positioned himself for a future in the NFL with a pair of strong seasons.

But then there was the March arrest near the West Virginia campus in Morgantown, where Irvin was charged with disorderly conduct and destruction of property after an incident involving a sandwich-delivery car. Those charges were recently dismissed.

Herock, a West Virginia alum, said he ran into Irvin on the school's campus a week before the draft and asked him about the arrest.

"I got on him," Herock said. "I was pissed off because of the incident that had happened. He explained the situation. When he was done explaining it, it didn't seem like that big of a deal. [He] just happened to be there at there at the wrong place, at the wrong time."

Herock added: "You got a good player up there and he's going to be a great asset to the city."

Friday, April 27, 2012 @ 9:08pm

A few notes on new Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner

Here are a few notes on Bobby Wagner, the linebacker out of Utah State that the Seahawks drafted in the second round:

Flexibility added appeal. The Seahawks entered the draft not sure when Barrett Ruud would fully recover from an assortment of injuries. Leroy Hill was healthy last season, but that was just the first time in his seven-year career that he hasn't missed a game due to injury. Wagner gives the Seahawks some needed flexibility at linebacker, having played all three positions in college. The plan is for Wagner to begin in the middle, which allows the the Seahawks to keep K.J. Wright at strongside linebacker, their preference.

"He's played on the edge, he's played inside and at all positions that we need him to play and it was an easy evaluation in that regard," Carroll said of Wagner. "... He's a good man-to-man cover guy as well. He can do everything."

Need for speed. Getting faster at linebacker was identified as an offseason priority for the Seahawks. Wagner's addition helps in that regard. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds at his pro day workout. That time was faster than any linebacker ran at the scouting combine, which Wagner was unable to attend because he came down with pneumonia a few days before.

"When you're putting together your defense you'd love for your linebackers to have great speed," Carroll said. "If it winds up with Bobby playing in the middle you've got a 4.4 guy playing middle linebacker and that just shrinks the field for us."

Plenty productive. Wagner was a tackling machine at Utah State. He had 445 of them in his career, finishing with at least 100 in each of the last three seasons. As a senior in 2011, he had a career-high 147 tackles -- including 11.5 for loss -- and two interceptions. He was a four-year starter and earned three All-Western Athletic Conference first-team selections. After finishing with seven tackles and an interception in the Senior Bowl, Wagner was named the North squad's most outstanding player.

Short and sweet. If you're looking for an overly verbose quote -- and who isn't? -- then good luck getting it from Wagner. During a conference call he answered reporters' questions politely but without a great deal of elaboration. His response when asked what he does best as a linebacker: "Make tackles."

Here is a scouting report on Wagner, courtesy of STATS LLC.