Hawk Notes 8/20: Ruud Traded, Remembering George Hickman

Not a whole lot going on down in Renton today. There were a couple of big things off the field however.

Tonight the Seahawks traded linebacker Barrett Ruud to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a future draft pick. This move all but solidifies rookie Bobby Wagner as our starting middle linebacker this season. Congratulations to Bobby, as he will become the first rookie middle linebacker to start for the Seahawks since Lofa Tatupu in 2005, who wound up a candidate for defensive rookie of the year. Wagner has looked really good during the preseason and in my opinion he has shown that he is capable of making the defensive calls. The trading of Ruud is somewhat surprising but understandable given the Saints linebacker corps lost Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne to injuries this past week. With Lofton and Hawthorne’s statuses up in the air, Ruud may be in a position to start for New Orleans in week 1. It has not been announced what the Seahawks will receive in return but it is believed to be a draft pick most likely in 2013.

Sad news both in Seattle and around the country today as Tuskegee Airman and Seattle resident George Hickman passed away Sunday morning at the age of 88. Hickman served in World War II from 1943-1945 and was one of the first African-Americans to fly and serve in war. The reason I mention this news is Hickman’s connection to the Seahawks and the rest of the Seattle sports community. Hickman raised the 12^th Man flag on Veterans appreciation day last season before the Seahawks defeated the Baltimore Ravens. Hickman served as a seating host for the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field and was also an usher at Alaska Airlines Arena for University of Washington Husky basketball games. Hickman was a passionate sports fan and connected with fans young and old at all kinds of Seattle sporting events. He will be missed by many, including this 12^th Man who greatly appreciates everything George Hickman did for not only this city but for this entire country.

Tomorrow morning the Seahawks have a practice at 10:15 as they begin prep for the ever important third preseason game against Kansas City on Friday night.

Seahawks/Broncos Preview

Matchup: Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos

Site: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver Colorado

Kickoff: 6:00pm

Week two of the preseason is upon us and the Seahawks will head to Denver to face off against the Broncos on Saturday night. The Seahawks will look to build off of a strong outing last weekend against Tennessee while the Broncos will try to continue their second-string dominance after crushing the Chicago Bears 31-3 last week thanks in large part to the play of their second-team units.

The Seahawks will roll over the same quarterback rotation from last week with Matt Flynn starting and playing the first half. Russell Wilson will again play the entire second half. With rumors swirling that Tarvaris Jackson may be traded before final roster cuts, solid play by both Flynn and Wilson this week could be the nail in the coffin for Jackson who “was never really a contender to win the starting quarterback job to begin with” according to ProFootballTalk.com. I expect to See Flynn take more chances this week, meaning actually throwing the ball down field for significant gains. I am fine with screens and checkdowns if they are effective and we can move the ball and score points, but we need to see what Flynn can really do, even with pressure and tight coverage. I want to see the Flynn that threw for six touchdowns against the Lions at the end of last season.

My main focus this week will be the wide receivers, specifically the play of Terrell Owens. I have the belief that the Seahawks will only keep one veteran receiver and that competition is between Owens and Braylon Edwards. Edwards impressed last week by hauling in a long touchdown thrown by Russell Wilson. I believe if Owens is going to make this team, he will have to impress in the opportunities he is given in these preseason games. I am not jumping right to long receptions and touchdowns, but proving he still has the ability to beat a cornerback, have steady play from his hands and feet, and proving he has a full understanding of the plays that are called. I am not expecting anything that closely resembles the T.O. from 5-10 years ago, but he will be on the field for a good chunk of time in the first half so I do hope Owens shows why the Seahawks took a chance on bringing him in.

Our starting defense looked spectacular last week and I hope to see more of the same this week in a hostile road environment. I hope the Seahawks can generate a solid pass rush this week from Chris Clemons and Bruce Irvin, which is a facet that was practically nonexistent last week. I am also curious to see how the coaching staff splits plays at middle linebacker between Bobby Wagner and Barrett Ruud. Wagner started last week and did a good job. Many believe he has taken great strides to lock down the starting MLB job. Rudd however was hurt last week so he did not suit up and play. I want to see what kind of impact he has on the field because if Ruud plays really well, the starting MLB job may be closer then we the fans think. I believe Wagner will start on Saturday night but I think the plan is to see what Ruud can do with the first team for parts of the first half.

The Broncos are hosting their first game of the preseason and the Mile High faithful will be fired up to welcome Peyton Manning to Denver. Manning will only play a series or two but it will be interesting from my perspective to see him play for a couple of reasons; First, to see how Manning reads our defense and how efficient he can be against us even though he is coming off neck surgery. Secondly, to see what kind of pressure we put on Manning and how he reacts to that pressure. The talk all offseason surrounding Manning is if he is in condition to be hit. I want to see us hit Manning early and often, not to try to knock him out of the game, but to see if his neck has fully healed and if he can still execute the game plan without having to come out.

Random Thoughts: I have been to Denver to see the Seahawks play. I know what Mile High and the Broncos are all about. It is very difficult to play there. I realize it is only a preseason game but combine the heat with the altitude, it could be a long night health wise for the Seahawks… I am curious to know what uniform we wear Saturday night. My guess is we wear white.

Prediction: Last week I nailed my prediction right on the money. If I was a betting man, I do not think that will be the case again this week haha. The Broncos backups dominated the Bears on the road last week. They are at home and I expect them to be pumped up. I think Flynn will play well and the game will be close at halftime, but I think Russell Wilson will make a couple of key mistakes in the second half, which will ultimately cost the Seahawks the game.

Broncos 30, Seahawks 20

Sunday I will post my review of the Broncos game and look ahead to the next week of practice. Let go get this one guys!

On the Eve of Training Camp

My apologies for the 3 month hiatus. I am back for good, I promise!

Day one of season 37 starts tomorrow morning when the Seahawks conduct their first training camp practice of 2012. Tomorrow is day one of a very long and grueling journey. A journey that is as unpredictable as guessing how many jelly beans are in the jar. A journey that will be written based on what is left on that beautiful green grass field. The offseason is history. The 2012 season is upon us and I cannot be more excited.

Tomorrow’s open practice starts at 10:30 tomorrow morning. Because it is the first day, I am definitely expecting some rust from many of our key players, but I will also be expecting to see new plays and formations that were installed during OTA’s and minicamp. Here are some players, and position battles that I will be focusing on for the first day of training camp.

1. Quarterback Competition

Tarvaris Jackson is expected to take most, if not all of the first team snaps at quarterback. Matt Flynn will take the second-string snaps and Russell Wilson will take the third-team snaps. With Jackson as the experienced vet in this offense, I expect him to prove early that he deserves to be the starter. If he does not do this, the 12th Man will be calling for Flynn to take over this competition. I believe it will be Jackson’s job to lose. With Jackson as the pre-camp frontrunner, Flynn as the $8 million man and fan favorite, and Wilson the potential-filled fast-learning rookie, Coach Carroll and his staff have a lot of work to do to settle this competition.

2. Right Tackle

With James Carpenter still rehabbing his ACL injury from last season, the starting right tackle spot is up for grabs in my opinion. I believe Breno Giacomini and Paul McQuistan are the players looking to earn a starting spot on the offensive line. This spot is important because it will be necessary to develop continuity among the starting unit early, as this will improve the play of the entire offense later down the road.

3. Middle Linebacker

Rookie Bobby Wagner looks to be the starting MLB come week 1, but veteran Barrett Ruud will be challenging for a roster spot and a spot as our starting middle linebacker. Ruud is coming off an injury and Wagner was a 2nd round draft pick this year. The last time a rookie started at middle linebacker for the Seahawks was Lofa Tatupu in 2005. Tatupu was also a 2nd round pick. Not to put pressure on Wagner, but if he lands the starting job, the pressure is on to tie the defense together, which is one of many responsibilities required of a middle linebacker.

4. Bruce Irvin

I am interested to see where rookie Bruce Irvin will line up in different packages. Irvin has been described as a defensive end/linebacker hybrid. With Chris Clemons and Red Bryant as our starting defensive ends and Leroy Hill and K.J. Wright as our starting outside linebackers, Irvin’s presence on the field will shift with each defensive play. My hope is to see where he mostly lines up and from which spots he is most effective at getting to the quarterback.

I will be attendance at practice tomorrow morning. Check back tomorrow night for my notes and observations of day one of Seahawks training camp!