Come Together-- Seahawks 27 Cowboys 17

In the third game of the 2016 NFL preseason, the Seahawks projected regular season starters were on display. Both the offensive and defensive units look to be in regular-season form, though the offense did take a little while to warm up.

Just a few plays into the Cowboys first offensive series, Cliff Avril doubled up Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo like a cheap accordion, sending Romo to the turf clutching at his back in pain.  Romo left the game after that, and it was later revealed that he has broken a bone in his back that will force him to miss the next 6-10 weeks.

Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott looked outstanding in Romo's stead.  His poise on the road against one of the NFL's top defenses was impeccable and should provide hope for Cowboys fans dreading another year without Romo at the helm.

We also saw the NFL debut of the highest drafted rookie running back, Ezekiel Elliot. The young offensive figureheads showed no fear against Seattle's ferocious defense.  Ultimately, it wasn't enough to earn the victory, but there is a glimmer of hope in big D.

Christine Michael continued to make a case for a serious role in Seattle's offense. The backfield behind Michael and Rawls remains uncertain.  You have to assume Seattle will keep  3rd round selection, CJ Prosise, if for no other reason than his draft position and unrivaled skill set.  Still, Prosise didn't display anything that clearly separates him from the rest of the backfield and he's a little behind from missing time with a hamstring earlier in camp.

Seattle will likely keep 4 running backs, which allows room for just one of the remaining backs.  George Farmer, Troymaine Pope, Zac Brooks and Alex Collins will vie for that spot.

Tuesday will see the roster cut from 90 to 75 and Seattle has some difficult decisions to make.  You can bet that, just like the past 3 or 4 seasons, the Seahawks leavings will be raided by the rest of the league, hoping to catch some of that Seahawks magic.

Seahawks 11 Vikings 18 -- SeahawksFTW 0 Dish/KCPQ 2

Preseason games are often described as 'meaningless'.  That assessment has never sat well with me.  If you want to call the Pro Bowl meaningless, I'll give you that.  As much as I personally enjoy seeing the best (non-Super Bowl qualified) players in the league kick back, be themselves and compete in skills challenges-- I'm more than willing to admit that it is a meaningless event.

But how can you possibly make the same distinction for the entire preseason?

Yes, the outcome of preseason games has zero effect on your team's post season opportunity.  But outside of that, the preseason is integral in preparing your team for the all-important regular season.

Position battles are decided in the preseason.  For better or worse, teams watch these games closely to determine their depth chart heading into the season.  They watch other teams to see if there might be someone on another roster that could improve their team via trade or free agency.  Preseason ultimately determines who gets tucked away onto the practice squad for future development.

Hell, if you don't think the practice squad is important-- just look at how many former Seahawks are on teams through out the league.  The Chiefs specifically have raided Seattle's practice squad many times.

Whatever your opinion is of the preseason, you have to admit that it is comforting to know that football is back and getting to watch your team play, even in a 'meaningless' game, gets you fired up for the real deal.

For Dish subscribers such as myself-- this preseason has been a nightmare.

Imagine paying for HBO.  Sure, HBO has a wealth of tremendous programming from documentaries to blockbuster films.  While you enjoy the breadth of shows that they offer-- you consider yourself first and foremost a Game of Thrones fan.

Now, imagine you're about a month out from the season premier of  'Thrones' and you discover that HBO is squabbling with the producers of the show about money. The consequence of these two incredibly wealthy entities results in you not being able to watch the show.   You're still paying for HBO, you still have access to a myriad of programming-- but not the show that is the primary factor in your decision to become an HBO subscriber.  You can spend more of your own money to get a device that allows you to watch the show with much poorer quality-- but why should you have to shell out more of your money when you had no role in the quarrel to begin with?  Remember: the two parties that are causing this disruption have PLENTY of money.

This is how Dish customers that are Seahawks fans feel right now.

So, with regard to the Vikings/Seahawks match up this past Thursday, I ordered a set of digital rabbit ears that Amazon failed to deliver on time.  My wife then went to Fry's and purchased the set that the associate recommended to her-- aaaaaand it didn't work.

I hadn't eaten all day, utterly exhausted from moving this week and I was about to put my fist through the TV before I finally found a website that could stream the game just moments before kick off.  We ate and watched the first half of the game but as the stress brought on by the continued uncertainty of whether or not we would be able to watch the game subsided-- I passed out from fatigue around halftime.

Once again, I'm unable to give very detailed analysis and who knows if I'll have things resolved in time for the 3rd preseason game. The preseason matters because it has implications that will carry into the regular season and ultimately the playoffs.

The same can be said for this Dish dispute-- and I'm terrified to think that it could impact the regular season and playoffs for me and tons of other subscribers.

Come from Behind in KC-- Seahawks 17 Chiefs 16

I had the pleasure of flying out to Chicago this past weekend to witness my sister's engagement.  I knew that it was more than likely that I would not be able to find the time to watch the Seahawks preseason opener-- at least not with the attention I would normally pay it-- but I wasn't worried, because I knew that I could just DVR it and watch it when I got back.

Or, so I thought.

My wife called me Saturday morning to inform me that Dish Network, our cable provider, is beefing with local channels who are demanding Dish pay to carry their signal, despite the fact that their broadcasts are supposed to be free to the local public.  While I appreciate Dish's effort to prevent having to pass the buck to the customer, they should have made considerably more noise BEFORE the football season was upon us, if they wanted any support or sympathy.


Not only was I unable to record the game-- I now have the issue of 'how the hell am I going to watch the NFL season this year?' to deal with moving forward.

Fortunately for me, I was able to tune in on the hotel's NFL Network broadcast to catch the last quarter of the game.  More specifically, I was able to watch Trevone Boykin lead a group of guys fighting for roster spots on a game-winning two minute drill.

Since I was unable to watch the game first hand, I will share with you some of the observations I've heard on local sports radio this week.

From all accounts, the offensive line looks good.  No one was comfortable with the idea of 5 new  players manning the line, but the ceiling is high for this group.

Christine Michael might be pushing for the starting running back job.  Sometimes, a swift kick in the ass is what someone needs to live up to their potential.  Michael got that after bouncing around the league last season before ultimately returning to the team that drafted him.  While Michael may not win the starting job from Thomas Rawls, he is making a case to factor into Seattle's run game plans this season.

All in all, the Seahawks are in good form.  Let's hope my digital rabbit ears I purchased on Amazon arrive in time for Thursday night's playoff rematch against the Vikings.
starters taking over the group that protects our franchise quarterback and paves the way for our post-Beastmode run game. Nothing about that situation felt good.  However, it seems like they may have got it right.  Though, it does sound like Garry Gilliam will be returning to the right tackle position he manned last season.  In the aftermath of the first preseason game, it would appear that the only question mark on the line is who will start at left tackle-- the most important spot on the line.

Football is Coming

The past few seasons have spoiled me.

The space between the conclusion of the Super Bowl and kickoff of the first preseason game once had me clamoring for every football morsel I could scavenge. I would beg the Mariners to keep me entertained through the football void and spend hours spanning the internet and listening to sports talk radio.

You may have noticed that I haven't been very active on this blog since the conclusion of the Seahawks playoff run.  Yeah, I wrote about the draft and free agent moves as it pertained to the Seahawks-- but I didn't delve into the minutia of the offseason.

All that matters to me is seeing this team play for keeps.

Bring on the regular season.  I'm ready for another championship run.  While I am excited to see some of the position battles play out over the preseason-- how can you not be stoked for some of the Seahawks regular season matchups this year?

We got a rematch against the Patriots, post-Brady suspension.  We got a shot at revenge with the Panthers coming to the CLink.  Road games against Rodgers and Brees. The rivalry with the Cardinals is bound to intensify this season.  It has all the makings for a special season.

But what will this team look like?

The front office has been tremendous in drafting and retaining talent.  Wilson, Sherman, Thomas, Wagner, Wright, Baldwin and Kearse are all locked up. Sure, Bennett and Chancellor aren't thrilled with their deals, but they are under contract beyond this season.

How strange it will feel not having Beastmode on this team for the first time in years? Everyone is excited to see Thomas Rawls take over, but the question remains whether he can stay healthy for 16 games.  Rawls has demonstrated the ability to emulate Marshawn's aggressive style and big numbers, but Lynch had a consistency and reliability that might be difficult to replace.

Jimmy Graham resumed practicing-- which is great news!  It was reported that he is 15 lbs lighter this season. Couple that with the selection of Nick Vannett in the draft and you have to believe that the Seahawks are going to finally let go of the idea of converting Graham into a Zach Miller-type of blocking tight end and let him do the things that earned him a huge contract in New Orleans as a pass catcher.

Another change that might be less noticeable once the regular season begins is the absence of backup
quarterback, Travaris Jackson.  The Seahawks have opted to go into the preseason with Trevone Boykin, a rookie undrafted free agent, as the presumed backup to Russell and coin toss caller. Jackson got into some off field trouble that he has since been absolved from, but Boykin impressed enough for the team to move on from T-Jack.


 I'm pulling for Boykin.  His play style is complementary to Wilson's and seems like it would be beneficial in keeping the offense in rhythm, should Russell ever miss any time with injury.  He should see considerable playing time in Saturday's matchup in Kansas City.

Perhaps no position group looks more different from last season than the offensive line. Every position across the line will be manned by an entirely different player.  Only Gary Gilliam and Justin Britt started the season before, but even they will play entirely new positions with Gilliams switching from right to left tackle and Britt moving from guard to center. Despite the drastic change, I actually feel better about this season's group than the previous two years.

First round draft pick Germain Ifedi is slated to start at right guard, and he's already showing some grit in training camp. Ifedi has been in multiple scrums with some of the veteran defensive players. This group has to play with an edge this season.  They're getting ripped by criticism before they even set foot on the field.

Football is almost here-- and I'm feeling pretty good about these Seahawks.

Football is Coming

The past few seasons have spoiled me.

The space between the conclusion of the Super Bowl and kickoff of the first preseason game once had me clamoring for every football morsel I could scavenge. I would beg the Mariners to keep me entertained through the football void and spend hours spanning the internet and listening to sports talk radio.

You may have noticed that I haven't been very active on this blog since the conclusion of the Seahawks playoff run.  Yeah, I wrote about the draft and free agent moves as it pertained to the Seahawks-- but I didn't delve into the minutia of the offseason.

All that matters to me is seeing this team play for keeps.

Bring on the regular season.  I'm ready for another championship run.  While I am excited to see some of the position battles play out over the preseason-- how can you not be stoked for some of the Seahawks regular season matchups this year?

We got a rematch against the Patriots, post-Brady suspension.  We got a shot at revenge with the Panthers coming to the CLink.  Road games against Rodgers and Brees. The rivalry with the Cardinals is bound to intensify this season.  It has all the makings for a special season.

But what will this team look like?

The front office has been tremendous in drafting and retaining talent.  Wilson, Sherman, Thomas, Wagner, Wright, Baldwin and Kearse are all locked up. Sure, Bennett and Chancellor aren't thrilled with their deals, but they are under contract beyond this season.

How strange it will feel not having Beastmode on this team for the first time in years? Everyone is excited to see Thomas Rawls take over, but the question remains whether he can stay healthy for 16 games.  Rawls has demonstrated the ability to emulate Marshawn's aggressive style and big numbers, but Lynch had a consistency and reliability that might be difficult to replace.

Jimmy Graham resumed practicing-- which is great news!  It was reported that he is 15 lbs lighter this season. Couple that with the selection of Nick Vannett in the draft and you have to believe that the Seahawks are going to finally let go of the idea of converting Graham into a Zach Miller-type of blocking tight end and let him do the things that earned him a huge contract in New Orleans as a pass catcher.

Another change that might be less noticeable once the regular season begins is the absence of backup
quarterback, Travaris Jackson.  The Seahawks have opted to go into the preseason with Travon Boykin, a rookie undrafted free agent, as the presumed backup to Russell and coin toss caller. Jackson got into some off field trouble that he has since been absolved from, but Boykin impressed enough for the team to move on from T-Jack.


 I'm pulling for Boykin.  His play style is complementary to Wilson's and seems like it would be beneficial in keeping the offense in rhythm, should Russell ever miss any time with injury.  He should see considerable playing time in Saturday's matchup in Kansas City.

Perhaps no position group looks more different from last season than the offensive line. Every position across the line will be manned by an entirely different player.  Only Gary Gilliam and Justin Britt started the season before, but even they will play entirely new positions with Gilliams switching from right to left tackle and Britt moving from guard to center. Despite the drastic change, I actually feel better about this season's group than the previous two years.

First round draft pick Germain Ifedi is slated to start at right guard, and he's already showing some grit in training camp. Ifedi has been in multiple scrums with some of the veteran defensive players. This group has to play with an edge this season.  They're getting ripped by criticism before they even set foot on the field.

Football is almost here-- and I'm feeling pretty good about these Seahawks.