| Game day - Thu, 02 Sep 2010 The final game day of the 2010 preseason has arrived. The Seahawks are awaking now at their Bay Area hotel, with a relatively calm morning ahead before business really gets rolling with offense and defense meetings at 2:15. Kickoff’s set for 7 p.m., but here’s what the day looks like for the Seahawks leading up to and following the game: 8 a.m.-10 a.m. • Breakfast 10 a.m. • Position meetings 2:15 p.m. • Offense/defense meetings 2:45 p.m. • Pregame meal 2:45 p.m. • First bus departs for Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum 3:15 p.m. • Second bus departs for Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum 4:15 p.m. • Third bus departs for Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum 7 p.m. • Kickoff 12 a.m. • Estimated departure time from Oakland 1:50 a.m. • Estimated arrival time in Seattle |
| An evening with Jerry Rice - Wed, 01 Sep 2010 REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — The Seahawks learned from a legend during the team meeting on Wednesday night. Jerry Rice, the Hall of Fame receiver who played 20 record-breaking seasons in the NFL, surprised the team with a guest appearance at the end of the meeting on the eve of Thursday’s preseason game against the Raiders. Invited by Coach Pete Carroll, Rice spoke to the Seahawks and conducted a Q&A for about 20 minutes as players sat in reverent silence listening to the football icon. Initially, Carroll showed a glowing seven-minute ESPN feature on Rice’s legacy and then said to his players, “If you could ask Jerry anything, what would you ask him?” After a few moments of pensive silence, Carroll burst forth with, “Well, ask him! Here he is!” Rice walked in through the back door as the surprised players rose to their feet to give him a standing ovation. Rice and Carroll, sitting on bar stools at the front of the ballroom-turned-meeting room, had a dialogue about competition and hard work to start it off. “I wasn’t the biggest, I wasn’t the fastest, but I was going to outwork everybody else,” Rice told the team. “I had to work harder than anyone else to prove I belonged on that football field.” Rice then took questions from the Seahawks, with the queries involving everything from the root of his motivation to how he excelled so long in the league. “Every time I caught the football, I expected to do something special with it,” said Rice, who had 1,549 career receptions for 22,895 yards and 197 touchdowns. “You have to be hungry. Hunger and fear of failure drove me to be great.” As Rice wrapped up his time with the team, the 13-time Pro Bowler said he was very fortunate to have played for 20 years and still be healthy today. But healthy enough to keep playing? “If you want me to play 10-15 plays tomorrow night, I could probably do it,” Rice grinned and said before walking out, inciting laughter from the still-stunned Seahawks. As the Seahawks give him a standing ovation, Jerry Rice walks into tonight’s team meeting. [Photo by Rod Mar, Seahawks.com] Matt Hasselbeck and Coach Pete Carroll welcome Hall of Famer Jerry Rice during his surprise appearance at tonight’s team meeting. [Photo by Rod Mar, Seahawks.com] |
| Getting to work - Wed, 01 Sep 2010 The Seahawks have settled into their Bay Area hotel and are about to start their traditional slate of night-before-the-game meetings. Here’s a look at the schedule for the remainder of the evening: 7:30 p.m. • Special teams meeting 8 p.m. • Offense/defense meetings 8:30 p.m. • Team meeting 8:45 p.m. • Snack 9:30 p.m. • Chapel/mass 11 p.m. • Bed check |
| Welcome to Oakland - Wed, 01 Sep 2010 After arriving at Oakland International Airport this afternoon, Matt Hasselbeck and Coach Pete Carroll share a laugh as the team disembarks its charter flight and boards buses headed to the team hotel. The Seahawks are now checking into their hotel and will begin meetings at 7:30 p.m. [Photo by Rod Mar, Seahawks.com] |
| Wednesday in Hawkville - Wed, 01 Sep 2010 A recap of the day’s activities: FOCUS ON Staying focused. That has been coach Pete Carroll’s directive to his players for this short work week, as the Seahawks crammed several days’ worth of preparation into a few days before they play their preseason finale against the Raiders in Oakland on Thursday night. The starters traditionally don’t play much – if at all – in the finale preseason game, but Carroll doesn’t want them approaching this game with that attitude. “We’re going to suit everybody up, get everybody ready to go and I want to keep us in a competitive mindset about getting ready for a game and all of that,” he said. “We’ll make our adjustments on who we play and how we do that. “But still this is another opportunity for us to get better. It’s also a final opportunity for us to make our final choices on some guys, too. So it’s going to be a critical ball game for a bunch of players.” That’s because the current 75-man roster must be reduced to 53 players by Saturday. ON THE FIELD The players had a short walk-thru this morning before boarding buses for the trip to the airport and the flight to the Bay Area. POSITON WATCH Cornerback. The new No. 1 nickel alignment was on display this morning, following Tuesday’s draft of Josh Wilson to the Baltimore Ravens. Kelly Jennings was at right corner, opposite Marcus Trufant, with rookie Walter Thurmond stepping in as the nickel back to replace Wilson. As Carroll explained the move, “Because of a good draft this year and other players that have been here, we’ve got some good pieces in place that will seize this opportunity. We’re really excited to see how Kelly, Walter and Roy (Lewis) rise up and make the most of this chance.” For Wilson’s reaction to the trade, click here. ROLL CALL Five players definitely will not see action against the Raiders because they continue to recover from injuries: linebacker Leroy Hill (knee), defensive lineman Nick Reed (knee), offensive linemen Russell Okung (ankle), Ray Willis (knee) and Chester Pitts (knee). Those in question, because they missed practice time this week: linebackers Aaron Curry (elbow) and David Hawthorne (hip), defensive lineman Kentwan Balmer (ankle) and tight ends Chris Baker (hamstring) and Anthony McCoy (ankle). UP NEXT A long break before the long haul. The players will have meetings on Friday, but are off Saturday and Sunday before returning Monday to begin preparing for the Sept. 12 regular-season opener against the NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers at Qwest Field. Not all the players will return, of course, because of the roster reduction on Saturday. YOU DON’T SAY “We take this with great sincerity; this is an important week again.” – Carroll, continuing to treat the preseason games as more than just preseason games |
| Hitting the road - Wed, 01 Sep 2010 A short practice in the books, the Seahawks are boarding buses now and will head to SeaTac International Airport to officially begin their trip to Oakland. They’re scheduled to arrive in the Bay Area at 4:30 and the bus directly to the team hotel, where they’ll commence eve-of-game meetings at 7:30 p.m. We’ll have reports from the road upon touching down in the Bay Area later today. |
| For a good read - Wed, 01 Sep 2010 Don’t miss this excellent feature on receiver Mike Williams, written by Clare Farnsworth. |
| Clearing the way - Wed, 01 Sep 2010 The Seahawks run through a quick no-pads practice at Virginia Mason Athletic Center this morning just before packing up and heading out for Oakland. The team’s scheduled to depart VMAC at 1:30 p.m. |
| Making up for lost time - Wed, 01 Sep 2010 Mike Williams has returned to the NFL with the Seahawks after being out of the league for two years, and he’s playing – and acting – like he plans on sticking around longer this time. |
| Double day - Wed, 01 Sep 2010 It’s two days in one for the Seahawks today. Thanks to the shortened game week, the day’s schedule includes elements of “No Repeat” Friday and “Review” Saturday — along with an afternoon flight to Oakland — as the team closes out preparation for its last preseason game on Thursday night against the Raiders. Players are in film meetings now before a light, helmets-only practice at 11:10 a.m. and departure for SeaTac at 1:30 p.m. Throughout meetings this morning, coaches have been emphasizing the significance of today’s full slate of business, since it acts as the final review for the final tune-up before the regular season. “This day is hugely important,” Coach Pete Carroll said during this morning’s team meeting. “If we take it lightly, we’ll be selling ourselves short.” |
| Media watch - Wed, 01 Sep 2010 Wondering how to watch, listen to or otherwise follow Thursday’s preseason game at Oakland? Here’s all the pertinent media information for the Seahawks-Raiders game: Kickoff: 7 p.m. Live local TV • King 5 Tape-delayed national TV • NFL Network (Saturday at 8 p.m.) Regional TV: On 16 different networks across five states TV announcers: Curt Menefee and Warren Moon Radio • 710 AM and 97.3 FM Radio announcers: Steve Raible, Dave Wyman, Jen Mueller Online play-by-play: NFL.com Game Center Complete online coverage: Seahawks.com |
| Wilson going home - Tue, 31 Aug 2010 The Seahawks traded cornerback Josh Wilson to his hometown Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday for a draft choice. |
| Seahawks Trade for Tackle; Sign Defensive End - Tue, 31 Aug 2010 The Seattle Seahawks have traded a 2012 undisclosed draft choice to the Detroit Lions in exchange for tackle Tyler Polumbus. |