Not for inhumane treatment of animals, or for abusing man’s best friend.
Really, I’m not even sure if I owe any thanks at all. I was offering my gratitude for keeping the NFL in the news through a rather dry period, and allowing the media to cover something other than Brett Favre after the NFL Draft.
Oh, and Brett Favre: go away already!
Okay, now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, we can return to conversation about Michael Vick. I’ve had dogs as pets my entire life; my parents owned three dogs when I was born, and today I have a chocolate [...]

Mike Kemmeter, the senior NFL writer at Football.com, recently interviewed me about the new changes that have taken place in Seattle.
In addition to how the team will fare next season with a new coaching staff, Kemmeter inquired about the health of quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and how Seattle’s success is dependent on his well-being. Questions were also asked about Seattle’s new zone blocking scheme, the running back situation, and how the wide receivers will perform with the addition of T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
John Morgan of Field Gulls also contributed.
The article, featured at Football.com, can be found HERE.

The FanSided Sports Network has officially launched its new main site, FanSided.com. FanSided, 12th Man Rising’s network, is expanding quickly and has added additional blogs in the NBA, MLB (Seattle Mariners), and NHL. Check it out if you get the chance.

With their final pick of the 2009 NFL Draft, the Seahawks selected Cameron Morrah, a tight end from California. Morrah was one of Cal’s more reliable targets in the passing game last season, and could develop into a nice option behind starter John Carlson. Although his blocking may need improvement, he is very athletic and has the ability to make plays downfield.
Morrah was a questionable selection for Seattle, but only because he doesn’t fit the usual mold of a Tim Ruskell draft pick. He declared for the draft after his junior season at Cal, and probably could’ve benefitted from an [...]

In the seventh round of last month’s draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected defensive end Nick Reed from Oregon. Reed is an undersized player who plays with passion and loves the game of football. He had a successful collegiate career, and it’ll be interesting to see if he’ll find any success in the NFL.
Dominic Vieira is an editor at AddictedToQuack.com, an Oregon Ducks blog. In addition to applauding the selection of Max Unger, Vieira also had some good things to say about Reed. He included an assortment of YouTube videos to illustrate his points:
Nick Reed was the leader of an Oregon [...]

In the later rounds of last month’s draft, the Seahawks selected quarterback Mike Teel (sixth round) and safety Courtney Greene (seventh round), both from Rutgers University.
Keith Sargeant, a staff writer for the Home News Tribune, has served as the Scarlet Knights’ football beat writer since 2006. He also contributes to Scarlet Scuttlebutt, a blog dedicated to Rutgers athletics.
Mr. Sargeant was kind enough to offer his perspective of the two new Seahawks:

I truly think both Mike Teel and Courtney Greene have legitimate shots at making the team out of camp. It’s funny because Rutgers players tend to stick once they [...]

The details of Leroy Hill’s new contract have been released.
Last week, the Seattle Seahawks reached an agreement with Hill on a six-year deal that totals $36 million and does not include a signing bonus. Here is a breakdown, courtesy of Brian McIntyre (NorthwestFootball.net), of Leroy Hill’s contract:
2009: $5M
2010: $6.4M
2011: $7.4M
2012: $5.4M
2013: $5.9M
2014: $5.9M
In addition to the contract breakdown, Mike Sando (ESPN.com) was able to clear a couple of things up. From Sando’s NFC West blog:
The six-year deal totals $36 million and includes no signing bonus. Hill receives $11 million in base salary over the first two years. The deal includes [...]

The more I read about Deon Butler, the more I find myself liking the guy. He appears to have the full package, and is a true description of a Tim Ruskell draft choice: outstanding college career, durability, success against top competition, demonstrated leadership both on and off the field, maturity, character, and potential.
Those characteristics don’t always translate into success in the National Football League, and Butler will face a lot of challenges at the next level as an undersized receiver. At 5-foot-10 and 182 pounds, he’ll have to rely on speed and quickness to find an advantage over opposing defenders.
Fans [...]

While reading through the Seattle Times this morning (Sunday Edition), I came across an interesting opinion from a reader. This particular opinion was featured in the Backtalk section of the sports page.
Says the reader:
Why don’t we all stop jumping up and down and get a little reality and perspective on the Seahawks.
They really are a 4-12 team, and 4-12 teams need lots of help.
They really did lose several key players to free agency and replaced them with T.J. Housh-whatever.
They really did trade away their best player to Detroit.
They really do have the worst running backs in the NFL — and [...]

A few days ago I posted an entry about Max Unger featuring an Oregon perspective from Andy McNamara. His perspective was something unique, and offered a different synopsis of Unger than your average draft guide.
Satisfied with the opinion I received from Mr. McNamara, I pursued similar perspectives about wide receiver Deon Butler. Obviously, I reached out to Nittany Lion blogs.
Bill Kline, The Morning Call’s sports editor and a Penn State alumnus, writes a blog about Penn State football called Nittany Lines. Mr. Kline was kind enough to offer his opinion of Deon Butler, and what the 12th Man should expect [...]