Personnel Changes

Alright, so my assumption was wrong. Long snapper Kevin Houser was not added to entice competition during training camp. Apparently, Seattle signed Houser with the intention of giving him possession of the job, should he perform as expected.

The Seahawks released long snapper Bryan Pittman on Saturday. According to Mike Sando of ESPN.com, Pittman suffered a non-football injury to his hand that could take up to four weeks to heal. Pittman was signed last May to solidify a position that has been unstable since 2006.

An obvious unfortunate set of circumstances for Pittman; it is uncertain whether or not he’ll have to opportunity to return and compete for a roster spot after his injury heals. As a homer, I was rooting for him as much as a fan can root for a long snapper – Pittman graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Auburn, and attended both Walla Walla Community College and the University of Washington.

Hopefully Houser is able to step in a handle a job that has rather high expectations. I’m not sure I want to go through another season worrying about the long snapper position.

ROOKIE CONTRACT UPDATE: Danny O’Neil of the Seattle Times is reporting that Andy Ross, the agent who represents linebacker Aaron Curry, said it looks like Seattle is ready to begin contract talks this Monday.

This comes as very good news. The Seahawks have yet to agree to contracts with either Curry or Max Unger, and it is absolutely imperative that both players are signed before training camp begins.

As more first-round selections begin agreeing to terms, negotiating a contract should become easier for Seattle and Curry. Although quarterbacks Matthew Stafford (first overall pick) and Mark Sanchez (fifth overall pick) have agreed to deals, they’re not great benchmarks for what Curry is worth as the fourth overall pick. Rookie quarterbacks generally receive inflated contracts, and command more money than other positions.

Recently, Alex Mack (twenty-first overall pick) has signed with Cleveland, and Ziggy Hood (thirty-second overall pick) with Pittsburgh. Expect teams around the National Football League to be very busy this week.