The Stark Truth

Richard Sherman threw out the ceremonial first pitch Thursday night at Safeco Field and it was a strike. The Seattle Seahawks’ cornerback was back in the news earlier in the week when he said that half of the NFL’s players were using Adderall. The Vancouver Sun in British Columbia reported that story. The NFL called Sherman’s comments “irresponsible” and “ill-informed.” Sherman later said he was misquoted, but The Sun is sticking to its story, and released video of the interview. Sherman made even bigger headline earlier in the offseason when he ripped Skip Bayless on ESPN’s “First Take.” Bayless had criticized Sherman, the Stanford grad took Bayless apart:  ”I’m better at life than you.” He called Bayless “a pompous, egotistical, arrogant cretin.” He said: “I’m gonna crush you in front of everybody.”

Has Sherman gone too far? Have you lost any respect for the guy, who is clearly one of the elite pass defenders in the NFL? Should Pete Carroll rope him in? Or is it all of his trash-talking simply fun and games and harmless? I’m kind of on the fence. I don’t mind a little rebellion once in a while, but it seems the more he puts himself out there, the less funny he becomes.

Havard Rugland, a Norwegian kicker, has been signed by the Detroit Lions to compete with David Akers for the job previously held by Jason Hanson. He’s been dubbed “Kikalicious.” Check out this video and you’ll understand why.

Jeff Garcia, the former NFL quarterback who now works as a quarterback instructor, says the Jets should release Tim Tebow sooner than later.

Why Brady Quinn? “He’s a pro,” said Carl Smith, the Seahawks’ veteran quarterback coach. Smith coached Quinn, who was signed to compete for a backup job earlier in the week, at Cleveland. “His best years are ahead of him,” Smith said.

No. 56. That’s when the Seahawks will pick in the NFL Draft. Claire Farnsworth of Seahawks.com. writes that the team once drafted Michael Jackson, a linebacker from Washington who led the Seahawks in tackles from 1980-82, with the 57th pick. They got cornerback Josh Wilson with the 57th 55th pick in 2007. They’ve never had a 56th pick. Who will it be?

A billion dollars for Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers? Teammate A.J. Hawk said whatever Rodgers gets, he’s worth every penny.

Jay-Z could help Victor Cruz land a big deal with the New York Giants. The rapper’s Creative Arts Agency recently announced that it had formed an athlete management firm called Roc Nation Sports. Yankee second baseman Robinson Cano was his first client.

Gil Brandt, a senior analysis for NFL.com, shook up his crystal ball and it’s tell him that the Seahawks will beat the Redskins on Sunday. He’s predicting victories for the Packers and Seahawks in the wild card round, which means Seattle would play at Atlanta in the divisional round. The lowest remaining seed after this weekend plays at the No. 1 seed (Atlanta) on Sunday, Jan. 13.

Brandt was one of the most respected minds in the NFL when he was the vice president in charge of player personnel for the Dallas Cowboys (1960-89) and he now writes a blog for the NFL.

If Minnesota (No. 6) beats Green Bay (No. 3)  and Seattle (No. 5)  beats Washington (No. 4), then the Seahawks head down the coast for a rematch with the 49ers (No. 2) on Saturday, Jan. 12.

Here’s how Brandt sizes up the Hawks-Skins game:

» Wilson and  RG3 are obviously the headline-grabbing rookies in this matchup, but the key guy in this game is another first-year player: Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner. He has to make plays against Redkins rookie Alfred Morris for Seattle to have a chance.

» I think the Seahawks caught a good break with this game. Even though they have to travel out east, it’s a late game, starting at about the same time they’d get going in Seattle.

» Both teams have left tackles in the Pro Bowl, which makes it a lot safer to be a rookie starting at quarterback.

Brandt also breaks down all of the QBs in the playoffs, rating RG3 and Russell Wilson No. 8 and 9, respectively.

You can read his thoughts here.

More Links

Some of Seattle’s favorite musicians were on hand Friday morning to raise the blue 12th Man flag at the Space Needle in Seattle. Several Seahawks’ anthems are included with this link, including “Russell, Last Name, Wilson,” by Tim Crispy.

John McGrath of the Tacoma News Tribune writes about coaches Pete Carroll and Mike Shanahan. They share a similar philosophy and a mutual respect for each other. Shanahan wanted to hire Carroll to be his defensive coordinator at one point in their careers, but Carroll got a late offer to return to his hometown area and run the 49ers’ defense.

The Associated Press capsule report on Sunday’s playoff game is loaded with facts and stats (note, the Seahawks are now favored by 3 points; it was 1.5 when this was first published). Did you know that Washington’s last two playoff games were against the Seahawks. Seattle won at home 20-10 in January 2006, and 35-14 in January 2008.

Jim Trotter of SI.com writes how Russell Wilson went from ordinary to extraordinary this season for the Seahawks.

Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post writes about how Wilson and Redskins’ QB Robert Griffin III can change a game in a snap.

Oft-criticized owner Daniel Snyder has taken a hands-off approach with the Redskins, and it’s working, according to this story in the Washington Post.

The Post looks an an interesting matchup: Washington’s receivers vs. Seattle’s rangy defensive backs.

Redskins’ linebacker London Fletcher, one of the most underrated players in the NFL, has gained the respect of his teammates

Mike Sando of ESPN.com breaks the game down.

What They’re Saying …

Steve Raible, voice of the Seahawks and a former Seattle receiver, to ESPN 710 radio:  “Somebody had to remind me in fact that we haven’t won a playoff game on the road — and I bite my tongue when I say this — in 29 years. But that, I think — I feel pretty strongly about it — that one’s gonna go out the window this weekend … I just think the Seahawks, given everything I’ve seen them do in the last half of this season, I believe they’re gonna win the football game.”

Mack Strong, the fullback on Seattle’s Super Bowl team, said this on KJR radio: “If they (Seahawks) don’t have a lot of turnovers, honestly, I don’t think this game will be close. I just think the way the Seahawks are playing, they’re just way too powerful, way too physical, playing at a much higher level, I feel like, than the Washington Redskins. Not to take anything away from them, they’re paying at home. But I just feel like you line their 53 up against our 53, I think we win by at least 10 points.”

KJR’s Dave ‘Softy’ Mahler, who also thinks the Seahawks are going to win: “I mean, some could argue that RGIII is a better quarterback than Russell Wilson. Some may argue that Alfred Morris is having a better year than Marshawn Lynch, but I’ll take the veteran come playoff time, OK? It’s not about being a better team than Washington. It’s about being a better team than them on Sunday. That’s all that matters.”

The AP Pro32 Poll is out and the Seahawks ranked No. 20 out of 32 teams in the Associated Press rankings of NFL teams.

Here’s what the panel of voters are saying about the Hawks (ranking in parentheses):

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (22)
Chris Berman (ESPN, 20) — 4-0 preseason with young, eager team always a good sign.
Clifton Brown (Sporting News, 19) — If Russell Wilson is as ready as he looks, this team will be better than expected.
Cris Collinsworth (NBC Sports, 18) — Rookie Russell Wilson talented, but is he ready to be an NFL QB?
Rich Gannon (CBS Sports/SiriusXM NFL Radio, 25) — Russell Wilson doesn’t have a ton of juice at WR … very average group.
Bob Glauber (Newsday, 24) — Russell Wilson one of most refreshing stories of season. Now comes hard part for 5-10 QB. Playing games. Will be a work in progress. We suspect Matt Flynn will get chance before long.
Rick Gosselin (Dallas Morning News, 26) — Russell Wilson will become first rookie to start at quarterback for Seahawks since Rick Mirer in 1993.
Clark Judge (CBSSports.com, 20) — I’m nervous about anyone who starts a 5-11 rookie at quarterback.
Ira Kaufman (Tampa Tribune, 20) — Tucked away in upper left corner of NFL map, Pete Carroll quietly building a winner.
Pat Kirwan (SiriusXM NFL Radio/CBSSports.com, 17) — Maybe surprise team of 2012. Russell Wilson sparks offense and receiving group coming together. Defense is physical and secondary is biggest in NFL.
John Lynch (Fox Sports, 19) — Team that finished strong in 2011 needs competition to bring best out of QB position. Surprise, surprise, it’s Russell Wilson that emerged as starter.
Alex Marvez (Foxsports.com, 20) — Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson picked apart Kansas City’s defense in preseason to win starting spot. Can he still thrive when games are for real?
Dan Pompei (Chicago Tribune, 23) — They are taking gamble on Russell Wilson, but they still can turn to Matt Flynn if Wilson struggles.

While you’re here, I’ve got 10 things and a prediction for ya:

1) Silverdale’s Erynne Lee, a freshman at UCLA, is ranked No. 3 in Golf Week’s collegiate rankings after six tournaments. Duke’s Lindy Duncan and Sophia Popov of USC are 1-2 in the latest rankings. UCLA is the No. 1 team. Won’t be long before Lee’s cashing checks on the LPGA Tour.

2) Stephen Drew hasn’t  recovered from a nasty broken ankle suffered last July, and that means the Diamondbacks will run Willie Bloomquist out at shortstop when the defending NL West champions open the season at home against the Giants on Friday, April 6. For Bloomquist, the Port Orchard native who took over for Drew last season, it will be his first Opening Day start. Willie hit .266 a year ago, right near his career average.

3) College basketball’s madness returned to normal this year. No Butler. No George Mason. This year’s Final Four is all royalty: Kentucky, Ohio State, Kansas, Louisville. Kentucky’s the obvious favorite. If the Wildcats win the championship game by three points or 11, I’ll hoist one to Mike Gaffke, who is probably running a March Madness pool somewhere. Hell, even if they don’t win by that margin, I’ll hoist one to Mike Gaffke. I’ll forever think of Mike Gaffke this time of year.

4) Bremerton’s Marvin Williams earned his dough on Sunday, playing 44 minutes in Atlanta’s 139-133 four-overtime win against Utah. I thought it might be a career high for the 6-foot-9 forward. I was wrong. He played 51 minutes in an April 8, 2007 game against Philadelphia. Marvin scored 16 points and had nine rebounds last night. His career highs for points? 33 vs. the Sonics in Seattle on Jan. 25, 2008.

5) Olympic College basketball coach Barry Janusch tells me he’s got a line on a 6-foot-11 center from Arizona by way of Philadelphia, and a guard from Tennessee who tried out at UT-Chattanooga might be on his way to Bremerton.  Janusch, who doubles as the athletic director at the junior college, says he’s got some experienced candidates to sort through for the women’s basketball job that is open. He also told me that Seattle Community College is dropping its men’s and women’s basketball programs.

6) Aaron Cunningham’s still in contention to be Cleveland’s starting left fielder or the Indians fourth outfielder, but the South Kitsap grad hasn’t had the best of springs.  Manager Manny Acta has said the job will go to the player who hits and none of the candidates, including Cunningham, have stepped up at the plate. Cunningham, traded to Cleveland by San Diego, was at .210 with one RBI in 10 spring games at last check.

Another SK grad, Jason Hammel, seems to have cemented a spot in Baltimore’s starting rotation. He could wind up as the No. 3 starter for the Orioles. He’s pitched 11.2 innings and has a 3.09 ERA with 12 strikeouts, five walks and 10 hits allowed in four spring starts.

7) Olympic College’s Colin Yoshinaga, the Japanese player whose style of play reminds you a little of Ichiro, can make all of the plays in left field, has a strong arm and a knack for bunting his way on base. The lefty singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning in an 8-7 victory over Wenatchee Valley on Sunday.

8) It’s a wonder some big school hasn’t hired Virginia Commonwealth basketball coach Shaka Smart. I’d hire him in an instant.

9) Warren Hood and the Goods. A really good band from Austin with a pretty good name. Marshall Hood and the Bads. His brother’s old band. Never saw ‘em, but great name.

10) The Seattle Seahawks’ new battle cry: “Flynn Forever.” We’ll see. QB Matt Flynn still has a lot to prove, but signing him for three years with $10 million guaranteed is a relatively low risk deal with potential for some big-time rewards. At the very least, they’ve upgraded the position. If Flynn wins the starting job, and he should, then Tavaris Jackson gives you some pretty good depth at the most vital position on the team.

Prediction: Next Kitsap-area baseball player to get a chance to play professional baseball? Tyler Baumgartner, former Central Kitsap standout and cousin of Drew Vettleson, the switch-pitching star now playing outfield in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Baumgartner had a monster year as a freshman outfielder at Bellevue CC, and is drawing a lot of interest from a lot of big-league teams. Tyler’s already signed with Oregon. If you want to see a sweet swing, you can watch him next Saturday when Bellevue takes on Olympic College at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds & Events Center. Doubleheader starts at 1 p.m.

The unpredictability is the best part about sports.

Everybody says Tim Tebow can’t play in the NFL,  and the quarterback/evangelist/right winger proves everybody wrong, nearly leading Denver to a comeback, upset victory over the Chargers on Sunday. You don’t have to agree with his politics or like his passing technique to appreciate what he brings to the football field — the guy’s a winner. It’ll be interesting to see if his role will increase after what he did on Sunday.

Everybody buried the Seahawks weeks ago. But Tarvaris Jackson shows he can play when he gets a little protection, and when he goes down, maligned Charlie Whitehurst comes off the bench to lead the Hawks over the New York Giants. The 10.5-point underdogs thrive in a no-huddle offense, the defense makes a lot of big plays and they shock the world. If not the world, the bookies in Vegas and all of those football know-it-all analysts.

The Yankees, the Phillies, the Red Sox are done, but the Brewers, Tigers, Cardinals and Rangers play on. And the Diamondbacks came thisclose to advancing to the baseball’s Final Four. You can’t figure this stuff out, which is the way it should be.

And how about those San Francisco 49ers? The mild, mild NFC West might have a legitimate contender after all. Jim Harbaugh can coach and QB Alex Smith, the Bremerton-born player and former No. 1 pick who has been labeled a bust, isn’t a such a schmuck after all.

How many of you gave Olympic High a chance to beat North Kitsap in football on Friday night?

How many of you thought Washington’s Keith Price was going to be this good? Steve Sarkisian will never come out and say that Price is flat-out a better college QB than Jake Locker, but he is.

Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, remember that you don’t.

There’s always going to be a Buster Douglas come along to knock out a Mike Tyson.

There’s always going to be some shocking surprises along the way; there always are and it’s a big reason why the games we like to watch and play are so much fun.

Wouldn’t you like to have really known what was going on when Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, GM John Schneider, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell  and the rest of the franchises’s brain trust sat down to discuss their quarterback situation?

Take off your 12th Man jersey for a second. If you look at it objectively, the Seahawks did the right thing, right?

Matt Hasselbeck: Great guy, team leader, but he is gonna be 36 in September, is injury prone and his best years are behind him. It won’t be long before he joins older younger brother, Tim, as an analyst on ESPN. Wish him well, but it’s time to move on. You know that’s what the Seahawks’ braintrust was thinking. The Hawks will miss kicker Olindo Mare, who is headed to Carolina, more than Hasselbeck.

Tarvaris Jackson: Great athlete, big arm, mobile, knows the system that’s going to be put in place. Has a career completion percentage of 58.7 percent. Hasselbeck was 59.9 last year. Bevell was the offensive coordinator at Minnesota, which drafted Jackson in the second round out of Alabama State. Nobody in the league knows him better than Bevell, who must have recommended him to Carroll. This is a new start for Jackson, who has 20 starts under his belt. If  the Vikings had not gone after Brett Favre, Jackson might be a star right now. Or not. We’re going to find out.

Kevin Kolb: Kolb must have come up in the conversation. He seemed like a good fit for Seattle, having operated a West Coast offense in Philadelphia. He blew his opportunityh in Philly a year ago, and was pushed aside byMichael Vick.  The Seahawks must have have been tempted by Kolb, but with Bevell running the offense, Jackson is a better gamble. Don’t ya think?

Charlie Whitehurst: The jury’s still out on Whitehurst, a.k.a. Clipboard Jesus. I think he’ll be the starter when the Seahawks open the season. If Seattle can become a physical team that relies on the run, Whitehurst will be a good fit. He’s been inconsistent with his deep throws, but I think that’s mostly because of his inconsistent opportunites. I don’t know why everybody’s so down on the guy. He hasn’t really been given a legit shot as a starter. He throws a great ball and he did perform well in a 16-6 win over the St. Louis Rams to get the Hawks into the postseason. Knowing that he’s the guy coming into camp might be enough to get him to that next level.

Matt Leinart: I thought he’d find his way to Seattle, but when word came down that the Hawks were signing Jackson, Leinart oopted to stay in Texas instead of competing for a job with the Seahawks.

Seattle didn’t seem to have any other QB options. It came down to Hasselbeck or Whitehurst/Jackson. I think Carroll, Schnieder and Co.  made the right decision. Don’t expect a Super Bowl run, but the Hawks might have enough to make a run for another NFC West title.

And whether it’s Whitehurst or Jackson, you gotta like the fact they’ll be throwing to 6-foot-4 Sidney Rice and 6-5 Mike Williams, on paper the  best receiving tandem the Hawks have had in years.

There’s been a lot of speculation about the Seahawks trading for Cincinnati QB Carson Palmer, which would reuinite the former USC player with his college coach, Pete Carroll. Palmer has requested to be traded. But Mike Brown, owner of the Bengals, says Carson’s not going anywhere.

Matt Hasselbeck’s future with the Seahawks continues to be debated. Pete Carroll said contrct negotiations with Hasselbeck, who is a free agent, broke down before the lockout and deal wasn’t made. Will ever be made? There’s also speculation that Seattle has discussed giving Philadelphia a first-round pick for QB Kevin Kolb, now a backup to Michael Vick. Kolb, like Palmer, is familiar with the West Coast offense the Seahawks are reportedly moving towards. Maybe the Seahawks make another run at Hasselbeck, sign him for a year and keep Charlie Whitehurst as backup and go for a QB in the next draft.

How’s your NCAA bracket? Probably not as good as the one filled out by 5-year-old Henry Hasselbeck, the son of Seahawks quarterback. Young Henry ranks No.103 out of 5.9 million who entered a contest on ESPN.com.

Charles Barkley reacts to criticism from Billy Packard by telling him to “shut the hell up.”

Spanish announcer goes loco and is reduced to tears while broadcasting the end of a thrilling Euroleague basketball game. 

The local newspaper is calling Richmond, Va., Hoopstown USA. For good reason. The Richmond Spiders and Virginia Commonwealth Rams both hail from the city. The 12th seeded Spinders and 11th seeded Rams are both in the NCAA Tournament. Sweet stuff, huh?

Wow, I woke up this morning and figured out I wasn’t dreaming. The Seattle Seahawks really did beat the New Orleans Saints 41-36 on Saturday.

Marshawn Lynch really did break 334 tackles on a crazy 67-yard TD run. Watch it again on this You Tube video. Wonder when somebody’s going to write a “Beast Mode” song?

Now that we know the Seahawks are going to be traveling to Chicago to face the Bears, let’s take a minute to look at what other people were writing about the Seahawks’ stunning victory and their rematch with the Bears:

Don Banks of SI.com says the Seahawks win over New Orleans tells us that we shouldn’t pre-judge any outcome of a playoff game. Read his story here.

A couple of Chicago players are anxious for revenge. Seattle beat da Bears23-20  in the Windy City in October. Read the story here.

Just the Bear facts in this Seahawks.com report.

And how about this? If the Seahawks win, they could host the NFC title game at Qwest. Crazy, huh. Read on.

The always entertaining Norm Chad writes: ”Imagine if this shabby 7-9 team now makes the Super Bowl – the entire East Coast might sink into the Atlantic Ocean and Peter King might drown in his venti cup of cinnamon dolce latte.” Read the full story here.

Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times said the fans “were so into the game they practically played it.  They turned Qwest Field into decibel hell.” Read his column here.

Nobody is sure if the Seahawks will offer QB Matt Hasselbeck an extention, but he had a “ridiculoulsy good day,” on Saturday, writes John McGrath of the Tacoma News Tribune. Read his column here.

Dave Boling of the TNT gives coach Pete Carroll credit for getting the Seahawks to believe. Read the story here.

I touched on the same theme in my column because, well, how else can you explain what the Seahawks have done the past two weeks. These are not the same Seahawks who stumbled and bumbled their way through most of the regular season. Of course, I was also the same guy who predicted Saints 34, Seahawks 13.

A day after winning the NFC West, the Seattle Seahawks have been installed as 10.5 point underdogs against the New Orleans Saints for Saturday’s playoff game.

Here’s some samples of what others are writing about the Hawks:

Les Carpenter of Yahoo! Sports said the Seahawks are “simply a bad football team,” and it’s hard to know what to make of them. Read his story here.

For one game, the Seahawks got it right, writes Art Thiel of sportspressnw.com. The homely kids got lucky. Read his column here. 

Nate Silver of the New York Times crunches some numbes and comes up with this conclusion: The Seahawks are the worst playoff team ever. Read his story here.

“Suck it up America. This is actually a good story.” That’s the view from Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times. Read his column here.

John McGrath of the Tacoma News Tribune says the odds are long (125-1) for the Seahawks in the playoffs, but at least they’ve got odds. Read his column here.

Dave Boling of the TNT writes that QB Charlie Whitehurst put together a performance that saved the season. Read his column here.

Jim Moore of SeattlePI.com says to expect another QB controversy this week in Seattle. Read his column here.

My take? Whether you believe in the Seahawks or not, they played like a team worthy of being in the tournament on Sunday. Read my column here.

ALSO

The Seahawks announced today that defensive line coach Jim Quinn is leaving the team to become the defensive coordinator at the University of Florida. Read the story here.