Category Archives: NFL

The National Football League

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Matt Flynn the Right Move for Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have made this free agency period count.

First, they sign their best returning offensive free agent, Marshawn Lynch, to a long-term deal without having to place the franchise tag on him. Next, they re-sign their best returning defensive player, Red Bryant, to a long-term deal, again without having to franchise him. Then, they sign a high quality defensive end, Jason Jones (formerly of Houston), to upgrade their D-Line. And now, drum roll please, they add the missing piece to the offensive puzzle, the QB of the future in Matt Flynn.

Yes, Flynn is a risk. He’s played two brilliant games. Other than that, you bank on the training he’s received under Mike McCarthy and Joe Philbin, backing up arguably the best QB in the game, Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. But let’s be serious, any QB is a risk, even Peyton Manning. Manning, who snubbed the Hawks advances and obviously wasn’t interested, hasn’t played in well over a year, and is coming off serious neck surgery. The QBs in the draft outside of Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III are all projects and a reach at where they draft. Flynn at least has had success when given a shot. This is definitely NOT Charlie Whitehurst. In addition to the training as the 2nd String (not third) in Green Bay, he also led his college team (LSU) to a national championship. Dude is a winner, has some pedigree, and is worth the risk. He is also still young and has a ton of upside.

What I love about Pete Carroll and John Schneider is that they refuse to stand pat. They are constantly looking to improve the team and are willing to make moves to do it. Fearless. They have also shown to be very savvy in the draft. Heck, they have done what they need to do in free agency outside of adding depth. Now they can go into the draft and pick the best players; not reach out of desperation.

Training camps only5 months away…

© 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

 

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Super Bowl Prediction

Okay…that time has come again. The BIG game and it’s setting up to be a fun one in Indy.

I’m rooting for the Giants. However, unlike the last time these two met in the Super Bowl and the Patriots were trying to make history by going undefeated, I just don’t think Tom Brady will be denied. The Giants are hot and seem to have the most complete team. That being said, the Patriots are quietly hot, too. And, they have one of the best Super Bowl QBs in the game. Brady is trying to match Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw with 4 Super Bowl wins. He has 5 appearances which I believe now is the most (Bradshaw and Montana 4-0; John Elway 2-2; and Jim Kelly 0-4).

More than anything I’m rooting for a great game. I just think in the end, Brady will find a way to win it for the Pats. My prediction – Patriots 27 Giants 24.

© 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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Humanity and Joe Namath

Joe Namath and Suzy Kolber

This past weekend, I got the opportunity to watch a fascinating documentary on Hall of Fame QB Joe Namath. It shows on HBO and prominently includes interviews with Namath, teammates, journalists, and Beaver Falls, PA residents.

One of the things that most impacted me was the incident that occurred between Namath and ESPN sideline reporter Suzy Kolber during a 2003 prime time game between the Jets and Miami Dolphins.

Namath was honored along with his teammates from the 1969 Super Bowl team. Namath admitted that he had been drinking heavily all day. By the time the 4th quarter rolled around, he was completely intoxicated. Kolber was charged with interviewing Broadway Joe. In the beginning, it was apparent that Namath was having some issues talking, but they had no idea what was about to happen in front of the entire prime time audience. Namath eschewed Kolber’s question about Chad Pennington and several times told her he wanted to kiss her. ESPN scrambled to get out of it, but the damage was done.

Namath admits he was humiliated. In fact, that set the stage for him to reform his life to where it is today. But, I digress. The thing that resonated with me was the response by Suzy Kolber.

She was interviewed for this documentary and clearly recounted the event, with assistance from the footage. She recounted how Namath called her the next day to apologize. She said it took him 5 minutes to apologize and she accepted. She then spent 45 more minutes on the phone with him talking football and life. Here’s what she said that so intrigued me. She said, “What I saw was a really good guy who was in trouble.” She felt bad for him, didn’t judge him, and saw him not as some drunk who couldn’t control himself, but as a regular guy who needed help.

In the world of sports, we are very quick to pass judgement. We often look for and hope that successful people fail (see Tim Tebow). We automatically jump to the conclusion that someone is damaged. I loved that Suzy Kolber looked deeper. She really exuded a perspective that thinks of the human being first. Often, journalists are the most cynical. Kolber showed humanity.

I’m as guilty as most of us. It’s easy to throw guys under the bus; make fun of them; and not worry about consequences to their lives. Suzy Kolber gave me perspective and one that I hope I can keep the next time my QB throws an interception or one of my sports “heroes” falls.

© 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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Seahawks Prediction

12th Man

Okay…

Call me crazy. Call me a “homer.” Call me whatever you want. I have a funny feeling about this one.

Just like in the Holiday Bowl with the Washington Huskies, Pete Carroll and his boys are playing with house money. I feel a little 12th Man magic. It’s Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson; the New York Giants over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl; it’s Washington over Nebraska…

It’s the Seahawks 24-23 over the Saints with an Olindo Mare FG at the end….

You heard it here first.

Watch for my Tweets during the game.

© 2011 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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Hawks Showed Up…Next the Saints

I asked for it and I got it.

The 12th Man indeed showed up and so did the Seahawks defense. That was the loudest stadium I’ve ever been in and definitely had playoff atmosphere. The Hawks fed off it and it turned into another NFC West banner in Qwest Field.

A few comments from last night:

  • I couldn’t believe arguing with people on the ferry ride home about Charlie Whitehurst’s performance. The dude was on the winning side of the game, for goodness sakes! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think he’s our next franchise QB. However, he played a decent game (in fact his stats were better than Sam Bradford’s). His mobility saved easily 5 sacks and actually picked up positive yardage. Charlie’s job was to not lose the game and that’s exactly what he did. He’s a capable backup, a young guy who’s learning, and played a solid game. ESPN’s Trent Dilfer (a guy who won a Super Bowl as a “solid” QB) said as much after the game. Cut the guy some slack. He played a game good enough in the biggest game of the year.
  • The defense was crazy. I know it wasn’t the New England Patriots, but Sam Bradford has had an excellent rookie year, and Steven Jackson is a stud. To hold the Rams to 2 field goals was unbelievable. I loved how Aaron Curry, Chris Clemons, David Hawthorne, Lofa Tatupu, and Marcus Trufant played. Will Herring played a great game. This was a total team effort and a sight for sore eyes.
  • Pete Carroll is the right guy for this city. He brings a great energy that really gets the 12th Man going. I think good things are on the horizon.
  • I expect that Matt Hasselbeck will start if he’s healthy. He’s the veteran; he’s got playoff experience; he played a good game against the Saints last month; and he’s the right guy. However, if he can’t go or plays poorly, I have less issues with Charlie Whitehurst than I did 2 weeks ago!
  • Marshawn Lynch bounced back after being stripped of the ball and ran in “beast-mode” the rest of the way. He could not be stopped in the 4th Quarter when the Rams knew we were running.
  • I don’t care what our record is. The Mariners won 116 games in 2001 and didn’t win the American League to go to the World Series. This is about getting to the playoffs by winning your division.
  • I just LOVE that the Giants, who humiliated us at home earlier this year, aren’t even in the playoffs. That’s really cool.

This was a huge win for this franchise. Just like the University of Washington needed a bowl game and the rest was gravy; the Hawks needed to get to the playoffs and the rest is gravy. Two years ago, the Huskies were 0-12 and the Seahawks were 4-12. Now, the Dawgs have upset Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl and the Hawks are NFC West Champs. Unreal.

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Open Letter to Seahawks – 12th Man Ready

12th Man

Dear Seahawks:

I’m going to the game tonight. Me and 65,000 or so friends.

We are ready. We will bring our A-game. We are ready for a 5th NFC West Championship in the last 7 years. We are hungry. We will bring it. Will you?

We can be the best 12th Man in the NFL, but it does no good if the first 11 are bad. It’s time to take that next step. No more excuses. We don’t care about the record. We just want a home playoff game next week.

Time to bring everything you have. Time to take the ball away from the opponent and keep it yourself. This is what we’ve been waiting for the last 2 years. Please be as ready as we are.

Game on.

© 2011 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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Legendary Win for Huskies

1978 Rose Bowl over Michigan – Warren Moon, Spider Gaines, Joe Steele, and Michael Jackson (the real thriller)

1992 Rose Bowl over Michigan to win the National Championship – Steve Emtman, Billy Joe Hobert, Mario Bailey, Lincoln Kennedy

2010 Holiday Bowl over Nebraska – Jake Locker, Chris Polk, Mason Foster, Alameda Ta’amu

After 8 years left out of the dance, and without a bowl win since Marques Tuiasososopo led the Dawgs in the 2001 Rose Bowl, Jake Locker and the gang brought the University of Washington back to relevance in college football.

I thought the game would be close, but I didn’t think we (especially the defense) would dominate. The score wasn’t indicative of the route. A couple missed field goals (one of the upright), a wide-open Jermaine Kearse being overthrown by Jesse Callier, and not being able to punch it in from 1-yard out on two occasions could have really made the score look bad for the guys in red.

Some overall thoughts:

  • Steve Sarkisian gives me the impression he’s a lot like Don James was. Give the guy 3 weeks to prepare and he will beat you.
  • Nick Holt had been much maligned for his defense’s efforts this year. He and his unit made up for it big. Kudos to him and his staff.
  • Jake Locker can now cement his place in Husky history. In my nearly 40 years of watching Husky football, I rank him behind only Tui on the all-time QB list.
  • Mason Foster would look good in a Seahawks uniform. I think he’s better than Lofa Tatupu and Aaron Curry right now.
  • If recruits are looking for a team in the Pac-12 (weird, huh) trending up…look no further than Seattle. You have a hot coach and a hot program.
  • Thank you Jake for staying. You passed up a lot of coin and you were rewarded. You may even get to be drafted by a better team in the NFL now.
  • It’s great to be a Husky!

Now if we can get Sark’s old boss to fire up his squad for Sunday, this could be a really great New Year’s weekend for football in Seattle!

Jake Locker
Jake Locker
Warren Moon
Steve Emtman

Happy New Year everyone!

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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Football Notes on Huskies and Hawks

I know…I’ve been negligent on my postings. I’ve had a few challenges to deal with as my father has had health issues and I must focus on him and my work. My apologies. I will attempt to be more consistent…

So here we are. After 8 long years, the Huskies are back in a bowl game. Jake Locker, Mason Foster and the rest of the seniors finally have their moment in the sun, or rain, in San Diego. The three games leading up to this were their season. Those wins put them back into post-season and makes tonight’s game gravy. They’re expected to lose big on the scoreboard, but they’ve cemented a winning season in the perception and hearts of Husky Nation. This was the goal.

I think the game will be closer than 3 months ago. I do expect Nebraska’s talent to win out in the end, but I’m thinking more around a score of 27-17. If the Dawgs keep it within 10 points going into the final quarter, it could be interesting. A win would be of legendary proportions.

I’m a Matt Hasselbeck fan and always will be. Just like I was with Jim Zorn and Dave Kreig. However, just like with those two “ring of famers,” it’s time to move on. Not that Matt can’t still play because he can. He’s a system QB…Mike Holmgren’s system. He’s struggled under Greg Knapp and Jeremy Bates. He needs to find a team with a true West Coast offense (perhaps Cleveland if the big guy fires Eric Mangini and takes the reins himself). Charlie Whitehurst is NOT the answer clearly.

Quarterback is the most important position on the team. All the elite teams have at least “very good” QB’s. So where do the Hawks go? The draft. I’m not advocating Jake Locker necessarily. I don’t think he’s ready to lead an NFL team right out of college. We have no chance of drafting Andrew Luck who can. I’m intrigued by Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett. The dude is 6’7, has a rifle arm, had a tremendous senior season, and is exactly the kind of guy who can run this offense. Problem is he’s a junior and we don’t know if he’s coming out yet. We also don’t know if we’re playing football on Sunday’s yet either as there could be a lockout.

If you can sign Matt to a one-year deal, I’d do it knowing that there must be a replacement soon. Otherwise, go a year with Charlie and see if he can prove me wrong. If Mallett comes out, I’d take him. Regardless, the changing of the guard nears and it will be interesting to see which direction Pete Carroll goes. As his ultimate QB goes, so will he and his tenure here in Seattle.

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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A Case for Matt Hasselbeck

Yes, I know #8 is struggling. Badly. His games are beginning to look a lot like the debacle last year. I know it’s very popular for people to be shouting for Charlie Whitehurst. I almost got into that myself. However, a good night’s sleep and some perspective leads me to to this case for keeping Matt Hasselbeck as the Seahawks starter for the rest of the year, barring injury. Here it goes…

  1. We are still in a playoff race. As bad as we’ve played, we are still tied for first place in the NFC West and have a shot at a division title. If this was a lost season, I’d say give Whitehurst the opportunity. With a playoff spot up for grabs, I’d prefer to go with a guy whose taken his team to 4 straight division titles and a Super Bowl.
  2. Yes, Matt’s got culpability for our losses, however he also needs props for the wins. He’s played well in those victories and I believe deserves the chance to finish the deal.
  3. Charlie Whitehurst played well yesterday in a mop-up role. His only start, he was terrible. He creates too much of an unknown. Throwing him into a road game at this stage is a bad move.
  4. Pete Carroll must show consistency and stick with the leader of the team. Next year may be a different deal, but it’s not the right time to make a switch for morale.

My guess is that you will hear Pete Carroll announce that Matt Hasselbeck will remain the Hawks QB. You will hear an outcry of angst from the Seahawks faithful. However, it’s the right decision based on the timing and out precarious position atop the NFC West.

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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