: Russell Wilson

The quick passing game will be key early in the season....
The quick passing game will be key early in the season.
Last year during the bye week, the coaches focused on implementing more of a quick passing game to help Russell Wilson on third down and against the blitz. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell still wants to take shots downfield, but when the team has issues with protection, it needs answers.
During Wilson's only drive Saturday, all three of his completions came on throws where he caught the snap from shotgun and got rid of the ball quickly. The Seahawks don't want their offensive-line issues to extend into October and November, but in the early part of the season it will be especially important for Wilson to execute the quick passing game.

The big question here remains who will back up Russell ...
The big question here remains who will back up Russell Wilson once the regular season begins. Jake Heaps, working with the third team behind Trevone Boykin, has had some nice moments, including a touchdown pass to Antwan Goodley that ended practice Monday. But Boykin remains the clear No. 2.
General manager John Schneider, though, has said the team will keep its eyes out for quarterbacks who could became available as camps progress and cuts are made. The truer tests for Boykin will begin with the first preseason game at Kansas City on Aug. 13, when the Seahawks will really get a feel for how ready Boykin is for the job.

According to fiancee Ciara, Seahawks quarterback Russel...
According to fiancee Ciara, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson might be in danger from more than just opposing defenses.
Ciara filed legal papers alleging that her former boyfriend, rapper Future, has threatened Wilson in both his song lyrics and in social-media posts. The papers are part of the ongoing $15 million defamation lawsuit that Ciara filed against Future in February. The couple had a child together in May 2014 but split several months later. Wilson and Ciara announced their engagement in March 2016 via an Instagram video.
Ciara says lyrics in a Future song are directed at Wilson and Future allegedly posted gun emojis pointing at football emojis on social media, which Ciara also filed in her papers as a threat to Wilson, according to TMZ Sports.

The Seattle Seahawks were one of the teams to put in a ...
The Seattle Seahawks were one of the teams to put in a waiver claim for quarterback Connor Shaw, according to Nick Underhill of The New Orleans Advocate.
Shaw was cut by the Cleveland Browns and landed on the Chicago Bears, but he drew interest from multiple teams, including the New Orleans Saints.
The note is a reminder that the Seahawks are in the market for backup quarterback help. Their primary option right now is Trevone Boykin, but the team might not be comfortable going with a rookie undrafted free agent behind Russell Wilson.
Tarvaris Jackson was thought to be a possibility, but he faces off the field issues stemming from an alleged aggravated assault incident with a deadly weapon. Jackson has been the Seahawks' backup quarterback for the past three seasons.
One name brought up recently by ESPN analyst Phil Savage was Michael Vick.
Vick, 36, played in five games with the Pittsburgh Steelers last year. He completed 60.6 percent of his passes but averaged just 5.62 yards per attempt. Vick threw two touchdowns and was intercepted once. He also ran 20 times for 99 yards.

The second-half outburst came after the Seahawks shifted their offense during their bye week, deciding to emphasize quicker passes, timing routes and spread formations. They were especially successful with empty sets (no running backs in the backfield).
Throwing passes more quickly also helped mitigate some of the offensive-line struggles. Russell Wilson was sacked just 15 times in the last nine games after the Seahawks allowed 31 in the first seven.
Carroll said to expect more of the same in 2016, the first season since 2010 without running back Marshawn Lynch as the focal point of the offense.
“Our rhythm throughout camp, we stayed connected to what we did in the second half of the year,’’ Carroll said. “We went in determined to do that, and right from the get-go when we got back here on the field we were at it with tempo and timing and all that and stood strong throughout the whole camp.”
Of the early-round quarterback picks, Wilson is the player we’d be most inclined to draft since he’s sometimes still on the board in the 6th/7th round. After his Week 9 bye, Wilson averaged 279 passing yards and 3.1 touchdowns over the final eight games. That’s a 4,400-plus/50-TD pace, which is why he’s ranked with the likes of Cam Newton and Aaron Rodgers atop our projections.

Jimmy Graham tore the patellar tendon in his right knee...
Jimmy Graham tore the patellar tendon in his right knee in the fourth quarter of the Seahawks' win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He'll have surgery, coach Pete Carroll said, and likely faces a long road to recovery that will extend deep into the offseason.
Graham caught 48 passes for 605 yards and two touchdowns. He's averaged 55 yards per game, which ranks ninth among tight ends. But there are a couple of areas where the Seahawks will need to make up for his production.
One is on third down. On Sunday, Russell Wilson hit Graham for a pair of 18-yard gains on third down. On the season, he's targeted Graham more than any other receiver (24 times) on third down, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Sixteen of those passes have resulted in completions, but Wilson will now have to look elsewhere.
The other area to keep an eye on is explosive plays. Graham has produced 11 gains of 20-plus yards, which is three more than he had all of last year with the New Orleans Saints. Graham ranks third among tight ends in explosive plays and leads the Seahawks.
The story said not much will change for the Seattle offense. Luke Willson will take over as the starting TE. Based on Graham's production, Wilson could have some lower TE1 fantasy value.

For all the issues the Seattle Seahawks still have to work out on offense, the chemistry between their quarterback and top pass-catcher isn't one of them.
It was again evident Friday night in Seattle's 14-13 preseason loss to Kansas City. Jimmy Graham caught all three passes that Russell Wilson threw his way during the two quarters in which the Seahawks' offensive starters played, but one of them stood out.
Lined up in the slot on second-and-18, Graham released up the seam against tight coverage from safety Ron Parker. Graham wasn't open when Wilson delivered a perfectly placed pass toward his back shoulder for a 21-yard gain. Then again, he didn't need to be.
"He's hard to miss, being 6-7 and being able to show up and run as fast as he can," Wilson told reporters.
Call it whatever you'd like -- chemistry, trust, rapport -- but Wilson and Graham certainly seem to have built plenty of it already, the story said. It's good news for those who were worried about Graham switching offenses. It sure looks like he's going to be a key part of the Seattle offense, too, and is of course one of the top TEs in fantasy drafts.

It's a good thing for the Seattle Seahawks' offensive l...
It's a good thing for the Seattle Seahawks' offensive line that the games don't start counting for another month. The starting group isn't settled, and Friday night's preseason opener supplemented ample evidence that there's plenty of work to be done before the line is regular-season ready.
The first unit -- featuring Lemuel Jeanpierre at center and Alvin Bailey at left guard -- played two series, the first of which lasted all of two plays as right tackle Justin Britt was beaten by Von Miller for a fumble-causing sack. The Seahawks allowed a sack on their second possession, Russell Wilson had to escape another and Jeanpierre -- the center -- was penalized for a false start.
Wilson was either sacked or pressured on four of his five drop-backs. Each time, the Seahawks had at least one more player in pass protection than Denver had rushing.
Some of those issues are to be expected, not only because it's early but because but of how the Seahawks have been rotating players at center and left guard while trying to determine a winner in the competitions for those spots. It doesn't look like those competitions are close to being settled.
Another thing the story noted was TE Jimmy Graham's willingness to block, something he wasn't asked to do very much with the Saints. It's something he'll be counted on to do a little more this year, though, which should help set up play action passing.

NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports Seahawks QB Russell Wilson agreed to a four-year, $87.6 million extension, per a source involved in the negotiations. The deal includes a $31 million signing bonus and $60 million in guarantees.
By signing just a four-year extension, Wilson will enter the final year of his deal at just 30 years old, giving him an opportunity for another big payday. The shorter deal was a concession by the Seahawks.
Now that his contract negotiations are behind him, Wilson can once again focus fully on football. He has finished #9, #8 and #3 in his first three seasons, and the Seahawks are slowly letting him throw the ball more. They traded for tight end Jimmy Graham, who will serve as the best weapon that Wilson has had since he entered the NFL.

Per Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune, the Seahawks...
Per Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune, the Seahawks may begin to groom Gary Gilliam at left tackle as the season progresses, given that Russell Okung is in the last year of his contract. Also, rookie Mark Glowinski eventually could push J.R. Sweezy at right guard.
Regardless of who plays in 2015, they’ll need to play better than they have.
The story pointed out some who could be directly affected by poor line play if it continues, mentioning quarterback Russell Wilson has faced consistent pressure in passing situations, which could make it difficult for the Seahawks to take full advantage of tight end Jimmy Graham. And it could make running back Marshawn Lynch more likely to call it quits following a season of getting banged around by defenders that the offensive line fails to keep away from him.
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