NFL Seattle

Former Seattle Seahawks linebacker (and, ahem, "actor") Brian Bosworth is being hailed as a hero in Winnipeg, Canada after he came upon a car that crashed into a ditch and helped bring a woman trapped inside to safety.



The Winnipeg Free Press reports:

"It looked like she rolled at least two or three times because the car ended up facing the opposite direction of oncoming traffic, upside down in the ditch," Bosworth said. ...

"She was in shock and in pain and we couldn't really move her. Her legs were pinned. We had to cut the steering wheel off. She was screaming every time we moved her," Bosworth said. "It took five or six guys to get her into the ambulance. "

"I see that a lot in the area, the highways aren't the greatest. They are not very forgiving highways. She's lucky. She just missed the guardrail to the river. This could have been really bad," [RCMP Sgt. Line] Karpish said

Bosworth was in the area because he and his son had gone on a fishing trip. The woman and her passenger were treated at a local hospital with injuries that are not considered life-threatening.

A writer named Shannon J. Owens had an article in the Orlando Sentinel this weekend that is so stupid that it would be offensive if it weren't so easy to dismiss.

Under the headline, "NFL's Shaun Alexander Seemingly Pays Price for Having Interests Other Than Football," Owens suggests that the reason former Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander is not currently under contract to an NFL team is that he's a devout Christian. Owens writes that Alexander's devotion to his church makes him "a pariah to some NFL general managers."

That is absurd. He's a pariah to NFL general managers because he's a bad player. He's averaged three and a half yards a carry the last two years, and he turns 31 before the season starts.

As Mike Sando of ESPN.com writes, Alexander was just as vocal about his Christian faith two years ago, when he got an $11.5 million signing bonus, as he is now. The difference between now and then is that he's not a good player anymore.

The majority of NFL owners, general managers, coaches and players are Christians. There is no anti-Christian bias in the NFL. There's an anti-bad player bias. If you're a bad football player, you can't get a job. That's Alexander's problem.

Seahawks wide receiver Bobby Engram is still unhappy with his contract and still unhappy that the team hasn't offered him the kind of money he thinks he deserves. And now he's threatening to take that unhappiness to the next level and skip training camp:

"It's a possibility," Engram said. "We'll see what happens. ...

"I think that everyone is in agreement that I've outplayed that deal. I can't force (the Seahawks') hand, and I'm not trying to force their hand.

"I'm at peace with this decision, and it's not coming from a place of ego or pride. I'm just trying to get something done that will be fair. It's a business decision on both sides, and I understand where they're coming from. But I have to do what I think is best for me in my career."

As I've said before, Engram is right that at base salaries of $1.7 million a year, he was significantly underpaid last season and if he leads the team in catches again in 2008, he'll be significantly underpaid this season, too. But he agreed to his contract, and at age 35, he lacks the leverage to get a new deal. Given that he'll be fined a fortune if he skips camp, I think he'll report on time and play under his current deal, even if he doesn't like it.

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu has been arrested and charged with drunk driving, a black eye for one of the league's most respected young players less than two months after he signed a lucrative contract extension.

Multiple media outlets are reporting that Tatupu was pulled over as he went through a McDonald's drive-through after police saw him speeding and changing lanes without signaling. Police say he took two breath tests which revealed blood alcohol levels of .155 and .158, or close to twice the legal limit.

Tatupu was the Seahawks' second-round draft pick in 2005 out of USC, and he instantly became one of the league's top linebackers. In March he signed a six-year, $40 million deal to stay in Seattle, with the Seahawks' front office citing his character as one of the reasons that they wanted him to be one of the centerpieces of their franchise for years to come.

Seahawks wide receiver Bobby Engram skipped the team's voluntary minicamp practice yesterday because he's unhappy with his contract, the Tacoma News-Tribune reports.

Engram is correct if he thinks that based on his production, he deserves more money, but incorrect if he thinks he's going to get it.

Engram, who was by far the Seahawks' best receiver last year, has one year and $1.7 million left on his contract. Nate Burleson, who was the Seahawks' second-best receiver last year, will make $3.25 million in 2008. Deion Branch, who was the Seahawks' third-best receiver, will make $4.2 million. Who wouldn't be annoyed when co-workers who contribute less to the company are making twice as much money?

But the fact is, pay in football isn't a meritocracy. It isn't about what you accomplished in the past, it's about what the team expects you to accomplish in the future. Engram is 35 years old, and 35-year-olds just don't get fat new contracts. Engram will play this season under his current deal.

Running back Julius Jones left the Dallas Cowboys to sign a free-agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks this off-season, and he's now saying just the kind of thing that will endear him to Seattle fans and anger Dallas fans.

Jones told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer what it's like to play in Seattle's Qwest Field, and he said it compares favorably with the Cowboys' Texas Stadium:

"I like it here. This is one of my favorite places to play, so I was excited about it. ...

"This was definitely the best fit for me. ...

"I love playing here. The atmosphere, it's 10 times better than Dallas.

"It's intimidating. Before the game, raising the 12th Man flag, and then the 12th Man. It's a lot. It gives you the chills."

Jones just earned himself some love from the fans in Seattle, and he'll most certainly be reminded of those comments in Week 13, when the Seahawks visit Dallas.

USC defensive end Lawrence Jackson is a good pass rusher who had double-digit sacks as a senior and who had an impressive showing at the scouting combine, but I'm not a big fan of this selection, made with the 28th pick in the NFL draft by the Seahawks.

In my view, Jackson looked a little better than he really is because of the players he was surrounded by at USC. And I also think that there are better defensive ends still available than Jackson, especially Clemson's Phillip Merling.

The Seahawks view themselves as Super Bowl contenders, and maybe they think Jackson is a guy who can help them win now, but they could have made better use of the 28th pick in the draft.

The Seattle Seahawks are expected to announce today or tomorrow that they have cut running back Shaun Alexander, the NFL's 2005 Most Valuable Player.

Alexander was once among the NFL's top running backs, but in recent years he's been one of the NFL's most overpaid and under-productive players. The eight-year, $62 million contract Seattle gave Alexander in 2006 stands out as one of the prime examples in NFL history of a team rewarding a player for what he's done in the past at the expense of building the team for the future.

There are conflicting reports about exactly when Alexander will be released, but it should come by the end of the day Wednesday at the latest. He will then be a free agent, but he'll have a hard time finding any NFL team willing to sign him. He could try to make a team in training camp, but the best bet might be retiring.

Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Rocky Bernard has been arrested on investigation of domestic violence, multiple news outlets are reporting.

Bernard, who turned 29 on Saturday, was reportedly celebrating his birthday at the Ibiza nightclub in Seattle before he was arrested. No other details have been reported, and although the case is scheduled to go to Seattle Municipal Court, so far no charges have been field.

Bernard is a sixth-year player who has developed into a better run stopper in the last two years as he's moved into the starting lineup. He's heading into a contract year, and this incident could both hurt him in contract negotiations and put him in trouble with the NFL's personal conduct policy.

With each pick of the FanHouse mock draft, we get into the head of an NFL general manager and let you know who he'll pick and why.

And so life in the post-Alexander era begins. Julius Jones is a new addition to the Pacific Northwest, but at this point Jones isn't capable of carrying any offense, especially one without a dominant offensive line. Jonathan Stewart, sort of an obvious pick, can be Jones' next Marion Barber.

Surgery on his toe is the only reason the very talented Stewart has fallen this far, and it's a godsend for the Seahawks to grab the local prospect. When healthy, he'll provide Seattle with a very powerful runner who also has good speed and the ability to break long gains.

As for that offensive line, they could use some help, but while Gosder Cherilus is available, tackle is less a need than guard. Dustin Keller is also an option at tight end, but with equal needs at the skill positions the Seahawks have to go with the more valuable overall player, and that's Stewart.

The Skinny:
Team Needs: RB, OT, OG, TE
Player Selected: Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon
Also Considered: Dustin Keller, TE, Purdue; Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College

Previous Pick: No. 24, Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan St.

Next Pick: No. 26, Jacksonville Jaguars