Good morning, 12s.
Here's a look at what's "out there" for today - Friday, July 21 - about your Seattle Seahawks:
Pete Carroll's All-Time Team
At NFL.com, NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt, the Dallas Cowboys' former longtime vice president of player personnel, put together an all-star team of players who have played under Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
Looking back at Carroll's time as head coach in Seattle (2010-present), with the USC Trojans (2001-09), New England Patriots (1997-99), and New York Jets (1994), Brandt assembled an offense, defense, and special teams using players Carroll has coached.
Nine current Seahawk players make Brandt's imaginary all-star squad, including quarterback Russell Wilson, wide receiver Doug Baldwin, defensive end Michael Bennett, linebackers Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright, cornerback Richard Sherman, free safety Earl Thomas, punter Jon Ryan, and return specialist Tyler Lockett. Former Seattle players Marshawn Lynch (running back), J.R. Sweezy (guard), Max Unger (center), Brandon Mebane (defensive tackle), and Ricardo Lockette (special teams coverage) also made the cut.
Here's a bit of what Brandt had to say about a few of those players' places on Carroll's all-time team:
QB: Russell Wilson
*Brandt: Pete's been lucky in the quarterback department, having coached Drew Bledsoe in New England, Carson Palmer at USC and Boomer Esiason with the Jets. But for the purposes of this exercise, Wilson ranks above all of them. His credentials don't need listing, but here goes: In five seasons, Wilson has 56 quarterback wins (tied with Matt Ryan for the most in a player's first five seasons), a 127:45 TD-to-INT ratio, a 99.6 passer rating, and, of course, a 1-1 record in the Super Bowl. The three-time Pro Bowler has certainly provided quite the return on the third-round pick Seattle used to acquire him in 2012.*
WR: Doug Baldwin
Brandt:Baldwin, who has led the Seahawks in catches in each of the past three seasons, gets better every year. In 2011, he became the first undrafted rookie since 1960 to lead his team in receptions and receiving yards, and last season, he earned his first career Pro Bowl nod. He's always had talent, but he didn't always stand out for his ability to get open. Now, though, he's hard to cover -- and the chip on his shoulder just keeps getting bigger.
LB: Bobby Wagner
Brandt:Wagner is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro -- and he's been in the league just five seasons. He's a powerful tackler (645 career tackles and counting) and an excellent player, with the instincts to play in space (six career picks).
FS: Earl Thomas
Brandt:Thomas has picked off 23 passes and forced nine fumbles in his first seven seasons. The 2010 first-round pick has great ball skills and coverage ability. A broken tibia interrupted his 2016 season, but presuming he recovers fully, the five-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro will continue to help anchor the "Legion of Boom."
Social Posts Of The Day
Today's "Social Posts of the Day" come from Russell Wilson, as he shares photos and videos on his Instagram account from his recently wrapped up trip to China. The Seahawks quarterback's new website, TraceMe.com, has more.
More From Around The Web
Here at Seahawks.com, digital media reporter John Boyle continues his countdown of the team's most interesting storylines heading into training camp with No. 9: how much better will Jimmy Graham be in 2017?
Sheil Kapadia at ESPN.com shares a 53-man roster projection for the Seahawks.
Bob Condotta at the Seattle Times wonders if a healthy Russell Wilson will help revive the Seahawks' running game in 2017.
Michael-Shawn Dugar at SeattlePI.com also previews Seattle's quarterback situation heading into training camp.
And NFL.com fantasy writer Alex Gelhar says Doug Baldwin is one of this year's biggest fantasy values, calling the Seattle wideout "the most underappreciated top-tier fantasy WR" and writing, "Currently being drafted as the WR11 on both FantasyFootballCalculator.com and MyFantasyLeague.com, Baldwin is coming at a value. Plenty of the wide receivers going in his range -- Amari Cooper, Dez Bryant, DeAndre Hopkins, Brandin Cooks, Terrelle Pryor, etc. -- carry much more harrowing question marks into the 2017 season. Especially to be drafted as a fringe WR1. Baldwin, meanwhile, has maintained a consistent target share in the Seattle offense over the last three years (22, 21, 22 percent, respectively) even as the team's pass attempts have increased in each of those seasons (454, 489, 567). On top of that, he's blossomed in his new No. 1 wide receiver role, delivering back-to-back top-10 fantasy finishes in both standard and PPR formats."
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is in China this week leading a series of youth events with Nike and Alibaba Group. Follow his journey at his new website, TraceMe.com.