Good morning, 12s.
Here's a look at what's "out there" for today - Thursday, May 7 - about your Seattle Seahawks:
Earl Thomas Turns 26
Four-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro free safety Earl Thomas turns 26 years old today, one day after one of the greatest players to ever play his position announced his retirement from the NFL.
Former Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed, a nine-time Pro Bowler and five-time first-team All-Pro, called it a career after 12 seasons in the NFL. He spent the 2014 season out of football and last played for the New York Jets in 2013, but his tenure with the Ravens (2002-12) is what fans, and players around the League, will remember most.
Thomas' instinctive play through his first five seasons has drawn comparisons to Reed, as well as former Pittsburgh free safety Troy Polamalu, who announced his retirement last month after 12 seasons with the Steelers.
"The safety position is being the safety for the whole defense and you take that literally," New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said ahead of Super Bowl XLIX when comparing Thomas to Reed. "It's about preventing big plays, it's about roaming the deep part of the field, making sure the opposing offense isn't making those game-changing plays. This Seahawks team has done a better job than any team in the league of not giving up big plays."
Pete Carroll, who coached Polamalu at USC and has been in the presence of great safeties like Ronnie Lott, Tim McDonald, and Lawyer Milloy, puts Thomas in that same class.
"Earl is as good as any of the [safeties] I've ever coached," Carroll said in July 2013. "All those guys are different, and Earl is more like Troy [Polamalu] because of his extraordinary speed and his size and all that. But there's no end to the potential that Earl has, because he's so fast and he's so tough. But more than that, he's just so driven to be great."
With Reed and Polamalu officially stepping away from the game, the newly-26-year-old Thomas is in line to take the reigns as the top free safety in football.
Tweet Of The Day
Today's "Tweet of the Day" comes from former Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who shares a photo of former Seahawk John Carlson. The tight end announced his retirement from the NFL earlier this week.
More From Around The Web
Here at Seahawks.com, I review how the Seahawks reloaded their 'Legion of Boom' secondary in this past weekend's NFL Draft.
Seattle's 2015 draftees and undrafted free-agent class have been assigned jersey numbers by the club.
Strong safety Kam Chancellor's brother, Keenan Lambert, is one of the 12 undrafted free agents the Seahawks agreed to terms with after the draft.
Terry Blount at ESPN.com has more on Seahawks draft pick Kristjan Sokoli, who the team will transition from defensive line to offensive line.
And Brady Henderson at 710Sports.com takes a player-by-player look at the state of the Seahawks wide receiving corps.
D*id I miss anything you think is worthy of inclusion? Let me know on Twitter *
