Good morning, 12s.
Here's a look at what's "out there" for today—Tuesday, July 21—about your Seattle Seahawks:
Ranking Russell: ESPN polls league insiders to rank NFL quarterbacks
For the second straight year, ESPN's Mike Sando talked with various NFL insiders (coaches, coordinators, general managers, etc.) to rank the league’s starting quarterbacks. Quarterbacks were ranked by tiers, with insiders ranking quarterbacks not 1-32, but by placing them in Tier 1 (quarterbacks who can carry a team week after week without much help) through Tier 4 (unproven starter or those not expected to last in the lineup all season). It's an insider piece, so you'll need a subscription to read the whole thing. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson ranks in Tier 2 for the second straight year, but overall the opinion of him improved, as Sando notes:
Last year, more than one-third of voters placed Wilson in the third tier, questioning whether he could carry a pass-oriented offense week after week, as the better quarterbacks have been able to do. Only one voter placed Wilson in the third tier this time, as other voters acknowledged the role Wilson played in the Seahawks reaching back-to-back Super Bowls. In total, 11 of 35 voters said Wilson was a 1, up from three of 26 voters one year ago.
"At the end of the day, the won-lost record of your quarterback and the leadership goes hand-in-hand," a former GM said. "He has been in the last two Super Bowls. You can say all you want about the defense, but the Bills had a good defense the last two years. What did it get them? Wilson has that late-game magic."
Single-game ticket event a success
As expected, single-game tickets went quickly at CenturyLink Field, as 1,700 seats per game were made available Monday for $62 each. Everyone who attended the single-game ticket event was able purchase tickets, and a limited number of $62 tickets still remain at the CenturyLink Field NW box office for games against Carolina, Cleveland and St. Louis. Fans can also purchase tickets for all 10 home games on ticketmaster.comticketmaster%20seahawks884348).
Longtime fan Bernie Jones was first in line, buying four tickets to the Nov. 29 game against Pittsburgh.
For fans still trying to find tickets, CenturyLink Field's sideline field seats are another option. Pricing varies per game, so call 1-888-NFL-HAWK if you'd like to learn more.
Over 2,000 fans came out to CenturyLink Field to purchase their single-game tickets for the upcoming season.
Tweet of the day
Today's tweet of the day comes from the account of Manchester United, which called the VMAC home for the past week. Before the Premier League club left town, two of the biggest stars from their respective sports posed for a picture.
More from around the web
Left tackle Russell Okung wrote a piece for The Players’ Tribune about his decision to head into his next contract negotiation without an agent.
"I know my worth," Okung writes. "I can look at the market and go directly to a team without an agent and tell that team my worth. And I can do so with confidence because I've done my research, I've educated myself and I've questioned the answers I've been given."
Here at Seahawks.com, we have a recap of Richard Sherman’s celebrity softball game. I also started a five-part series looking at past unexpected training camp developments under Pete Carroll and John Schneider, which both serve as a reminder that nothing is set in stone this time of year, and also help illustrate how those two operate.
Q13 Fox has part one of an interview with defensive coordinator Kris Richard.
And finally, Complex went sneaker shopping in Oakland with Marshawn Lynch, who ran up quite a bill (warning, there's a tiny bit of naughty language towards the end, though not from Lynch).