Good morning, 12s.
Here's a look at what's "out there" for today - Wednesday, July 15 - about your Seattle Seahawks:
One-On-One With Jimmy Graham
Q13 FOX sports director Aaron Levine recently sat down for a one-on-one interview with Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham.
Graham, a three-time Pro Bowler during his time with the New Orleans Saints, told Levine what his initial reaction was after learning he had been traded to the Seahawks this past March.
The segment is part one of a three-part interview. You can find the entire video right here and check out highlights from Graham's chat with Levine below.
(On when he realized he might be coming into a really good situation...) "Initially, [New Orleans Saints head coach] Sean [Payton] called me and told me 'Hey, we traded you' and I asked him 'Is that even possible?' Right after that then he told me where he traded me and honestly instantly I knew that was the best thing for myself, for my career. I saw it as a positive. I'm coming to the best team in football and I'm going to come here and be a part of something special. So for me, from the very moment that I heard 'Seattle' I was beyond excited."
(On his impressions of the Seahawks when he first arrived...) "From the outside looking in you always know that there's something different kind of about the organization, about the team that there's just something special going on on that sideline. Especially coming in here and playing, I've been here a couple times and played and gotten the worse end of that one. So for me just coming into the building and seeing how close everyone was. That was from the get-go really what I noticed. You had [34] guys volunteering to go to Hawaii to train together, kind of on their own dime even. That just shows you how close this team is together. And then beyond that, how Pete [Carroll] really runs the team and controls the team, it's something very, very special."
(On struggling against the Seahawks defense in the past and now having to play against it every day in practice...) "I welcome every moment of it. To go against Sherm and to go against that 'Legion' every day in practice it's going to make Sunday even easier. For me also offensively, being a part of a team that runs the ball so much that's going to be incredible. For the last couple years I've been doubled almost every third down. It's not going to be like that here. We have so many weapons here and in that backfield with Marshawn and with Russ and his ability to run the ball and obviously, Marshawn being the best back in the NFL. It's going to be something special."
LOB Among NFL's Top 5 Defensive Position Groups
Field Yates at ESPN.com shares his take on the NFL's top five defensive position groups (Insider) and the Seahawks' "Legion of Boom" secondary is the first collective Yates mentions.
Yates projects safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor and cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Cary Williams as favorites to start in 2015, but also shows love for cornerback Jeremy Lane, writing, "In a league that's making it harder than ever to play pass defense, the Seahawks' secondary continues to find ways to limit even the best quarterbacks on a near-weekly basis. Thomas and Sherman are the best players at their respective positions -- and part of the reason for that is the way they work in tandem, with Thomas patrolling the middle of the field while Sherman plays a heavy dose of Cover 3. Chancellor's role is to be a steady physical presence against both the run and pass, which is exactly where he excels. The starting cornerback spot created by Byron Maxwell's departure in free agency would have likely been filled by Lane, but a major arm injury and torn ACL in the Super Bowl has left his availability in 2015 up in the air. Williams -- cut by the Eagles this offseason -- could serve as a fill-in starter until Lane is ready to return."
Other position groups earning mention from Yates include the St. Louis Rams' defensive line, the Buffalo Bills' defensive line, the New York Jets' cornerbacks, and New England Patriots' linebackers.
Marshawn Lynch In Final Round Of Triplets U Tourney
Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has made it to the final round of NFL.com's Triplets U National Championship, an exercise that pits the NFL's best trios to come from the same alma mater against one another.
Each grouping must include a running back, quarterback, and pass catcher. Lynch, who hails from Cal, is the running back of choice to represent the Golden Bears alongside Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson. The former Cal football players are up against the Georgia Bulldog trio of Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley, and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green.
The winner will be determined by a panel of NFL Media analysts and announced on Thursday, July 16.
Tweet Of The Day
Today's "Tweet of the Day" comes from Pro Football Focus (@PFF), which shares some pretty impressive postseason statistics on the play of Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman.
More From Around The Web
Here at Seahawks.com, digital media reporter John Boyle continues his 2015 training camp preview series with a look at who might win the starting right cornerback job following Byron Maxwell's departure in free agency this offseason. Boyle has already outlined what to expect this summer from the team's quarterbacks, running backs and fullbacks, linebackers, tight ends, and offensive and defensive lines.
Seahawks rookie wide receiver Tyler Lockett has been nominated for Kansas State University's Athlete of the Year.
Rob Rang at Scout.com predicts five players who could break out for the Seahawks this season.
Danny Kelly at FieldGulls.com includes the Seahawks on his list of five teams building a case for the NFL's next dynasty.
Brady Henderson at 710Sports.com recaps a Tuesday segment of 'Brock and Salk' that heard both hosts make suggestions for potential changes to the NFL.
And Forbes.com has released its list of the world's 50 most-valuable sports teams for 2015 and the Seahawks come in at No. 35, the 15th-ranked NFL team on the list.
D*id I miss anything you think is worthy of inclusion? Let me know on Twitter *
