The offseason begins with our team blogs looking back at the past season and looking ahead to next. In our NFC West news for Tuesday, the Seahawks look at some of the contracts for their young players. The Rams are interested in the draft, and they should with the number two pick overall. They are also looking for a coach and Jeff Fisher is reportedly choosing between the Rams and the Dolphins. Oh, and Mike Martz left the Bears, so the Rams could bring him back...wait, no laughter?
Check out the links after the jump and please read the ones that interest you the most.
The Green Bay Model & its Influence On John Schneider Part III - Field Gulls
Now, a little reminder on why I do this: as I have been reading and building these models, fertile ideas have been flying all over the place. Why am I studying another franchise? Why have I purchased books on the Pittsburgh Steelers and plan on purchasing books on the Baltimore Ravens and other franchises? Why have I downloaded articles and studied the Green Bay roster on www.packers.com? Why? Simply because I want my team, the Seattle Seahawks, to win a Super Bowl.
Seahawks News & Rumors: More on Seattle's Seven Futures Contract Recipients - Field Gulls
The Seahawks signed seven players to futures contracts today - DE Pierre Allen, LB/RB Allen Bradford, CB Coye Francies, DE John Graves, DB Jesse Hoffman, TE John Nalbone and OG Brent Osborne. Several of these players were on the Seahawks' regular season practice squad as the year ended, but several were not. Here's a little info on them...
The Seahawks 2011 Season: A Look Back, Part I - Field Gulls
The Seahawks 2011 season has definitely been one to remember. It was bound to be an unusual year because of the lockout - abnormal because of the Draft before free agency, shortened OTAs and a truncated training camp, and those types of things tend to affect teams with new leadership and personnel more than teams with a more established front office and roster.
NFL Mock Draft: Looking Back at the 2005 Alternate Universe - Field Gulls
Mock drafts can be fun. They can be fun to read, to create, and they can actually be very useful. They can also be very fun to actually mock because mock drafts are so wildly inaccurate that you'll have an easier time creating a perfect NCAA tournament bracket than you will trying to properly predict more than half of the first round.
49ers 2011 Notable Performances - Niners Nation
Now that the regular season is complete, the 49ers released a rundown of their notable statistical performances from 2011. Thankfully 2012 football gets going in a couple weeks, but it is still worth noting some of the great performances of the season. It was historical in certain respects, and just plain interesting in others.
Is the 49ers Defense The Answer For the Offensive Red Zone Woes? - Niners Nation
One of the running story lines late in the season was the struggles of the team when they got into the red zone. There was a stretch where it seemed like they should have just sent out the field goal unit as soon as they got there because nothing seemed to go right. In one brutal stretch they scored three touchdowns in 18 red zone trips. However, over the last three games of the regular season, the 49ers have scored six touchdowns on nine red zone appearances. I can't say for certain what is the difference, but Coach Harbaugh did provide one possible explanation in his Monday press conference. He said that over the last three weeks, the 49ers offense was getting some work in against the 49ers defense in red zone practice sessions.
Jim Harbaugh Reiterates Commitment To Alex Smith Moving Forward - Niners Nation
In yesterday's press conference, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh was asked some questions about Alex Smith and his future with the 49ers. The comments were not exactly shocking, but they have picked up some traction in the last 24 hours.
What's Next For Steve Spagnuolo? - Turf Show Times
Fired on Monday, former St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo is widely expected to land on his feet elsewhere in the league rather quickly. His reputation as a defensive coordinator came out his 10-38 time in St. Louis relatively unscathed. Don Banks at SI.com says that four teams have already made informal phone calls to Spagnuolo.
Chargers Decision To Retain AJ Smith, Norv Turner Has Ripple Effect On Rams Rumors - Turf Show Times
The San Diego Chargers announced today that they will retain both head coach Norv Turner and GM A.J. Smith. Based on recent reports, the news has direct implications for the St. Louis Rams as they search for candidates to replace Steve Spagnuolo and Billy Devaney. How exactly is the the news out of San Diego connected to the situation in St. Louis?
Mike Martz Calls It Quits In Chicago; Let Me Stop You Right There - Turf Show Times
As you know, Martz was the offensive coordinator and head coach for the St. Louis Rams during their GSOT period. His departure from the Bears and availability will test the resolve of St. Louis sports message boards and talk radio with discussions about whether or not the Rams should bring him back. Let me stop you right there; they won't.
Between Rams And Dolphins For Jeff Fisher, Per ESPN Report - Turf Show Times
The NFL rumor mill is in full swing, not even 24 hours after teams began cleaning house. For days Jeff Fisher has been the most talked about potential coaching candidate for the St. Louis Rams. This afternoon, John Clayton from ESPN said that it's between the Miami Dolphins and the Rams for Fisher.
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