The Seattle Seahawks were one of the clear winners of the 2010 NFL Draft. The orginization knew going into the draft that their two biggest weaknesses were the vital left tackle position, and the defensive backfield. Seattle was able to address those needs in the first round by selecting left tackle Russell Okung out of Oklahoma State with the 6th pick and Earl Thomas, the saftey out of Texas with the 14th pick. Both Okung and Thomas were the top rated available players at their respective positions and may be have been the top remaining overall players at the time they were picked. Okung is a great athlete with long arms and should solidify the left tackle position for the next decade, much like the man he is replacing, future hall of famer Walter Jones. Earl Thomas is a ballhawking saftey who also has the ability to play corner. Many have compared Thomas’ ball skills to Ravens saftey Ed Reed. If Thomas is anything like Reed, the Seahawks will be pleased.

In addition to their first two picks, the Seahawks were able to make other moves to improve their team over the weekend. In the 2nd round, the Seahwaks drafted Notre Dame reciever Golden Tate. Going into the draft, many thought Tate would be selected towards the end of the 1st round. The addition of Tate to an already solid group of wide recievers should help Seattle’s offense in a wide open NFC West. The final set of big moves by the Seahwaks over the weekend was the addition of two running backs through trade. First, the Seahwaks acquired Lendale White from the Titans. The acquisiton of White reunites him with his old college coach, Pete Carrol. In addition to White, the Seahawks also added speedy running back Leon Washington from the New York Jets. Washington is coming off of a major knee injury, but when fully healthy, can be a gamebreaker for the Seahawks.

by Josh Weiner at the Sports Fan Blog Network

The following playoff games are taking place this upcoming weekend, who do you guys like? (my predictions below)

AFC
Jets @ Chargers 1/17 4:40pm
Ravens @ Colts 1/16 8:15pm

NFC
Cowboys @ Vikings 1/17 1pm
Cardinals @ Saints 1/16 4:30pm

My Predictions:
AFC
Jets 21 Chargers 17
Colts 28 Ravens 20

NFC
Cowboys 28 Vikings 17
Saints 27 Cardinals 10

Pete Carroll pumped his fist. He talked excitedly and forcefully. He chopped the air with his hands, commanding his new audience.

Even though he had stepped back up into the NFL, he was still in charge — which is exactly why he’s in Seattle now instead of Southern California.


The charismatic Carroll took over as the new coach and executive vice president of the Seahawks on Tuesday, enthusiastically seizing an authority that he says mirrors the latitude USC gave him to restore its dynasty.

“They have embraced my approach … in a manner in which they want to wipe the path clear and give me the clearest opportunity to bring everything that I have to offer. That’s really what I was looking for, the trust and belief from the top of the organization,” Carroll said a day after his public farewell from USC.

“They don’t have an agenda of how they want their football played. They want me to do that. That’s exactly and precisely what I was looking for.”


Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com