Seahawks continue overhaul by adding Pro Bowl TE Miller

Pete Carroll believes he found the deep-threat wide receiver he needed in Sidney Rice and burly veteran presence required on the offensive line in Robert Gallery.

Fantasy: Miller's value takes a hit Remember when Zach Miller was considered a potential draft bargain as a Raider? Well, Michael Fabiano says it's time to rethink that status now that Miller has signed a huge deal with the Seahawks. More ...

Now Carroll has grabbed the top pass-catching tight end on the free-agent market, with a little help from new assistant coach Tom Cable.

The Seahawks announced Tuesday afternoon they had reached agreement on a reported five-year deal with Pro Bowl tight end Zach Miller, who played under Cable with the Oakland Raiders.

"The Raiders always showed interest," Miller told KHTK-AM in Sacramento, Calif. "Throughout the whole process, I always had good communication with coach (Hue) Jackson, and we talked a lot. Seattle, about a week ago, I wasn't sure if they would be involved in this process. Coach Cable gave me a call, and that's when it started. It's definitely been a crazy last few days here."

Miller is coming off the two finest seasons of his NFL career. Just 25 years old, Miller was a Pro Bowl selection last season after catching 60 passes and five touchdowns, but he was even better in 2009 when he caught 66 passes for 865 yards and three touchdowns.

"That's what people have to realize about him is he's a very complete player," said Cable, now the Seahawks' offensive line coach. "He's going to be able to block off the line of scrimmage ... you can move him around. He can do all the crack blocks. He can do the one-on-one matchups in the passing game."

The deal is worth $34 million, with $17 million guaranteed, according to ESPN.

Miller's arrival could spell the end for John Carlson, who's entering his final year under contract. Carlson played 15 of 16 games last season but caught a career-low 31 passes and had only one touchdown reception during the regular season. Carlson did catch two touchdown passes in the Seahawks' first-round playoff upset of the New Orleans Saints.

Carroll immediately tried to dispel the notion that Miller's signing equaled Carlson's end, saying the versatility and different types of looks the two tight ends could provide were a huge benefit.

"Absolutely. It's exactly what is in our minds," Carroll said. "Anyone that thinks otherwise doesn't get it. We think those guys will play in tandem, on opposite sides, we'll be moving them around to matchups and stuff. I think it's a great asset for us now, and we've always liked to play with two tight ends in a number of different packages, and this just gives us tremendous flexibility at a really high level."

Miller said he's excited to be part of Seattle's new-look offense, which also added quarterback Tarvaris Jackson to go with Rice and Gallery.

"I think it's looking really good with the weapons brought in on offense," Miller told KHTK-AM. "Obviously, Sidney Rice, Tarvaris Jackson, you have Marshawn Lynch running the football and then me working the middle of the field. It's been really good, I'm really looking forward to it. Coach Carroll, I think he develops a great atmosphere. He wins everywhere he goes. I'm really looking forward to getting into football and being a big part of this team."

For his part, Carlson seemed to understand the competitive nature of the situation he was being placed in with Miller's arrival.

"We have to perform on the field," Carlson said. "I have to prove I deserve to be out there, as are the other guys at our position. We're all trying to fight for a spot, for a role. It's like that every year. It's always competitive; you always have to earn your spot."

Earlier Tuesday, the Seahawks agreed to terms with defensive end Jimmy Wilkerson, who adds depth to the defensive line as a potential rusher in passing situations.

Wilkerson spent last season in Seattle, but his best seasons came in 2008 and 2009 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he worked with new Seahawks defensive line coach Todd Wash. Wilkerson started a career-high 15 games in 2009 and had career bests in tackles (46) and sacks (6).

Wash said Wilkerson would be used as an inside pass-rusher on third downs, but he also could play at defensive end on first and second downs.

The Seahawks also brought back cornerback Kelly Jennings on Monday and reached a contract agreement with free-agent defensive lineman Ryan Sims.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Seahawks, LB Tatupu agree to 'mutually part ways'

RENTON, Wash. -- First Matt Hasselbeck was told his decade as quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks was over.

Now it's middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu being shown the door, leaving the Seahawks with just two remaining members of their Super Bowl team from six seasons ago.

The NFL free agency cycle is in full effect, with teams and players agreeing to terms fast as training camps open. Get the latest on all the news right here.

Tatupu was cut by Seattle on Sunday morning after the Seahawks defensive captain reportedly declined to restructure his contract. A team spokesman confirmed that Tatupu and the organization "mutually parted ways."

He leaves after anchoring the middle of Seattle's defense for most of six seasons, including three Pro Bowl appearances and a major hand in taking the Seahawks to their only Super Bowl appearance following his rookie season in 2005.

It certainly wasn't a simple decision for Seattle coach Pete Carroll. Tatupu played for Carroll at USC and raved about the importance of having Tatupu on his defense from the second he arrived back in the NFL with the Seahawks.

But the 28-year-old Tatupu has struggled with injuries the past few seasons and seen a decline in production. He missed most of 2009 after tearing a pectoral muscle. Last year, he played in all 16 games, but his 88 tackles were the lowest of his career in a full season and he needed surgery on both knees in the offseason.

During the first couple of days of training camp, Tatupu was in a practice jersey, but mostly just a spectator while his teammates went through drills. Tatupu signed a contract extension back in 2008 that locked him up with the Seahawks potentially through the 2015 season and could have paid him up to $42 million. He was scheduled to make $4.35 million in base salary for the 2011 season.

Now Seattle is trying to replace both its offensive and defensive leaders.

David Hawthorne will likely to move back to inside linebacker after shifting outside last season. Hawthorne took Tatupu's place after he was injured in 2009 and managed to lead Seattle in tackles each of the last two seasons. Leroy Hill -- who was re-signed earlier this week to a one-year deal and joins cornerback Marcus Trufant as the only remaining members from Seattle's Super Bowl team -- could get the first shot at outside linebacker.

Seattle also grabbed rookies K.J. Wright (fourth round) and Malcolm Smith (seventh round) in April's draft.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Market for Hasselbeck's services unlikely to include Seahawks

It appears increasingly unlikely that quarterback Matt Hasselbeck will be back with the Seattle Seahawks, sources said Tuesday, but the Tennessee Titans will be aggressive in their pursuit of the 13-year veteran.

The San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings also are interested in Hasselbeck's services, but the Titans are considered the front-runners.

Those aren't the only teams courting Hasselbeck. The Miami Herald reported Tuesday via Twitter that the Dolphins have "extended interest" in signing Hasselbeck to compete with Chad Henne.

The Seahawks have agreed to terms with quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, reuniting him with Darrell Bevell, his offensive coordinator in Minnesota. Seattle also is expected to sign Matt Leinart, coach Pete Carroll's former quarterback at USC, to join Charlie Whitehurst on the roster.

The Seahawks also are making a play for free-agent wide receiver Sidney Rice, who played for Bevell in Minnesota.

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Seahawks will sign QB Jackson, no longer interested in Kolb

Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is set to sign with the Seattle Seahawks, a league source has confirmed to NFL Network insider Michael Lombardi.

Jackson, who will enter his sixth NFL season, has spent his career with the Minnesota Vikings, where he has served as Brett Favre's backup the past two seasons. Jackson has made 20 career starts, with his most significant playing time coming in 2007 when he started 12 games, throwing for 1,911 yards, nine touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

With the Seahawks expected to be without Matt Hasselbeck this season, Jackson -- who played under offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell in Minnesota -- figures to compete with Charlie Whitehurst for Seattle's starting job. The Seahawks also are expected to sign Matt Leinart, who played for coach Pete Carroll in college at Southern California, according to NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora.

La Canfora also reports that, with the signing of Jackson, the Seahawks are effectively out of the trade sweepstakes for Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb, adding that the team had reservations about how steep the price would be in trade and financial compensation.

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Seahawks' workout includes QBs Hasselbeck, Whitehurst

SEATTLE -- For a few hours Thursday morning, Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry didn't feel locked out. Being around teammates, and even a few guys from other NFL teams, provided a bit of normalcy in an otherwise abnormal offseason.

"Workouts like this today are helping me get over the fact we're not playing football," Curry said. "It's just tough without doing it."

Curry and about 35 other players gathered inside the University of Washington's indoor practice facility for a planned but informal workout. It was spearheaded by Seattle running back Justin Forsett, but the mix of players was far from Seahawks specific.

There were those who are under contract and likely to be key players for the Seahawks whenever the season begins: Curry, Forsett, quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, cornerback Marcus Trufant, linebacker David Hawthorne and offensive lineman Max Unger.

There were a handful of college kids, including former Washington linebacker Mason Foster -- drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- and safety Nate Williams.

Then there was arguably the largest group -- the free agents, most of whom were connected with the Seahawks last season but face an uncertain future. At the top of the list was quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, but others such as offensive linemen Sean Locklear and Chris Spencer, safety Lawyer Milloy, defensive tackle Craig Terrill and defensive back Jordan Babineaux also participated.

"I think it was more, 'We're all locked out,' " Whitehurst said of the practice's purpose. "It was just get together, get some work and try to get better."

Whitehurst's presence was notable considering he's the only quarterback under contract with the Seahawks for the 2011 season. He flew in from Atlanta to participate in the largest gathering of Seahawks or Seattle-based players so far, although the workouts have been going on informally for a couple of months.

Hasselbeck has been the leader at many of those practices since he lives in the Seattle area year-round, but his future with the Seahawks is unknown.

"I'm always looking for a chance to get together with the guys I'm going to throw to," Whitehurst said. "I don't know if it matters what position you play, but the guys who came felt it was important. Quarterbacks, obviously every opportunity we get, we're going to take it."

The workouts likely will continue, at a time when the Seahawks normally would be in the midst of minicamp and prepping for their final month of rest before training camp in late July. No one has a good sense of when the NFL lockout might end, with Unger saying he has heard a resolution could come in two weeks and in the same breath saying the entire season could be missed.

"It's just weird not playing football right now," Unger said. "We'd normally have just less than a month of offseason and then we'd be off 'til fall camp. ... I don't really know, man; that stuff is up in the air. There is a lot of red tape to cut through."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Seahawks become first team to win division title with sub-.500 record

SEATTLE -- Pulled over his dapper shirt-and-tie combo, Leon Washington proudly wore a blue NFC West division champion T-shirt and hat.

Pete Carroll thought it was "pretty cool" to be going to the playoffs with a losing record.

Make jokes and laugh all you want at the Seattle Seahawks making the postseason as the champions of the weakest division in football, and with a losing record.

But they're not going to be embarrassed for setting some dubious NFL history on their way to the playoffs.

"There is no apologies for making it into the playoffs. The easiest way to make it to the playoffs is to win your division, period, point-blank," Seattle safety Lawyer Milloy said. "We did that."

The Seahawks became the first-sub. 500 division champs on Sunday night with a 16-6 win over the St. Louis Rams to wrap up their first division title since 2007. They secured a home playoff date with defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans on Saturday.

Seattle finished a laughable 7-9 and tied with St. Louis, but won the title thanks to a better division record than St. Louis, 4-2 vs. 3-3.

"I guess we won for all the teams that have a losing record and think they can't be champions. It can get done, you can do it," Carroll said. "Somehow it happened."

Critics have gladly taken shots about the NFC Worst, er, West this season and reignited the debate whether division champs should automatically be granted home playoff games. The New York Giants and Tampa Bay have better records within the NFC at 10-6 and both clubbed Seattle earlier this season.

But it's the Seahawks who are playoff-bound.

"It just shows that no matter what happens through an awkward year if a team sticks together they can have a shot at the end to accomplish what they talked about in the beginning," Milloy said. "We know it wasn't pretty getting here, but what we talked about was right there at the end and we took advantage of it. Nobody can take that away from us."

Making his second career start, backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst threw a 4-yard TD pass to Mike Williams on Seattle's first possession and kicker Olindo Mare connected on three second-half field goals.

That was more than enough thanks to a maligned defense that finally found some swagger just in time to rattle St. Louis' rookie quarterback Sam Bradford and end the Rams' feel-good turnaround from a year ago. At this time last year, St. Louis was preparing to draft Bradford with the No. 1 overall pick after winning just one game.

Sunday night, they were despondent after seeing their chance at a division title and becoming the third 8-8 division champ in league history slide away.

"I don't even know if I can tell you right now," Bradford said of his frustration. "The fact our defense played, in my opinion, pretty great, the fact that we let the team down, that we couldn't get anything going, that's what really hurts."

St. Louis (7-9) was kept out of the end zone for the second time this season and Bradford finished 19 of 36 for 155 yards, with a costly interception midway through the fourth quarter.

Seattle's defense that allowed at least 34 points in four of its last five games, suddenly showed a backbone, making St. Louis' conservative offensive approach seem even slower. The Rams managed just 63 yards in the second half and, with the exception of a fumble recovered at the Seattle 21, didn't even cross midfield until midway through the fourth quarter.

And even when the Rams caught a break on Marshawn Lynch's third-quarter fumble, they could only get three points out of it on Josh Brown's 27-yard field goal.

"For the most part we just were out of sync ..." Rams running back Steven Jackson said. "But I don't think they completely shut down the offense."

Now the question for Seattle is who will be the quarterback for its first home playoff game since a January 2008 win over Washington. Carroll was noncommittal late Sunday night who would start against the Saints. Matt Hasselbeck was active against the Rams and went through pregame warmups, but Carroll held to his word and the Seahawks went with Whitehurst after Hasselbeck injured his hip last week against Tampa Bay.

Whitehurst didn't fail in the second start of his career. He wasn't spectacular, but he avoided any critical mistakes: no interceptions, no dumb throws, no miscues a team like Seattle couldn't afford. Carroll said he kept Hasselbeck out fearing the injury would have made him "vulnerable" to the Rams' pass rush.

For his part, Whitehurst did scramble for 30 yards rushing, part of the 141 yards on the ground by the Seahawks.

"You know, this is what I love to do, this is what we all love to do, this is why we're here," Whitehurst said. "So after the first few plays it's kind of business as usual."

Whitehurst finished 22 of 36 for 192 yards with his lone touchdown, a 4-yard toss across the field to Williams on Seattle's first drive. Mare connected from 31, 38 and 34 yards in the second half and Seattle spent the final minute with Carroll screaming into the air and players slapping hands with fans in the end zone.

"It's been rough the last couple years," Seattle running back Justin Forsett said. "I've never been in this position before. I just want to seize it and run with it."

While the Seahawks could celebrate, Steven Jackson slumped on the bench in the final minutes after the Rams' best offensive threat went mostly unused. Jackson had just 11 carries for 45 yards, continuing a streak of failing to crack 100 yards in his career against the Seahawks.

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When the Rams did cross midfield in the fourth quarter, down just 13-7, Bradford followed with his one big mistake, an interception thrown right at linebacker Will Herring, the first pick of his career.

Seattle then ran off the next 7 minutes as Mare connected from 34 yards with 1:37 left, ending the Rams' chance at their first division title since 2003.

"It's just frustrating to get this far and have an opportunity to make the playoffs, and to come up short," Bradford said. "Just frustrating."

Notes: Seattle G Chester Pitts left in the second half with a head injury and did not return. ... Seattle LT Russell Okung left briefly in the first half after injuring his left ankle, but returned after halftime. Seattle had just seven active offensive linemen. ... Jackson was the Rams' leading receiver with four receptions for 39 yards. ... St. Louis has lost 11 of 12 to Seattle.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Bucs WR Benn headed to IR after knee injury vs. Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie wideout Arrelious Benn is headed to injured reserve with a knee injury, the team announced Monday.

Benn, who was injured in the second quarter of Sunday's 38-15 win over the Seattle Seahawks, told the St. Petersburg Times he was unsure what happened on the play to cause the injury.

"I have no idea. I don't even want to know," Benn said.

The Bucs stated that fullback Earnest Graham is week-to-week with a neck injury, but did not suffer a concussion in the win.

Graham was injured in the second quarter when he took a hit to the back of the helmet from Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry. Graham was down on the field for several minutes before eventually leaving under his own power.

"I think it was a cheap shot," Bucs wideout Micheal Spurlock told the newspaper. "It is what it is. It's football. Some guys don't have anything to play for, so they might think, 'Oh, we're going to knock you out.' I don't think you should play the game that way, but that's my opinion. It's one of those things where every dog has his day. His is coming."

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Carroll says Hasselbeck still Seahawks' starter

RENTON, Wash. -- Pete Carroll spent part of Monday just watching.

The Seahawks coach wanted to see how Matt Hasselbeck reacted in meetings to the blunt criticism of all the mistakes he's made recently. Then Carroll sat down with Hasselbeck to make certain he was in the right state mentally after having been booed off the field less than 24 hours earlier.

With a division title still obtainable -- even at 6-8 -- Carroll decided he's going to stick with his veteran quarterback instead of making a change to unproven backup Charlie Whitehurst.

"We're going with Matt. Matt's been our quarterback, he's given us a chance all throughout, the best chance to finish off right and I'm excited in that sense he's going to pull this thing together," Carroll said Monday afternoon. "We've got to play well around him. We've got to take care of the quarterback in all ways, protection-wise, running the football, we need to play better on defense so it's not all tuned where the focus is to one guy and people can try and point the finger."

Carroll put to rest what could have been a lingering debate all week as the Seahawks prepare to play at Tampa Bay on Sunday in a game that could end up being relatively meaningless to their chances at an NFC West title. If St. Louis beats San Francisco at home on Sunday, then it doesn't matter what the Seahawks do against the Buccaneers, the NFC West title will be decided on Jan. 2 when the Seahawks host the Rams.

And unless an injury occurs or Hasselbeck's horrid turnover rate continues, Carroll made clear that Hasselbeck will be the Seahawks quarterback for the final two games.

"I was very specific to our team and Matt today about how to handle it and giving us a chance to keep staying with the game plan and giving our special teams and our defense a chance, and our offense as well, a chance to get back into it by not overtrying, by not trying to force the issues," Carroll said.

Hasselbeck was pulled in the third quarter of Sunday's 34-18 loss to Atlanta after throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble that resulted in a Falcons touchdown. Whitehurst replaced Hasselbeck and played well, scoring on a 1-yard TD run in the fourth quarter that prompted chants of "Charlie" from the fans who remained.

Carroll said Whitehurst's performance makes the coach more confident if he needs to turn to Whitehurst.

Hasselbeck has continually violated what Carroll preaches the most, taking care of the ball. In his last four games, Hasselbeck's been responsible for 13 turnovers -- three fumbles and 10 interceptions. His fumble in the end zone on Seattle's first offensive play of the second half Sunday was recovered by Jonathan Babineaux for a touchdown and a 24-10 Falcons lead.

Hasselbeck followed up with interceptions on Seattle's next two possessions.

And this performance came after he had the first five-turnover game of his career -- four interceptions and one fumble -- a week earlier at San Francisco. It hasn't helped that Seattle's fallen behind in both games and Hasselbeck has admitted feeling as though he needed to force things.

"Looking back, I seem to do stupid things when we're losing. When we're down by two touchdowns or more, that's where I have to be way smarter. That's where I've really failed recently. That's on me. I know better. You have to learn the lesson the hard way, and I just have to be smarter in those kind of situations."

Carroll said he was pleased with how Whitehurst played when he entered, but the decision to continue with the struggling Hasselbeck is another statement on how the Seahawks view Whitehurst. Seattle traded a second-round pick to San Diego and signed Whitehurst to an $8 million, two-year deal with incentives last offseason with the hope he would compete for the starting job that Hasselbeck clearly won.

Whitehurst was 8 of 16 for 83 yards in about one quarter of action on Sunday.

"He did handle himself very well yesterday, did a nice job handling the situation, and if we need him we'll call on him," Carroll said. "Maybe just in that sense I feel better about him, you know, under those circumstances."

On the Seahawks' injury front, the team placed special teams captain Roy Lewis on injured reserve with a lingering knee injury that will require surgery. Carroll remains hopeful cornerback Marcus Trufant will be able to play Sunday at Tampa Bay.

The team also signed defensive back Marcus Brown to the active roster.

Lewis had been bothered by the injury for a few weeks.

Trufant left Sunday's game with back spasms. Carroll says this is not related to the back injury that cost Trufant the first six games of 2009.

Cornerback Walter Thurmond is expected back this week after missing Sunday's game with a hamstring injury. Defensive tackle Junior Siavii's status is unknown after he suffered a stinger in the fourth quarter Sunday.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Brees throws four TDs, leads Saints over Seahawks

NEW ORLEANS -- Drew Brees became the Saints' all-time completions leader, throwing for four touchdowns in New Orleans' 34-16 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Brees was 29 of 43 for 382 yards and completed his 1,850th pass as a Saint in the second quarter to break a record held by Archie Manning since 1982.

Brees hit Marques Colston and Robert Meachem twice each for TDs to keep the defending champion Saints (7-3) one game behind NFC South Division leader Atlanta.

Matt Hasselbeck was 32 of 44 for 366 yards, the most yards allowed by New Orleans' top-ranked passing defense this season, but Seattle (5-5) had trouble getting in the end zone. The Seahawks lost two fumbles and had four drives end with field goals.

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Giants use overpowering first-half performance to roll over Seahawks

SEATTLE -- Eli Manning isn't ready to hear all the accolades the New York Giants might be getting as one of the NFL's top teams at the midway point, no matter how dominating they looked Sunday.

"Don't start thinking we're good right now," Manning cautioned.

Manning picked apart Seattle's secondary for 290 yards and three touchdowns and Ahmad Bradshaw added two TDs -- all in the opening half -- and the Giants routed the Seahawks 41-7 on Sunday.

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Coming off its bye, New York (6-2) needed just one half to win its fifth straight, put away any memories of past flubs in Seattle and stake a claim at the top of the NFC East.

"Things are going well right now," Manning said. "But we've just got to make sure we stay committed to getting better."

New York's statement was swift and efficient, not allowing the undermanned Seahawks hope of pulling the upset or letting their notoriously loud home crowd get rocking.

The Giants still had fresh memories of five years ago when they were penalized 14 times -- including 11 false starts -- in a 24-21 overtime loss. A year later, after the Giants made claims that artificial crowd noise was being piped into the stadium, the Seahawks jumped to a 42-3 lead in another win over New York.

Other than the Giants' first drive, Seattle's fans were left sitting on their hands or booing the home team. The Giants were called for just two false start penalties and handed Seattle its worst home loss since moving into Qwest Field. It was the Giants biggest road win since a 41-7 win at Washington in 1993.

"I wouldn't want to say we are the best team. But, we are playing the way need to be as a team," Giants safety Antrel Rolle said. "I think we are establishing ourselves as a great unit. As long as we keep playing team ball, I can just see us climbing and climbing and climbing."

Manning's passer rating was a nearly perfect 152.3 in the first half. He finished 21 of 32 for 290 yards and TD passes of 46, 6, and 5 yards. Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs and D.J. Ware combined for 201 yards rushing, while Hakeem Nicks had six catches for 128 yards.

It was the second straight 41-point outburst by the Giants offense. New York finished with 487 yards of offense, the third time topping 400 yards during its win streak.

"What didn't they do?" Seattle linebacker Aaron Curry wondered.

Manning's blistering first half included a 46-yard strike to Nicks, when rookie safety Earl Thomas bit on a crossing route and one play after Thomas was called for illegal contact to keep the Giants drive alive.

Seattle's Leon Washington fumbled the ensuing kickoff that Jonathan Goff recovered and returned it to the Seattle 4. Bradshaw piled in on the next play and in 15 seconds, the Giants were up 21-0.

Manning also found Steve Smith on a 6-yard TD pass in the second quarter and his 5-yarder to Kevin Boss in the final minute of the first half gave the Giants a 35-0 halftime lead.

Manning and most of the Giants starters watched the fourth quarter from the bench.

"We have a lot of confidence. We know that we can go out and (stop) any team we want to when we play a good game," Bradshaw said. "That is just what we did today. We played great."

About the only positive for Seattle was keeping quarterback Charlie Whitehurst upright and in the game after the Giants had knocked out five quarterbacks already this season.

But Whitehurst's performance, in his first NFL start, should silence those calling for the end of Matt Hasselbeck's tenure in Seattle. With Hasselbeck out with a concussion, Whitehurst completed 12 of 23 passes for 113 yards and two interceptions.

Whitehurst did complete the first regular season pass of his career -- for a 3-yard loss -- and he threw a 36-yard TD pass to Ben Obomanu early in the fourth quarter.

"It made it a little better, I guess," Whitehurst said of his first TD pass. "But it was a disappointing day for us. I was disappointed in the way that I played and I have to get better."

It didn't help Whitehurst that two starting offensive linemen were out, along with three-fourths of Seattle's starting defensive line. And Seattle's run game never got started against the Giants defense with Marshawn Lynch held to 48 yards on 11 carries, 26 yards coming on one run.

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Offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates also called a puzzling double pass on third-and-1 in the first quarter that fell incomplete when Whitehurst overthrew tight end Chris Baker by 10 yards.

Lynch later was called for a false start when he fell on his face getting off balance before the ball was snapped. On the next play, Whitehurst's throw for Mike Williams was bobbled and intercepted by Terrell Thomas in the end zone.

"Nothing feels right, right now," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said.

Notes: Obomanu's TD catch was Seattle's first touchdown since the second quarter against Arizona two weeks ago. ... Nicks rolled his ankle but didn't believe he would miss any time. ... The Giants dominated time of possession, 42:34 to 17:26.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Giants WR/KR Reynaud ruled out vs. Seahawks with injury

Another member of the New York Giants won't make the trip to Seattle for Sunday's game against the Seahawks.

The team announced Saturday that wide receiver/kick returner Darius Reynaud has been downgraded from questionable to out because of a hamstring injury. Reynaud had said Friday that the injury wouldn't prevent him from playing, according to the Star-Ledger.

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Will Blackmon, who joined the Giants last week, likely will return kicks and punts against the Seahawks. He averaged 11 yards per punt return and 21.1 yards per kick return during four seasons with the Green Bay Packers.

Reynaud, whom the Giants acquired in a Sept. 3 trade with the Minnesota Vikings, has averaged just 5.9 yards per punt return and 18.4 yards per kick return this season.

Earlier this week, three other Giants -- offensive tackle William Beatty (foot), running back Madison Hedgecock (hamstring) and center Shaun O'Hara (foot) -- also were declared out for the game.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Seahawks turn to Whitehurst at QB after Hasselbeck ruled out

RENTON, Wash. -- If the New York Giants are going to add to their knockout list of quarterbacks, it won't be Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck.

Hasselbeck, the Seahawks' starting QB, is out for Sunday's game against New York with a concussion, with Seattle coach Pete Carroll announcing Thursday that Hasselbeck had not been cleared to play. Charlie Whitehurst will make the first start of his career.

"I think it's a little more serious than I thought. I visited with Matt after the game and stuff and I didn't realize there was anything going on. Not till Monday did we really ... there were some symptoms and stuff like that and then we took it very seriously," Carroll said. "I'm surprised a little bit, but it's real. That's good for me to understand it better, too."

Carroll said Hasselbeck would still need to be cleared under the league-mandated concussion testing in order to play next week at Arizona.

Hasselbeck suffered his concussion late in last week's 33-3 loss at Oakland. Carroll said Monday and again Wednesday he hoped Hasselbeck would be cleared and able to play against the Giants.

Instead, it'll be Whitehurst, who was brought to Seattle in a trade with San Diego in the offseason, but has never thrown a pass in a regular-season game.

"The circumstances are good," Whitehurst said. "We're playing a good team. Playing at home. It's all you can really ask for. I plan on going out there and executing and helping this team win."

Outside of three snaps in garbage time last week, Whitehurst gets his first opportunity. Whitehurst spent his first four years in San Diego as the third-stringer behind Philip Rivers and Billy Volek.

The Seahawks acquired him in March for a swap of second-round picks in the 2010 draft and an undisclosed 2011 selection.

"He's ready," Carroll said of Whitehurst. "I've talked to Charlie from the first day he got here that he's coming here to play football. Nothing else. He's not coming here to be a backup or to do anything other than to make himself a spot. He has done a fantastic job up until this point. He's done everything that we've asked of him and we're real excited to see him play now."

The Seahawks will face an imposing Giants defense that has knocked out five quarterbacks this season and had 10 sacks against Chicago in Week 4. Seattle's banged-up offensive line allowed eight sacks of Hasselbeck last week in Oakland.

"I've got a lot to worry about. I'm not going to worry about that. I'm confident in the guys up front," Whitehurst said. "They can do their jobs and I know what they've done to quarterbacks this year, but we're confident we're going to go out there and play well."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Bears QB Cutler expected to start Sunday vs. Seahawks

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was cleared to fully participate in practice and is scheduled to start this weekend, a league source told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora on Tuesday.

Cutler's status has been the dominant topic surrounding the Bears ever since his nine-sack first half during a loss to the New York Giants two weeks ago left him with a concussion. Barring any unforeseen setbacks, Cutler will practice Wednesday and return to the lineup for Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Cutler sat out last Sunday's 23-6 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Backup Todd Collins struggled mightily in that game, completed just 6 of 16 passes for 32 yards with four interceptions.

Bears coach Lovie Smith said Monday that he hoped Cutler could play in the next game, but he quickly tried to have reporters change their line of questioning.

"I'm not going to talk about Jay anymore," Smith said. "There's nothing else for me to tell you about Jay. He's doing better. Wednesday, we'll be able to tell you a little bit more."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Lynch, Seahawks hope union proves beneficial to both

RENTON, Wash. -- At the University of California, Marshawn Lynch couldn't stand Pete Carroll, wishing somehow he could lay a hit on the USC coach.

"He was one of the only coaches you would see running up and down the field like he was playing in the game," Lynch said Wednesday after his first practice with the Seattle Seahawks. "Running up, jumping and having fun with his players. They were over there dogging us, and you just sit there watching them have all this fun (thinking), 'Man, what is he doing? Run me to that sideline so I can hit him one time.'"

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Now Lynch can't wait to see all of Carroll's theatrics, considering he's providing the running back a fresh start in his NFL career.

After months of debate over Lynch's future in Buffalo, the former first-round draft pick finally was dealt to Seattle in exchange for two draft picks.

And true to Carroll's word, the Seahawks didn't waste any time in putting Lynch on the field and trying to fix a floundering run game.

After arriving in Seattle around 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, Lynch was at Seahawks headquarters around 6 a.m. Wednesday and on the practice field a few hours later.

"I feel this change is a great opportunity for me, not only in football, but in life as well," Lynch said. "Everything that happened with me I feel is an opportunity, the things that come out of it, the way I handle it. This is another one and I plan to handle this situation just as good as I handled the rest. I say that because I'm still here standing."

Lynch's past issues include a June 2008 traffic violation in which he struck a female pedestrian with his car and a guilty plea for a March 2009 misdemeanor gun charge in Los Angeles, after police discovered a semiautomatic handgun in a backpack in the trunk of a parked car in which Lynch was sitting. The gun charge resulted in a three-game league suspension last year.

"That was a thing of the past," Lynch said. "I feel if you often revisit your past, you get stuck there, and that's not what I'm about. I'm moving forward."

And the Seahawks hope Lynch can move their lagging run game forward. They enter their bye week ranked 27th in the NFL in running behind a makeshift offensive line that might finally have all its expected starters playing when the team travels to Chicago for an Oct. 17 meeting with the Bears.

The lack of a run game has put more pressure on Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

"We've been talking about getting the running game going, and this makes it a lot tougher for people to defend us," Hasselbeck said. "It gives us a huge opportunity in play-action, it gives us huge opportunities with the naked bootleg and just all kinds of things."

The Seahawks believe Lynch's rugged running style will be the answer for an offense that has gone nearly five seasons without a running back approaching 1,000 yards. Lynch, 24, rumbled for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first two NFL seasons. He'll also play in an offense with a similar blocking scheme to what the Bills used.

Considering the past debate and previous talks with Bills management, Lynch believed it was a joke being pulled by one of his former teammates when he first received word of the trade.

"It was a big surprise," Lynch said. "But at the same time, (it's) a little excitement as well."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Seahawks land veteran RB Lynch in trade with Bills

A fresh start for Marshawn Lynch. A rugged runner for the Seattle Seahawks' lagging ground game.

Marshawn Lynch should become the No. 1 running back in Seattle, meaning he should be added to your team if he's still available in your fantasy league. More ...

And a clear sign that the rebuilding continues in Buffalo.

The Bills gave up on Lynch as their featured ball carrier Tuesday, trading him to the Seahawks for two undisclosed draft picks.

NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora reported via a league source that one of the picks will be a fourth-round selection in the 2011 NFL Draft.

The deal clears the way for Buffalo to give more playing time to Fred Jackson and first-round draft pick C.J. Spiller in the backfield. And Seattle hopes Lynch can provide a spark that was missing from its run game through the first four weeks of the season.

"We bring a guy into the program that we think is going to give us a little boost," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said after practice Tuesday. "You know that we've emphasized trying to get this running game in order. We hope that he'll help in that regard. We're pleased to get that done. We'll move forward this week. It's good we're on a break. It doesn't disrupt a game-week preparation, and we'll get him in here as soon as possible and we'll get to work."

The Seahawks (2-2) have a bye week following their 20-3 loss to the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. That gives Lynch time to become acclimated to Seattle's offense and potentially be on the field Oct. 17 when the team visits the Chicago Bears.

"We're going to bring him in to play a lot," Carroll said. "We'll wait and see when we get him here, but we're bringing him in here to play a bunch."

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Brian Baldinger believes Marshawn Lynch is the best option for the Seahawks and could be a difference-maker in a wide-open NFC West. More ...

The Seahawks released running back Julius Jones, their leading rusher the past two seasons, to clear a roster spot for Lynch. Jones restructured his contract and took a hefty pay cut right before the start of the season, then carried the ball just 12 times for 30 yards and was inactive Sunday against the Rams.

Seattle's run game has struggled through four games, ranking 27th in the NFL with 79.5 yards per game. The Seahawks were held below 80 rushing yards three times, putting more pressure on veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

Without a clear No. 1 running back, the Seahawks ran by committee before settling on speedy Justin Forsett the past two weeks. Forsett had a season-high 19 carries Sunday against the Rams, but he managed just 65 yards. Seattle hasn't seen a back approach 1,000 yards since Shaun Alexander was the league MVP in 2005 after running for 1,880 yards and 27 touchdowns in the team's NFC championship season.

Now Forsett and Lynch -- teammates at the University of California -- are reunited in Seattle. Lynch was a groomsman at Forsett's wedding earlier this year.

"We're different backs, but I think they complement it well," Forsett said. "If you go back at Cal, we had a nice little one-two punch there, and it's always exciting. Any given moment, any one of us could break, and it was pretty fun. We just have fun together."

Also on Tuesday, the Seahawks re-signed offensive lineman Chester Pitts -- who was cut last week -- and released lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith.

On the other side, the Lynch trade only highlights the much larger rebuilding job in front of the Bills (0-4), who lost to the New York Jets 38-14 last weekend and play host to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Last week, first-year Bills coach Chan Gailey released former starting quarterback Trent Edwards, who is now with the Jaguars.

"Marshawn has worked hard and played hard for us this season and we certainly appreciate his efforts," first-year Bills general manager Buddy Nix said in a statement released by the team. "We are constantly evaluating our personnel and feel that this is a good move for our team's future."

Spiller shared warm thoughts about Lynch on Tuesday.

“He was a great teammate and I wish him all the best,” Spiller told buffalobills.com. “Our friendship was more like a brotherhood and I’m definitely going to stay in contact with him.”

The Bills filled Lynch's roster spot by signing rookie running back Andre Anderson off their practice squad, a league source told La Canfora.

After losing his starting job to Jackson last season, Lynch reclaimed the job in Week 2 this year and led the Bills with 37 carries for 164 yards. In 45 career games, he has 2,765 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns, along with 670 receiving yards and one score.

The deal, made two weeks before the NFL trade deadline, marks a turnaround in philosophy for the Bills, who said last spring that they didn't intend to trade Lynch. He had been seeking a fresh start after his reputation in Buffalo took a hit following off-the-field troubles.

In June 2008, Lynch pleaded guilty to a traffic violation and admitted to driving off after striking a female pedestrian with his car near Buffalo's downtown bar district. In March 2009, Lynch pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge in Los Angeles, after police discovered a semiautomatic handgun in a backpack of the trunk of a parked car in which Lynch was sitting.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Seahawks' Hasselbeck With Rib Fracture

"Medical tests have determined that Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who took a hard hit in the first half of Sunday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers, has a fractured rib, a league source said Monday.

It is not clear whether the injury will sideline Hasselbeck for Seattle's Week 3 game against the Chicago Bears, but the Seahawks are encouraged that the injury was not more severe, the source said.

Hasselbeck rejoined his teammates for the two-hour flight home shortly after Seattle's 23-10 loss in San Francisco.

Doctors tested him for lung, liver and kidney damage and did not find any, according to the source, but they did discover the rib fracture, making Hasselbeck the second quarterback in two weeks to fracture a rib. Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb suffered the same fate in the Eagles' opener and sat out his team's game against New Orleans on Sunday."

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