Good afternoon, 12s.
Here's a look at what's "out there" for today - Tuesday, Aug. 25 - about your Seattle Seahawks:
Michael Bennett Joins 710 ESPN Seattle
Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett joined the team's flagship radio station 710 ESPN Seattle this morning for a candid conversation with "Brock and Salk." The 21-minute-plus back-and-forth is embedded for you below, along with a few discussion highlights.
- Bennett said he trained at his home in Hawaii this offseason working to improve his quickness and power, a regiment that included running up a 50-yard hill made up of 5-7 inches of sand. "I feel good because I trained really hard this summer and came back in better shape than I was last year, just try to improve on the things that I thought I needed to improve on and having to play so many plays I wanted to get better conditioning, and I feel like I've done that." Bennett said he was joined at times by teammates Brandon Mebane and Cliff Avril, who had a bit of trouble sifting through the sand. "They made it up once, but their backs were super tight, though."
- He's learned a lot from Keith Millard, a former All-Pro and Pro Bowl defensive lineman who coached Bennett with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Dan Quinn, Seattle's defensive coordinator from 2013-14. "Equally they've been a great part of my life as far as a player. Keith Millard as far as learning how to be a pass rusher and learning how to use your body and work on your craft. And D.Q. as far as the knowledge of the game and understanding what plays you can get and how you can look at it different ways."
- Bennett, who's entering his seventh season in the NFL, said it's all about technique at this level of play. "My coaches have always said your athleticism goes away, but your technique cuts down your steps and the process that it takes. When you're fast and young, you see a lot of young guys coming in the League like running around real fast, but they're just wasting their energy because it's a long game and you can't spend that much energy on like three of four plays. You've got to be able to know how to use your body so you don't have to use that much energy."
- Part of the Seahawks' success in 2013, when the team won Super Bowl XLVIII, was due to the depth they had along the defensive line. The unit featured a D-line rotation that helped keep fresh legs up front, something Bennett said the team is hoping to feature again in 2015 with young players like Frank Clark, Jordan Hill, and Cassius Marsh. ""We have no choice but to step it up. We have to get to that rotation because that rotation is what wins Super Bowls. Games are won up front, offensive line and defensive line. ... The only bad thing is they don't have as much experience, so they have to live vicariously through us and teaching them how to do this, and how to do that, but they have to be willing to learn and I think we have an opportunity for these guys to come in and make these plays."
More From Around The Web
Here at Seahawks.com, digital media reporter John Boyle says the club is "getting close" to naming its starting offensive line and rehashes right tackle Garry Gilliam's remarkable life story.
Here's a few things we learned from coach Pete Carroll yesterday, notes that include where the running back competition stands behind starter Marshawn Lynch and backup Robert Turbin.
The Seahawks are hoping to have backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson ready for the regular-season opener. Jackson suffered a high-ankle sprain in the preseason opener against the Denver Broncos.
FieldGulls.com chats with Jeff Schaffer, co-creator of the FXX comedy *The League*, about what it was like to work with Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch and Executive VP/General Manager John Schneider for episodes set to air this upcoming season.
Gregg Bell at the Tacoma News Tribune highlights the Alzheimer's disease fund- and awareness-raising Seahawks right guard J.R. Sweezy is taking part in with his wife, Gissell. Sweezy's grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer's nine years ago.
Dave Boling at the Tacoma News Tribune says Seahawks linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis, a fourth-round pick of Seattle's last year, is ready for a bigger role this season.
Art Thiel at SportsPressNW.com catches up with Seahawks center Drew Nowak, who got the start against the Kansas City Chiefs last week and is expected to see time with the No. 1 offense this Saturday against the San Diego Chargers.
Brady Henderson at 710Sports.com notes injuries to a few prominent wide receivers around the League have helped make Seattle's first-half schedule a little more favorable.
And NFL.com previews the Seahawks' 2015 season from a fantasy football perspective.
D*id I miss anything you think is worthy of inclusion? Let me know on Twitter *
