2008 Season Retrospective: Will Herring
Field Gulls — ... seemed to sense that and twice looked Herring's way before targeting another receiver. He's Slim Jim lean, and looks more safety than linebacker, but you can't discount the potential. He needs another ten+ pounds of bulk, and that's going to bite a little into his speed and agility, but understand he ran a 4.57/40 and 6.56/3 Cone (.31 seconds faster than Marcus Trufant and likely fastest on the roster), so the potential to fill out and retain what makes him is there. Because a little lost frenzy might do Herring some good. ...

Projected Panthers 2009 Depth Chart: Cornerbacks
Cat Scratch Reader — ... Dante Wesley.  However, the team will be replacing its only departed starter in Ken Lucas--who had started for four relatively successful (if somewhat inconsistent) seasons--was cut in a cost-cutting move that only saved about $2.4 million after a trade with the Lions fell through after Lucas refused to play in Detroit.  Lucas was signed by the Seahawks--for whom he played his first four years in the league--and is currently listed as a starter opposite Marcus Trufant.   Now, a breakdown of every CB on the ...

2008 Season Retrospective: C.J. Wallace
Field Gulls — ... is gunning for Wallace's roster spot. He has better speed, better athleticism and significantly more potential as a safety. Seattle will likely retain seven to eight defensive backs with Marcus Trufant, ...

Seattle Seahawks 2008 Season Retrospective: Jordan Babineaux
Field Gulls — ... things happen. What went wrong: Between those Big Play[s] is a lot of little plays in which Babineaux does little more than screw up big. He's a liability in coverage; Wont to fixate on the quarterback's eyes and let receivers run around him uncontested and neglected. Babineaux allows receptions and then attempts to blow up receivers, but the end product is a positive offensive play that weakens Seattle. Babineaux had 60 tackles in just 370 plays. Compare that to Marcus Trufant's 64 tackles in 1017 plays. Outlook: ...

Marcus Trufant Placed on PUP List Because of Sore Back
Field Gulls — ... Cornerback Marcus Trufant was placed on the physically unable to perform list on Friday because of a sore back. Coach Jim Mora said he did not believe it was serious and that they didn't feel the need to push him into action being a veteran. ...

Seattle Seahawks Sign Cornerback Travis Fisher
Field Gulls — ... . This is a pretty good value pick. Mostly likely he doesn't stick. The purpose of this signing is to fill out Seattle's training camp depth at corner. Marcus Trufant is currently on the PUP list, but there's little indication he's seriously injured. Should Fisher stick, he could battle ...

Seattle Seahawks Training Camp Report: 8/5/2009
Field Gulls — ... favorite because the competition isn't stiff, he has played with the team in the regular season before, he no longer has practice squad eligibility and did I mention the competition isn't very stiff? No receiver will pull away from the pack until the team has played a preseason game. Making catches in practice, especially in soft shells, says little about a wide receiver's ability to separate and catch in traffic. Those two skills define a pro receiver. Walter Jones and Marcus Trufant continue to sit out practice. Mora described the origin of ...

Notes from Seattle Seahawks Training Camp, Part 2
Field Gulls — ... but I think he has the best skill-set to replace Leroy Hill in a pinch. He burst through the backfield on a run play and closed on Duckett, but it was a bad angle and even a man who relishes contact like Hawthorne can't take down a larger man with a step, angling the other direction. It would have taken a legendary arm-tackler like Rey Lewis to sink Duckett for a loss. The player that broke Kent's concentration in traffic? Kelly Jennings. I expect Jennings to start for Marcus Trufant for as long as Trufant is out. Michael ...

Seattle Seahawks Starters and Reserves for Saturday's Game Against San Diego
Field Gulls — ... : Marcus Trufant's injury has been the best thing to happen to Jennings professionally since lucking onto the most talented secondary in Hurricanes' history. Jennings is frustrating, but the team is committed to ...

Mansfield Wrotto Out Means Max Unger Likely to Start
Field Gulls — ... Danny O'Neil reports that Walter Jones, Marcus Trufant, Grey Ruegamer and Mansfield Wrotto will not travel with the team to San Diego. The team has not confirmed it, but this means Wrotto's immediate backup, Max Unger, is likely to start at right guard. Flip the guards, and this was tied for the second least likely offensive line as determined by Seahawks readers. It's a line I really like and see as Seattle's offensive line of the future. It's a good mix of power and technique. You have powerhouse to take on ...

NFC West Roundtable: Cornerback
Field Gulls — ... is depth at starting corner. He’s not strong in a zone, not an open field tackler and has not shown pro-level ball skills, but he’s a very capable in strict man cover. Unfortunately, he stays close, but doesn’t do enough to stop the completion. Jennings is starting in place of Marcus Trufant. ...

Marcus Trufant Out with Disc Problem
Field Gulls — ... Everyone has been careful how they have worded it, but Marcus Trufant is out with a disc problem "not unlike" the one suffered by Matt Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck missed most of the season with a spinal disc herniation. Trufant may be the single most indispensable player on Seattle's defense. A use of zone coverage will somewhat hide his absence, but by pushing Josh Wilson into the starting lineup, Seattle weakens its starting cornerback tandem and especially its nickel defense. Kelly Jennings could sub for Wilson at ...

Seattle Seahawks Rush Eight to Allow Six
Field Gulls — ... 2. There are a few basic benefits of a zone defense. It hides weaker man-to-man defenders. Seattle's best man-to-man defenders are Marcus Trufant, who is out, and ...

Seattle Seahawks Road Back to the Super Bowl
Field Gulls — ... most easily attainable of the five. It has three starters on defensive line that should be average to above average to elite at run defense for their position. I don't expect Patrick Kerney to be a big player on run defense. Its starting three linebackers could each be top-ten run defenders by season's end. There's no weakness there, and with Aaron Curry on board, Lofa Tatupu will have the wingmen to destroy the rushers he flushes out. Ken Lucas and Marcus Trufant are both good open field tacklers, and however much ...

Kansas City Chiefs v. Seattle Seahawks Preaseason Game Three Preview
Arrowhead Pride — ... round out the receiving corps. Defense Two-time Pro Bowl DE Patrick Kerney and DT Brandon Mebane (D3-07) anchor the defensive front, combining for 10.5 sacks in 2008. They are joined by DT Colin Cole and DE Cory Redding. Three-time Pro Bowl LB Lofa Tatupu (D2-05) led the club with 94 tackles (69 solo) in 2008. LBs Leroy Hill (D3-05) and LB Aaron Curry (D1-09) join Tatupu in the linebacking corps. Pro Bowl CB Marcus Trufant (D1-03) owns 17 career INTs. S Deon Grant has ...

Game Thread
Field Gulls — ... 2. The secondary: Zones work if everyone is aware of their responsiblities and able to react and attack. Zones fail when the line can't pressure and coverage schemes are confused. Seattle doesn't need excellence from its secondary, but with Marcus Trufant out, it needs excellent execution. See how ...

Projecting the Seattle Seahawks 53-Man Roster
Field Gulls — ... Kerney Colin Cole Brandon Mebane Cory Redding Lawrence Jackson Darryl Tapp Craig Terrill Red Bryant Baraka Atkins Nick Reed Michael Bennett Linebackers Lofa Tatupu Aaron Curry Leroy Hill D.D. Lewis Will Herring David Hawthorne Cornerbacks Marcus Trufant Ken Lucas Josh Wilson Kelly ...

Winners, Losers and Projecting Seattle's 53 Man Roster
Field Gulls — ... Tatupu Leroy Hill D.D. Lewis Will Herring David Hawthorne Corners Kelly Jennings Ken Lucas Josh Wilson (Free Agent or Trade) Safety Brian Russell Deon Grant Jordan Babineaux C.J. Wallace Specialist Olindo Mare Jon Ryan Kevin Houser   PUP: Marcus Trufant IR: Jordan Kent..Cory Withrow ...

Seattle Seahawks Sack Oakland Raiders 31-21 to Sweep Preseason
Field Gulls — ... Tatupu Leroy Hill D.D. Lewis Will Herring David Hawthorne Corners Kelly Jennings Ken Lucas Josh Wilson (Free Agent or Trade) Safety Brian Russell Deon Grant Jordan Babineaux C.J. Wallace Specialist Olindo Mare Jon Ryan Kevin Houser   PUP: Marcus Trufant IR: Jordan Kent..Cory Withrow ...

Seahawks Face the Bad Part of a Good Problem (Part 2: Staying Lean at Safety)
Field Gulls — ... and Michael Bennett that dominated the preseason could be exposed against regular season competition. That might facilitate a move to the practice squad. When Marcus Trufant returns, Babineaux can move back to primary safety depth and ...

Seattle Seahawks Announce 53 Man Roster, Marcus Trufant to PUP List
Field Gulls — ... Seattle has announced its 53-man roster. That roster does not include Marcus Trufant, who will start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. That's bad news, but hopefully the right decision. Seattle rushed ...

Tim Ruskell Designed the Seattle Seahawks Defense. Now It Will Decide Tim Ruskell's Future.
Field Gulls — ... , but more skilled, and until Marcus Trufant returns, both are starters. Bryant and Wilson are 25 and 24, respectively. ...

Seattle Seahawks Injury Status Heading into the Regular Season
Field Gulls — ... Marcus Trufant: Trufant was placed on the physically unable to perform list prior to training because of a slipped disc in his back. He was not activated from the list prior to final roster cuts and is not available to return until after the bye week. ...

Chapter 2, Game 1 - @ Seattle Seahawks (Sept. 13th)
Turf Show Times — ...   How effective will Seattle's pass defense be without CB Marcus Trufant?  Although he made the Pro Bowl in 2007, he's overrated IMO.  The QB rating for passers at Trufant's coverage finished at 112.2, not much better than ...

The Ten Seasons of the 2009 Seattle Seahawks
Field Gulls — ... The defense smothers weaker teams, but can't win close games. The defense is good, but exposed against stronger offenses. Turnovers are infrequent, bunching in big wins, but disappearing against better opponents. The run defense is able, but not dominating. The pass defense is mediocre and suffers spurts of complete ineffectiveness. Marcus Trufant never fully recovers, and Seattle is forced into a zones-only scheme that allows big yards and long drives. Sacks are interspersed with long conversions. ...

San Francisco Batters, Beats Down and Injures the Seattle Seahawks in an Overwhelming 23 to 10 Victory
Field Gulls — ... font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Seattle lost a road game without its single most important player and its depth stretched to its limits. That is not a bad loss. Seattle lost Matt Hasselbeck, Lofa Tatupu, Josh Wilson and Sean Locklear. It started today's game without Chris Spencer, Deion Branch, Walter Jones, Marcus Trufant, Brandon Mebane and Leroy Hill. Injuries ended Seattle's ...

Josh Wilson and Sean Locklear Suffer High Ankle Sprains
Field Gulls — ... laterally and strained the ligaments on the medial side. When a foot is over-supinated it strains this group of ligaments. High ankle sprains can vary in severity. Most are serious though and will keep a player out for 4-6 weeks. High ankle sprains recur, too. Meaning Locklear and Wilson are now more at-risk for another high ankle sprain than they were before the injury. This is one reason injuries are not simply luck. The loss of Wilson combined with Marcus Trufant's injury and the promotion of Jordan Babineaux ...

Week 3 Preview: Bears (1-1) @ Seahawks (1-1)
Windy City Gridiron — ... 2: The number of injured LTs (Sean Locklear & Walter Jones), injured starting LBs (Lofa Tatupa & Leroy Hill), and injured starting CBs (Marcus Trufant & ...

Is 2008 Creeping Up on 2009?
Field Gulls — ... have a history of being injured. Lofa Tatupu is continuing an alarming trend that started last season. Marcus Trufant is the only fluke injury. That happens. ...

Seattle Leads NFC West in DVOA and DAVE
Field Gulls — ... . The pass defense is powering this team, a pass defense that has played games without many of its best pass defenders. Marcus Trufant has missed the entire season. ...

Dear Patrick Kerney, an End Is Not a Set of Legs
Field Gulls — ... in my mind. If Marcus Trufant was active, Seattle would need Trufant to shut down Garcon whenever the two were matched. Seattle wasn't going to stop Manning from making his teammates look good, but on certain matchups, Seattle's best had to win-win-win for Seattle to survive. ...

Marcus Trufant to be Activated from PUP list
Field Gulls — ... Jim Mora announced that Seattle will activate Marcus Trufant from the physically unable to return list. It's been almost two years since ...

Seattle Seahawks Trade Nothing for Pro Bowl Corner Marcus Trufant
Field Gulls — ... Remember when Marcus Trufant could be all that and more? He can still be. Let's flashback to 2007 and remember when Tru was a no-doubt Pro Bowler. Thanks to that smutty crew at Field Gulls for the content. I'm just here to be snarky and provide links. ...

The VRR: Seahawks (2-4) @ Cowboys (4-2)
Blogging The Boys — ... whole season in order to be what you want to be." This Sunday, the team with the identity crisis will be the visitors. The Seahawks have no idea what they are: the team that beat Jacksonville 41-0 or the team that didn't convert a third down in a 27-3 loss to Arizona. "It's amazing how one week can change the way you think, isn't it?" Seattle coach Jim Mora. More VRR after the jump. CB Marcus Trufant will play for the first time this season, but the ...

Week Eight: Fantasy Focus on the Cowboys
Blogging The Boys — ... Against the pass, Seattle's defense is not horrible (17th in the league, allowing 220.3 YPG), but they're not great either. They will be getting CB Marcus Trufant back for this game, though. In Week 4 against a big-play offense in the Colts, they gave up 353 yards to Peyton Manning. Not saying the Cowboys are the Colts, but when they're offense is on, it's on. That could spell a tough game for the Seattle secondary. ...

The Veteran Jog that Sealed Seattle's Fate
Field Gulls — ... 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} There were two major turning points in Sunday's contest. They happened in short succession and turned a close game into the beginning of a blowout. The second was a questionable defensive pass interference penalty called on Marcus Trufant after ...

What is Wrong with Seattle's Secondary?
Field Gulls — ... Roy Williams ran a ten yard curl and ran off Marcus Trufant. Tru was caught in his backpedal and Williams was wide open for the reception. Trufant managed to wrestle him down before the first, but Dallas was left with an easily convertible first and back in field goal range. ...

Patrick Kerney Subtly Swings into Irrelevance
Field Gulls — ... This play pissed off a lot of Seahawks, but the ruling was justifiable if not maybe right. Marcus Trufant was attempting to curl underneath ...

Drive-By-Drive Breakdown of Seahawks' 32-20 Win Over Lions
Pride Of Detroit — ... Matthew Stafford was picked off on third down yet again on this drive.  He went downfield for Calvin Johnson, but the pass was intercepted by Marcus Trufant at the Seattle 40. ...

Guaranteed Victory? Why the F**k not?
Field Gulls — ... that would be a net positive as far as I'm concerned.  If the Seahawks actually win after Burleson's guarantee, this game will be the stuff of franchise legend. When #81 gave the Blue Man Group a spark, which grew into a 2nd-half playoff push (which we've seen before in 1979, 1990 and 1995) and maybe even another NFC West title.  So Matt Hasselbeck? Brag about how you're gonna torch their secondary for 300+ yards. Marcus Trufant? Tell Larry Fitzgerald that he looks like Zoidberg ...

Brandon Mebane in the First Quarter and the Optimal Defensive Line, Pt. 2
Field Gulls — ... Mebane had two more nice looking pass rush moves, but neither effectively freed him. He hustled into a play off end and forced the near interception by Marcus Trufant. Mebane was good, good enough to make those around him better, but not as good as he has been at the one-tech. Cole needs to be worked down in the rotation. His presence stops Seattle from starting an optimal line. ...

Justin Forsett's Untouched Touchdown Run and Other First Quarter Notes
Field Gulls — ... Seattle stopped Arizona at the one and scored on the ensuing drive. Marcus Trufant powered into and under the fullback to stack the pile and stop Hightower. It was an impressive display of stoutness from a corner. The unheralded catalyst was ...

Can the Vikings Continue Rolling at Home?
Daily Norseman — ... , one of Seattle's starters at CB, will be out this week with a concussion, and Marcus Trufant is having some concussion issues as well.  If the Seahawks need to devote extra bodies to stopping the Minnesota run game, it should open things up for ...