Seahawks' report:
By TSN correspondent
Clare Farnsworth
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Joey Galloway wants to be among the highest-paid wide receivers in the National Football League. The Seahawks have made their leading receiver an offer that would make him just that.
But for how long?
That's the sticking point in Galloway and his agent rejecting the club's seven-year, $35 million offer that includes a $7 million signing bonus. Yes, it would make Galloway the second-highest paid receiver in the league behind Jerry Rice. No, it would not keep him at that lofty status as others including Green Bay's Antonio Freeman, Minnesota's Randy Moss and the New York Jets' Keyshawn Johnson sign new deals this year and next.
What can the club do to get Galloway on the practice field at their Eastern Washington University training camp?
One option is including escalator clauses that insure that Galloway will remain among the top-paid wideouts over the length of the contract. It might appease Galloway, but it would be salary-cap suicide for the team. Not to mention that reworking his contract would become an annual headache.
Another alternative is allowing Galloway to earn some of the difference between what is being offered and what he is seeking -- believed to be a seven-year, $42 million deal with a $12 million signing bonus.
The club could include incentives that would pay him for being voted to the Pro Bowl, as it did in last year's deal with first-round draft pick Anthony Simmons. Galloway has yet to be voted to the Pro Bowl, although he was a first alternate two years ago. Hefty bonuses that increased with each Pro Bowl appearance would help narrow the gap.
Both sides will have to keep coming up with ideas like this, or it could be awhile before Galloway ends his holdout. He is scheduled to make $1.588 million this season in the final year of the five-year contract he signed after being a first-round draft choice in 1995.
INJURY REPORT
The Seahawks went through each of their four minicamps without ever getting their starting linebacking unit on the field at the same time. Spring is gone, summer is here. But the situation has not changed.
OLB Darrin Smith and MLB DeShone Myles were placed on the physically unable to perform list because they are recovering from knee injuries.
There is a similar situation at running back, where backup Ahman Green also was placed on PUP list with a pulled quadriceps muscle and starter Ricky Watters has yet to practice because of a strained calf muscle.
POSITIONAL ANALYSIS
Quarterback: After a shaky start to camp in Sunday's mistake-marred practices, the passers have settled down and are settling in. Each of them. From starter Jon Kitna, to backup Glenn Foley, to promising rookie Brock Huard. They are getting a better grasp of Mike Holmgren's offense and it is materializing in better throws to the right receivers. But as Kitna warns, it will take another adjustment period once the defense starts working on its blitz packages.
Running backs: The best tailback on the practice field? Michael Black, a second-year free agent from nearby Washington State. The reason? Injuries to starter Ricky Watters (strained calf) and backup Ahman Green (pulled quadriceps). It's no way to start the season, or even a preseason, but the added work will help Black, who is solidifying his position to replace Steve Broussard as the No. 3 back.
Receivers: Mario Bailey has been with eight teams in his much-traveled professional career -- the Houston Oilers (twice), New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons and Seahawks in the NFL; the B.C. Lions, Saskatchewan and Winnipeg in the CFL; and Frankfurt in the World League and NFL Europe. Has he finally found a home? The too-small receiver will have to fight for a roster spot, but at least he is putting up a fight. He has made at least one nice catch and/or run after the catch in each practice, drawing encouraging words from Holmgren.
Offensive line: These guys have picked up in training camp right where they left off in the minicamps. That is, as the most consistent unit on the team. After one well-blocked play in practice Monday afternoon, new line coach Tom Lovat offered, "Keep blocking like that and this offense will make a lot of plays." And he was talking to the No. 2 unit of LT Grant Williams, LG Greg Bloedorn, C Chris Gray, RG Frank Beede and RT Todd Weiner. That provides an idea of just how deep this group is, and how difficult it will be to decide who stays and who might have to go.
Defensive line: If Reggie Jackson was Mr. October, does that make Sam Adams Mr. August? The rotund LT tackle is an offensive guard's worst nightmare in training camp because of his cat-quick get-off. Adams is continuing to blow up plays, just as he has the past few summers. The real test, of course, will come once the season starts. But so far, better than good.
Linebackers: The June signing of James Willis after he was released by the Eagles is looking better and better. Willis is working at MLB with the No. 1 defense because starter DeShone Myles (knee) is on PUP and Anthony Simmons, last year's first-round draft choice, is working at right outside linebacker because Darrin Smith (knee) also is on PUP.
Defensive backs: Shawn Springs is poised for a monster season. Recovered from a toe injury that plagued him most of last season and reinforced by his selection to the Pro Bowl last year, the third-year CB has been on every coverage and all over the field. He doesn't just want to return to the Pro Bowl, he wants to be voted All-Pro on his way to becoming recognized as the best player in the league at his position. Some kind of goal. Some kind of motivation.
Special teams: It was only four practices, and at the start of training camp at that, but Todd Peterson has been dead-solid perfect. Not only has Peterson made each of his field-goal attempts to open camp, he has done it by either hitting the tower used to video tape practice or putting the ball directly over the tower.
DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR -- 84 Joey Galloway* (5-11, 188, 5th), 82 Charles Jordan (5-11, 185, 7th), 83 Robert Wilson (5-11, 176, 3rd), 31 Charlie Rogers (5-9, 179, rookie), 15 Siaha Burley (5-10, 163, rookie)
LT -- 71 Walter Jones (6-5, 300, 3rd), 79 Grant Williams (6-7, 323, 4th), 73 Scott Whittaker (6-7, 300, 1st)
LG -- 66 Pete Kendall (6-5, 292, 4th), 60 Greg Bloedorn (6-6, 278, 3rd)
C-- 53 Kevin Glover (6-2, 282, 15th), 62 Chris Gray 6-4, 305, 7th), 52 Jason McEndoo (6-5, 315, 2nd)
RG -- 68 Brian Habib (6-7, 299, 12th), 63 Frank Beede (6-4, 296, 4th), 65 Mondell Corbett (6-2, 308, rookie)
RT -- 75 Howard Ballard (6-6, 325, 12th), 74 Todd Weiner (6-4, 300, 2nd), 60 Floyd Wedderburn (6-5, 333, rookie)
TE -- 86 Christian Fauria (6-4, 245, 5th), 49 Itula Mili (6-4, 265, 3rd), 88 Deems May (6-4, 263, 8th), 48 Rufus French (6-3, 257, rookie), 47 James Hill (6-3, 246, rookie)
WR -- 81 Sean Dawkins (6-4, 218, 7th), 85 Mike Pritchard (5-10, 193, 9th), 87 Karsten Bailey (5-10, 201, rookie), 19 Michael Jenkins** (6-3, 191, 1st), 18 Chris Jackson (6-1, 203, 1st), 16 Mario Bailey (5-9, 165, 4th)
QB -- 7 Jon Kitna (6-2, 217, 3rd), 13 Glenn Foley (6-2, 220, 6th), 5 Brock Huard (6-5, 228, rookie), 14 Kevin Krienhagen (6-2, 219, rookie)
RB -- 32 Ricky Watters** (6-1, 217, 9th), 30 Ahman Green** (6-0, 213, 2nd), 29 Michael Black (5-11, 206, 1st), 39 Jay Hinton (5-11, 203, rookie)
FB -- 38 Mack Strong (6-0, 235, 6th), 34 Reggie Brown (6-0, 244, 4th), 35 Oscar Gray (6-1, 255, 3rd), 41 Dustin Johnson (6-2, 236, 1st), 44 Brian Goolsby (6-1, 251, rookie)
DEFENSE
LE -- 70 Michael Sinclair (6-4, 275, 9th), 99 Matt LaBounty (6-4, 275, 7th)
LT -- 98 Sam Adams (6-3, 300, 6th), 97 Riddick Parker (6-3, 274, 3rd), 91 Gary Holmes (6-6, 320, rookie), 78 Kevin Thomas (6-2, 310, rookie), 64 Winfield Garnett (6-6, 309, 1st)
RT -- 96 Cortez Kennedy (6-3, 306, 10th), 90 Antonio Cochran (6-4, 297, rookie), 76 T.J. Frier (6-2, 307, rookie), 61 Denauld Brown (6-3, 298, 1st)
RE -- 93 Phillip Daniels (6-5, 263, 4th), 92 Lamar King* (6-3, 294, rookie)
LLB -- 94 Chad Brown (6-2, 240, 7th), 51 Anthony Simmons (6-0, 230, 2nd), 54 Josh Amundson (6-1, 241, rookie), 45 Sedrick Clark (6-2, 245, 3rd)
MLB -- 50 DeShone Myles** (6-2, 235, 2nd), 95 James Willis (6-2, 237, 7th), 55 Hillary Butler (6-2, 244, 2nd), 58 Derek Strey (6-2, 247, 1st)
RLB -- 59 Darrin Smith** (6-1, 230, 7th), 56 James Logan (6-2, 225, 5th), 57 Brian Rogers (6-2, 239, rookie), 46 Scott Fields (6-2, 220, 2nd)
LCB -- 24 Shawn Springs (6-0, 195, 3rd), 43 Joey Eloms (5-10, 183, 2nd), 21 Steve Johnson (5-10, 178, rookie), 23 DeAuntae Brown (5-10, 195, 2nd)
RCB -- 27 Willie Williams (5-9, 180, 7th), 22 Fred Thomas (5-9, 172, 4th), 26 Lenny McGill (6-1, 202, 6th)
SS -- 33 Darryl Williams (6-0, 202, 8th), 25 Mark Collins (5-10, 196, 14th), 40 Matt Hickl (6-1, 201, rookie)
FS -- 20 Jay Bellamy (5-11, 199, 5th), 28 Kerry Joseph (6-2, 205, 3rd)
SPECIAL TEAMS
K -- 2 Todd Peterson (5-10, 177, 5th), 4 Jamie Kohl (5-11, 211, rookie) P -- 10 Jeff Feagles (6-1, 207, 12th), 8 Brian Moorman (6-1, 170, rookie)
* -- not in camp
** -- injured
FEARLESS FORECAST
Jon Kitna will be the best quarterback in the AFC. Granted, that's not saying a lot since his competition will be Elvis Grbac (Chiefs), Jim Harbaugh (Chargers), Bubby Brister (Broncos) and Rich Gannon (Raiders).
But the little-known passer from little Central Washington University is making the right throws to the right receivers in the right situations, while gaining confidence and taking more control of the offense with each throw.
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