Cyber surfing: Wednesday

[News Bot]

Good morning. Here’s what’s “out there” about the Seahawks for today, June 8:
Qwest Field only the third-toughest venue for opposing teams to play at in the NFL? Obviously the New Orleans Saints didn’t have a vote. No, that chore fell to the divisional bloggers at ESPN.com. They ranked Lambeau Field and Heinz Field ahead of Qwest. Mike Sando (NFC West) and Kevin Seifert (NFC North) voted Qwest No. 1. But Bill Williamson (AFC West), who used to cover the Seahawks for the Everett Herald, ranked Qwest No. 10. Said Williamson: “I respect Qwest Field and the ’12th Man aura.’ It’s a fun atmosphere, but I think there are tougher spots to play in the NFL. I’d like to see Seattle win more games and build more of a tradition at the field before I rank it as elite.”
Sando also has a poll to rate the toughest NFC West venue to play in. Take the time to vote for Qwest, so Candlestick Park doesn’t somehow sneak in at No. 1.
Despite Matt Hasselbeck’s leadership role in the Seahawks’ workouts last week, Peter King of SI.com is convinced that the quarterback will be playing elsewhere this season. According to this item from Pro Football Talk, King is even predicting landing sports for the Seahawks’ incumbent starter: “King listed the Cardinals, Titans, Dolphins and Vikings, in that order.”
Pat Kirwan at NFL.com rates the Top 50 wide receivers in the NFL, and the Seahawks’ Mike Williams is at No. 40 – the fifth wide-out in Group H. Kirwan considered the past two seasons in his rankings, which hurt Williams because he was out of the league in 2009 and 2008 before signing with the Seahawks last April and leading them in receptions. Said Kirwan: “Reinvented himself when he realized his career was over. He dropped weight and developed a work ethic. He only caught 44 passes from 2005-2007, was out of football for two seasons, and then returned to grab 65 balls last season. He will easily repeat that performance in 2011.”
For our give-us-this-day-our-daily-labor offering, we offer a pros and cons of a shortened season from Jason Cole of YahooSports.com. Hate to spoil the suspense, but here’s his No. 1 pro/con: “Worst: Missing that great excitement and build up as the clock ticks down to the September kickoff in the opening week of the season. Even without the artificial hoopla the NFL has created in recent years, the season opener in football has become akin to Christmas Day. Best: Seeing all the arrogant people on both sides of the lockout get a dose of reality when they find out the world really can go on without the NFL. As much as I love my job and this sport, a little humility would do everyone good.”
The Associated Press reports that the owners and players met again on Tuesday, offering: “This is the second time in the last week the two sides have met, including a three-day session outside Chicago that included Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL Players Association head DeMaurice Smith. The idea is simple: face-to-face negotiations are more likely to lead to a new collective bargaining agreement than court actions.”
Here at Seahawks.com, we continue our series of stories on the franchise’s first 35 seasons with a look at 1998. We also have a poll (yes, another one) where you can decide which of the eight “classes” that contributed multiple players to the 35th Anniversary team is the best.

Source: Seahawks.com