Expectations for Golden Tate are high; there will be a regular season

[travisduncan]

Buccaneer defensive back E. J. Biggers (31) attempts to hang on to Seahawks receiver Golden Tate (81) during the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. ICON SM

By Travis Duncan

Pete Carroll said this week that he is expecting big things from Golden Tate in 2011. Tate caught 21 balls in 11 games without a touchdown for his rookie season, but obviously the expectations for a high draft pick is greater production.

"There’s nothing that we would like to see more than to elevate Golden’s effectiveness," Caroll said according to the News-Tribune.

"We just didn’t get him over the hump last year, and we need to do that. He’ll be in position to take over a huge role for us.”

And with elevating Tate's effectiveness, and getting him over the hump, should come playing time. Which it appears will come now that new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will be calling the plays.

The Seahawks appear to be solid at but youthful at the wideout position, with Mike Williams, Ben Obomanu, Dominique Edison and Tate and now fourth-round pick Kris Durham. Others believe they still lack that No. 1 guy, with all due respect to Williams.

While no one is throwing out the name Plaxico Burress in connection with Seattle, some have said free-agent Vikings wideout Sidney Rice could get some attention from Carroll and Co. But if Rice were to leave Minnesota he would come at a very steep price tag, for a position which is low on the list of needs.

—About free-agency, once the lockout is lifted and there is a deal in place, a lot of pieces should fall into place. Free-agency should be spirited and begin as soon as this evil thing called the lockout is over.

It would appear more and more likely that the Seahawks will be playing the complete 2011 season, and that the NFL will get things in order by training camp and free agency could begin in early July. It could be sooner.

Some believe, such as myself, that the idea that actual time would missed was simply a ploy by either side to sway public opinion. It would appear the new deadline for saving the preseason is July 15th, which makes you believe Aug. 1st would be a soft deadline to save a full regular season.

But with news leaking out on Wednesday that a deal could be done by the end of the week as players and owners negotiate, there will be a regular season. Count on it.

Some media are calling that premature, but those same media who are doing are precisely the ones who are at the front and center of "lockout" reporting and have the most to lose by this whole melodrama ending so that we go back to talking about the players and the games on the field-and Plaxico Burress' future.

Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com, who I respect quite a bit, reports that the deal between the owners and players is 80-85-percent complete.

Freeman writes, "I'm told, it's catching many of the principals by surprise. Some are now canceling vacations, believing an agreement will be reached within a matter of days.

—Carroll still holds a lot of pride in his USC career and accomplishments it goes without saying. The coach had this to say to ESPN Radio 710 after the BCS officially stripped the school of the 2005 National Title.

"Just watch the comments of the players. They know who won, who didn't. Matt Leinart and Lofa Tatupu and those guys, they all know. The whole thing is so unfortunate."

He added, "The NCAA has to do what they do. They figure out how the thing is supposed to work. I don't agree with much of any of it. It's unfortunate that kids, years and years after, are punished for what the NCAA is dealing with from years and years before. That's the most unfortunate thing ... kids that were in junior high at the time, or in grade school, are paying the price for it."