Seahawks add Houshmandzadeh

The Seattle Seahawks added one top notch player and lost another during free agency as standout defensive tackle Rocky Bernard signed with the Giants,but the Hawks plucked the top available pass catcher from the Cincinnati Bengals in T.J Houshmandzadeh (Boy, am I going to enjoy spelling that often) and added Green Bay defensive tackle Colin Cole in an attempt to help fill the vacancy left by Bernard.

Houshmandzadeh signed a five year deal for 40 million ,although NFL money never seems to equal what you sign for with the limited guaranteed money,but this signing gives the Seahawks three weapons at wide receiver and four if you believe in Koren Robinson's comeback.
The positional versatility that Houshmandzadeh brings (being equally solid at either wideout spot or in the slot position) adds to Deion Branch and Nate Burleson in giving the Seahawks quality and balance with their receivers.
Add to that the continued improvement from second year tight end John Carlson,Seattle's passing game will quickly return to past speed,unless Matt Hasselbeck is not as healthy as he presumes to be.

Cole has been a career backup with Green Bay,but will be a mainstay of the Seattle run defense.
Don't expect the pass rush excellence that Rocky Bernard brought to the table,but he should be a more than adequate run stuffer and add a bit of inside rush as well.
I asked the most knowledgeable Packer follower that I know about Cole and he said " Maybe a little better than Corey Williams".
That doesn't tell me much as I was underwhelmed with Williams with the Browns last season,but Williams cost Cleveland a second round pick,while Cole just cost money,which most NFL teams have more than plenty of.
He looks more like a lighter version of Gilbert Brown to me,but I didn't see him play every game either.

Rocky Bernard will be missed and unless it was a case of off the field issues(which he has had a few) or Bernard just wanted out,I find it hard to believe that Bernard at 4 years 16 million isn't more valuable than Cole at 5 yrs 21 million.
It could be as simple as time to part ways,but considering the price tag of each,I would have kept Bernard.

Bullpen Notes

A bit late in condolences on the loss of the late radio commentator Paul Harvey.
The 90 year old Harvey was one of the few remaining legends of the radio business and whether you were a fan or skeptic of Harvey's "stories"or disliked his politics(distinctly right wing),one must admit his like will be difficult to replace.
Harvey had been a part of ABC radio since 1951 and had seamlessly continued until his death,with the exceptions of hiatus for health reasons.

Mickey Goodwin,one of the first stars of the fabled Kronk gym in Detroit passed away from complications from a stroke.
The former middleweight contender never fought for the title,but was scheduled to face Marvin Hagler before a hand injury forced him out of the bout.
Stablemate William "Caveman" Lee replaced Goodwin and was starched in the first round.

The 51 year old Goodwin had spent much of the last few years training amateur boxers in his native Michigan.

The trade deadline came and went for the New Jersey Devils without a move,but their two most hated rivals made deals.
The Flyers sent Scottie Upshall and a second round pick to Phoenix for Daniel Carcillo,which seems like a lateral move to me,while the Rangers shipped Petr Prucha,the Devil Killer Nigel Dawes and Dmitri Kalinin to the Coyotes for Derek Morris along with adding Nik Antropov from Toronto for a second rounder and a possible conditional pick.
I like the Rangers deals,nothing beats sending two decent young forwards away for a soft blueliner!

You already know my thoughts on former Washington National GM Jim Bowden,but get this,Hall of Fame announcer Marty Brennaman thinks even less of ol' Jimbo than we do.
The DC Examiner provides the highlights!

As a final salute to Paul Harvey-Good Day!

Photo Credits
T.J Housh-Courtney Bleuther-Seattle Times
Harvey-Unknown