Another day out of the year, another performance-enhancing drug test failure by an athlete.  These incidents are more and more common, and only create ripples when a star player is implicated.  The four-game suspension handed out to Seattle Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin for Adderall hardly registered outside the Pacific Northwest. 

However, it is a disturbing trend for the Seahawks.  Irvin is now the fifth Seahawk suspended for drug use since 2011, and cornerback Richard Sherman narrowly avoided being the sixth.  Irvin, along with Allen Barbre, Brandon Browner, John Moffitt and Winston Guy, have created suspicion among fans on just how clean their team is.

Only the naive would believe that the Seahawks have the only group of players that boost their performance chemically.  Football is a brutal sport and recovering quickly from injury is the difference between the playoffs and watching them from home, and the difference between a multi-million dollar contract, and a veteran's minimum.  When the stakes are this high, players make use out of every advantage they can find.

With the 2013 NFL Draft right around the corner, I thought I would concoct a mock draft for the Seattle Seahawks.  If you have any comments or would like to send me an email to spar, I'd encourage you to do so at my email,  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

There are several approaches to drafting: horizontal drafting or vertical drafting.  When you horizontal draft, it indicates that the team is adding a player based on position need, whereas, vertical drafting is based on best player available (BPA).

Taking the different draft approaches into account, and the fact that the Seahawks do not have a plethora of draft picks at their disposal, one would surmise that a horizontal approach would be most suitable for the team come this 2013 draft.

That being said, let's take a gander at the positions of need for the Seahawks that need to be addressed in this draft.

Well that was an exciting period of free agency.  I finally was able to come out of hibernation after being a free agency glutton for the past two weeks.  My diet consisted of a strict regimen of Adam Schefter, Chris Mortenson and Ben Volin tweets.  And sparingly, Jeff Darlington, but only on my cheat days.

One thing I wanted to add before we jump into the acquisition of Percy Harvin is that I encourage all readers to freely comment via Livefyre or email me at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .  I will respond to every email I receive and, if induced, will spar with you if you have a differentiating opinion.  It's all in good fun though.

Onward to the article in regards to Percy Harvin.

To the ecstasy of many Seahawk fans, the Seattle brass decided to trade for Minnesota Vikings Pro-Bowler and former Florida Gator Percy Harvin.  At first glance, the trade for Harvin looks like an ingenious move, particularly in the growth of young quarterback Russell Wilson.  But I remain skeptical of this move as there are many caveats surrounding the playmaker.

I was busy daydreaming at work yesterday, trying to decide what to write this week. It was a pretty tight race between “Richard Sherman needs to shut up and just play football” and “Why Darwin Barney is the National League’s best second baseman.” Then, the NFC West just decided to get all crazy wacky and make all types of moves. I imagine everyone, their mom, and even a few of the Oregon Sports News crew will be analyzing the heck out of all this news, so I won’t talk your ear off about it, but let’s take a quick look into all the moves made in the past few days for the Seattle Seahawks and their division foes, from least impactful to most.

Believe me, I know. Football just ended, and you never realized how long the months between February and August are without your beloved sport. Football is not for everyone, but for those that are truly addicted, and we can easily spot each other, there are few things in life that bring as much joy from what amounts to a vicarious activity. Luckily there are plenty of sports related distractions to well... distract you until training camp rolls around, and then you are free to “wow” your friends with just how in to training camp you are.

I recently read an article by OSN's Wade Evanson (find it here), and it said so many things so many of us are thinking these days. It just hit home. It was comical and yet somewhat dark in the best of ways, and it was a fun distraction from the grind of the next six months, but the one thing I thought might be a quality companion piece, would be an actual “tourists spots for football junkies”.

A case can easily made that no team in the NFL had more of an up and down season last year then the Seattle Seahawks.  Starting the year 4-4 (and some would say 3-5 after the "Fail Mary" against Green Bay), rallying to finish 11-5, toppling Washington and Robert Griffin's knee in the playoffs and advancing all the way to the NFC Divisional Playoff against Atlanta, where they rallied from 20 points down after three quarters only to lose on a last second field goal.  With a season like that, the offseason should be easy, right? 

The Seahawks already have the keys in place at most positions.  Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch are ready as ever, the entire offensive line returns, and nine of eleven defensive starters are under contract. 

Every year teams gather for the biggest game in world sports. It’s called football, not footie ball.

Most of the time neither team is your favorite, and that’s the problem.

Due to birth place, geography, or ongoing nightmare, you might be a fan of a bad team.

Of course you can change teams.

Football, as I say, combines violence punctuated by committee meetings called huddles. It just replicates the worst aspect of American life.

-          George Will

With the NFL season’s final whistle blown, a lot of Baltimore Ravens fans are waking up with a massive hangover. Ex-Oregon Duck and current Raven Ed Dickson can get fitted for his ring. Another ex-Duck, and current San Francisco 49er, LaMichael James, is left to wonder what might have been…if only he’d been able to hang onto the ball. New Orleans is returning to something resembling normal as football- at least the product on the field- goes on hiatus. NFL players are making tee times and heading off to vacations in warmer climes to rest and recover. Those of us who love the game will hope that this offseason features an ongoing and meaningful discussion about player health and safety.

I have been hosting a Super Bowl party for the last 8 years, and it is one of my favorite things to do.  Normally I plan a very good menu because you need some food to go along with all the beer (This year there may be a lot of beer as “My” Forty-Niners are in the big game). I like to prepare something as a main dish and then ask all my friends to bring side dishes to go with it (This year I am going to be doing a taco bar).  My day normally starts out by turning on ESPN in the morning to listen to the coverage of the game.  I go into the kitchen and begin to make the food while I listen to “Mike and Mike” on Super Bowl Sunday.  I spend all day long cleaning the house and making the food while listening to the non-stop coverage of every part of the game. 

Super Bowl Sunday. It’s almost here.

That means you’re more than likely heading to or hosting a party. According to legend, the Monday after the Super Bowl has more employees call in sick than any other day of the year.

That means there is some fun to be had this Sunday.

Chances are you’re watching the game with friends. You may think you know them, but there are some things you can learn by how they act at a Super Bowl party.