Cyber surfing: Saturday

[News Bot]

Good morning. Here’s what’s “out there” about the Seahawks for today, Sep. 3:
The story du jour also has a built-in angle du jour after Golden Tate came up, well, golden in the 20-3 win over the Raiders at CenturyLink Field on Friday night.
Danny O’Neil at the Seattle Times couldn’t resist in offering: “The temptation is to say Seattle’s final exhibition game turned out to be a Golden opportunity. But that would be corny, and a little misleading. Seahawks receiver Golden Tate has been given plenty of opportunities as a second-round pick. The difference was that in Friday’s exhibition game against Oakland, Tate took advantage of just about every one of them.”
Eric Williams at the New Tribune also got in on the Gold rush, saying: “And after some uneven play during the preseason, second-year receiver Golden Tate erased any doubt about him making the team, finishing with five catches for 79 yards. Tate also had a 34-yard kick return and a 43-yard punt return in the first half. ‘I definitely felt like I was the target today, with Charlie and T-Jack,’ Tate said. ‘So that was some good stuff. I just went out there and played hard, and said look, if all else fails, just find me. I’ll find an open spot.’ ”
Dave Boling of the New Tribune breaks the Golden spell by focusing on an even more important aspect – the offensive line’s ability to give Tarvaris Jackson time to get the ball to Tate. Says Boling: “With a little more than a week until the start of the regular season, the Seattle Seahawks made a timely discovery in their final preseason game (Friday) night at CenturyLink Field: Pass protection. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the Hawks were playing an Oakland Raiders team that had accumulated only four sacks in their first three preseason games. Still, it allowed starting Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson his first chances of the preseason to operate without imminent peril. Jackson led two good drives in the first period, completing five of seven passes for 88 yards. His one interception, though, came deep in Oakland territory to short-circuit an early drive.”
John Boyle at the Everett Herald gets us back to all things Golden, offering: “Few individuals had more to prove Friday than second-year receiver Golden Tate. A former second-round pick, Tate was tabbed at the start of the training camp as a potential difference maker this season, but instead he has struggled to the point of being outplayed by undrafted rookie Doug Baldwin. Over the past week, people have even started to question if Tate would survive today’s roster cuts. So with all of that hanging over him, all Tate did was lead the Seahawks with 79 receiving yards on five catches and return a kickoff 34 yards and a punt 43 yards. Tate was almost certainly going to make the team, but if there was any doubt, he erased it Friday night.”
Christian Caple at PI.com joins the Golden chorus, and also points out one thing that needs to be pointed out: “Let’s get one thing clear – the chances that Golden Tate was playing for his roster spot tonight are likely about the same as the chances that Seneca Wallace will be Seattle’s starting quarterback in its season opener. Tate was, in all likelihood, going to make this team, even before he lit up the Raiders on Friday. Coach Pete Carroll has strongly implied that the second-year receiver is a part of the Seahawks’ plan moving forward, despite speculation that an unspectacular preseason may have moved Tate toward the roster bubble.”
Mike Sando of ESPN.com revisits three things from the game. With No. 1 (pass pro) and No. 2 (Tate) covered, let’s skip to his No. 3: “It’s looking like first-year cornerback Brandon Browner, a 27-year-old prospect from the CFL, could be the best option at right cornerback heading into the regular season. Second-year corner Walter Thurmond has made strides physically since last season, but he’s still shaking off rust after missing stretches due to an injury during camp. He even muffed a punt Friday night. Browner continues to cover well despite his 6-foot-4 frame. Thurmond is the better nickel option and would move inside on passing downs even if he were starting. Safety Mark LeGree, possibly battling fellow rookie Jeron Johnson for a roster spot, might have scored had he held onto a near-interception late in the game. Johnson showed up with a tackle for loss and pass breakup. Seattle could have at least three undrafted free agents earn spots on the initial 53-man roster (Johnson, receiver Doug Baldwin and quarterback Josh Portis).
Here at Seahawks.com, we’ve got the win over the Raiders covered in words, pictures and video. And there’s also a lot of love for Tate, who is featured in the game story and the Player of the Game in the Game at a Glance recap.
The Seahawks have until 3 p.m. this afternoon to trim their 80-man roster to 53 players, but some teams already have started. NFL.com has a roundup of the moves.

Source: Seahawks.com