And in this CORNER....

Mike Kahn has a nice piece on Seahawks.com titled Battle of the Backfield, on how Kelly Herndon and Andre Dyson are not only battling each other for a starting position on the team, but also encouraging each other to get better at the same time.

Herndon, 28, started all 16 games last season for the Denver Broncos and 11 of his 15 games during the 2003 season. He is listed as virtually the identical size as Dyson, but just plays with a much more physical approach.

“They both play to their strengths – they’re smart football players,” (defensive backs coach Teryl) Austin said. “Andre plays to his quickness and Kelly just plays a more physical game in the way he plays the position. It just shows there are different ways to get things done and they’re both effective, both tough guys, and both get after it.”

This is part of the reason why I decided to adopt Kelly Herndon, which is his physical play and his reputation as a hard hitter. Dyson has a great reputation too so this is a battle between better and best, which should only benefit the Seahawks.

“I don’t know how I’ll feel,” Herndon said. “It’s different after starting my whole career. We’re both competitors, we want to be on the field all the time. Depending on how the situation goes, one of us won’t be. But I’m not worried about it. It’s all about developing this defense and all of us jelling together. With seven new starters on defense, we all have a lot to learn about playing together.

And reading things like this last paragraph really helps put the defense in a whole different perspective over the kaos from last year. I hope this "all for one and one for all" spirit carries through the entire season!