NFL Trade Rumors: Seattle Seahawks Rumors Put to the Test

It’s that time again folks—the eve of the NFL trade deadline, where all our crazy hopes and dreams go to try and survive the night. Most of them wont, and most of these shouldn’t.

But as Tuesday approaches, it's time to put the conjecture to the test and savor one last time the overly optimistic, nostalgic and ridiculous rumors that will never happen.

With Halloween around the corner, you may see an apparition or two. Do not be alarmed! They are not real and cannot harm you.

Lofa Tatupu Is Not Coming Back

This move wouldn't be affected by the trade deadline, but it deserves mention if only for the fact that the circumstances for the former middle linebacker's return have supposedly improved.

Having sent Aaron Curry to Oakland for conditional picks, the Seahawks find themselves starting a rookie linebacker in K.J. Wright alongside David Hawthorne and Leroy Hill—both of whom have had injury concerns.

The reserve unit looks a little thin as well. David Vobora, a training camp casualty who recently resigned with the team is already first on the depth chart in front of rookie Malcolm Smith and the mutable Jameson Konz.

But if you can draw conclusions about Pete Carroll based on his comments and actions (easier said than done, as Tatupu found out), it becomes apparent that he is not so nostalgic about a possible reunion. This team has irrevocably transitioned to a youth movement.

And although having the leadership of Lofa Tatupu would seem like an asset, I get the sense that Carroll doesn’t want to stultify his budding core with an overbearing presence and would prefer for new leaders to emerge organically.  

Perhaps most important, though, is that although Carroll characterized Tatupu’s departure as being “mutual,” it was only mutual in the sense that Tatupu was incensed by the fact that the Seahawks had essentially already moved on—having pursued Takeo Spikes in free agency even with Hawthorne already on the depth chart—and then expected him to take a pay cut.

I don’t doubt the Seahawks would love to have Tatupu’s presence in their thin corps right now, but I don’t see him forgiving his old coach any time soon. Especially considering that he seems to be holding out for an opportunity to start—something he won’t find in Seattle unless something unfortunate happens.

Pete Carroll Is Not Going to "Suck4Luck"

Although I've stated my position as a fan about the prospects of the Seahawks laying in wait for Andrew Luck next year, I do not for one second believe that Pete Carroll would ever intend on losing a football game for any reason.

I doubt he would even forfeit a game of tick-tack-toe to his grandson. For all of Carroll's bluster, he really does com Pete tooth and nail. We'll see if he can deliver the goods on, "Win Forever," but so far he has been able to squeeze every drop out of this roster, which makes the Seahawks a dangerous team—even if they are far from imposing.

So remember, even though he may chose to cripple his team's chances of winning—like when he had Steven Hauschka attempt that 61-yard field goal in Week 4, or like when he let Matt Hasselbeck leave—this is merely foolishness and not deviancy, as some have suggested.

And as much as I would like to have a shot at Luck, the Seahawks seem well on their way to overachieving yet again, while the Indianapolis Colts appear to be the front-runners for the league's worst record.

Colts fans can look forward to seeing Luck rescue them from the nightmare of their newly interrupted stretch of sustained dominance.

The football gods are cruel indeed.

LeBron Is Not Taking His Talents to Elliott Bay

The twitter flirt-off between LeBron James and Pete Carroll reached new heights when Carroll tweeted this image of LeBron's would-be jersey last week. While it has allowed those of us in the media to seize in self-induced hypothetical frenzy, James is about as likely to join the NFL as I am to... well... join the NFL.

The King has far too much to lose in the Not For Long league, namely millions upon millions of dollars if he gets hurt—which he almost certainly would. He is an incredible athlete, of course, but there's a reason football players have short careers, as well as short life expectancies.

Long live the King? Not in the NFL.

You Can Have Carson Palmer When You Pry Him from Mike Brown's Cold, Dead Fingers

Seahawks fans hoping to turn some of this season's promise into real potential will be disappointed when Tuesday's trade deadline comes and goes without hearing so much as a peep from Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown regarding Carson Palmer's limbo.

Despite recent speculation by NFL.com's Gil Brandt, Brown has made it perfectly clear that he does not intend to set precedence for a player to bully his way out of Cincinnati, no matter how unbearable it gets there.

When broached recently about whether he had softened his stance about getting some value in return for Palmer's services (or lack thereof), he said plainly, "I don't have a thing to say about that."

While it may seem foolish for the Bengals to waste a potentially valuable asset, Mike Brown knows a thing or two about foolishness. Don't expect him to capitalize on the demand, even for a player of Palmer's stature.

All this is assuming, of course, that there is in fact a demand in Seattle in the first place. While Palmer represents an obvious upgrade at the position for Seattle, the Seahawks' recent history indicates that paying a proven veteran is simply not in their plans.

Matt Hasselbeck was clearly an upgrade over both Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst, yet the Seahawks elected to let him leave in favor of starting from scratch. If the Seahawks were serious about contending this season then why would they allow their best option at quarterback to leave?

Similar to the situation with Lofa Tatupu, Carroll has shown that he would rather shape this roster from the ground up, and is willing to part with serviceable but dated veterans to do so. Even if that presents a more difficult road ahead.

And like with Tatupu and LenDale White, Carroll has shown that his former collegiate players do not receive special consideration.

Don't expect Carson Palmer to get out of purgatory anytime soon.