Posted by Josh Katzowitz

What Leon Washington has accomplished since he suffered a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula last year with the Jets is almost unfathomable. Despite an injury that could have ended his career and despite a trade from New York to Seattle that left him surprised and unsettled, Washington returned in the preseason with a big question mark attached to his name.

Could he still play at the same level? Of course, that won’t really be answered until Sunday when the Seahawks play host to the 49ers and Washington takes the field as a running back and kick returner. But it’s worth noting that in his second carry of the preseason, he used his speed to accelerate for an 11-yard TD run.

CBSSports.com caught up with Washington – a newlywed with a new lease on his career – two days before the next step of his journey.

1. CBSSports.com: People are talking about how great a comeback this is and what a feel-good story you are. Did you ever think this wasn’t going to happen? Did you think your career was in jeopardy?

Washington:  I don’t think I ever doubted. But I had questions about the injury and how to recover from it. It’s just such a rare injury in the NFL. You only had like six guys in the last 10 years who have had an injury like that. For a running back, with our agility and our speed, it’s tough to come back from that. Once I talked to the doctors, they said the knee and the ankle looked fine. They said as long you get healed up from the surgery, you should be fine.

The second day after surgery, I was in the hospital and doing quad sets and trying to start my recovery. I took that approach immediately.

2. CBS: I would ask, ‘What’s it like to be the new kid on the team,” but there are so many new kids, it wouldn’t matter. Half the 53-man roster wasn’t there last year. It seems like Pete Carroll has turned over the roster quite a few times. What was your reaction when you first heard you had been traded to Seattle?

Washington: At first, I was kind of shocked. It kind of came from nowhere. I sat down with my wife and said, ‘Baby, it’s Seattle.’ But I’m always watching the Discovery Channel and nature shows and know all that the Northwest has to offer. It’s really been an incredible place to live. I think other people underrate it.

CBS: Was it tough going from New York, the big city, and just abruptly, you’re being told to pack your bags for Seattle and having to adjust to a completely different lifestyle. Is it tough to deal with all that when you’ve been traded unexpectedly?

Washington: Not so much for me, but it was tough for my family. My wife has a lot of friends and connections in New York. I bounced back pretty quickly, but it was tough for her. I immediately came out here the next day after I was traded, but she was back in New Jersey and trying to take care of everything before we moved.

3. CBS: With so many new people on the team, how do you guys build chemistry with each other? Most of the guys have never played with each other.

Washington: It’s going to take a lot of camaraderie, because we have so many different dudes who came from so many different places. But coach Carroll is trying to make everybody feel comfortable around each other. They’re emphasizing enthusiasm and doing everything together. I’m probably speaking too fast, but this is probably the closest team I’ve been on. And I was in New York for four years.

CBS: Why do you say that?

Washington: Maybe it’s because I was younger in New York, and when you’re young, you tend to stand off to the side and watch. Now, I’m a little older, and I try to lead by example. You’re not in the big city anymore – you’re not in the Big Apple – but everybody here is an average Joe and I kind of like it.

CBS: Did you watch Hard Knocks? I’m wondering what that’s like, considering you know all those guys and were just with them last year.

Washington: To me, it’s funny. I know the guys, and when you’re watching the guys on television, the TV amps up everything. Watching that Hard Knocks is interesting, and it’s nice to come home and relax and watch it. But other than that, I’m not concerned about the Jets.

4. CBS: Where do you fit in as a RB on this team? It seems like you’ve slid up the depth chart, especially with the Julius Jones controversy on if he was being released and him having to take a paycut. What’s the rotation going to be like?

Washington: The best thing about our running back group is the group itself. So many guys do so many different things so well. Us playing together will definitely benefit us. You talk about Julius being in the league for seven years, and (Justin) Forsett can catch and run. Me, I can do some things, too. We’re going to take it as a running-back-by-committee approach. The hot hand will be out there. The guys on the sideline will be cheering him on.

5. CBS: So, how was your wedding last year?

Washington: It was great. It was awesome. We went down to the Caribbean, and we got married on the beach. There was a double rainbow. My wife loved it. And you know they say that a happy wife means a happy life, right?

CBS: Actually, I don’t know if you heard about this, but I accidently crashed your wedding. I was in Puerto Rico on vacation with my wife, we were at the pool at our hotel, and there was obviously a wedding going on at the beach. So, I walked on over in my bathing suit to watch. I watched the entire ceremony – there were probably 40 people on the beach just watching – and when the minister said, “And now I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Leon Washington,” I thought to myself, “Man, that sounds familiar.”

Washington: Yeah, I heard about that. That was you?

CBS: Yeah, but because it was so out of context, I didn’t make the connection. Then, I got home and saw pictures on the Internet, and I told my wife, “That was the guy. That was Leon Washington.”

Washington: That’s awesome. That’s awesome.

CBS: But what I’ll always remember is you saying your vows, and at the end, you said, “And damn, Charity, you look off the chain today!”

Washington: That’s exactly what I said. And she did look off the chain.

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Posted by Andy Benoit

After rumors swirled all week that offensive tackle Sean Locklear could be traded out of Seattle, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told the Seattle Times "(Sean’s) with us and (I'm) happy and thrilled to have him with us. There's no issue about anything."

What Carroll said about Locklear being with the team is true, but now you have to wonder how happy the head coach really is about that. (Remember, Carroll essentially runs the Seahawks’ front office). Jason La Canfora of NFL.com reports that Locklear has essentially agreed to a new contract in order to stay with the team. His previous deal was set to expire in 2012. His new deal will expire after this season. Here’s the kicker: this new deal will pay Locklear $3.25 million in 2010, instead of the originally-scheduled $5.4 million.

The Seahawks were razor-thin at offensive tackle before trading for Philadelphia’s Stacy Andrews a few days ago. They also decided that either longtime Texan Chester Pitts or third-year pro Tyler Polumbus can fill in for injured first-round rookie Russell Okung at left tackle. All this has made Locklear expendable.

The Seahawks seem to be overhauling their culture, too. They bit their lip and accepted over $6 million in 2010 sunk costs to get rid of T.J. Houshmandzadeh (an outspoken diva receiver). For Locklear, there have been off-field issues in the past, and some observers have questioned his enthusiasm for the game. The organization seems more than willing to part ways with the seventh-year pro, though apparently, they’ll wait until after the season.

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Filling you in on some of the noteworthy midweek injury news...

Some truly great news for the Giant: strong safety Kenny Phillips will be in the starting lineup against the Panthers Sunday. Phillips is coming off microfracture knee surgery. If healthy, he’s one of the most electrifying safeties in the game.

The Cowboys also got their safety, Gerald Sensabaugh, back. He’s been out with a foot injury.

The Cowboys, Giants and Eagles all have injury news along their offensive line . The Cowboys will likely be without right tackle Marc Colombo (knee) and left guard Kyle Kosier (knee). The Eagles are getting center Jamaal Jackson back. (ACL) The Giants are getting center Shaun O’Hara back (Achilles). 

Lions safety Louis Delmas missed practice Wednesday. So did middle linebacker DeAndre Levy. Both have strained groin muscles . These are the two best athletes on Detroit’s iffy defense (not counting Ndamukong Suh). Delmas’s presence is especially crucial given the ineptitude of the Lions secondary.

Bears rookie Major Wright has returned to practice three weeks after having surgery to repair a fractured finger. Wright was drafted to start immediately at free safety, though it’s likely he’ll come off the bench in Week 1. If he does, then Danieal Manning should start in centerfield. (Chris Harris will be the strong safety.)

Cardinals running back Beanie Wells did not practice Wednesday due to a knee injury . Wells is expected to play against the Rams on Sunday though.

Larry Fitzgerald should be good to go after taking a knee to the helmet against the Texans a few weeks ago.

Rams safety James Butler is sidelined with a knee injury. The Rams ultimately need Butler, though they’re confident that Craig Dahl, despite his limited range, can hold down the strong safety duties in the short term.

San Francisco’s best pass-rusher, outside linebacker Ahmed Brooks, has not yet recovered from a lacerated kidney (doesn’t that injury just sound awful)? He’s out this week.

Either Chester Pitts or Tyler Polumbus will start at left tackle for Seattle’s injured first-round rookie Russell Okung (high ankle sprain).

For the Panthers, Geoff Schwartz will almost certainly start for injured right tackle Jeff Otah (ankle).

Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman missed practice Wednesday because of his fractured right thumb , but he’s apparently long been scheduled to miss that particular practice anyway. Freeman will still be under center against the Browns Sunday.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

The front office, like most of the players it pays, doesn’t take much of an offseason. The general managers and the other executives – player personnel and otherwise – are constantly remodeling the team. Get rid of the guy who’s too slow for the system, sign to an extension the cornerback who could be the league’s next breakout star, fire the coach who’s taken the team as far as he can, draft the perfect offensive lineman for the team’s scheme, etc.

And like the players you watch every week, these front offices are to be judged. In the first of our weekly Top Ten with a Twist, I’m grading out the front offices. Without further ado, here’s the list:

Top 10 Front Office Performances from 2010 Offseason

10. Chiefs: Second-year coach Todd Haley, after a rough first year in which he worked his team to the bone, has been more pleasant this offseason. He’s even been spotted … gasp … smiling. That’s probably because the front office, led by GM Scott Pioli, made his team better. Kansas City signed Thomas Jones – you know, the guy who was the NFL’s third-leading rusher last year before the Jets parted ways with him – and they had a good draft. Eric Berry and Javier Arenas will make a big impact in the secondary and Dexter McCluster will be a standout on offense. The Chiefs won’t sniff .500 this year, but they’re headed that way.
 
9. Raiders: Yes, Al Davis still makes bizarre decisions (he reportedly was the only one who wanted to keep Mike Mitchell and cut Steve Brown at safety that turned cutdown day into a confusing series of events), but the most important one this front office made was to rid themselves of JaMarcus Russell and to bring in Jason Campbell. Campbell will never be an elite quarterback, but he could lead Oakland back to respectability (meaning they’ll have a chance to go 8-8). Simply for getting rid of Russell, that makes the front office a shoe-in for this list, but they also drafted LB Rolando McClain with the first-round pick - they thought so much of him they traded away Kirk Morrison – and added LB Kamerion Wimbley.
 
8. Cardinals: While I absolutely hate the Derek-Anderson-is-starting-at-QB move, Arizona had a solid offseason. It let Matt Leinart go finally after it was clear he was never going to make it, but most importantly, it didn’t give in to Darnell Docket’s repeated requests during the past few seasons for contract extensions, not wanting to set a bad precedent by giving him an extension when he still had more than two years on his deal. But just before this season was to begin, the team rewarded him and possibly made him a Cardinal for life. Just for not folding, they’re in my top-10. Now, if the front office could just keep him from videotaping himself while in the shower …
 
7. Bengals: They had a good draft, selecting TE Jermaine Gresham, DE Carlos Dunlap, WR Jordan Shipley, CB Brandon Ghee and DL Geno Atkins, all of whom should get some (or plenty of) playing time. Further playing into the stereotype that the club is the NFL’s version of the Betty Ford Clinic, owner Mike Brown also brought in WR Terrell Owens and CB Adam Jones (you know him better as Pacman). Both moves could backfire, but they also could be outstanding. I’ll give major points off because the Antonio Bryant signing was a disaster (they spent $8 million and got only a couple practices out of him) and because they, for some strange reason, haven’t locked up a new contract with Marvin Lewis. If they lose him, there’s no way Cincinnati is back on this list next year.
 
6. Lions: Look, their defense has been terrible the last few years, and sure, the addition of star-in-waiting Ndamukong Suh in the first round of the draft was a no-brainer pick. But considering the number of occasions the Lions have screwed up their first-round selection, this one was actually the right move. Then, they got RB Jahvid Best later in the first round, and if concussions don’t prove to be a problem for him, that’s a nice pick. Adding WR Nate Burleson will help WR Calvin Johnson and QB Matt Stafford, as well. The defense probably still will struggle, but hey, at least Detroit is on the right rack. That’s not something you can always say going into a new season.
 
5. Vikings: Yes, the front office emasculated itself by outright begging Brett Favre to return to the team (pretty, pretty please), but ultimately, the Vikings knew they needed to make this happen. They needed Favre, because they obviously don’t trust Tarvares Jackson. I like the sixth-round Joe Webb pick quite a bit, and I like the trade of Sage Rosenfels even better. The trade for former Dolphins WR Greg Camarillo was a great addition when it was unclear what would happen with Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin. The Vikings know there’s no time like the present (especially when Favre is leading your squad), and they’re acting like it.
 
4. Seahawks: If we were going with the quantity over quality award, Seattle would be No. 1 without question. It started with the hiring of Pete Carroll, though I’m not sure he’s the right answer as the head coach (it’s hard to get an image of Carroll parachuting out of a sinking USC meteorite and landing softly and safely in the Pacific Northwest). He’s helped remake the roster through the draft (Russell Okung, Earl Thomas and Golden Tate) and through (what seems like) hundreds of other moves. I really don’t like paying so much money for backup QB Charlie Whitehurst, and I hate that the team has to pay most of T.J. Houshmandzadeh’s salary while he’s playing in Baltimore (hey, not every single one of those thousands of offseason transactions can work perfectly). But newly-acquired RB Leon Washington looks recovered from his knee injury and WR Mike Williams looks to be resurgent.
 
3. Ravens: I love the Marc Bulger signing (even if Joe Flacco doesn’t). WR Anquan Boldin also will prove to be a very good addition, and now with Houshmandzadeh in the mix, they’ll battle with the Bengals for the AFC North crown. I don’t think Baltimore is the favorite, but, with GM Ozzie Newsome in its corner, there’s no reason to think the Ravens won’t return to the playoffs. They’ve had some bad luck with their secondary, but I’m not sure how much else the front office could have done to improve it. The rest of the team will simply have to cover for the defensive backs.
 
2. Redskins: Above all else, they hired Mike Shanahan to run the team. This club has made some baffling decisions the past few years – none more so than handing Albert Haynesworth $100 million – but hiring Shanahan to show Haynesworth who is boss and trading for Donovan McNabb, who still has gas in his fuel tank, were good moves. How LT Trent Williams performs – the Redskins chose him over Russell Okung – will be a big factor in how well Washington plays this year. They’re not going to win the division, but they’ll be better than their 4-12 record from a season ago.

1. Jets: I’ve made no apologies for my thoughts that the Jets could play for the Super Bowl. Yeah, they weren’t great last year, at least until they got in the playoffs, but the front office has improved the team heading into this season. They brought in Antonio Cromartie to start next to Darrelle Revis, and they drafted another CB Kyle Wilson in the first round. They’ve taken care of three of their Core Four, and even if the timetable with Revis wasn’t ideal, at least the deal got done. Plus, the front office extended the contracts of Rex Ryan and Mark Tannenbaum when it didn’t have to do so (some see this as a negative, but I like the forward thinking). The jury is still out on LaDainian Tomlinson, but as a No. 2 RB who’s not overly expensive, I don’t mind the risk at all. The Jets are acting like they want to win the super bowl. How could you not love that?

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