Tag Archives: Ernest Jones IV

Bad news for Rams: Hawks are a more complete team now

It will be Rams-Seahawks Part III for the Super Bowl — and it might end up like 49ers-Hawks Part III.

In Rams-Hawks Part I, Sam Darnold threw four picks and the Hawks lost by two points. In Part II, the defense got shredded and the Hawks had to rally from 16 down to win 38-37 in overtime. That’s a terrible performance on each side of the ball to make these tight games.

It will not be a surprise if Part III is not close – not 41-6, but maybe something like 34-17. Seattle’s offense and defense are not going to give the Rams anything, not like they did in the first two games. The Rams, who struggled to beat Carolina and Chicago, should see the best version of the Hawks, just as the 49ers did. If they do, the Rams might not have a chance.

Continue reading Bad news for Rams: Hawks are a more complete team now

Reaction to Seattle’s 41-6 demolition of the 49ers

Dropping some notable Twitter posts after the big divisional playoff win over the 49ers on Saturday night …

The game

Continue reading Reaction to Seattle’s 41-6 demolition of the 49ers

The Dark Side defense, by the numbers

With no offense meant to Houston, New England or Denver, the Seahawks have perhaps the scariest defense in the NFL. It was easy to see coming.

In 2024, Mike Macdonald put together a top-10 defense — led by Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, Devon Witherspoon, Julian Love and Ernest Jones IV.

It was clear he was building the next dominant Seattle unit. John Schneider added DeMarcus Lawrence and Nick Emmanwori, Uchenna Nwosu returned to health — and voila! Seattle ended up as the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL for the first time since the Legion of Boom days.

They call it the Dark Side.

Continue reading The Dark Side defense, by the numbers

Bears, Rams, Hawks lead frantic NFC race for top seed

“We’re in the death zone now. The NFC’s jumping, it’s popping, there’s great teams all around. You’ve got to win these games.” — Ernest Jones IV

The Seahawks’ defense was not happy that it did not hold down the lowly Titans properly in Seattle’s Week 12 win at Tennessee. Well, DeMarcus Lawrence, Ernest Jones IV and the rest more than made up for it in Week 13, leading a 26-0 shutout of Minnesota.

That helped the Seahawks catch the Rams, who lost 31-28 to surging Carolina (6-3 in the last nine) on Sunday. The Hawks, Rams and 49ers (who beat Cleveland) all have nine wins – matching the current top seed, Chicago, which beat Philadelphia on Friday and has lost just once since an 0-2 start.

The Packers and Eagles have eight wins, so the race for the NFC’s top seed is going to be fast and furious over the final five weeks.

Continue reading Bears, Rams, Hawks lead frantic NFC race for top seed

How Schneider built a Super Bowl contender as fans called for his firing

After the 2024 season, a lot of Seahawks fans wanted John Schneider to be fired. They were understandably tired of his failure to put together an even average offensive line throughout his 15 years as general manager, and they were annoyed by a 2024 offseason that seemingly had done little to help the franchise.

It’s surprising how quickly things can change. Amid a 7-2 start that has featured major contributions from half a dozen new players and proven that Sam Darnold is indeed a franchise quarterback, Schneider has been getting a lot of credit.

In fact, in a survey of 42 NFL decision makers by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, 23 voted him as the executive of the year at the midseason point.

Continue reading How Schneider built a Super Bowl contender as fans called for his firing

The promising future of the Hawks this year and beyond

As the Seahawks take a week off to rest, self-evaluate and prepare for the final 10 games, they are in great position – both for this season and beyond.

At 5-2, they are one of seven NFC teams with a winning percentage over .700 – and right where we thought they would be, positioned for a second-half run into the playoffs.

By DVOA, they actually are rated the best team in the league – thanks to the top-ranked special teams and the No. 2 defense. Their net point differential (plus-57) is fifth.

The Hawks are blowing away Vegas projections, which had the Hawks finishing with seven or eight wins (a 7.5 over/under). We had predicted at least 11 wins. Well, this team is on a pace for 12. Looking at the rest of the schedule, the Hawks look capable of a 7-3 finish – thus a 12-5 record for the season.

This is clearly a playoff team. The bigger question: What happens once the playoffs arrive? Do the Hawks have what it takes to go all the way?

Let’s look at what they have and what they might need to make a Super Bowl run this year and beyond.

Continue reading The promising future of the Hawks this year and beyond

10 days in, what are the Seahawks doing and saying?

The first 10 days of Seahawks training camp have been full of a lot of excitement, but also not without their disappointments.

John Schneider received a big extension, Sam Darnold has taken command of the offense, a couple of rookies – Nick Emmanwori and Tory Horton — have really stood out on both sides, and the defense appears to be in midseason form.

The latter is despite the absence of Uchenna Nwosu (PUP) and Ernest Jones IV dealing with the death of his father. The biggest injury loss has been at running back, where Kenny McIntosh suffered an ACL injury.

Continue reading 10 days in, what are the Seahawks doing and saying?

After a week of free agency, a look at the roster

John Schneider’s Seahawks had a stunning first week of free agency, unexpectedly trading both Geno Smith and DK Metcalf and then quickly replacing Smith with Sam Darnold.

They also re-signed two big pieces of their defense, Ernest Jones IV and Jarran Reed. And they brought in Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Cooper Kupp to help replace Metcalf and the released Tyler Lockett. DeMarcus Lawrence was added to beef up their front seven (especially in the run game).

They bid big ($17 million a year) but missed out on the top free-agent guard, Will Fries. But they still might end up with one of the top guards; Teven Jenkins (Chicago) is due in for a visit to the VMAC on Monday.

After a week of free agency, the defense – already on schedule to be a top-five unit in 2025 — is a bit better, and the offense is still rebuilding after the surprising mini-teardown.

Let’s take a look at the roster.

Continue reading After a week of free agency, a look at the roster