Tag Archives: Golden Tate

October 4, 2015 cc Leave a comment

With Marshawn Lynch and Brandon Mebane out, “Monday Night Football” might be a preview of the 2016 Seahawks.

Nice look at Seattle’s new No. 2 running back — and No. 1 again this week — Thomas Rawls, by Bob Condotta.

The big storyline for #DETvsSEA, of course, is the return of Golden Tate to face his old team and the Legion of Boom. “We had our battles in practice for years,” Richard Sherman said. “It’ll be another fun battle.”

Even in Detroit, Tate has been creating controversy at the usual rate.

Cliff Avril will be playing his old team Monday, but he calls it “just another game.”

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CHAWK LINES, Week 3: Chicago

September 29, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Pete Carroll doesn’t really care that the Seahawks’ offense is struggling in the first half. Jimmy Graham does, though.

Doug Baldwin doesn’t like the offense’s performance either: “We’re awful on third down right now.”

Baldwin also said he doesn’t want to find out how the Hawks would do without Marshawn Lynch, who is questionable for Monday vs. Detroit with a hamstring injury after a calf injury sidelined him to start the game vs. the Bears.

Golden Tate, former Hawk now with the Lions, said defenses know what Detroit’s offense is doing before it does it.

The Lions and 49ers are running very simple offenses, allowing defenses to beat them consistently, John Clayton surmised.

The Seahawks are getting big contributions from rookies for the first time since 2012.

The Seahawks are again chasing the Cardinals in the NFC West. Here’s a good look at the factors in that race by Bob Condotta.

The Bears were good medicine for the Seahawks’ defense, which improved from 17th to third in overall defense and 21st to second in pass defense.

NFL teams set a record for penalties through the first three weeks, but the Seahawks were a small part of that — tied for the second fewest penalties (18), if you can believe that.

Schedule

This schedule is much better than 2014

April 22, 2015 cc Leave a comment

So, apparently if you lose a Super Bowl in agonizing fashion, you get a much friendlier schedule the next year.

For a team with the fourth-toughest schedule in the league (based on 2014 records), the Seahawks pulled as amenable a schedule as they could have requested Tuesday when the NFL released the full slate.

With a team-record five prime-time games, three straight contests at home in November, a perfectly placed midseason bye, no bad-weather games and a friendly final two months, the Seahawks have a much better setup than they faced in 2014. (Plus, they get Al Michaels calling games three times and we have to suffer through Jon Gruden just once.)

Last year, the Seahawks were among the first set of byes in Week 4 and finished with five rugged division games in the final six weeks — and they still claimed the top seed in the NFC for the second straight year.

Despite a tough early schedule, they are in good position to win the NFC for a third straight year.

Continue reading This schedule is much better than 2014 →

NFL draft

It’s official: Seahawks get four comp picks for the first time

March 23, 2015 cc Leave a comment

It’s official. The Seahawks received four compensatory draft picks when they were announced today and will have 11, as expected.

It’s the first time since comp picks were introduced in 1994 — the year after salary-cap free agency was introduced in the NFL — that Seattle has netted the maximum four. Teams receive comp picks if they suffer a net loss of qualifying free agents in the previous offseason.

The Hawks are one of three teams with the maximum four comp picks this year (also Denver and Kansas City). They figure to get four more in 2016, based on their free-agent losses this year. And they could end up with a few more in 2017.

Continue reading It’s official: Seahawks get four comp picks for the first time →

Franchise history, Free agency, NFL draft, State of the team

The return games were pathetic, but free agents aren’t the answer

February 26, 2015 cc 2 Comments

Without a doubt, the worst part of the Seahawks last season was the return game — which is why many fans are taking notice every time a team cuts a return specialist these days.

In the last few days, Ted Ginn Jr., Jacoby Jones and Reggie Bush have been cut, but Seattle fans shouldn’t get too excited about any of them. The Hawks can do better.

They certainly need to.

In 2014, they ranked 30th in kickoff returns, at just 21 yards per attempt. And they were 25th on punts, at seven yards.

It was the most pathetic combined return performance by a Seattle team since the 2005 unit, which averaged 27.8 total yards behind kick returner Josh Scobey and punt returner Jimmy Williams and coincidentally also lost the Super Bowl.

You know you are horrible when (a) Bryan “Wave It Off” Walters is your best return guy, (b) it’s a victory just to hold on to the ball and (c) a touchback is typically your best kick return.

Continue reading The return games were pathetic, but free agents aren’t the answer →

Schedule

How many games can Hawks win with No. 4 toughest schedule?

February 15, 2015 cc 1 Comment

The Seahawks have the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL in 2015, based on 2014 results. But it’s not as if a tough schedule is anything new for them. They had the No. 10 slate in 2013 and the No. 6 schedule last year — and we all know they should be 2-0 in the Super Bowl.

But they aren’t, so we are left to look forward to the 2015 season and wonder whether the Hawks can become the first team in the salary-cap era to play in the Super Bowl in three straight seasons.

Here’s an early look at that No. 4 schedule:

Continue reading How many games can Hawks win with No. 4 toughest schedule? →

Playoffs: Green Bay

It’s Packers-Hawks, so of course Golden Tate offers more controversy

January 16, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Golden Tate apparently just can’t help but create controversy every time the Seahawks play the Green Bay Packers.

Two seasons ago, it was the Fail Mary touchdown on “Monday Night Football.” Now, as the Hawks prepare to face the Packers in the NFC title game with a chance to return to the Super Bowl without him, Tate has written what amounts to an open letter to Seahawks fans explaining how unhappy he is with the way he was treated when he left Seattle for Detroit.

Continue reading It’s Packers-Hawks, so of course Golden Tate offers more controversy →

Contracts, Trades

Harvin trade gives Seahawks $12.8 million more next offseason

October 18, 2014 cc Leave a comment

Percy Harvin’s contract was an albatross from the ill-advised moment the Seahawks decided to guarantee him $25.5 million in a deal that included salary cap hits north of $12 million from 2014 through 2017.

It seemed farfetched that he would last that long at those numbers; thanks to his alleged anti-team antics, the Hawks just ended up cutting ties much earlier than anyone thought they would.

Even though he will still count $7.2 million in proration in 2015, the Seahawks divested themselves of the remainder of his $11 million salary this season and his $10.5 million salary in 2015.

With the trade official, the Hawks are not paying his $647,000 salary this week, so they will recoup $7.1 million this season. Add that to their net savings of $5.7 million in 2015, and the Hawks pulled an extra $12.8 million in cap space for next offseason.

That gives the Hawks a lot of wiggle room to re-sign some of their key free agents, if they choose.

Continue reading Harvin trade gives Seahawks $12.8 million more next offseason →

State of the team, Week 7: At St. Louis

Seahawks showed folly & wisdom in Harvin saga

October 18, 2014 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks’ stunning trade of Percy Harvin says a lot about John Schneider, Pete Carroll, Darrell Bevell and the entire franchise.

They were naïve, hopeful, enabling and nearly self-defeating, but they also realized what a colossal error it was and probably made a great move — however shocking it was — in order to save their offense and season.

The ill-advised decision (we said it then, so we can say it now) to trade for Harvin and give him a $67 million contract last year was easily Schneider’s biggest gamble since he and Carroll arrived in 2010. And, unsurprisingly, the GM lost big time.

Continue reading Seahawks showed folly & wisdom in Harvin saga →