Tag Archives: John Schneider

Last two drafts were bigger than this one

NFL draftAs the Seahawks undergo the biggest roster reshuffle since Pete Carroll and John Schneider arrived in 2010, some are making the mistake of calling this the most important draft in the Schneider/Carroll era.

The simple fact is the last two drafts were more significant.

Every draft is important, but the Seahawks (with no picks on Day 2) are not set up for success in this one like they were in 2016 and 2017, when they had 11 picks in the first two days. Those players should be a big part of the team’s core in 2018-19. They need to come through this year — something Schneider has said more than once.

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Hawks are still figuring out how to draft

NFL draftIt’s no secret that John Schneider’s Seahawks have been in a draft dry spell — and are still trying to choreograph the right rain dance. To that end, the Hawks apparently have changed the way they are preparing for the draft.

Since putting together their Super Bowl core in 2010-12, Schneider and company have added very few contributors. One study places the Seahawks in the bottom three in the NFL since 2013. Just three of 28 picks from the 2013-15 drafts remain, and only a handful of selections from the past two years have shown any promise — with last year’s Malik McDowell mistake hanging heavy around Schneider’s neck as the Hawks prepare for this week’s draft.

Schneider has blamed the run of ineffective drafts on three things: (1) A strong roster that made it tough to make the team, (2) ignoring red flags and making too many “excuses” for keeping risky players on their draft list and (3) not adding enough guys who were willing to compete with the Super Bowl vets.

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Schneider overrules Positive Pete on Thomas

Pic -- Schneider at CombineNot long after Pete Carroll tried to quell any trade talk about Earl Thomas on Thursday, John Schneider made it clear the Seahawks are still listening.

“He’s a Seahawk. I don’t know what anybody’s talking about,” Carroll told KJR. “He’s a Seahawk and we’re happy to have him.”

Asked whether the safety would report for training camp, Carroll said, “He’d better be there. He’s on the roster. We’re counting on him.”

Asked why he was not at the offseason workout program, Carroll said, “Some guys make those choices. Not always do all of the players make it, for various reasons.”

A little while later, at his annual Ben’s Fund event, Schneider said Thomas would not hold out, but he also offered a much less optimistic take on the safety’s future with the team — basically the same stance the GM has had since the Combine.

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Topic of the day: Quarterbacks

Draft -- Schneider and CarrollQuarterbacks were the topic of the day for Pete Carroll and John Schneider on Thursday. The gist of their individual messages: Colin Kaepernick still could be an option (don’t count on it), Russell Wilson’s contract is not a problem (it really isn’t) and Schneider feels like he has done a poor job of acquiring quarterbacks behind Wilson (he has).

In separate interviews, Carroll and Schneider were asked about the recent Kaepernick brouhaha, and both waved off the protest topic and gave lip-service answers about their level of interest.

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Secondary queries: A 2 for Thomas? And use it on a corner?

NFL draftWith the draft fast approaching next week, the Seahawks have solidified almost every position on the team.

After re-signing Austin Davis and Paul Dawson, they at least have a pretty full complement at every position — some obviously stronger in talent than others. The one spot that is still very unsettled is the secondary.

Yeah, they have re-signed Bradley McDougald and Justin Coleman and added Maurice Alexander, Dontae Johnson and C.J. Smith. But we still don’t know whether Earl Thomas will remain a Seahawk or who will be the No. 2 corner opposite Shaquill Griffin.

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What credit$ would Hawks get for dumping another distraction?

Salary cap logoWe already knew the Seahawks were serious about ditching all distractions this year, and they apparently are poised to drop another.

Malik McDowell is the biggest draft bust of John Schneider’s tenure, and the GM apparently is ready to admit it a year after he made the defensive tackle Seattle’s top pick. McDowell, whose rookie year was smashed to pieces in an ATV accident last July, still is not ready to play football, so Seattle reportedly is going to release him. Pete Carroll and Schneider apparently don’t want to go through another year of answering questions about a guy who might never play in the NFL.

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Two weeks to go, here’s what we know

NFL draftJohn Schneider and company are never too secretive about the guys they are interested in drafting. Their visits and workouts typically telegraph many of their moves.

Last year, they met with Malik McDowell and Shaquill Griffin, who ended up as two of their top three picks. In 2016, they added a handful of their pre-draft visit/workout guys, including first-rounder Germain Ifedi. In 2015, they brought in/worked out at least four of their eventual picks, including Frank Clark. Keep going back and the same pattern emerges, with Paul Richardson, Christine Michael, et al.

So we obviously can glean a lot from reports of their pre-draft visits and workouts. Two weeks before the draft, here’s what we know:

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It’s April: Time for move-down scenarios

NFL draftAs we sit three weeks ahead of the draft, John Schneider has filled most of Seattle’s roster holes in free agency, retaining half a dozen top role players and filling vacancies (at least for 2018) at tight end, receiver, guard, linebacker and defensive tackle.

Seattle’s only immediate needs are a starting corner, a backup QB, another running back and some more linebackers. Assuming Schneider adds the corner and QB before the draft, he will be looking more toward the future of the roster, which means finding a couple of pass rushers, a linebacker or two, a running back, another corner and maybe a guard or tight end. He’s not going to find contributors at all of those spots; but, if he does his job, he should find three or four new core guys.

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Apparently even Wilson is paranoid about his roster status

Wilson signing contractThis is the level of paranoia John Schneider has created with his surprisingly explosive offseason: Russell Wilson’s agent apparently is concerned Schneider is looking to replace the quarterback.

In a very speculative segment for NFL Network, Jim Trotter passed on this tidbit: When Schneider checked out Wyoming QB Josh Allen’s pro day, Wilson’s reps asked Schneider, “Is there anything we need to know here?”

If this report is true, it really just speaks to the uncertainty, even among the team’s leading player, over the Seahawks’ long-term plan. Wilson has watched one of the NFL’s legendary defenses get almost completely blown up this offseason (trading Earl Thomas would finish off the demolition). So perhaps it is natural for the QB to wonder what his future is.

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How long will Schneider’s ‘process’ of ‘resetting’ defense take?

Schneider at combine“Trust the process, man.” — John Schneider.

In case it wasn’t clear, John Schneider and Pete Carroll are going young on defense again — the same “process” they used in their early days, before the Legion of Boom became a household NFL moniker. And Schneider wants us to trust him and Carroll to do it again.

The trust factor has worn thin for a lot of fans amid a litany of mistakes by Schneider and Carroll over the past few years that sent the Seahawks on a steady slide. Yeah, 50-60 percent of fans (based on our polls) still have full faith, but the rest either no longer trust Schneider or are waiting to see how this year’s defensive demolition turns out.

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