Tag Archives: John Schneider

Franchise history, Week 14: At Green Bay

Hawks, Pack meet again

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logo-green-bayThe Seahawks are headed back to Green Bay this weekend to renew one of the best non-division rivalries in the NFL — the fifth time in five years they will have faced each other.

While the Hawks (8-3-1) fight to hold on to the No. 2 seed in the NFC, the Pack (6-6) is trying to get back in the hunt. It’s just the latest dramatic meeting between the two franchises, which have been deeply intertwined since 1999.

Newer Seahawks fans might think the Packers-Seahawks series consists of three games: the Hawks’ infamous Fail Mary victory on a Monday night in 2012, Seattle’s 20-point win in the opening game of 2014 and Seattle’s miracle comeback in a 28-22 overtime win in the NFC title game.

But this series was full of great matchups back when Mike Holmgren and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck were leading the Hawks against their old team — led by Brett Favre — and this will be the 13th meeting since 1999.

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Franchise history, State of the team

Chancellor leading the way, like 2013 and 2014

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Kam Chancellor and Tony McDaniel celebrate a stop vs. Carolina on Saturday (Seahawks.com)Like clockwork, it’s Kam Chancellor time.

It happens pretty much every season around this time: The heartbeat of the Seattle defense struggles with injuries in the first half and then catches a second wind and helps the Hawks sail to the Super Bowl.

This time it was a four-week absence due to a groin injury. And, on cue, Chancellor returned vs. New England and came up with a couple of late-game plays that earned him honors as NFC defensive player of the week.

As the Hawks head down the second-half stretch, angling for another Super Bowl run, Chancellor looks ready to lead the defense the way he did in the 2013 and 2014 title game seasons. And it also looks like he is re-affirming his long-term place with the team.

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CHAWK LINES, Week 7: At Arizona
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CHAWK LINES -- Seahawks at Cardinals

Kam Chancellor likely will not play — plus other injury reports.

Kelcie McCray is ready to start again in place of Chancellor.

David Johnson is playing great for Arizona and is one of the key matchups.

An inside look at the Cardinals via Q&A with one of their beat writers.

The Cardinals’ pass rushers offer another test of Seattle’s developing O-line.

The secret to the strip sack: Aim for the elbow, Cliff Avril says.

The Seahawks have become the most effective blitzing team in the NFL.

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Franchise history, The roster

Spiller helped Hawks get Lynch, now follows him

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lynch-and-spillerA big reason the Seahawks were able to get Marshawn Lynch in 2010 is C.J. Spiller, so it’s somewhat ironic that the guy who helped Seattle get Beast Mode now steps into the same backfield.

Spiller was the ninth overall pick by Buffalo in 2010, joining Lynch and Fred Jackson in a suddenly – and surprisingly — stacked Bills backfield. John Schneider, in his first year running the Hawks alongside Pete Carroll, tried several times to acquire Lynch that year – finally getting the Bills to part with him in October.

While Lynch went on to star for the Hawks for most of the next six seasons, Spiller ended up a part-time player behind Jackson in 2010 and 2011 before breaking out in 2012, with 1,244 yards (6 per carry), 43 catches and eight total touchdowns. He hasn’t done much since, though, as injuries have knocked him around.

The Hawks obviously are hoping that won’t be a problem as he steps in as the third-down back.

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State of the team, The roster, Trades

Joe Thomas? Still a fantasy trade

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san-francisco-logoThe Seahawks’ offensive line has endured a couple of rough games against stellar defensive fronts so far, and Bradley Sowell has been the most consistent problem player.

While we can expect Germain Ifedi’s eventual return to steady the right guard spot and Mark Glowinski and Justin Britt to continue to improve, left tackle is the one spot where there seems to be no help on the horizon. The Hawks are basically playing without a true left tackle this season.

Granted, Sowell will not have to go against great defensive lines like Miami’s or the Rams’ every week. And the coaches probably are counting on him holding his own against less stellar players than Robert Quinn.

But, in the wake of the slow-footed Sowell’s horrendous start to the season — three flags, one sack, one blocked field goal allowed, numerous pressures and hits surrendered — a lot of Seahawks fans are wondering once again whether John Schneider would make a deal for Cleveland All-Pro Joe Thomas.

The answer, like it was in the offseason, almost surely is no.

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Injury report, State of the team

Curse of first-round linemen continues

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Seahawks bandagesIt’s no wonder John Schneider and Pete Carroll had developed an aversion toward drafting offensive linemen in the first round: They always get hurt.

After going back-to-back with first-round linemen in 2010-11, it took them five years to try again. Now it might be another five years before they do it again.

We can only hope Germain Ifedi’s high ankle sprain, which is expected to sideline him for at least three weeks, will not send him down the same injury path traveled by Russell Okung and James Carpenter.

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State of the team, Trades

Hawks make two trades, keep 12 DBs — for now

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As usual, the Seahawks made a lot of fans scratch their heads with some of their moves on cutdown day. But, as usual, some of the moves are going to be very temporary.

It was no surprise that John Schneider pulled a trade — he has made at least one in every preseason (16 total). But the surprise was that he traded for two safeties.

The Seahawks reportedly added Dewey McDonald (6 feet, 220 pounds) from Oakland and L.J. McCray (6 feet, 215 pounds) from San Francisco. The Hawks reportedly gave up conditional seventh-rounders for both (2017 seventh or McDonald, 2018 pick for McCray).

With those additions, the Seahawks made a deep secondary even deeper — keeping 12 for now. They kept undrafted rookies Tyvis Powell (not a surprise) and De’Andre Elliott (a big surprise) over young veterans Tye Smith and Marcus Burley (injured).

The Seahawks also terminated the contracts of veterans Jahri Evans and Will Tukuafu; waived DT Brandin Bryant, TE Clayton Echard, S Keenan Lambert, LB Steve Longa, WR Douglas McNeil III, WR E.Z. Nwachukwu, WR Kasen Williams, RB Troymaine Pope, G/C Will Pericak, WR Antwan Goodley, DE Tylor Harris, S Keenan Lambert, WR Kenny Lawler, LB Kache Palacio, DE Ryan Robinson and DT Tani Tupou; and waived/injured TE Joe Sommers, DT Jordan Hill, LB Eric Pinkins and OT Terry Poole.

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The roster, Trades

No surprise Schneider is shopping Lewis (or others)

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John Schneider draftingJohn Schneider has made at least one trade in the preseason in each of his six years in Seattle, so it’s no surprise to hear he is trying to make another this year.

Schneider reportedly is shopping Patrick Lewis, who apparently has lost the battle for the backup center spot to rookie Joey Hunt.

Plenty of teams need offensive line help, and Schneider surely could find one interested in a player who has started 13 games over the past two years. Lewis’ salary is $1.67 million, which could be a hindrance to a trade. Lewis, a former undrafted free agent, probably wouldn’t bring any more than a late pick.

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Contracts

Carroll: Hawks will do Bennett deal ‘when it makes sense’

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Salary cap logoMichael Bennett reportedly came to camp because he expects a reworked contract before the season, but that thinking goes against the Seahawks’ philosophy (no new deal with more than a year left), and Pete Carroll made it sound like nothing is going to happen this year.

Carroll told KJR on Tuesday: “We’d love to have Michael here for a long time. We want him to finish his career with us. We intend to get that done. … It’s something that we’re working at. It’s a very difficult thing to get done.”

Asked whether they would do it this year, the coach declined to answer. “We’re going to do it when we can and when it makes sense.”

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Contracts, Training camp

Report: Bennett expects new deal before season

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Training camp logo2Michael Bennett reportedly expects to have a new deal before the season, which apparently is why he reported to training camp on time.

That is from a nugget at the bottom of an NFL.com report focusing on Bennett’s comments about social issues.

Per NFL.com, “Bennett said he reported to Seahawks training camp on time because he is confident his agent and the Seahawks will work out a new contract soon. Sources close to Bennett told (Michael) Silver that they hope to work out a long-term deal for Bennett before the start of the season.”

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