Tag Archives: John Schneider

It's bigger than football, NFL draft, The roster

Carroll and Schneider are such drama queens

May 1, 2015 cc Leave a comment

You wouldn’t think it by looking at or listening to them, but Pete Carroll and John Schneider are drama queens.

They proved it again Friday when they used their top draft pick, No. 63 overall, on one of the most controversial players in the draft: banned Michigan pass rusher Frank Clark. Then, as if to take everyone’s mind off the controversial pick of Clark, Carroll and Schneider parlayed four draft picks to move up and grab explosive return man/wide receiver Tyler Lockett six picks later.

Carroll and Schneider knew they would take heat for drafting Clark, who was kicked off the team at Michigan after a domestic violence arrest last year.

But the Hawks have never been afraid to acquire players with dubious character. They traded for Marshawn Lynch, signed Terrell Owens and Braylon Edwards, traded for Kellen Winslow, drafted Bruce Irvin and Christine Michael and traded for Percy Harvin.

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NFL draft

On Day 2, Hawks should find a lineman

April 30, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Pete Carroll spent the first day of the draft joking about the Seahawks’ first-round pick.

Hey @richeisen, if you need another one of the #SeahawksDraftClues to figure this out… Our first pick grew up in North Carolina…

— Pete Carroll (@PeteCarroll) April 30, 2015

He even stopped in the media room at VMAC and cracked to reporters, “Don’t tell anyone but we’re taking a tight end.”

Obviously, the Seahawks consider Jimmy Graham their first-round pick — they sent the 31st overall selection to New Orleans along with center Max Unger for Graham and a fourth-rounder.

It was one of the best picks of the first round, which was one of the least intriguing in years — just two trades.

And now the Hawks’ draft will begin, with 11 picks from the 63rd to the 248th.

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NFL draft

Hawks more likely to move down than up

April 29, 2015 cc Leave a comment

There seems to be growing sentiment that the Seahawks want to move up in the second round to get an impact player, but it seems more likely that they will bail out of the second round. And not just because John Schneider has moved down in all five of his Seahawks drafts.

Unless a player they really like falls to them, they are likely to see a bunch of similarly skilled players — any of which they might like — and that could make Schneider want to move down and pick up another draft choice or two.

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NFL draft, Trades

Will Hawks move off 63 or pull from 2016 stock?

April 26, 2015 cc Leave a comment

DRAFT COUNTDOWN: Five days. A weekly look at draft-related topics involving the Seahawks.

John Schneider already has made three trades involving picks in this draft, and everyone is curious to know whether he’s going to make another one — moving off the Seahawks’ first pick at No. 63 on Friday.

Last season, Schneider basically ended up swapping sixth-round picks while adding cornerback Marcus Burley and deleting wide receiver Percy Harvin.

But the big move was the one Schneider made March 10, sending center Max Unger and Seattle’s first-round pick (No. 31 overall) to the Saints for tight end Jimmy Graham and a fourth-rounder.

The other day, Schneider said, “When you acquire a player of Jimmy’s caliber with the 31st pick, that makes it that much easier to sleep at night knowing that we wouldn’t be able to get a player like that.”

With Graham coming in as their nominal first-rounder — much like Harvin in 2013 — the Hawks are left to pick at No. 63. But will they stay there? Or will they consider using some 2016 draft capital to add a pick in the second round?

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Contracts, The roster

Hawks aren’t sure Irvin is worth $7.75 million

April 24, 2015 cc Leave a comment

As expected, the Seahawks are not sure Bruce Irvin is worth $7.75 million.

That much is clear after John Schneider said Wednesday that they have not decided whether to pick up the 2016 option on the 2012 first-round player.

“Those options can be tricky,” the GM said. “That’s all I can get into right now.”

He might not want to get into it, but his meaning is clear: Picking up the option would set a baseline for any future contract negotiations while also forcing the Hawks to take a certain direction with their 2016 salary cap.

It’s hard to see the Hawks exercising the option when they don’t know what Russell Wilson’s contract will look like in 2016 and might not have decided what they are doing with Russell Okung.

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Contracts, It's bigger than football, State of the team

Wilson: ‘I can’t wait to play (football) again’

April 22, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Russell Wilson has been the center of attention in Seattle all month — whether it has been talk of his contract, the recent team-building trip to Maui he organized or his talk about baseball.

His HBO interview with Bryant Gumbel caught a lot of attention due to his comments about his “dream” of playing baseball. We’ve already dismissed all of the conspiracy theories surrounding those comments, and Wilson today waved off any concerns himself, saying he is focused on his future as a football player.

“I didn’t say I was going to leave the NFL,” Wilson told ESPN’s The Herd. “I love playing the game of football. To be one of 32 men in the world who get to do what I do, it’s a special thing, and I’ve been able to play in two Super Bowls and I’m only 26 years old. That’s been a blessing.”

Contract negotiations with the Seahawks reportedly have not gone very far, and neither side is saying much.

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NFL draft

Would the Seahawks draft a QB in the third?

April 19, 2015 cc Leave a comment

DRAFT COUNTDOWN: Two weeks. A weekly look at draft-related topics involving the Seahawks.

Three years ago, the Seahawks surprised everyone with their third-round pick, selecting an undersized quarterback even though they had just signed a presumptive new starter.

As it turned out, the rookie, Russell Wilson, beat out the favorite, Matt Flynn, and then helped lead the Seahawks to consecutive Super Bowls.

The Seahawks clearly expect to sign Wilson to an extension and have him be their quarterback for the next decade, but it would not be a surprise if the Hawks used another third-round pick (or a fourth) on a QB this year.

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Contracts, State of the team

Schneider needs Wilson’s agent to be a team player

April 16, 2015 cc Leave a comment

John Schneider sent a pretty strong message Wednesday about Russell Wilson’s contract, making it clear the Seahawks are not going to mortgage the rest of the roster for the sake of the quarterback.

Talking to KIRO Radio, he twice referred to football as the “ultimate team sport,” talked about keeping as many players as possible and said the Hawks need to “protect” themselves and “make smart decisions.”

The Seahawks are negotiating with Wilson’s agent, Mark Rodgers, but reportedly have not made much progress. Speculation is that Rodgers — a baseball agent — is working in baseball terms rather than football terms, not in sync with NFL economics. That was the fear when Wilson moved off veteran NFL agent Bus Cook and let Rodgers handle it.

“Every negotiation is unique … and this is no different,” Schneider told KIRO’s Dori Monson. “It’s the ultimate team sport. He’s our quarterback. We’d love him to be our quarterback. But the thing is we need to keep as many of these guys together as we possibly can.”

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NFL draft

What if preferred OL & WR are gone by No. 63?

April 13, 2015 cc Leave a comment

DRAFT COUNTDOWN: Under three weeks. A weekly look at draft-related topics involving the Seahawks.

A year ago, word was the Seahawks were hoping to draft a couple of offensive tackles because they needed to replace right tackle Breno Giacomini and weren’t sure they would keep left tackle Russell Okung when his contract is up after the 2015 season.

At the time, Okung was recuperating from foot surgery after missing half the 2013 season, and the Hawks did indeed draft two linemen: Justin Britt, who started at right tackle all season, and Garrett Scott, whose NFL career ended before it started due to a heart condition.

A year later, the Seahawks are looking at linemen more than ever — needing to replace Max Unger and James Carpenter and perhaps prepare to replace Okung.

But when will they take them?

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Contracts

Bennett is ‘trying to be a good Seahawk’

April 9, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Michael Bennett confirmed Thursday that he did not ask for a trade to Atlanta (or anywhere else, we presume), and he also confirmed he is not happy with his contract but is “trying to be a good Seahawk.”

Pete Carroll and John Schneider both previously have said Bennett has not asked for a trade, but Schneider avoided answering a question about the defensive end’s contract and there remained lingering whispers that Bennett was not happy with the $28.5 million deal he signed last year.

On Thursday, Bennett debunked the trade rumor, started by a Dallas report related to Greg Hardy late last month.

“They made rumors about Jesus; they’ll make rumors about anybody,” Bennett cracked to 710 ESPN’s Justin and Gee. “I never asked for it. I didn’t come to (the Seahawks) asking for a trade.”

Justin and Gee (never to be mistaken for news reporters) didn’t ask Bennett about his contract, but the Tom & Curley Show did.

Asked if he was happy with his deal, Bennett told the KIRO Radio hosts, “I can’t really say that. I don’t know anybody that is happy with the amount of money they’re making. At this point, I’m just trying to be a good Seahawk.”

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