Tag Archives: L.J. Collier

NFL draft

Time for Schneider to prove he can pick well from the bottom

2 Comments

A lot of fans think John Schneider has suddenly gotten a lot better at drafting over the past four years. But that’s easy to say when he has been picking in the top 20. 

In two weeks, we will find out whether he has gotten any better when his first pick comes outside the top 20.

Over his 16 drafts as Seattle general manager, Schneider has drafted eight guys in the top 20 and made seven initial picks outside the top 20. (He has thrice traded his first-round picks for veterans.)

Continue reading Time for Schneider to prove he can pick well from the bottom →
Franchise history, NFL draft

History says Schneider should stick and pick

Leave a comment

The draft is next week, and John Schneider and his Seahawks have to figure out one big thing: Where are the ledges?

It’s the key to anything Schneider will do in this selection meeting. And he needs to tread carefully, lest he fall off the cliff again.

Schneider has not made a draft-day deal involving a first-round pick since 2019, but he will be tempted to do it this time after sending his second-rounder to the Giants for Leonard Williams and a third-rounder in the deal to get Sam Howell from Washington.

At 16, Schneider is sitting right in the crosshairs — and he knows it.

Continue reading History says Schneider should stick and pick →
The roster, Trades

Schneider finally addresses biggest offseason whiff

2 Comments

Most observers are giving John Schneider major kudos for once again filling a big roster hole by taking advantage of another team’s dysfunction.

The trade for Carlos Dunlap – Schneider’s third October deal in four years — certainly was needed, and Schneider did well to get it done for a mere seventh-round pick and overpriced backup center B.J. Finney, as Cincinnati clearly was eager to get rid of Dunlap. (The GM would do better to add another pass rusher, too.)

But let’s not forget this is the continuation of an ongoing theme: The Seahawks were in this mess because Schneider created it – and then failed to fix it until now, maybe only for now.

Continue reading Schneider finally addresses biggest offseason whiff →
Week 2: New England

expect more thrillers like that win over Pats

1 Comment

If the first two games are any indication, the Seahawks are going to play in a lot of shootouts this season – and probably win most of them.

Russell Wilson is off to his best start ever — with nine TD passes and one interception (thanks, Greg Olsen). Meanwhile, the defense, even with superstar Jamal Adams, is struggling every bit as much as it did in 2019, when almost every week (12 of 16 anyway) involved a thriller.

This 35-30 win over the Patriots was more of that brand – and the same kind of show Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick’s teams always put on when they meet.

Continue reading expect more thrillers like that win over Pats →
NFL draft, The roster

Cheap Hawks swapped Thomas & Clark for 3 pass rushers and a guard

2 Comments

Draft logo 2020Once upon a time, the Seahawks had the NFL’s top-paid players (or close to it) at three defensive positions, along with the No. 2-paid quarterback.

In 2019, they made Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner the league’s top-paid QB and middle linebacker — but they have not been interested in paying anyone else in that stratosphere since 2017, when they gave Kam Chancellor another top-three deal.

They didn’t want to pay Earl Thomas and Frank Clark in 2019, and they don’t want to pay Jadeveon Clowney this year.

Basically, they don’t want to pay elite pass rushers. So they used Thomas and Clark to draft a few. And, like it or not, they are counting on those swaps to work out.

Continue reading Cheap Hawks swapped Thomas & Clark for 3 pass rushers and a guard →

CHAWK LINES, Week 6: At Cleveland
1 Comment

CHAWK LINES -- Hawks at BrownsPete Carroll thinks he finally knows how to put together his pass-rush puzzle.

Jadeveon Clowney: “Once we start clicking on all cylinders, I think we’re going to make a big push at the right time.”

Carroll expects L.J. Collier “to show you … in the next few weeks that he’s going to be able to figure into what’s happening.”

Tyler Lockett is poetry on and off the field.

Continue reading →

State of the team, Week 3: New Orleans

And Ansah makes three: Hawks will have all pass rushers finally

Leave a comment

Logo -- New OrleansJadeveon Clowney and L.J. Collier have each made their debuts over the last two weeks. Now it’s Ziggy Ansah’s turn.

If it goes well, the Hawks might have the trio that, for this year anyway, is supposed to approximate the 2013 pass rush of Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril and Chris Clemons.

“We wanted to make sure everything was right,” Pete Carroll said of the long wait for Ansah. “He’s had three good weeks of work and he’s in really good shape. … He’ll play a considerable amount. He’s practiced hard enough to do that.

“That’s really going to be fun to see him out there, to see how we’re going to use him in the game plan. I’m really excited about that.”

Continue reading And Ansah makes three: Hawks will have all pass rushers finally →

State of the team, The roster, Week 2: At Pittsburgh

How (in)complete are the Hawks right now?

Leave a comment

Logo -- At PittsburghJust how far from their best are the Seahawks?

Judging by the Week 2 league injury report, the Seahawks appear to be one of the more banged-up teams. They have six guys on the official game report (only the Chargers and Redskins have more), and they had 16 guys listed with injuries on the practice report Friday.

Almost every offensive lineman has some kind of ailment, and the Hawks are going to swap out two injured defensive starters this week, too.

Their most stable positions have been quarterback, running back (if you can believe it) and linebacker. Otherwise, they are in a state of flux everywhere else.

We previously said they are better almost everywhere, but right now we estimate they are only about two-thirds of what they eventually will be. And it might take a couple of months to find that final third — barring any major injuries.

Continue reading How (in)complete are the Hawks right now? →

Free agency, NFL draft, The roster, Trades

Hawks could have had Clark and Ansah, plus basically the same draft

4 Comments

NFL draftWhat if we told you the Seahawks could have had Frank Clark, Ziggy Ansah and pretty much all of the same draft picks (just a different pass rusher) and still have room for more, like they do now?

A lot of people are buying Seattle’s claim that the Clark trade to Kansas City enabled Seattle to turn four picks into 11, in what looks to some like an ingenious draft for the ages. Pete Carroll called the trade “the key to kick-start this thing.” And John Schneider said, “That draft choice with Frank definitely helped us.”

But the reality is: Clark became L.J. Collier, and Schneider did what he always planned to do with pick No. 21 — flipping it over and over until it became a six-player pancake. One had nothing to do with the other. And, as much as we love to see an aggressive move from Schneider, he didn’t have to trade Clark to do anything he has done since that deal.

Continue reading Hawks could have had Clark and Ansah, plus basically the same draft →

Free agency, The roster

Ansah’s a good bet, but Hawks need more

Leave a comment

Logo -- Free agencyOne down, two to go.

The Seahawks needed three veteran defensive linemen. They got Ziggy Ansah, the best pass rusher available (if healthy), so now they need two more.

If healthy, Ansah will be a good investment — reportedly $9 million, with $3.75 million in incentives. The Seahawks obviously think he will be available for the full season. But he reportedly won’t be ready until mid-August, and some apparently think he might miss the first month of the season.

For that reason, the Hawks need to add another outside rusher to go with Ansah and the run-stuffing tackle they also need.

Continue reading Ansah’s a good bet, but Hawks need more →