Tag Archives: Michael Bennett

How serious is Bennett?

Michael Bennett and Drew RosenhausA year ago, before he re-signed with the Seahawks, Michael Bennett was asked whether he would give the Super Bowl champs a Dynasty Discount — i.e., take a little less money to stay on the NFL’s best defense and the new perennial Super Bowl favorite.

His reply: “There’s no such thing as a discount. This is not Costco. This is not Walmart. This is real life. There’s no discount, really, because you don’t go out there and give a discount effort. You go out there and give the best effort every day, you fight for your teammates, and you want to be compensated for the way you perform and the kind of teammate you are.”

But he did in fact give the Hawks a bit of a break, accepting a little less in a four-year deal worth $28.5 million, including $16 million guaranteed.

“I don’t think there’s any better situation, no matter how much money is involved,” he told 710 ESPN after signing.

But, after being paid $10 million in 2014, Bennett apparently has decided he wants to head back to Costco and trade the deal in for a new one.

That will not happen. Seattle general manager John Schneider made that clear with his stance against Marshawn Lynch last year.

The question then is this: How much of a stink does Bennett plan to make about his contract? Will he push for the rumored trade to Atlanta? And when he doesn’t get it, will he hold out like Lynch did last year? Or for longer? Or, is he just seeing what he can get and willing to go back to work for the deal he signed just one year ago?

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Are Bennett/Hardy reports driven by Rosenhaus?

Michael Bennett and Drew RosenhausDrew Rosenhaus
appears to be creating quite the drama
surrounding the
Seahawks today,
apparently telling a Dallas reporter that Michael Bennett wants the Seahawks to trade him to Atlanta, where he would want a new contract, and the Seahawks are meanwhile prepared to match any offer the Dallas Cowboys make to social pariah Greg Hardy.

Rosenhaus is the agent for both Bennett and Hardy, and it seems clear he is using Dallas reporter Clarence Hill as a way to improve the market for Hardy, the mercurial defensive end who is still unsigned because of a domestic-assault case and potential NFL suspension.

Per Hill, Bennett wants a new contract and trade to the Falcons, who are now coached by former Seattle DC Dan Quinn. And Hill also reported, via KJR radio, that the Hawks are willing to match any offer the Cowboys make for Hardy.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, have told local reporters they have not heard from Bennett about a trade request (but no word on whether he wants more money). The Hawks also have said their contact with Hardy (i.e., Rosenhaus) has been mere “due diligence.”

So what is the truth/logic behind all of this drama?

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As expected, Irvin & Bennett fined for brawl

Super Bowl brawlAs expected, Bruce Irvin and Michael Bennett were fined for the brawl at the end of the Super Bowl. So were Patriots tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Michael Hoomanawanui.

Irvin, who was ejected for being the “instigator” — reportedly received the highest fine: $10,000. The rest were docked $8,268.

The real instigator, based on video review of the fight, was Seattle defensive lineman Demarcus Dobbs. And Patriots guard Dan Connolly was lucky not to get fined as well.

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Baldwin, other immature Hawks need to grow up

Doug Baldwin turddown
Doug “Dookie” Baldwin pretends to poop out a football after scoring.

If the Seahawks have any hope of rebounding from that devastating Super Bowl loss, Pete Carroll is going to have to adjust the attitudes of some of his immature players.

He should start with Dookie Baldwin. Is anyone else fed up with his act yet? First he lashed out in Richard Sherman fashion after the NFC title game, and then he performed a classless “turddown” celebration after scoring in the Super Bowl.

He was fined $11,025 for the latter move — pretending to poop out the football in the end zone after his 3-yard touchdown gave Seattle a 24-14 lead in the third quarter. It was his only catch of the game as he found himself stranded on Revis Island, and yet he still felt like it was worth giving the Patriots a free 15 yards to start their next drive.

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CHAWK LINES -- Super Bowl XLIX

The Legion of Boom is definitely not healthy for this Super Bowl: Kam Chancellor, who has dealt with injuries to his ankles, hip and groin this season, banged his knee at the end of practice and left with it wrapped. He’s listed as probable, along with Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas.

After his monster game against Carolina three weeks ago, Chancellor didn’t get to see former Seattle enforcer Kenny Easley. But maybe he will this time: Easley will be an honorary captain for the Hawks at the Super Bowl coin toss.

Sherman is expecting his first baby any day. What if his girlfriend goes into labor during the Super Bowl? As you would expect, Pete Carroll said he would support Sherman regardless of his decision to play or not. And, Carroll ended with, “I can’t wait to meet little Petey.”

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Williams can thank Allen for Super Bowl

Kevin WilliamsKevin Williams said he’s not gloating to former Minnesota teammate Jared Allen.

But, if not for Allen forsaking a shot at a Super Bowl with the Seahawks for a few dollars more in Chicago, Williams likely would not have gotten the chance.

The Seahawks pursued Allen last March, but they were not willing to pay him more than they were paying Michael Bennett ($7 million a year), and Allen got another $1 million a year from the Bears.

In June, the Hawks instead signed Allen’s former Vikings teammate, giving the 34-year-old Williams a one-year deal worth $2.1 million.

“I actually thought he was going to come up here (to Seattle),” Williams said. “I thought it was pretty much in the bag.”

But Allen didn’t, and now Williams is in the Super Bowl while Allen, who lives in Phoenix, will be cheering his former teammate on against the Patriots on Sunday.

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The hallmarks of that win: Redemption, trust and resilience

Jermaine Kearse and Doug Baldwin hold the NFC trophy after they came up big in overtime vs. the Packers (Seahawks.com)Redemption, resilience, trust, teamwork.

Other than a trip to the Super Bowl, those were the themes of the Seahawks’ historic comeback win over the Green Bay Packers, 28-22 in overtime, on Sunday.

For much of the game, Russell Wilson, Jermaine Kearse and Doug Baldwin were the Three Stooges — taking turns poking each other in the eyes, hitting each other in the head and tripping over each other.

Wilson threw four interceptions — all on passes intended for Kearse, who had two go off his hands — and Baldwin fumbled on a kick return and dropped two passes himself.

But all three redeemed themselves on the winning drive in overtime — Wilson hitting Baldwin twice for 45 yards and then finding Kearse for the winning 35-yard touchdown.

After the game, Wilson and Kearse were overcome with emotion after their rollercoaster day.

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On the DL: Hawks rely on veteran additions

If you ever wondered why the Seahawks prefer veteran defensive linemen to ones they draft themselves, just take a look at the current roster.

Entering the season, the Seahawks had four home-drafted linemen and five outside acquisitions on the active roster. With Jordan Hill heading to IR this week, the only ones still standing are the guys they got from other teams: Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Kevin Williams, Tony McDaniel and O’Brien Schofield. (Bruce Irvin is now a starting linebacker who rushes in the nickel, so we’re not counting him as a lineman.)

Contrast the D-line with the defense’s back seven, which is entirely comprised of Seattle draft picks (including Irvin).

Pete Carroll and John Schneider seemingly have always preferred veteran defensive linemen — holdovers Brandon Mebane and Red Bryant, trade acquisition Chris Clemons and free agents Alan Branch, Jason Jones and the current quintet.

It might be because they prefer to play veterans who know all of the tricks, and it might be because they haven’t hit on many linemen in the draft.

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Penalty ‘chasm’ is becoming absurd, but Carroll embraces it

Penalties thru 15 gamesYou know the
Seahawks are a dominant team when they end up with an 11-1 disparity in penalties and three missed field goals and still win by 29 points.

Steven Hauschka’s misses in Seattle’s 35-6 win over Arizona were uncharacteristic, but the penalties — and the ridiculously lopsided nature of them — were a continuation of a theme.

The Seahawks came into the game with 1.9 times as many penalties as their opponents — the worst factorial since the 1953 Cleveland Browns, according to NBC’s stats folks. It only got worse as the Hawks were called for 11 and the Cardinals were assessed just one. Now the Hawks’ penalties outnumber their foes’ by an even 2-1.

Pete Carroll has decided to embrace the obvious bias of the officials.

“I’m not griping about it,” he told 710 ESPN on Monday. “Matter of fact, I kind of like … the (penalty) chasm. Let’s let the chasm continue to broaden for the heck of it and see what happens.”

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Defensive leaders explain resurgence

Bobby Wagner signals Seattle ball after a takeaway against the Eagles (Seahawks.com)The Seahawks’ late surge was born of roster health, leadership and camaraderie — things that were missing at midseason — and the Hawks have emphasized for the past three weeks that they are playing for each other more than ever now. And, because of that, they are able to play smarter and faster.

With every win, they reinforce the reborn mantra that they will continue to win if they trust each other.

After the 24-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Kam Chancellor was asked if the defense had sent a message. He said yeah, “but the message wasn’t to anyone outside of this team. The message is to each other.”

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