Tag Archives: Rashaad Penny

Here’s hoping Hawks are right about Price

Jadarian Price was considered a small reach at 32 by a handful of NFL executives, in an informal survey this week by ESPN’s Seth Walder.

That’s how we saw it, too. We think John Schneider, if his feet were held to the coals, would agree. After all, he said he tried to trade down and pick Price a few spots later.

Brady Henderson of ESPN said the board forced the Hawks’ hand a bit, because there was a three-round gap between Price and the next running back on Seattle’s list.

But, we’re not here to quibble about the value of the pick. We are focused on whether Price will be right for Seattle – which has a decade-long history of its top running backs getting injured.

Continue reading Here’s hoping Hawks are right about Price

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

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

History says Schneider should stick and pick

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

Trends — good and bad — continue in mistake-filled loss to Saints

Three trends continued in New Orleans – one really pleasant one and two supremely disappointing ones.

Geno Smith once again played very well, continuing to prove wrong all of us who thought he could not be an NFL starter. Far from being the weak link on this team, he has been a steady, competent leader and one of the top passers in the NFL in 2022.

But the dysfunctional defense continues to make it hard for Smith to win games. With even an average unit, the Hawks could be 4-1 and leading the division. Smith has played that well — the top-rated QB in the league. But the defense has been that bad — on pace yet again to be the worst in franchise history.

Continue reading Trends — good and bad — continue in mistake-filled loss to Saints

Hawks won’t always face defenses that bad, so theirs needs to improve

The Seahawks are in the thick of the division race – for now. But an average offense and horrible defense can’t keep them there.

Yeah, yeah, the offense put up 41 points Sunday in Detroit — against the NFL’s worst defense. That followed 23 against the league’s No. 25 scoring defense, Atlanta. But the Hawks were shut out by the NFL’s top scoring defense, the 49ers, after scoring just 17 (all in the first half) against Denver, which is a top-five defense.

So far, the Hawks have struggled vs. good defenses and scored well against bad ones. In other words, Geno Smith and Co. look like an average group that needs some help from the defense.

Continue reading Hawks won’t always face defenses that bad, so theirs needs to improve

Was the trade a good deal? And how quickly can the Hawks ‘reset’?

Many Seahawks fans are understandably upset over the trade of longtime franchise QB Russell Wilson, not realizing that it is the best thing for the franchise (and for Wilson).

Some fans are so busy sobbing into their beers that they even think the Seahawks are counting on Drew Lock to be the new starter. Some think they got a bad deal from Denver (Lock’s presence might have some bearing on that). And almost everyone thinks the Hawks are now rebuilding.

Let’s take a look at each of those concerns and see where the Seahawks go from here:

Continue reading Was the trade a good deal? And how quickly can the Hawks ‘reset’?

‘So many decisions’: Diggs and other offseason priorities

“We have so many decisions to make and so many things we have to handle.” – Pete Carroll.

As the franchise tag window opened this week, a report emerged that the Seahawks have begun negotiating a long-term deal with Quandre Diggs. Consider that the first step as Seattle’s offseason gets under way.

As the 2021 season ended, Pete Carroll said he wanted most of the roster from the 7-10 season back. Diggs is obviously the No. 1 free agent.

As the offseason revs up and the league year approaches, let’s look at Diggs and Seattle’s other priorities (we’ll avoid Russell Wilson trade talk here).

Continue reading ‘So many decisions’: Diggs and other offseason priorities

Futures of Diggs, Penny are the focus after notable season finale

Seattle’s 38-30 win in Arizona was meaningless to the franchise as far as this season is concerned, but it certainly meant a lot to the futures of Quandre Diggs and Rashaad Penny – for opposite reasons.

Poor Diggs suffered a broken fibula and dislocated ankle in the fourth quarter and left on a cart in tears as he surely considered the impact of the injury on his impending free agency.

Meanwhile, Penny had another big game, leading even more people to foolishly suggest the Seahawks pay him a bunch of money this year.

Continue reading Futures of Diggs, Penny are the focus after notable season finale

Still alive, Hawks face biggest test next

A win over one of the NFL’s worst teams proved nothing about the Seahawks, though it did keep them vaguely in the tightly knotted race for the seventh playoff spot.

Russell Wilson played as well as he had since perhaps early last season, Rashaad Penny (137 yards, two TDs) had the best game of his career and the Hawks turned a close contest into a 33-13 blowout with 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Now comes the real test. Wilson almost always struggles against the Rams – e.g., he led Seattle to just one touchdown in three quarters before he was injured earlier this season. But he is going to have to play like he did in Houston if he is going to help keep Seattle’s hopes alive.

Continue reading Still alive, Hawks face biggest test next

The Legion of Blitz & more hot topics

Jamal Adams’ sack record is getting a lot of attention this week.

Some say it is over-inflated – like a blind squirrel finding a nut in a park full of them. Some say Pete Carroll’s use of a safety as his main sack guy has completely changed his defense. And some say Carroll is again revolutionizing secondary play for the entire NFL.

We say Carroll is doing what he always tries to do (and often succeeds at doing): Use the skills of his players to best effect. So yeah, LOB now means Legion of Blitz. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Continue reading The Legion of Blitz & more hot topics