Tag: Brian Schottenheimer

Josh Gordon can do more than run slant routes

Seattle Seahawks receiver Josh Gordon has excelled as a slant route runner so far this year, but Brian Schottenheimer knows he can do more.

Although the numbers are rather pedestrian, there’s no doubt the Seattle Seahawks have been thrilled with what they have gotten out of free agent pickup Josh Gordon over the past three weeks.

Still battling an injury and with very little time to adjust to a brand-new offense, Gordon has hauled in four receptions (on five targets) for 47 yards.

All four of his receptions have been first downs, as quarterback Russell Wilson has come to trust him run quick slant routes and convert on third down.

However, Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer views Gordon as more than a slant-running first down machine.

“We certainly do a lot of things with him, he just made some good plays on those,” Schottenheimer said on Thursday. “We’ve tried a couple double moves with him, he got the P.I. penalty against Philadelphia that was a big play. But I would say it’s definitely coincidence.”

Schottenheimer went on to praise Gordon’s increased comfort with the system and his relationship with Wilson, while also highlighting that Gordon’s success is simply the fact that he’s, well, good at catching footballs.

“Unbelievable catcher of the football,” Schottenheimer continued. “I think his hands, the ability to catch the football is maybe the best I’ve ever seen. The ball is in his area, he finds a way to catch it but, he’s doing a really good job for us. We’re very pleased with him.”

Wilson has a plethora of options to choose from at this point in the season. Tyler Lockett is healthy after battling a leg injury and the flu, rookie DK Metcalf has emerged as a true star, tight end Jacob Hollister has stepped up in a big way, and now Gordon is getting more comfortable in the offense.

Factor in the two-headed monster of Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny in the running game and you have an offense that is very tough to game plan against, a task the Rams will have to take on this Sunday night in Los Angeles, where Seattle will be playing for a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.

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Seahawks tight end Jacob Hollister valued for his football instincts

Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer praised tight end Jacob Hollister and his play after Will Dissly’s injury.

Seattle Seahawks tight end Jacob Hollister has been a surprising revelation for the team and a key offensive weapon for Russell Wilson this season, recording 25 receptions for 203 receiving yards and three touchdowns since being thrust into action in Week 7.

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said he did not expect Hollister to make such significant contributions to the team so quickly.

“I really liked Jake as a player when I first saw him and he had a great spring,” Schottenheimer said after practice on Thursday. “But, when you’re running around in t-shirts and shorts, it’s a little different than when you’re out there with pads on and you’re playing real football.”

When star tight end Will Dissly suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns, the Seahawks’ unit at the position was thoroughly depleted. Ed Dickson being placed on injured reserve only reinforced that narrative. However, Hollister eventually embraced his role as the next man up and began to develop chemistry with Wilson. This led to a notable game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which he recorded four catches for 37 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime.

“I think Tampa’s kind of where things swung for him – a couple big plays, big touchdowns, you get noticed a little bit more,” Schottenheimer said. “What you guys see on the little glimpses in practice, we see it all the time. Just very reliable, always in the right spot, great football instincts. Not good, great football instincts.”

Hollister will continue to be counted on as a major cog in the Seahawks offense throughout the final four games of the 2019 season. Seattle will undoubtedly need more production from him with the injuries at the tight end position.

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Chris Carson remains the Seahawks starting running back

Despite the emergence of running back Rashaad Penny Week 12, Chris Carson remains the Seattle Seahawks starting running back for now.

Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson struggled last week against the Philadelphia Eagles while Rashaad Penny posted one of the better games of his career. But for now, it appears there is no starting running back controversy in Seattle.

“I mean, Chris is our guy,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said Friday. “We know that. He’s playing terrific football as well. But, like what happened last year some, each week, sometimes different guys step up. It happens that way in the passing game. Different receivers step up. Happened in the running game.

“Of course, we want to get Rashaad his touches, get him in the game – in terms of forcing it to happen, we’re not going to do that.”

Against the Eagles, Penny finished the day with 14 carries for 129 yards and a career-long, 58-yard touchdown run.

Penny’s off-season work paid off for both him and the Seahawks and Schottenheimer has noticed a real difference in the second-year running back.

“I think he feels better, I think he feels like his conditioning is better” Schottenheimer explained. “I think that’s part of the confidence of a young player. Hey, I feel better. I feel like I can do more. It’s cool to see him get rewarded for that when he goes out and performs the way that he did.”

So for now, Seattle will continue to utilize the one-two punch of Carson and Penny, playing whoever is hot at the time. The Seahawks running backs’ next chance to square off is Monday night against the Vikings in primetime.

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Rashaad Penny reemerges as offensive weapon for Seahawks Week 12

After very little production over the last three games, Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny logged an impressive Week 12 against the Eagles.

Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny has finally come to life. Penny had a banner day Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles, finishing the game as the team’s leading rusher with 14 carries for 129 yards and one touchdown.

Penny, who has been relegated to a minor backup role as of late, actually got more touches than starter Chris Carson on Sunday. Entering the matchup, Penny had only posted 14 carries over his last three outings and just 26 total on the year.

Penny’s impressive 58-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter against the Eagles is a career-long and his second score of the season.

Penny, unlike Carson, has just one fumble in 2019, which came Week 10 in San Francisco.

Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer had said just last week the plan was to get Penny more involved in the offense.

“But for us to go where we want to go, I think Rashaad will help us win games and he’s chomping at the bit,” Schottenheimer told reporters Thursday. “We just don’t ever plan exactly how it’s going to play out. Chris has been playing so good right now but, when Rashaad get his chances, I think he’ll play well.”

Luckily for the Schottenheimer, the Seahawks and Penny, the plan worked flawlessly.

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Seahawks still committed to getting Rashaad Penny going

The Seattle Seahawks are still hoping to get some value out of Rashaad Penny in the final few weeks of the 2019 season.

It’s clear the Seattle Seahawks have not utilized 2018 first round draft pick Rashaad Penny nearly as often as expected.

Penny was a monster at San Diego State, and was selected with the intention that he would either become the full-fledged starter in Seattle, or would at least form a formidable running back tandem alongside Chris Carson.

Instead, Carson has retained his status as the team’s bell-cow, while Penny has been relegated to straight backup duty, only handling the ball six times in his last two games combined.

While the team is down on Penny’s performance as of late – he was benched after fumbling against San Francisco and never returned – there is still hope that he will get more involved down the stretch, and that he will play well.

“For us to go where we want to go, I think Rashaad will help us win games and he’s chomping at the bit,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer commented on Thursday. “We just don’t ever plan exactly how it’s going to play out. Chris [Carson] has been playing so good right now but, when Rashaad get his chances, I think he’ll play well.”

Penny has just 36 rushing attempts on the season (about five per game) and has rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown, while also hauling in three receptions for 34 yards.

Those numbers pale in comparison to what Carson has done, and even with the fumbling issue it is clear he is – and should be – the preferred option in Seattle.

“We’re really pleased with what Chris is doing,” Schottenheimer continued. “He’s playing really, really well. You guys know the way we are, and the way we want to get multiple backs involved.”

The Seahawks are set to take on the Eagles in Philadelphia on Sunday morning, and all signs point once again to Carson handling the vast majority of duty in the backfield.

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Seahawks addressing mounting ball security concerns

After logging five fumbles and an interception against the 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks need to re-focus on protecting the football.

The Seahawks were able to narrowly escape the 49ers in Week 10 despite major issues in protecting the football. Against San Francisco, Seattle fumbled five times – including three for losses – and quarterback Russell Wilson threw an interception.

Well into the second half of the regular season, ball security remains a major point of emphasis for Seahawks’ offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

“We continue to address it, do some ball security circuits and things like that,” Schottenheimer said Thursday. “The thing we talk about with our guys – the fundamentals, we’ll continue to drill that – there’s also a philosophy.”

Schottenheimer explained there is a fine line, however, between protecting the ball and playing to win. He used running back Chris Carson as a prime example.

“We don’t want them to lose their competitiveness – that’s the way Chris runs, he runs competitive – but they’ve got to understand that there’s nothing more important than the ball,” Schottenheimer said. “We talked a little bit about that this week, our guys get it. They’re aware that we need to do it better, they can do it better, and we expect that we’ll start that this week.”

But to keep a playoff berth a realistic goal, the Seahawks will need to do more than just “start that this week” – they’ll need to prove it won’t be a major issue going forward in the homestretch of the season.

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