Tag: Doug Baldwin

Griffin brothers’ agent, Buddy Baker, loses parents to coronavirus

In a heartfelt video shared to Twitter, NFL agent Buddy Baker revealed his parents died six minutes apart from COVID-19 complications.

Buddy Baker, the longtime sports agent and CEO of Exclusive Sports Group, posted a heartfelt message on his Twitter account Tuesday afternoon revealing his parents recently died of complications due to the coronavirus.

Baker represents Seattle Seahawks players Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin, as well as former star Seattle wide receiver Doug Baldwin.

Baker’s parents were married 51 years and were healthy before contracting the virus and developing COVID-19, which killed them six minutes apart from each other.

Baker made the choice to share his story on social media not for sympathy, but as a call to action for folks who aren’t practicing social distancing and are continuing to put people at risk.

“We usually look for a positive thing to be an inspiration,” Baker said. “We hope that what’s happened to us and our family inspires others to start needing and unifying with each other to make the right choice and the challenging choice.”

Baker’s inspirational video in light of such tragedy caught the eye of Baldwin, who shared the video on his own Twitter account.

Our thoughts are with Baker and everyone else suffering loss during this global pandemic.

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Will Dissly switches to No. 89 to honor former Seahawk Doug Baldwin

Seattle Seahawks tight end Will Dissly is switching to No. 89 this season, in honor of Doug Baldwin.

When the Seattle Seahawks signed veteran free agent Greg Olsen to a one-year deal, he and Will Dissly needed to work something out. Olsen has been wearing the No. 88 since 2011, his first year with the Panthers, while Dissly wore 88 his first two seasons in Seattle.

Fortunately, the two struck a deal where Olsen will donate money to a charity of Dissly’s choice in exchange for his old number back, an exchange that John Schneider called “pretty cool”.

Now, Dissly ended the suspense by announcing on his Instagram that he will be wearing No. 89 next season, giving a shout out to former teammate Doug Baldwin – who last wore the number for the Seahawks in 2018.

Some had hoped Dissly would go back to his old number at UW, 98, but NFL rules prohibit receivers or tight ends from wearing a number in the 90’s.

So instead, Dissly will take over a number with a lot of history in Seattle. Baldwin wore No. 89 from 2012-2018 after wearing No. 15 his rookie season.

Baldwin took over the mantle from Brian Blades, who wore No. 89 from 1988-1998, an 11-year career that saw him make a Pro Bowl in 1989 and rack up over 7,500 receiving yards – second in team history behind Steve Largent. Baldwin is third.

Dissly is on track to return from his achilles injury in time to begin the 2020 season, and he plans to do the No. 89 justice with another strong, hopefully healthy, campaign.

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After learning a ton, John Ursua is ready to contribute in 2020

Seattle Seahawks receiver John Ursua is all caught up after struggling with the playbook last year, and he’s ready to make an impact.

The Seattle Seahawks used three of their 11 draft picks in 2019 on wide receivers. One of them, DK Metcalf, quieted the doubters and turned in an excellent rookie campaign while another, Gary Jennings, never made the active roster and was released before the season ended.

The third was John Ursua, a seventh round pick out of Hawaii who projects as a possession slot receiver in the NFL, but who only saw action in three games last year, with just 11 total snaps.

Ursua had a strong preseason, even drawing some way-too-early Doug Baldwin comparisons, but he struggled to learn the playbook and adjust to the NFL game, which hampered his ability to get on the field in year one.

Those days are behind him however, and coach Pete Carroll is excited at the prospect of a fully ready Ursua in the mix for playing time in 2020.

“Johnny Ursua coming up, we’re excited to see where he fits into it,” Carroll told reporters at the NFL combine on Tuesday. “He could definitely be a factor. He was the other end of the spectrum when we’re talking about young receivers. Johnny had a long way to go and had a lot to learn, and it took him longer to assimilate. But he’s getting there now and he finished out the season with us being active and all that, so there’s a lot of exciting parts to put together here.”

Ursua spent most of the season as a healthy inactive, appearing in three games and hauling in one reception, an 11-yard gain in the Week 17 battle with the 49ers that fell just one-yard short of the end zone.

The 26-year-old has a year of preparation under his belt, and if he can prove he’s ready to take on the playbook and the speed of the NFL game, he could be a nice short-yardage option in the receiver room in 2020.

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DK Metcalf’s rookie season among the best in franchise history

Seattle Seahawks rookie receiver DK Metcalf had an excellent season, proving the doubters wrong and excelling in a variety of roles.

The regular season is over, and while the Seattle Seahawks 2019 rookie class was underwhelming as a whole, receiver DK Metcalf proved the doubters wrong with an excellent campaign, hauling in 58 receptions for 900 yards and seven touchdowns.

Metcalf’s 900 receiving yards was third among rookies, behind his former college teammate, A.J. Brown, as well as Terry McLaurin.

Additionally, Metcalf and Tyler Lockett (1,057 yards) became the third duo in Seahawks franchise history to each accrue 900 or more receiving yards, joining Doug Baldwin and Jimmy Graham (2016) and Joey Galloway and Brian Blades (1995).

Metcalf was originally projected as an early to mid first round pick, but concerns about his limited route-running dropped him all the way to the final pick in the second round, where Seattle traded up to acquire his services.

Concerns about the route-running proved inconsequential, as Metcalf excelled in a variety of roles for Seattle.

“We don’t have any problem with moving him around and asking him to do different things,” coach Pete Carroll said on Monday. “Blocking on different levels and running all kinds of routes. He’s just been a really diverse player for us, which is rare with a young guy. Usually, the young guys come in and they have kind of been taken care of all along where they’ve been in systems where they don’t have all of that background, so they have a lot of stuff to learn and you can see the inexperience in guys. He doesn’t play like that at all.”

Metcalf’s 58 percent catch rate was perhaps his biggest flaw, as drops at key times often killed drives. However, his relationship with Russell Wilson blossomed in the second half of the year. Across the team’s final eight games, Metcalf had a team-high 498 yards on 35 receptions, along with a 63.6 percent catch rate.

The rookie still has some work to do to reach his potential as an elite x-receiver, but the early return is extremely promising for the Seahawks, who really needed another weapon on the outside to pair with Lockett and Wilson.

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Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett crosses 1,000 yards receiving

Seattle Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett’s 12-yard reception in the fourth quarter pushed him over 1,000 yards receiving this season.

Fans will be forgiven if they didn’t notice Tyler Lockett’s milestone catch in the fourth quarter on Sunday night against the Arizona Cardinals.

In fact, fans can’t be blamed for not noticing Lockett at all on Sunday, as the 12-yard reception was his only catch of the game, which resulted in a disappointing 27-13 loss.

However, Lockett’s catch took him from 994 receiving yards on the year to 1,006 yards, giving him the first 1,000 yard season of his career and the 23rd in Seahawks franchise history.

Lockett joins seven other receivers; Steve Largent, Joey Galloway, Doug Baldwin, Darrell Jackson, Brian Blades, Koren Robinson and Bobby Engram, who have crossed 1,000 yards in a single-season while with the Seahawks.

Lockett reset his career-high of 965 yards, set in 2018, during the team’s Week 15 win over Carolina. Now, he joins the elusive 1,000 yard club – and while it didn’t come in a particularly impressive performance, it is a testament to how important he has been to this Seattle offense in 2019.

The Seahawks will no doubt need Lockett on his A-game next Sunday, when they take on the 49ers in Seattle without Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise, who will both be out for the rest of the season.

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Hernia issue not expected to keep Jadeveon Clowney out in Week 13

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll doesn’t expect Jadeveon Clowney, who is being treated for a sports hernia, to miss Monday night’s game.

The Seattle Seahawks managed another excellent defensive performance on Sunday, despite being without star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

Clowney missed the contest with what was listed as a hip injury. However, he visited with doctor William Meyers before the game, who typically treats sports hernia injuries, including performing surgery recently on both Doug Baldwin and Jarran Reed.

Coach Pete Carroll confirmed that, while Clowney was treated for a sports hernia, he did not have surgery (which typically comes with a six week recovery time) and that he is hoping to play on Monday.

“That’s what he was treated for,” Carroll said. “We’ll see how the treatment took hold. He feels pretty good today. I haven’t talked to him directly but he’s passed along that he’s looking forward to playing this week.”

Clowney was named the NFC defensive player of the week after his dominant performance against San Francisco in Week 10, but Seattle’s defensive line stepped up in his absence on Sunday against the Eagles, forcing three fumbles and recording three sacks.

If the rest of the unit can play that well with Clowney, this team should wreak havoc on Kirk Cousins and the Vikings on Monday Night Football, which is set to kick off at 5:15 p.m. on December 2nd.

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Malik Turner’s energy and intensity make him extremely valuable

The Seattle Seahawks love the versatility and energy that WR Malik Turner brings to the offense, making him a valuable piece to this team.

The Seattle Seahawks replaced Doug Baldwin with a trio of unproven rookies last offseason, leading many to believe that the team’s receiving corps would take a hit in 2019.

However, the continued emergence of Tyler Lockett, the star power flashed by rookie DK Metcalf and the midseason addition of Josh Gordon have made the Seahawks a formidable passing team, lead of course by MVP candidate Russell Wilson.

One name that gets lost in the shuffle of Seattle’s rebuilt and reloaded receiving group is Malik Turner, an undrafted free agent who is now in his second year with the Seahawks.

Turner is having a quietly excellent season however, hauling in nine receptions (on 11 targets) for 153 yards and six first downs.

While his number has not been called often, Turner has proven to be a reliable pass catcher out of a variety of roles, and made a crucial play in Seattle’s most recent game against San Francisco.

“We have really learned to appreciate Malik in that he’s such a good worker,” coach Pete Carroll said on Wednesday. “He’s such an intense guy. Everything he does, he does full speed whether you’re talking to the teams guys, or on offense where they’re blocking and running routes. He’s a terrific route runner. He’s got a great energy about him. It’s not often you can talk about a guy having a motor as a receiver, but he’s got a really good motor and it shows up.”

Turner spent most of the 2018 season on the practice squad, although he did appear in six games and hauled in two receptions. He was considered a longshot to make the roster out of camp this season, but impressed Carroll with his motor and his ability to learn every different position among the receivers, allowing his versatility to make him a weapon off the bench.

“He’s doing really well,” Carroll continued. “He knows everybody’s position, so he’s very versatile. Very valuable guy on our team.”

Don’t expect Turner to lead the team in receptions or yards any game soon, but his role has been an important one this season, and that will continue when the team heads to Philadelphia to face the Eagles on Sunday morning.

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