Tag: Doug Farrar

Seahawks pick safety Antoine Winfield Jr. in Touchdown Wire mock draft

The Seattle Seahawks safety Antoine Winfield Jr. out of Minnesota at No. 27 overall in Touchdown Wire’s pre-combine mock draft.

The 2020 NFL Scouting Combine doesn’t kick off until next week and free agency is still a month away but that isn’t stopping draft analysts from putting together their first mocks of the new season.

According to Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, the Seahawks could add to their secondary this April, pulling the trigger on Minnesota safety, Antoine Winfield Jr., with the No. 27 pick overall.

“Trading for ex-Lions safety Quandre Diggs last October probably saved the Seahawks from missing the playoffs last season,” writes Farrar. “After moving on from Earl Thomas, Seattle tried to replace the future Hall of Famer in the aggregate, which didn’t go well. Diggs is under club control through the 2021 season at ridiculously reasonable prices, but if we’re ever to see a reboot of the Legion of Boom, Pete Carroll and John Schneider are going to have to get another shot-calling safety with range, field smarts and a nose for the ball.

“Enter Winfield, the son of the former Bills and Vikings cornerback,” Farrar continues. “The younger Winfield missed all but eight games in 2017 and 2018 due to injury, but he recovered brilliantly to pick off seven passes last season. I recently watched tape with Winfield, and he explained how he’s able to add to his already estimable athleticism by understanding what’s going to happen on the field even before it happens.”

The combine gets underway next week but the defensive backs won’t take the field for drills until Sunday, March 1.

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Seahawks open at No. 6 in Touchdown Wire’s way-too-early power rankings

The Seattle Seahawks have landed at No. 6 in Touchdown Wire’s way-too-early NFL power rankings ahead of the 2020 regular season.

The 2019 season is barely in the books and Touchdown Wire is already looking waaaaaaaay ahead with it’s “way-too-early” NFL power rankings before free agency and April’s draft.

Seattle fans will be happy, however, to find their team starts out at No. 6 on the list.

“The freedom of going after it and scoring as many points … that’s kind of what the Chiefs do,” Russell Wilson told NBC Sports during Super Bowl Week. “They do a really good job of that – Andy Reid and [Patrick Mahomes]. They do a really good job of making plays, and they score more points than everybody else.”

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar referenced the above quotes when diving into his rankings analysis.

“Invoking the Chiefs’ offense when Wilson works with a head coach in Pete Carroll whose philosophies regarding ball control and offensive balance are well known?” writes Farrar. “Highly interesting, to say the least. Wilson has all the talent required to run such an attack, but will his coaches let him? Given the current state of Seattle’s pass defense, Carroll should bend here and let Wilson score a few more touchdowns to make up for the ones the Legion of Whom are capable of allowing.”

The Packers, Saints, 49ers, Ravens and Chiefs all bested Seattle in the initial rankings, but as Farrar notes, it’s way too early to be crowning the champion of the 2020 season anyway.

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Seahawks stand at No. 6 in Touchdown Wire’s Week 12 power rankings

Despite having a bye week, the Seattle Seahawks remain at No. 6 in Touchdown Wire’s Week 12 NFL power rankings.

Coming off their bye, the Seattle Seahawks remain in the top 10 of Touchdown Wire’s NFL power rankings. For the second week in a row, Seattle lands at No. 6 heading into Week 12.

Here’s what Doug Farrar wrote:

We’re going to give opposing defenses a little tip here: DO NOT apply man coverage when you’re playing the Seahawks. Just don’t do it. Through the first 10 weeks of the season, per Sports Info Solutions, Russell Wilson completed 79 of 136 passes for 1,022 yards, 14 touchdowns and one interception against any iteration of man coverage. No other quarterback had more than nine touchdowns against man. Rookie receiver DK Metcalf is one of four receivers (Amari Cooper, Mike Evans and Marvin Jones are the others) with five touchdown receptions against man coverage, and Tyler Lockett has four more.

Schematically, this is where we hope for a re-run of Super Bowl XLIX, because the Patriots are by far the NFL’s best man-coverage team, with 10 interceptions and just one touchdown allowed in Cover-0, Cover-1 or 2-Man. Anyone else needs to zone up, because Wilson, one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks in a crowded MVP race, will demolish you if you decide to track his receivers too closely.

But before the Seahawks can eye the Super Bowl or even the playoffs, they must get past the Eagles in Philadelphia this Sunday. Don’t forget, the game has been flexed out of prime time, with kickoff now set for 10 a.m. PT.

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Seahawks don’t budge in Touchdown Wire’s Week 11 power rankings

Despite an overtime victory Monday night against the 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks stand pat at No. 6 in the Week 11 NFL power rankings.

The Seattle Seahawks emerged victorious over the San Francisco 49ers Monday night to advance to 8-2 on the season and close the gap on control of the NFC West.

Despite their efforts and overtime win Week 10, the Seahawks stand pat at No. 6 in Touchdown Wire’s latest NFL power rankings.

“Through most of the 2019 season, Seattle’s defense has been an absolute liability, while Russell Wilson has had to take every game into his command,” writes Doug Farrar. “Against the 49ers in a brutally-fought game, that defense finally stepped up, led by edge-rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who finally put together the game he’s been waiting for since the Seahawks traded for him on Sept. 1. The Seahawks had 15 sacks and 29 QB hits coming into this game, and they turned it all around with five sacks and 10 quarterback hits in a 27-24 battle that went to the end of overtime.”

“Clowney ruled the day with five tackles, a strip-sack, five quarterback hits, and a fumble return for a touchdown,” Farrar continued. “So, on a night when Wilson threw his second interception of the season to keep the 49ers alive, it was atypically that Seattle defense that ended up slamming the door.”

Regardless of the slopiness of the play and the mistakes on both sides of the ball, Seattle did what it needed to do against a previously-unbeaten 49ers squad. Beating the unbeaten should account for a boost in the power rankings at least, but the Seahawks remain stuck at No. 6 for now.

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