Tag: John Clayton

John Clayton was not a fan of the Russell Wilson trade

Humility being one of his great strengths, Clayton later admitted he was wrong about Wilson getting traded. That doesn’t mean he was wrong about the reasons why.

The NFL lost another giant this week. While he never took the field, John Clayton made the game immeasurably more enjoyable for everyone who read his work or listened to his words. In addition to being a stellar all-around human being, Clayton was about as plugged in as anyone when it came to the Seahawks. He did not believe that Seattle was going to trade Russell Wilson this offseason – at one point calling it the most overrated story in 50 years.

When he was asked on the radio about why the Seahawks would trade Wilson he offered a very-much to the point reply:

Humility being one of his great strengths, Clayton later admitted he was wrong about Wilson getting traded. That doesn’t mean he was wrong about the reasons.

The Seahawks did get a good haul of draft captal in the deal and there’s still time for them to find a suitable starter to replace Wilson – even if their options are dwindling by the day. That said, right now the trade has put them in an unenviable position. By taking a major step back at quarterback, they’ve done incredible harm to their roster.

According to the Pro Football Focus offseason improvement index, the Seahawks have taken the largest step backwards in the NFL so far. Meanwhile, the Broncos have enjoyed the biggest jump.

Not great, Bob.

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Longtime ESPN NFL Insider John Clayton dies at 67 years old leaving sports fans and colleagues everywhere in mourning

Rest in peace, John Clayton.

So many sports fans around the world grew up watching ESPN. For so many of us — including myself — it was their first introduction to the sports world at large.

That meant so many of us got to see John Clayton at work. For NFL fans, he was an absolute staple when it came to the coverage of the league.

Looking for free agency or trade news? Better catch that John Clayton segment. He was always going to give you the skinny on the latest from around the league. In my household and so many others, John Clayton was a legend.

We lost that legend on Friday.

Clayton died from what was described as a “brief illness” by his colleague, Chris Mortensen.

ESPN shared the news, too.

Then the tributes started pouring in from friends, colleagues and fans from around the sports world.

Seahawks legends, players and reporters share tributes to John Clayton

Judging by the outpouring of responses from around the league, Clayton had a profound impact on everyone involved with his work.

ESPN’s NFL writer and reporter John Clayton died on Friday at the age of 67. Judging by the outpouring of responses from around the league, Clayton had a profound impact on everyone touched by his work.

Here’s what Seattle Seahawks legends, current players, analysts and beat reporters are sharing about Clayton.

Former ESPN insider John Clayton dies at 67

Former ESPN football insider John Clayton has died at 67

Former ESPN inside John Clayton died Friday at age 67 after a brief illness.

Tributes poured in via social media after the news was announced.

Clayton’s fame grew with his fabulous role in a This Is SportsCenter commercial.

The tributes:

 

Pete Carroll: Russell Wilson will be the best he’s ever been in 2020

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll joined 710 ESPN Seattle to discuss quarterback Russell Wilson and what he will be like in 2020.

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll joined 710 ESPN Seattle’s John Clayton on Friday to discuss quarterback Russell Wilson; specifically, enhancing his role in the team’s offense going forward.

Carroll praised Wilson as he usually does, stating that he is the best he has been throughout his entire career going into 2020. He also stressed the importance of having a balanced team and explained how Wilson factors into that equation.

“Russell is at the best of his game that he’s ever been and his command, his control and understanding of everything we can put forth on him allows him to be, I think, at the best he’s ever been,” Carroll said. “… And we want him to have more opportunities to be the factor of the game and control the game. But John, in just football in general, that doesn’t mean that you throw the football all the time to do that. We need to be a really good, functioning team that’s hard to beat because we’re so good at the things we do. That means that you have to have balance in your game.”

Carroll acknowledged the clamor from fans to “let Russ cook,” but assured them that Wilson will be at the top of his game if there is a season in 2020.

“We’re not going to take anything away from Russell’s ability to produce – we want to maximize his opportunities,” Carroll said. “So whatever this ‘Russell cook’ thing is about, I don’t know what it’s about, but he is at his best, he is in the most command he’s ever been, and he and (offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer) and the offensive staff have worked this offseason to a point where we’re ready to unveil it, the best version of us. And that means the best version of Russ.”

Wilson will need to be at his best for Seattle to even have a chance at making it to Super Bowl LV. 12s will hope that they will indeed see the best version of him.

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Seahawks coach Pete Carroll willing to delay start of camp to be safe

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is more than willing to delay the start of training camp to ensure all COVID-19 protocols are in place.

Most states are experiencing rises in COVID-19 cases and businesses are once again starting to shut down. The National Football League, however, is pushing full-steam ahead, planning for the start of training camps at the end of the month.

While everyone wants to see sports back in action in some form or another, safety for all involved should be the number one concern.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is willing to wait out a delay to the start of training camp to ensure the proper protocols are in place.

Carroll joined 710 ESPN Seattle’s John Clayton on Friday and explained his stance on the issue.

“We want to be as smart as we can when we make these choices in the season as we go forward and if we need more time to get it done, I hope that we’ll take it,” Carroll said. “If we need to postpone the start of camp coming up and we could use that to our advantage, I think we should do it.”

But as of now, Carroll hasn’t heard differently from the league and will plan for the July 28 start date as safely as he can.

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John Clayton: Russell Wilson is recruiting Antonio Brown to Seahawks

710 ESPN Seattle’s John Clayton reports that Seahawks quarterback is recruiting free agent wide receiver Antonio Brown to the team.

710 ESPN Seattle’s John Clayton reports that Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is recruiting free agent wide receiver Antonio Brown to the Emerald City.

Clayton said the Seahawks have prioritized other positions, but are open to adding another pass-catching target for Wilson, and another potential advantage is Brown’s friendship with Seahawks backup quarterback Geno Smith.

“It’s pretty clear the Seahawks want to run the ball even more this year,” Clayton said. “They have loaded up at tight end and tried to stay big along the offensive line. But it’s not out of the question for the Seahawks to add another wide receiver. According to sources, Wilson would love to add Antonio Brown. Brown is also close with backup QB Geno Smith, whose one-year contract with the Seahawks was finalized Wednesday.”

However, Brown was run out of town by three teams in a remarkably short amount of time due to disorderly conduct and behavior, and Seattle already has two star wide receivers in Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. It seems unlikely that the Seahawks will pursue Brown, but anything is possible in the NFL.

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Coach Pete Carroll admits his optimism can impact his draft scouting

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll recently admitted on a podcast that his optimism can negatively impact his draft scouting.

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll recently joined The Ringer’s Flying Coach podcast and made a critical admission about himself and his scouting abilities.

“I’m such an optimist . . .  I see something that really excites me about a guy and I don’t have to see him play great all the time,” he said. “If I can see enough stuff then I think I can tap into it. I’m a little bit of a victim of that in recruiting and all that because maybe I’m too optimistic about that. Basically, they are what they are and then you develop them and you try to add to it, but I kind of fall (victim) to that.”

710 ESPN Seattle’s John Clayton chimed in, stating Carroll overestimates the abilities of himself and his coaching staff at times.

“The one thing is Pete is very optimistic and he’s very positive and he thinks that with his coaching and his coaching staff that he can get these guys to reach the best level,” Clayton said. “In many ways he has and in some cases, hey, you aren’t going to hit on everything, and I don’t think there should be any reconsideration of anything with what you do as far as Pete’s coaching because you can see the success. He’s in the playoffs just about every year, he’s now trying to build everything for a Super Bowl run. So you’re not going to be perfect, but hey, that’s the way football is.”

Seahawks fans hope that Carroll’s optimism about his players in this year’s draft will be justified in the 2020 season.

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Quinton Dunbar’s attorney speaks out on client’s armed robbery charges

Quinton Dunbar’s attorney, Michael Grieco, spoke with 710 ESPN Seattle’s John Clayton regarding his client’s four armed-robbery charges.

The Seattle Seahawks traded for cornerback Quinton Dunbar this March and he is already making headlines, but for all the wrong reasons. Last Thursday, Dunbar was charged with four felony counts of armed robbery which stem from an incident that was alleged to have occurred on May 13.

Dunbar has since turned himself in on the warrants and was released on $100,000 bond, $25,000 for each charge.

His attorney, Michael Grieco, was interviewed by 710 ESPN Seattle’s John Clayton on Monday morning. Grieco told Clayton he has sworn affidavits from four of the victims and one witness at the scene who could help to clear Dunbar’s name.

“With these five individuals, one of them had always consistently said that what the other four said was not accurate, so … the same statement to the police is the same statement he gave me,” Grieco told Clayton. “The other four individuals, they’ve come around and they’re telling the truth now. They told it to myself that this didn’t happen and we’re hoping that the state attorney’s office down here does the right thing.”

Greico is standing by his client as well, asserting his innocence in the matter. He insists Dunbar has no prior criminal record.

“He didn’t participate in any robbery, anything along those lines, and I know he left,” Grieco explained. “… I can tell you that he didn’t see anything when it came to what they’re alleging. I can’t speak to whether or not something happened inside the house. I can tell you Mr. Dunbar wasn’t there at the time, if it occurred at all, and he left.”

As for the interview, Greico wanted to help to set the record straight by publically discussing the matter with the local media urging people not to rush to judgment.

“It was very important for us to get the word out – I have those media relationships – to make sure that people know this is an innocent man,” Greico said. “Anybody can point a finger and allege something but soon as you kinda pull back the cover of the book, maybe it’s not exactly what you think it is. I don’t want people rushing to judgment as to either of the individuals, but specifically as to Quinton, he’s going to walk away from this exonerated.”

This story is continuing to develop.

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