Tag: KJ Wright

Geno Smith was motivated by seeing Seahawks legend on 49ers sideline

Geno Smith was motivated by seeing Seahawks legend on 49ers sideline

Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback Geno Smith was outstanding in Sunday’s Week 11 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Smith completed 25 of 32 passing attempts for 221 yards. More importantly, he rushed for the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter with mere seconds remaining in a then-tie game.

Smith recently joined the Richard Sherman Podcast to discuss his performance. Smith told Sherman that he was especially motivated to end his winless streak versus the 49ers when he looked towards their sideline and noticed ex-Seahawk linebacker KJ Wright. Wright is a defensive quality control coach on Kyle Shanahan’s staff.

“I was actually just smiling as I was running on the field for that last [game-winning] drive,” Smith told Seahawks legend Richard Sherman in response to a question about his performance. “I knew we were going to win. Sometime in the third quarter, I looked over at their bench and saw KJ [Wright] standing there. I was like what the…? We have to beat these guys. When I saw KJ, it just kind of pissed me off. He’s a Seahawk. He shouldn’t have those [49ers] colors on.”

Wright was drafted by the Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He enjoyed an illustrious 10-year career (2011-20) in Seattle, winning Super Bowl XLVIII for the franchise. Wright was also named to the 2016 Pro Bowl. He ranks second in franchise history in tackles with 593 takedowns, trailing just Bobby Wagner (915).

Smith is correct. It hurts seeing Wright sporting 49ers colors. Smith found appropriate motivation and spearheaded Seattle to a massive NFC West victory over their arch rival 49ers.

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Bruce Irvin reacts to KJ Wright joining 49ers coaching staff: ‘Terrible!’

Bruce Irvin reacts to KJ Wright joining 49ers coaching staff: ‘Terrible!’

Over the weekend, the 12th Man was treated to news that did not seem to please anyone. Former Seattle Seahawks great and founding member of the Legion of Boom, K.J. Wright, is joining the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff. The rivalry between the Seahawks and 49ers is as deep as it gets in this league when it comes to pure hate between teams and fanbases.

It turns out the hate still lingers among former players as well, especially for other Legion of Boomers. Fellow linebacker and pass rush specialist Bruce Irvin took to Twitter to react to the news of his former teammate joining San Francisco in a now-deleted tweet.

Of course, it is hard to imagine Irvin is truly angry at his former teammate. Objectively it is a great opportunity for Wright if he wants to get into coaching. That being said, it is also hard to disagree with Irvin’s sentiments.

The 49ers are easily Seattle’s biggest rival, and any game between them and the Seahawks from 2012-2014 was practically a clash of the Titans. Wright and Irvin were involved in plenty of games that made life miserable for those playing for San Francisco.

Seeing Wright in the red and gold will be a tough sight for 12’s.

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Seahawks great KJ Wright says he’s joining 49ers coaching staff

Wright will also get to work with one of the best linebacker groups in football.

Former Seahawks linebacker KJ Wright says he’s joining the 49ers coaching staff as an assistant linebackers coach.

Wright broke the news himself in his most recent podcast, which came out this morning.

Wright will be working under Nick Sorensen, who has replaced Steve Wilks as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator.

Sorensen previously worked with the Seahawks in a variety of roles from 2013-2020, including as their secondary coach for four years. This past season he served as the Niners’ defensive pass game specialist and nickels coach.

Wright will also get to work with one of the best linebacker groups in football. The combination of Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw is as tough as they come at the inside linebacker spots.

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Super Bowl LVIII: KJ Wright on how 49ers can slow down the Chiefs

These Niners are a bit more potent than that 2019 team, though.

The Super Bowl is on Sunday – and we’ll be treated to a rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, who met in the same game five years ago. That time around Patrick Mahomes pulled off an incredible comeback, leading to a 31-20 win for his team.

These Niners are a bit more potent than that 2019 team, though. Here’s former Seahawks linebacker KJ Wright on how 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks can slow down the Chiefs offense.

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Cam Newton: Panthers have not set Bryce Young up for success

Panthers great Cam Newton said he believes in Bryce Young. But he doesn’t believe the team has set the rookie up for success this season.

Perhaps no one on this planet knows what Bryce Young is currently going through more than Cam Newton does. So, what does he think of the rookie passer at this point?

The franchise’s first No. 1 overall pick spoke about the franchise’s second No. 1 overall pick on Wednesday’s episode of KJ ALL DAY with KJ Wright. (Yes, that KJ Wright.) And that topic came right off the top from the former Seattle Seahawks linebacker.

“I believe in Bryce,” Newton told Wright. “But I think you have to raise him with care. I think a person like Bryce could be scarred, just like any other quarterback could be scarred, if thrown to the wolves too early, right?”

Young has dealt with some of those wolves early on—as a mix of struggling playmakers, a banged-up offensive line and an organizational transition has, in part, attributed to a slow opening chapter. The 22-year-old, who is currently dealing with an ankle injury, has completed a hair over 59 percent of his passes for 299 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions over two winless starts.

Newton continued.

“We all know any time you’re the first pick, that means you’re goin’ to a [expletive] team. I went through it. Peyton Manning went through it. All the No. 1 picks went through it. And this day in age, it’s about who and what can you do right now. But I think when you’re dealin’ with a talent like Bryce Young, it’s the long tenure rather than right-now success.”

Unlike Young, Newton was a “right-now success” as a rookie.

The 2010 Heisman Trophy winner burst onto the scene immediately, setting an all-time record for passing yards by a rookie quarterback in his NFL debut (422). He went on to capture the 2011 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, and the rest—including a Most Valuable Player award, three division titles and an NFC Championship—was history.

Wright then asked Newton if the Panthers have set Young up to succeed this season.

“No,” he emphatically replied before Wright even finished his question. “And I see the receiver skill set, yes. You see the [Adam] Thielen, you see [DJ] Chark, you see the tight end there. But from top to bottom, for him, it’s not set up for him to be successful—especially not his rookie year, in my honest opinion.

“And, like I said, everything that Carolina is building—will they get to that point? Yes. In throwing him into the wolves and expecting instant success, that’s not the quarterback position, unfortunately. What I will say—it’s gonna take a season for him to kinda see the preparation, seein’ the tempo of the game, seein’ just in-game adjustments at its finest.”

Well, not everything in the NFL can be instant grits.

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K.J. Wright discusses Seahawks defensive line improvement

The biggest question for Seattle is “did they do enough?” when it comes to solving the run defense

To say the Seattle Seahawks struggled at stopping the run last season is a gross understatement. Seattle was an abysmal 30th in the league in this category. You know, 30th out of 32 available spots.

Yeesh.

Seattle’s primary focus this offseason was to fix this glaring issue. They made notable moves, such as signing Dre’Mont Jones and bringing back Jarran Reed. But now the question becomes “did they do enough?”

Former linebacker K.J. Wright certainly seems to think they will be improved, and improved enough to contend with the starting unit. However, there is still some concern from him when it comes to depth.

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One of the best aspects of the Seattle Seahawks and the culture they have created is the fact franchise legends still want to be around the program.

One of the best aspects of the Seattle Seahawks and the culture they have created is the fact franchise legends still want to be around the program. Even players who had less than ceremonial exits – such as Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett and even Bobby Wagner – still find their way back within the Seahawks fold.

One such player is former linebacker K.J. Wright. Now fully retired, Wright is transitioning into a media-focused career, having radio spots on ESPN 710 and his own podcast. On the latest episode of his podcast, Wright had on his former coach, Pete Carroll.

There, Carroll discussed what he is looking for in a player. Carroll pulled back the veil a bit and went into depth on what he calls his “competitor scale.”

Given how many elite players – some of whom are certainly destined for Canton one day – the Seahawks have had under Carroll, this scale certainly seems to line up.

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Cam Jordan gets another contract extension from the Saints

The 2011 draft class was stacked beyond reason

In some around-the-NFL type of news, the New Orleans Saints have extended their dominant defensive lineman Cam Jordan to a new contract. Jordan, who has been a staple on the Saints defensive front ever since he broke into the league in 2011, will remain in the Big Easy for two more years.

Originally the No. 24 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, Jordan was actually selected one spot before Seattle could pick at No. 25. Instead, the Seahawks took guard James Carpenter, who was a starter for several years and helped Seattle win their first Super Bowl.

Looking back at the 2011 draft class, it’s hard to not be awestruck by the incredible amount of talent available. I mean, just look at the first seven picks:

  1. Cam Newton
  2. Von Miller
  3. Marcell Dareus
  4. A.J. Green
  5. Patrick Peterson
  6. Julio Jones
  7. Aldon Smith

Also in the first round was J.J. Watt, Robert Quinn, Ryan Kerrigan, Mark Ingram II and Muhammad Wilkerson.

Of course, Seattle fans will remember the 2011 draft fondly, as it brought them Richard Sherman, K.J. Wright, Byron Maxwell, Super Bowl XLVIII MVP Malcolm Smith, and Doug Baldwin as an undrafted free agent.

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K.J. Wright ranks his top five members of the Legion of Boom

Naturally, Kam Chancellor takes the top spot. No surprise there.

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Every team in the league has made their mark in some capacity to the story of the NFL, and the Seattle Seahawks made theirs loud and clear. The Legion of Boom defense from the early-to-mid 2010’s are already being remembered as one of the greatest defenses in the history of the sport, with the 2013 unit arguably No. 1 all time.

K.J. Wright, one of the more unheralded – yet crucial – members of the LOB recently went on Good Morning Football to do what every sports show loves: ranking players. Wright took the time to rank his Top 5 LOB members, and it’s not all too surprising.

Naturally, Kam Chancellor takes the top spot. No surprise there. Chancellor brought the BOOM to Legion and made opposing receivers suffer as a result.

Of course, Wright’s running mate, Bobby Wagner, had to make the list. But what might be most interesting is seeing defensive lineman Brandon Mebane on the Top 5. Defensive linemen rarely get the credit they deserve but they can be the most disruptive. Wright has been open about discussing how much impact they have on a linebackers job as they eat up offensive linemen blocks.

What do you think, dear reader? Do you agree with Wright’s list, or is there perhaps someone else you think should have made it?

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Richard Sherman and KJ Wright dish on Russell Wilson’s special treatment from Pete Carroll

Watch team legends Richard Sherman and KJ Wright talk about Wilson’s alleged special treatment from Pete Carroll’s coaching staff.

The Seahawks who were around for the Legion of Boom and early Russell Wilson era all seem to have strong feelings about the divide between the defense and the starting quarterback.

Watch team legends Richard Sherman and KJ Wright talk about Wilson’s alleged special treatment from Pete Carroll’s coaching staff.

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