Tag: Louis Riddick

Louis Riddick says the Seahawks are ‘building something special’

Perhaps the most vocal supporter of what Seattle has going on right now is ESPN’s Louis Riddick.

Most NFL analysts are pretty bearish on the Seattle Seahawks heading into the 2022 season. Some sites are predicting they will finish as low as 4-13 this year. There are exceptions to the rule, though. Perhaps the most vocal supporter of what Seattle has going on right now is ESPN’s Louis Riddick, who said two months ago that this team is a sleeping giant.

Now Riddick is going even further. Yesterday on Twitter he said the Seahawks are building something special and just have to figure out that one position.

Naturally, Riddick is talking about the team’s quarterback situation – which is about as messy as it’s been in 11 years. Yesterday Drew Lock was named the team’s starter for tomorrow night’s preseason game against the Bears. 90 minutes later he tested positive for COVID-19, ruling him out against Chicago and taking away a great chance to prove he deserves to start.

Even though the QB depth chart is far from ideal, if you look closely the rest of the picture is already starting to come together thanks to a trong 2022 NFL draft class.

Throughout the offseason we have maintained that Seattle can surprise people if the team gets quality contributions from a handful of rookies at key positions: namely the two first-year players they drafted at offensive tackle, cornerback and on the edge.

Fifth-round pick Tyreke Smith has been on the PUP list so he’s unable to contribute. However, the other five important rookies are all showing a great deal of promise.

First and foremost, the tackle combination of Charles Cross and Abe Lucas had an exceptional debut on Saturday against the Steelers. Both proved stout in pass protection and Lucas in particular shined as a mauler in the run game.

At cornerback, Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant are already in the mix to see serious playing time this season. Woolen’s freakish athleticism and burgeoning ball skills may put him in postion to start at RCB Week 1. Meanwhile, Bryant has looked promising enough in the slot for the team to feel confident enough to trade away Ugo Amadi, who was projected to be the backup behind Justin Coleman at this spot.

Finally, Boye Mafe had an absolutely explosive first NFL game in Pittsburgh, posting two sacks and a critical special teams stop – making it clear he’s ready to make an impact right away.

If these five players continue on their current course and the Seahawks land their next franchise QB in the 2023 draft, they’ll be back in the playoff picture sooner than anyone expected.

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ESPN analyst has one major concern for Patriots in 2022

The Patriots’ lack of an offensive coordinator could be a major flaw In 2022, according to Louis Riddick

The New England Patriots underwent many changes in the 2022 offseason, both on the roster and in terms of personnel. One of the biggest changes was the departure of Josh McDaniels, as he took the head coaching position with the Las Vegas Raiders.

McDaniels spent 10 years with New England and was a key piece of the Patriots’ championship-winning teams. He oversaw much of the Tom Brady era and was able to guide Mac Jones in his rookie season.

The Patriots elected not to name a full-time offensive coordinator. This could present problems heading into the fall, according to one ESPN analyst.

The departure of McDaniels, as well as the lack of a full-time offensive coordinator, does not sit well with ESPN’s Louis Riddick.

The Patriots’ lack of explosiveness on the outside was concerning going into last season, but I’m more concerned this year about who will be in the ear of Jones when it comes to his development and the playcalling. That continuity, relationship and chemistry is not easy to duplicate, and given the coaches Belichick is seemingly choosing from to take McDaniels’ place — including offensive assistants Joe Judge and Matt Patricia — I have significant concerns.

The lack of an offense of coordinator could be an interesting subplot for the upcoming season. New England managed to get Jones more weapons at wide receiver, most notably DeVante Parker, but losing McDaniels could hurt the young quarterback.

Nevertheless, the Patriots will have to figure out how to run a cohesive offensive unit if they want to have success in the AFC East.

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ESPN announces commentators for Broncos’ game vs. Jaguars in London

The Broncos’ game against the Jaguars will stream exclusively on ESPN+ in Week 8.

ESPN announced earlier this week that Steve Levy (play-by-play), Louis Riddick (analyst), Dan Orlovsky (analyst) and Laura Rutledge (sideline reporter) will call the game between the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars in London this season.

The game will be exclusively streamed on ESPN+ on Sunday, Oct. 30 in Week 8. The Broncos-Jags showdown is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. MT to accommodate a European audience at Wembley Stadium.

It will mark the first time an NFL game has ever been broadcast exclusively on ESPN+, but Levy will be a familiar commentator for fans in Denver. Levy previously called Broncos preseason games with Brian Griese, who left ESPN in March to become the Miami Dolphins’ new quarterbacks coach.

In addition to Denver-Jacksonsille game, Levy, Riddick, Orlovsky and Rutledge will also serve as commentators when ESPN has Monday Night Football doubleheaders in Weeks 2 and 18 this season.

The Broncos will open the season on MNF against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1. Troy Aikman and Joe Buck will call that game for ESPN.

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Commentary team announced for Jags’ international matchup vs. Broncos

Steve Levy (play-by-play), Louis Riddick and Dan Orlovsky (analysts), and Laura Rutledge (reporter) have been assigned to the Jags’ Week 8 game in London on ESPN+.

The date and details for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ international game against the Denver Broncos was announced in early May as the teams will battle on Sunday, Oct. 31, which takes place during Week 8’s series of games. We also learned that the game would be televised on ESPN+, the first-ever NFL game aired on the streaming network.

Now, the details for the commentary team have come out, and ESPN will have Steve Levy (play-by-play), Louis Riddick and Dan Orlovsky (analysts), and Laura Rutledge (reporter) assigned to the international battle.

Of course, ESPN’s primary primetime team (a.k.a. the Monday Night Football crew) will consist of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, who previously worked together calling games for FOX. They will join Lisa Salters, who will continue to handle sideline reporting duties, in the process.

Riddick and Levy aren’t foreign to calling games in the booth for ESPN, as both called their Monday Night Football games the past two seasons. Orlovsky also has experience in the booth, calling college football games for ESPN since 2018. Rutledge has reported during NFL games in the past on occasions and worked her first NFL game in 2018.

As for the Jags, they have a 4-4 record in their games in the United Kingdom. They will enter their Week 8 game against Denver with a record of .500 (7-7) when looking at their all-time series.

ESPN reveals games to be called by secondary NFL team

Steve Levy and Louis RIddick will be on play-by-play with colleagues for the 2022 NFL season

ESPN has revealed the games its “B” team of announcers will call in the upcoming NFL season.

This team, Steve Levy, Louis Riddick, Dan Orlovsky, and Laura Rutledge will be heard on a series of NFL contests. Levy and Riddick were on the prime-time team with Brian Griese that has been replaced by Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.

The games:

  • Week 2: Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills (Monday, Sept. 19, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN)
    • First Monday Night Football ‘Two Games, One Night’ Showcase, as Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles will also play the same night (8:30 p.m. on ABC)
  • Week 8: Denver Broncos at Jacksonville Jaguars (Sunday, Oct. 30, at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN+) from Wembley Stadium in London
    • First exclusive NFL game on ESPN+
  • Week 18: One of the NFL on ESPN: Saturday Doubleheader games (January 7 on ABC and ESPN)
    • Starts at 4:15 p.m. and 8 p.m.

And some more info from the ESPN press room:

As part of their new contracts, Levy, Riddick and Orlovsky will expand their ESPN portfolio with additional assignments.

  • Levy will call NFL games on ESPN Radio this season on a regular basis. Additionally, he will continue his role with the NHL on ESPN, serving as primary host for the network’s studio coverage along with play-by-play duties.
  • Riddick will call Thursday night college football on ESPN this season. During the week, the former NFL pro personnel director will remain ESPN’s NFL front office studio analyst, appearing regularly on multiple shows. He also remains on the NFL Draft on ESPN as an analyst.
  • Orlovsky will continue to call college football games on Saturdays for ESPN and ABC. The former NFL quarterback remains on NFL Live, as the full cast returns, and will continue to appear on additional studio programming.

ESPN analyst Louis Riddick calls the Seahawks ‘a sleeping giant’

Some folks believe there’s a sleeper in the Pacific Northwest.

Most people aren’t expecting much from the Seahawks this year. Sportsbooks are projecting them to have around five or six wins at the end of the season and their odds of winning the Super Bowl are around 100 to 1.

There’s always a chance they’re wrong, though. While it would come as a shock if they make any kind of playoff run, totally writing off a team that hasn’t played a single snap yet generally isn’t a good idea. Some folks believe there’s a sleeper in the Pacific Northwest.

ESPN analyst Louis Riddick was a guest on the Mike Salk show this morning and said some interesting things about Seattle. Specifically, he praised rookie cornerbacks Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen and called the Seahawks a sleeping giant.

If they’re going to live up to Riddick’s hype, they’ll definitely need both Bryant and Woolen to be quick studies and wind up starting at the outside cornerback spots. At least three other critical young players will also have to have very strong 2022 seasons: quarterback Drew Lock, left tackle Charles Cross and right tackle Abe Lucas.

If those five can hit the ground running and (especially in Lock’s case) exceed expectations, almost anything is possible.

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Instant analysis: Washington selects Phidarian Mathis in 2nd round

Washington selected Alabama DT Phidarian Mathis in the 2nd round of the NFL draft. Mathis will help restock a former position of strength.

“With the 47th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Washington Commanders select D (defensive) tackle Phidarian Mathis, Alabama!”, announced former Washington wide receiver Santana Moss.

Mathis is huge, standing 6-foot-4 1/4, weighing 310 pounds. As a senior in 2021, he was second-team All-SEC when he recorded 53 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, 9 sacks, and was a team captain.

ESPN analyst Louis Riddick commented saying Mathis is not going to impress with his athletic ability. But did assert, “he will impress you with consistency, with heavy hands. He will flash power, resetting the line of scrimmage against the run. Just a solid fundamental pick for Washington.”

The context of this selection cannot be ignored. The team was loaded at defensive tackle with starters Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and Tim Settle and Matt Ioannidis as the capable reserves.

This week the front office determined they would not extend starter Daron Payne. This coming after they permitted the capable and inexpensive Settle to sign with Buffalo for only $9 million over two years and released Ioannidis.

The front office created the need at this position early in the draft. It is a fair criticism. It is also fair to commend the front office for realizing they absolutely needed to trade back in round one from No. 11, enabling them to obtain two additional draft choices in this draft (98, 120). With this pick, they have addressed a need at defensive tackle.

ESPN analyst Mel Kiper stated Mathis is going to need to prove he is not a two-down player in the NFL. He also added he was surprised to have not heard Connecticut’s Travis Jones’ name called or Oklahoma’s Perrion Winfrey prior to Mathis by Washington.

Brian Griese leaving ‘Monday Night Football’ to become 49ers QB coach

Brian Griese is leaving the broadcast booth to become QB Coach of the San Francisco 49ers

A domino has fallen in what seems to be leading to Troy Aikman becoming the analyst — officially — on “Monday Night Football.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday that his colleague, Brian Griese, is leaving the “MNF” booth to become Quarterbacks Coach for the San Francisco 49ers.

The news comes as the picture of the “Monday Night Football” booth in 2022 is uncertain.

Aikman is headed to ABC/ESPN on a five-year, $90 million deal, according to numerous reports over recent weeks,

Where that leaves the rest of the “MNF” booth — Steve Levy and Louis Riddick — is a mystery.

FOX Sports’ Joe Buck said he doesn’t know what the future holds for him

“I don’t know where I’m going to be next year,” Buck said on the latest episode of his “Daddy Issues” podcast. “I know Troy’s gone — he’s now at ESPN. I’m kind of in limbo. I’ve got another year under contract at Fox. They have expressed interest in keeping me. They also know that was a big partnership that I had with Troy.”

Why Steelers fans shouldn’t be too excited about Louis Riddick news

ESPN analyst Louis Riddick is interviewing for the Steelers GM position, a role Kevin Colbert will vacate after the 2022 NFL draft. 

ESPN analyst Louis Riddick is interviewing for the Steelers general manager position, a role Kevin Colbert will vacate after the 2022 NFL draft.

Riddick, also a former player, has held several executive roles in the league, including director of pro personnel for Washington Redskins (2005-2007) and the Eagles (2010-2013).

As exciting as it is that the Steelers are considering outside candidates for the prestigious front office post, it’s because they have to. Yes, they’ve interviewed three candidates so far: Ryan Cowden (Titans), Ed Dodds (Colts) and JoJo Wooden (Chargers), but only Wooden is a “diverse candidate.”

As the (controversial) Rooney Rule states: 1) Clubs must interview at least two diverse candidates from the Career Development Advisory Panel list, or a diverse candidate not currently employed by the club; 2) Clubs must conduct an in-person interview with at least one external minority candidate for any GM or head coaching interview; 3) Clubs must continue to consider multiple diverse candidates.

While Omar Khan (vice president of football and business administration) and Brandon Hunt (pro scouting coordinator) are both minorities, they’re already employed by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

By interviewing Riddick, it would seem they’re checking off the second diverse external candidate box.

Don’t get me wrong; the Steelers could surprise us.

But they rarely do.

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Former Eagles director of pro personnel Louis Riddick to interview for Steelers’ GM opening

Former #Eagles director of pro personnel and #MNF analyst Louis #Riddick to interview for #Steelers’ GM opening

Louis Riddick is one of the top football minds on broadcast TV and the Pennsylvania native is currently an analyst for ESPN on Monday nights, but constantly has his name mentioned when a front office or personnel job opens up around the league.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the former Pitt and NFL safety will interview for the vacant Pittsburgh Steelers general manager openings.

Longtime Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert will step down after the 2022 NFL draft in April, team owner Art Rooney II said of the veteran front office executive who has been with the Steelers for 22 seasons. Colbert took over as general manager in 2010 after a decade as the director of football operations, helping the storied franchise win two Super Bowl titles and three AFC championships.

Riddick started out as a scout in 2001, before being named pro personnel director for the Washington Football Team.

He later joined the Eagles and was promoted to pro personnel director.

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