Tag: poona ford

3 undrafted free agents who could make Seahawks roster

The Seattle Seahawks have 17 undrafted free agents vying for roster spots this summer. Here are three that could make it.

The Seattle Seahawks have now signed a whopping 17 undrafted free agents to the 90-man roster, after reportedly coming to terms with 12 more on Monday afternoon.

Add in the eight draft picks and the Seahawks have 25 first-year players vying for spots on the active roster this summer.

While most of the draft picks are expected to earn a spot, that is not the case for the undrafted guys. Seattle has had plenty of success with undrafted free agents in the past, including Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse and Poona Ford, but for the most part they are camp fodder who end up getting cut in early September.

Still, of the 17 newcomers, there are a handful who appear to have the tools, athleticism, and performance to make this squad out of camp.

Here are the three with the best chance, and why they could find themselves on the field in Week 1.

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3 defensive tackles the Seahawks could still sign in free agency

The Seattle Seahawks need to add a defensive tackle via free agency, and here are three options they could pursue.

The Seattle Seahawks did not address the interior defensive line during the 2020 NFL draft, instead focusing on the LEO position and the offense.

That’s not too surprising, as Seattle has preferred to add veteran, run-stuffing defensive tackles via free agency the past few years, including Shamar Stephen, Tom Johnson and Al Woods.

This year’s crop still has a handful of options for the Seahawks to choose from, and it’s basically a guarantee they’ll find someone else to add to a mix that already includes starters Jarran Reed and Poona Ford as well as a trio of backup candidates: Nazair Jones, Bryan Mone and Demarcus Christmas.

Adding any of these three guys would shore up a big-time position of need for the Seahawks, and should not break the bank.

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Poona Ford looks set to take the next step for the Seahawks in 2020

Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Poona Ford looks to take the next step as a pass rusher for the team in 2020, and it could be necessary.

Defensive tackle Poona Ford had a career year for the Seattle Seahawks in 2019 and looks poised to make more sizable contributions in 2020.

In addition to improving the secondary, general manager John Schneider stated that the pass rush will need to step up to a more productive level and that the front office will attempt to load up with playmakers for the unit.

“Defensively, we were 26, I think,” Schneider said last week at the combine. “We need to improve our pass rush, we need to try to get the coaches as many players as we possibly can on both sides of the ball, but obviously defensively we were ranked a little bit lower than we were on offense.”

With Jadeveon Clowney and Jarran Reed hitting free agency, Ford is perhaps the most capable pass rusher currently on the roster. He will have to step up regardless of Clowney and Reed’s free agency decisions.

Ford saw more playing time in the postseason, being present for almost 70% of the Seahawks’ snaps. He played relatively well, recording six tackles, one of which went for a loss.

Coach Pete Carroll has spoken highly of Ford and stated that his experience should serve him well next season.

“Poona’s a good football player,” Carroll said. “He complements well, really mobile, was very durable, hung in there. When we lost Big Al [Woods], that hurt him a little bit. He just had to play more, probably more than we would like to but he did a good job, and we’re looking forward – he’ll just be so much smarter and well-versed when he comes back. He’ll take advantage of all kinds of good things. He’s a very instinctive football player.”

Ford will be an important piece of the defense next year no matter what Clowney and Reed decide to do in free agency. It will be up to him to take his game to the next level as both a pass rusher and a run stopper in 2020.

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Secret superstars of the divisional playoffs

Though any are unknown, every player in the postseason has the opportunity to turn that around. Here are eight such players.

Every NFL postseason has its share of surprise performers. Whether it’s Otto Graham in the Browns’ first year in the NFL schooling the Los Angeles Rams in the 1950 championship game, or L.C. Greenwood — perhaps the least-known member of the Steel Curtain front four — racking up four sacks against the Cowboys in Super Bowl X, or then-Bills backup quarterback and current Colts head coach Frank Reich authoring the biggest comeback in NFL history against the Houston Oilers in the 1992 wild-card round, or Washington running back Timmy Smith shocking the Broncos with 204 rushing yards in Super Bowl XXII, it’s just as likely that the most important postseason performance comes from a guy whose name you’re not familiar with just yet.

This postseason is no exception, and there are all kinds of potential stars you might not know who are mere hours away from their breakout performance. Here’s one potential secret superstar for each of the eight divisional round teams this weekend.

Danielle Hunter | Dee Ford | Harold Landry III | Matthew Judon |
Duke Johnson, Jr. | Charvarius Ward | Poona Ford | Kenny Clark

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Texas Longhorns In NFL Wild Card Weekend

A look at which former Texas Longhorns who will play on NFL Wild Card weekend.

Even with the college football season coming to an end this past Tuesday, there are former Texas Longhorns players who still have some football left to play. On Saturday and Sunday there a list of former Longhorns who will be participating in wild card weekend as the playoffs kick off.

Saturday

Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans

In the first matchup on Saturday, it will feature the only former Longhorn playing on Saturday. Charles Omenihu will be suiting up for the Texas as they host Buffalo. The former sixth-round draft pick will look to help notch the first postseason victory on the day when they host Buffalo. Omenihu will likely see a lesser role with the return of J.J. Watt for Houston.

Omenihu

13 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles

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Texas Longhorns Team of the Decade: Defense and Special Teams

The breakdown of the defense and special teams Texas Longhorns of the decade.

As Longhorns Wire continues their team of the decade, the defense and special teams are up next. Much like the offense recap, each position group will have links to the original post.

Defensive Line

Alex Okafor

Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

Okafor played for the Longhorns in the early part of the decade from 2009-12. During that time he recorded 23 sacks, 34 tackles for loss and 150 total tackles. He added seven forced fumbles. Okafor is currently a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jackson Jeffcoat

Jeffcoat is the son of former NFL chamption Jim Jeffcoat. He played on the defense along with Okafor. During his four-year college career from 2010-2013, Jeffcoat recorded 172 total tackles with 26 sacks and five turnovers forced. He was an All-American in 2013 when he was also named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Jeffcoat is currently playing in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Poona Ford

The man in the middle of the defense, Ford played in Austin from 2014-2017. During that time he recorded 133 total tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. He also forced three fumbles. He was named Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2017. Ford is currently one of a few Longhorns with the Seattle Seahawks.

Charles Omenihu

Omenihu is the final member of the defensive line. From 2015-2018, Omenihu racked up 115 total tackles, 30 TFL and 16.5 sacks. He forced four fumbles during that four-year span. Omenihu was named All-Big 12 and Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2018. He is currently a member of the Houston Texans.

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Texas Longhorns team of the decade: Defensive line

Shifting to defense in the team of the decade, we begin on the LOS. Throughout the 2010s, Texas has produced some monsters on the d-line.

Shifting from offense to defense in the Texas team of the decade, we begin on the line of scrimmage. Throughout the 2010s, the Longhorns have produced some monsters on the defensive line. Producing a few guys good enough to make it into the NFL, all four of these players were recruited by former coaches Mack Brown and Charlie Strong.

The first two players are Alex Okafor and Jackson Jeffcoat, who shared the field for three years. Between the two of them, they have a combined 49 sacks. Jeffcoat’s 26 career sacks are good enough for eighth in Longhorn history. The two players benefitted off each other, with 36 of their 49 sacks coming when the two played together.

Poona Ford played defensive tackle for Texas and did not rack up the kind of sacks the other three players got. At 6 foot, 300 pounds, Ford was an aminal for the Longhorns. Taking up space on the defensive line, he was able to make physical plays at the line of scrimmage to stop runners getting behind him.

The most recent of the players is Charles Omenihu, who graduated in 2018. Playing in 48 career games, Omenihu was in the backfield a lot. His best season came in his 2018 senior year when he recorded 9.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss. Currently playing for the Houston Texans, Omenihu was selected in the fifth round. Playing all four years, Omenihu is one of the best defensive players Texas has produced in recent years.

Here are the Longhorn defensive lineman of the decade:

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Report: Seahawks DT Al Woods suspended 4 games for PED use

Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Al Woods was reportedly suspended four games by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on PEDs.

The banged up Seattle Seahawks defense suffered another blow on Friday with the news that veteran defensive tackle Al Woods will be suspended four games by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs, according to a tweet from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Woods becomes the second Seahawks player this week to be suspended for drug use, following the indefinite suspension handed to receiver Josh Gordon on Monday.

While the Seahawks feel confident in their receiving corps even without Gordon, the same cannot be said for the team’s defensive line.

With Jadeveon Clowney and Ezekiel Ansah both nursing injuries, the Seahawks are thin on the defensive line heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Cardinals. Woods’ roster spot will almost certainly be used to add depth on the defensive line, with undrafted free agent Bryan Mone likely getting recalled from the practice squad.

Dekoda Watson, whom the Seahawks signed to take Gordon’s roster spot, is more of a rusher off the edge and likely won’t replace Woods as a run-stopper in the middle.

Woods had a strong season with the Seahawks, playing alongside Poona Ford and creating a formidable run-stopping tandem up front.

He recorded 32 combined tackles, including three for a loss, one quarterback hit and one sack on the season.

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Seattle Seahawks defensive player of the game: Linebacker K.J. Wright

The Seattle Seahawks took care of business on Sunday against the Panthers in Carolina, winning 30-24 to move to 11-3 on the season and 7-1 on the road.

The Seattle Seahawks took care of business on Sunday against the Panthers in Carolina, winning 30-24 to move to 11-3 on the season and 7-1 on the road.

The Seahawks had strong performances on both sides of the ball today, leading to both an offensive and defensive player of the game.

On defense, linebacker K.J. Wright earned the honor by putting together his first career two interception game, both which came within five plays of each other late in the third quarter.

Wright’s first interception came courtesy of a tipped ball at the line of scrimmage by defensive tackle Poona Ford. Wright took it 11 yards to the 50-yard line, giving Seattle a great chance to pad their lead.

Seattle got too cute however, and a trick play involving Josh Gordon throwing a deep pass to DK Metcalf predictably went poorly, leading to an interception by Tre Boston.

No matter, as Panthers quarterback Kyle Allen’s first pass with the ball back resulted in another interception from Wright, this time thanks to pressure from defensive tackle Jarran Reed.

Wright finished the day with four combined tackles and the two interceptions.

On a day where Seattle was without Jadeveon Clowney, Mychal Kendricks, Shaquill Griffin and Ziggy Ansah – and lost both Quandre Diggs (ankle) and Bobby Wagner (ankle) – Wright’s strong performance was crucial in helping this team gain their 11th win of the season, inching them one step closer to a playoff berth.

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Seahawks list several players on Week 13 injury report with illness

A number of Seattle Seahawks players were added to the injury report Week 13 with an illness that has been going around the team.

The Seattle Seahawks had a fairly lengthy injury report to finish out the practice week before the Monday night matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

While a number of players were battling injuries, quite a few popped up on the report with an “illness” that coach Pete Carroll said was “going around” the team.

“It’s been an interesting week for us, the practices have been really good,” Carroll told reporters Saturday after the walkthrough. “We’ve had some guys that have had the illness that’s going around. So, we’ve kept some guys out. Everybody we think of those guys are going to play. There’s no reason that they won’t other than they feel lousy. It’s been a very good week and very pointed.”

Carroll said he allowed a few players to stay home in an attempt to quarantine those who were sick.

Players listed on the report with an “illness” included linebacker Shaquem Griffin, defensive tackle Poona Ford, cornerback Tre Flowers, guard Jordan Roos and wide receivers Tyler Lockett and David Moore.

Carroll did confirm there were no new cases of the illness as of Saturday and he expects all the impacted players will be available against the Vikings Monday night.

Seattle and Minnesota kick-off at 5:15 p.m. from CenturyLink Field.

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