Tag: poona ford

The NFL’s Secret Superstars of Week 10

Every week, there are players doing spectacular things under the radar. Here are the NFL’s Secret Superstars of Week 10.

Every NFL season features a certain number of players who come out of nowhere to surprise and entertain at a level we did not expect. Perhaps they’re veterans for whom everything finally clicks. Perhaps they’re rookies who show that the NFL curve can be navigated at a quicker pace by some more than others.

Whatever the circumstances, there were several players who either expanded their 2019 performances, or came into the NFL as first-year players in 2020 and showed that they didn’t need a preseason to ball out at a professional level.

Here are the NFL’s Secret Superstars of Week 10.

The good, the bad, and the ugly from Seahawks’ loss to Rams

The Seattle Seahawks, due to poor play on both sides of the ball, are now in third place in the NFC West after a 16-23 loss to the Rams.

The Seattle Seahawks are now sitting at third place in the NFC West after a brutal 16-23 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Despite the score, the game never felt truly close, as just about all of the Seahawks’ same old issues arose with a vengeance. Here are some of the most glaring good, bad, and ugly takeaways from Seattle’s second straight loss.

THE GOOD

D.J. Reed: Reed, starting at left cornerback for the first time, found himself at the top of the stat sheet with 10 tackles, a fumble recovery, and a tremendous 49-yard kick return in the third quarter. The former 49er has recorded 24 tackles, two batted passes, and an interception over the past three games. He looks to be one of Seattle’s better offseason acquisitions.

Poona Ford: Although Ford may not have topped the box score like Reed, he quietly had one of his best games as a Seahawk with two tackles for loss and one sack, in addition to generating consistent pressure on Rams QB Jared Goff. The defensive line was the best part of Seattle’s defensive performance on Sunday, with Ford acting as a major catalyst for the improvement.

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Horns in the NFL: How Texas Exes fared in week 8

Just how did the former Texas Longhorns perform during week eight of the NFL season? Images, statistics and highlights.

The NFL is almost at the midway point of the season with only nine more weeks of football before the postseason.

Continue reading “Horns in the NFL: How Texas Exes fared in week 8”

WATCH: Former Longhorn Poona Ford creates turnover

Former Texas Longhorns defensive tackle Poona Ford creates opportunity for his offense after forcing a fumble by Cardinals receiver.

During Sunday Night Football on NBC, there are plenty of former Longhorns in action for this one. On Arizona’s side you have linebacker Jordan Hicks. For the Seahawks it is punter Michael Dickson and safety Quandre Diggs. Then there is defensive tackle Poona Ford. He can at times be a one man wrecking crew.

The 5-0 Seattle Seahawks are looking to remain perfect against the 3-2 Arizona Cardinals. The Texas ex Ford went for a tackle on Arizona’s DeAndre Hopkins when he punched the ball loose and the defense pounced on the ball to give it back to the Seahawks offense. So far in the first half Ford has one tackle and one forced fumble for Seattle.

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Failure to land Jadeveon Clowney creates uncertainty for D-line in 2020

The Seattle Seahawks’ failure to land free agent, Jadeveon Clowney, creates uncertainty for the defensive line heading into the 2020 season.

The Seattle Seahawks notably had one of the worst defensive lines in the NFL last season, ranking dead last out of 32 teams according to Pro Football Focus. As such, fans were expecting to see the Seahawks make some significant changes to the unit over the offseason, particularly in the pass rush – first, however, they had to re-sign defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who was a force to be reckoned with in the 15 total games that he played with the team in 2019.

Although the ups and downs of Clowney’s free agency saga lasted all the way until final roster cuts on Saturday, when he agreed to a one-year, $12 million deal with the Titans that also includes up to a further $3 million in incentives. According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, the Seahawks continued to call late into the evening:

Even before the Clowney news broke, the Seahawks needed to make some major moves if they hoped to bolster their defensive line before the start of the 2020 season – after all, their pass rush wasn’t the only thing that needed adjusting, as Seattle placed No. 22 in the league in rushing yards allowed per game (117.3). The current defensive line roster as of Sept. 6, 2020, is as follows:

DE L.J. Collier

DE Rasheem Green

DE Benson Mayowa

DE Damontre Moore

DE Alton Robinson

DT Poona Ford

DT Bryan Mone

DT Jarran Reed

Reserve/Injured: DE Branden Jackson

Reserve/Non-Football Injury: DE Darrell Taylor

The Seahawks will be placing more of an emphasis on their defensive backs this year with the increased implementation of the nickel defense, but a strong effort at the line of scrimmage will nonetheless prove vital in a make-or-break situation.

Of the Seahawks’ current defensive linemen, only Green and Ford saw more than 500 defensive snaps last season in Seattle. Currently, the plan for the defensive line appears to rely on hoping that somebody – 2019 first-round draft pick L.J. Collier, perhaps, or 2020 fifth-round pick Alton Robinson – will step up to the plate to provide that much-needed consistency in the trenches.

That may very well happen, yet banking on the wait-and-see approach – particularly after letting a stud like Clowney walk – may make fans question the Seahawks’ commitment to addressing the team’s definitive weaknesses.

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Seahawks running back Chris Carson changes representatives

Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson switched to Octagon to represent him in upcoming contract negotiations.

Entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson has switched representation.

He will now be represented by Octagon instead of Dream Point Sports.

Octagon will have Casey Muir and Murphy McGuire representing him. McGuire also represents Seattle defensive tackle Poona Ford.

Carson’s timing is not random, as he is likely hoping to find someone who will help him negotiate a potential extension to remain in Seattle beyond the 2020 season. Carson will be paid $2.13 million in 2020 after reaching the playing time requirements for a Proven Performance Escalator (PPE).

Plus, if an extension is not reached, Carson will now have new agents helping him explore the free agent market for the first time.

A former seventh round pick out of Oklahoma State in 2017, Carson has been among the biggest draft deal steals in recent history – having run for over 1,100 yards in each of the last two seasons.

He is coming off a season-ending hip injury, but is expected to be fully healed in time for training camp and the 2020 regular season, where he will reprise his role as Seattle’s top back.

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Why the Seahawks should sign free agent DT Damon Harrison

The Seattle Seahawks need a run-stuffing defensive tackle, and Damon Harrison is a perfect fit in free agency.

It’s no secret the Seattle Seahawks are going to add a veteran defensive tackle before the 2020 season kicks off.

After all, recent years have seen late additions of Al Woods, Shamar Stephen and Sheldon Richardson, and this year’s squad has almost no depth behind presumed starters Jarran Reed and Poona Ford.

The question, however, is how much Seattle will be willing to spend on a third defensive tackle, a role typically reserved for a veteran guy near the end of their productive NFL seasons.

If they are willing to dip into their cap space, one name who would really help shore things up on the front lines is Damon “Snacks” Harrison.

Harrison spent the first 6.5 years of his career in New York, split between the Jets and the Giants, before joining the Lions for the last half of the 2018 season and all of 2019.

Named an All-Pro in 2016, Harrison racked up 485 tackles, 11 sacks, 10 passes defended and four forced fumbles in his career – cementing himself among the best run-stuffers in the NFL over the last decade.

As a No. 3 option behind Reed and Ford, Harrison would give Seattle some desperately needed depth on a defensive line that struggled against both the run and the pass last year, and lost Jadeveon Clowney and Quinton Jefferson, as well as Woods, this offseason.

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What would an NFL defense look like comprised of only Texas Longhorns?

A look at an NFL defense comprised of Texas Longhorns. Earl Thomas and Jordan Hicks were bonafide locks but who are the rest?

Some of the best defenders in the NFL hail from the University of Texas. Earl Thomas being one of the bigger names as he was recently named safety of the decade by Pro Football Focus. The lineage of defenders doesn’t begin with Thomas, but it goes all the way back to players such as Tommy Nobis, Tom Landry and more recently Casey Hampton. The series of professional teams comprised of Longhorns continues. Recently we published our list for the offense.

The focus will shift to the defensive side of the ball. After all there is that old adage of defense wins championships. Not necessarily the case in all championship teams but without one your team stands no chance of winning. Top defenders such as Brian Orakpo, Henry Melton and Roy Miller won’t make the list as they have retired from their professional careers but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty to choose from.

Let’s start with the defensive ends of our all Texas Longhorns team.

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Why Southeast Missouri’s Josh Avery could make Seahawks roster

Josh Avery has the size and maturity to make an impact for the Seattle Seahawks as a run-stuffing defensive tackle right away in 2020.

The Seattle Seahawks brought in a whopping 17 undrafted free agents from the 2020 class to compete for spots on the active roster.

Most years, teams are lucky to get one UDFA to make the squad, as they are primarily brought in to give the team extra bodies during training camp.

However, the Seahawks have had plenty of luck in the past, going all the way back to Dave Krieg and including Jermaine Kearse, Doug Baldwin and more recently, defensive tackle Poona Ford.

In fact, the Seahawks had an interior defensive tackle make the roster as an undrafted free agent two years in a row, as Ford was followed by Michigan’s Bryan Mone in 2019, who appeared in four games for the Seahawks.

If they are going to keep the streak of undrafted defensive tackles alive, hope will rest with either Cedrick Lattimore out of Iowa or Josh Avery out of Southeast Missouri.

While Lattimore went to a more notable school and posted good numbers, his size (six-foot-three, 295 pounds) is more suited to a five-tech in Pete Carroll’s defense, rather than a big run-stuffer in the middle, which is what the Seahawks need.

Avery is listed at six-foot-three and 322 pounds, plenty big enough to plug holes up the middle in a reserve role. Plus, Avery is already 24 years old, and the Seahawks made it clear they are looking for more mature rookies this season, in light of the pandemic that limits their opportunities to see players on the field before the season begins.

With Ford and Jarran Reed expected to start on the interior defensive line, Avery will compete with Lattimore, Mone, and Demarcus Christmas for the backup DT role, assuming the team doesn’t sign a veteran – something they have done in each of the past few seasons.

While it won’t be an easy path, it never is for undrafted free agents, Avery has the size and maturity to make an impact for the Seahawks in year one, and if he does well in training camp he could be a surprise addition to the roster, or at least the practice squad, in 2020.

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Will Bryan Mone make an impact for Seahawks in 2020?

The Seattle Seahawks only have three defensive tackles with NFL experience on their roster, and one of them is Bryan Mone.

The Seattle Seahawks biggest area of need between now and the start of the 2020 regular season is along their defensive line.

While most will focus on the lack of a big name pass rusher, this team is also severely lacking depth on the interior defensive line. After losing Al Woods to free agency and cutting Nazair Jones, Seattle is left with Demarcus Christmas, Bryan Mone and two undrafted free agents – Cedrick Lattimore and Josh Avery – as options to backup Jarran Reed and Poona Ford.

The Seahawks almost always sign a veteran defensive tackle to serve as the No. 3 lineman, and there are still plenty of options left on the open market, including Mike Daniels, Damon Harrison, and Brandon MeBane.

However – if the team opts to save some cap space and go with internal options instead, perhaps the most likely candidate to win the job outright is Mone, an undrafted free agent who joined the team last May.

Mone is a hulking presence, standing six-foot-three and weighing a whopping 366 pounds. He made the team out of camp last year in part thanks to Reed’s six-game suspension. He ended up pinballing between the practice squad and the active roster, appearing in four games and 89 total defensive snaps.

He didn’t do much with the opportunities he was given, recording just three combined tackles and one pressure, but he is the only other DT on the roster outside of Reed and Ford with any NFL experience.

Christmas was a sixth round pick by the team in 2019, but he missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury. Lattimore and Avery are both camp fodder, and while either could impress, the odds of making the team with such a limited window of exposure to the coaching staff thanks to COVID-19 are even trickier this season – giving Mone the upper hand.

Mone is the best bet for that No. 3 tackle role on the roster as things currently stand, but it would be a surprise if this team didn’t aggressively pursue a veteran upgrade on the interior over the next few weeks.

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