Tag: Rasheem Green

Rasheem Green’s development could bolster Seahawks pass rush

Defensive end Rasheem Green’s development could significantly bolster the Seattle Seahawks’ pass rush unit for at least the near future.

In his second season, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Rasheem Green made a significant jump from his rookie year. This could serve the team’s pass rush well going forward.

Green registered only nine tackles and a sack in 2018 and missed numerous games due to injury. However, he largely shook off the struggles of his first year to become a valuable contributor throughout the 2019 season, racking up 27 combined tackles (12 solo) and four sacks, leading the team in the latter category. He made several key plays along the way, compiling three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

With the uncertainty regarding the free agency of Jadeveon Clowney, Ezekiel Ansah and Jarran Reed, Green’s development is key to the Seahawks pass rush’s progression into a solid unit.

Seattle has enough cap space to re-sign Clowney, but he is still a question mark. In addition, L.J. Collier’s rookie year in 2019 was largely unproductive, and while he could have a sophomore campaign like Green’s or better, it is not a guarantee. Green must continue to step up for the defensive line for the foreseeable future.

The Seahawks are expected to bolster the pass rush via free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft, and Green’s continued development will play a big role in the unit’s improvement regardless of the events that transpire this offseason.

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Seahawks hoping L.J. Collier can take 2nd-year leap in 2020

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll believes L.J. Collier can take a jump forward in year two, much like teammate Rasheem Green.

It’s no secret L.J. Collier’s first season in a Seattle Seahawks uniform didn’t go as planned. The rookie defensive end suffered a severe ankle injury in training camp, preventing him from gaining valuable playing time during the preseason and ultimately putting him behind the sticks development wise for the entire campaign.

All told, Collier only appeared in 11 games in 2019, often for just a handful of snaps, and he racked up just three combined tackles.

The lack of production by Collier, on a team that was desperate for any kind of help in the pass rush, was no doubt frustrating for all parties involved. However, coach Pete Carroll is confident that with more reps, Collier will get going and take a big step forward in 2020.

“I think he just needs to be in there,” Carroll said on Monday. “Get his play time, get going, get all of camp, get everything organized, he’s got it all together. We would like to play him inside and out, move him a little bit. I hope – I already talked to him about it – he can make the kind of jump that Rasheem [Green] made from year one to year two. I thought Rasheem had a terrific season this year to help us out and start to get his career rolling. Hopefully L.J. will make the same kind of advance.”

Green had a similarly absent rookie campaign, appearing in 10 games with just nine tackles in 2018. However, he burst onto the scene this past season, leading the team with four sacks and recording three forced fumbles, two passes defended and 27 combined tackles.

A Green-like step in the right direction for Collier in season two would be a huge boost for this Seattle defense.

At 24, Collier is already two years older than Green – which likely caps his overall growth. However, despite the rough campaign, there’s still plenty of optimism that Collier can be an impact player in the trenches for the Seahawks, both in the short and long-term.

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Rasheem Green’s consistency a huge factor in breakout campaign

The Seattle Seahawks have gotten a strong sophomore season from Rasheem Green in an otherwise forgettable campaign for their pass rush.

If there’s one thing to criticize on this 11-3 Seattle Seahawks team this season, it has been the pass rush.

Despite offseason acquisitions of Jadeveon Clowney and Ziggy Ansah, not to mention first round pick L.J. Collier, Seattle has struggled to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks all season long.

Some of that can be attributed to Seattle’s coverage scheme, which allows short, quick passes to be completed, but regardless it has been a disappointing season in that area.

One of the few bright spots has been the emergence of Rasheem Green, a 2018 third round pick who has taken what Pete Carroll likes to call the second-year leap in 2019.

Green is leading the Seahawks with four sacks, along with 20 combined tackles, three forced fumbles and one pass defended.

“He’s doing great,” Carroll said on Wednesday. “I’m just happy that he’s been such a factor now. He’s really playing consistently at run and pass, which is great. Forcing fumbles and being active in the backfield rushing the passer. He’s playing multiple spots. He’s grown into it. He’s a big part of what we’re doing, and I’m really fired up for him.”

Green has lined up off the edge and occasionally as an interior defensive tackle this season – versatility that was a big part of why Carroll and company wanted him coming out of the draft.

Still just 22 years old, Green is younger than many of Seattle’s current rookies, making his progress this season all the more impressive.

“I think when you have younger players, consistency day in and day out, and play after play, usually is an issue,” defensive coordinator Ken Norton, Jr. said on Wednesday. “He’s at a point now where he understands how to be a good player. He likes it, and he knows the routine you have to go through in order to show up each and every week. He’s a guy, if you were to talk to the d-line person by person, if there was one guy they liked where he’s been and where he is now, Rasheem [Green] is a guy they like playing with.”

Green’s emergence as a weapon all across the defensive line has given Seattle a big boost this year, and his continued growth could make him a potential Pro Bowl caliber player in the near future.

For now, he’ll be counted on in a big way on Sunday against the Cardinals, with both Ansah and Clowney still nursing injuries.

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Seahawks tried to claim Terrell Suggs to shore up depleted pass rush

The Seattle Seahawks put a claim in for Terrell Suggs, but the veteran defender went to the Kansas City Chiefs, who were higher on the list.

The Kansas City Chiefs bolstered a struggling pass rush unit recently by claiming linebacker Terrell Suggs off waivers. However, they were not the only team interested in the veteran edge defender.

Per NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, there were four teams who placed a claim on Suggs, one of them being the Seattle Seahawks.

Coach Pete Carroll has made is abundantly clear that he is always looking for ways to add to the team, and the midseason acquisitions of both Josh Gordon and Quandre Diggs were good examples of that.

“We’re competing always,” Carroll said last Friday when asked about Suggs. “We’re always looking. We look at everybody that becomes available. I heard that that happened as I was walking across the turf here. I don’t know anything about it, but Johnny [Schneider] will be all over it with those guys.”

At 37, Suggs is not the dominant defensive presence he once was. So far in 2019 as a member of the Cardinals he started 13 games while racking up 37 tackles and 5.5 sacks.

The 5.5 sacks would lead the Seahawks, however, as they are being led currently by Rasheem Green, who has just four.

As such, Suggs almost certainly would have been able to help an ailing Seahawks pass rush, one that is battling through injuries to Jadeveon Clowney and Ziggy Ansah.

That, however, will remain conjecture as Suggs will be wearing a Chiefs uniform while the Seahawks square off against the team that waived him, the Cardinals, on Sunday.

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Pete Carroll remains optimistic about Seahawks rookie L.J. Collier

Despite playing 37 snaps and not recording a single statistic, Pete Carroll remains optimistic about Seattle Seahawks rookie L.J. Collier.

Seattle Seahawks rookie defensive end L.J. Collier, the team’s first round pick in 2019, played a career-high 37 snaps on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

While he did not record a single tackle, pressure, or quarterback hit, coach Pete Carroll felt it was the best performance of Collier’s career to date.

“I thought he was really active,” Carroll said on Monday. “He played a lot of plays. I think he played 40 plays or something like that. It was really a good outing for him. He was physical and played tough. We didn’t get to the quarterback with him, but that’s his best game by far of contributing. He’s just going to stay in the mix now. He’s really part of it.”

Depending on one’s optimism level, this quote can be viewed as a positive sign regarding the rookie’s progress this season (progress that was stunted by an ankle injury suffered in training camp) or a negative sign – the team’s first round pick had his best game of the season and didn’t even record a single meaningful statistic.

The answer likely lies somewhere in the middle. Collier’s growth this season has not happened particularly quickly, especially for one of the oldest rookies in the draft, and for him to barely have a role on a defensive line that has struggled for good chunks of the year is definitely discouraging.

However, missing the preseason cost Collier extremely valuable development time. The fact that Carroll sees improvement from the rookie is a great sign that he’ll be a contributor for this team next season, following in the footsteps of Rasheem Green and taking that second-year leap.

Regardless of whether you see the glass as half-full or half-empty, it’s pretty clear Collier won’t have a big impact the rest of this season.

However, there’s still a real chance he’s a big-time contributor on this team, potentially starting as soon as 2020.

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More confidence is key to Rasheem Green’s recent surge

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Rasheem Green has come on as of late, and added confidence is a big reason why.

When the Seattle Seahawks drafted defensive end Rasheem Green in the third round of the 2018 draft out of USC, they knew he was a bit of a project.

After all, Green was one of the youngest draft-eligible prospects of all-time, getting selected two weeks before his 21st birthday – one of only 12 players to do so in history.

Green, understandably, didn’t see much action in his first NFL season. He appeared in 10 games and recorded nine combined tackles, including one sack.

However, coach Pete Carroll has long preached the importance of players taking the second-year leap – and Green’s recent performance is a perfect example of Carroll’s player development system functioning at 100 percent.

“We’re just really fired up that he’s been so physical and aggressive,” Carroll said on Friday. “He’s knocked two balls loose in the last couple of weeks. His confidence is soaring really, from where it’s been. His understanding of what’s going on, his style of play, he has really embraced. I think Clint [Hurtt] has done a great job with him of finding his game, and we’re trying to put him in a situation where he can be successful. I’m really excited to see him play again.”

Green has appeared in all 12 of Seattle’s games, starting five, and recorded 17 combined tackles, three sacks, one pass defended and three forced fumbles – including a crucial one against the Vikings on Monday Night Football.

Seattle’s defense took their time coming together this season, and Green’s emergence as a force up front has been a big part of their success. Seattle can utilize him on the inside and on the outside, and he has proven he has enough quicks and strength to impose his will on opposing offenses in both the running game and the passing game.

Still just 22, Green has a bright future ahead of him as an every down defensive lineman for this Seahawks team, and his performance down the stretch will be a big part of this team’s push for a first round bye in the playoffs.

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Instant analysis of Seattle’s 17-9 victory over Philadelphia

In one of the uglier games of the season – even by Seattle’s standards – the Seahawks’ defense stifled the Philadelphia Eagles and helped lead them to a 17-9 victory.

In one of the uglier games of the season – even by Seattle’s standards – the Seahawks’ defense stifled the Philadelphia Eagles and helped lead them to a 17-9 victory.

Seattle is now 9-2 on the year.

A 58-yard touchdown run from Rashaad Penny early in the fourth quarter gave Seattle a two-touchdown lead, and an interception by Tre Flowers late in the fourth was the final nail in the coffin of an Eagles team that struggled all game against Seattle’s defense.

Penalties were a huge part of the game story, with Seattle getting penalized a whopping 12 times. They were penalized 10 times before Philadelphia received their first penalty late in the third quarter. They finished with two penalties for 15 yards, nothing compared to Seattle – who struggled with discipline upfront on the line of scrimmage all day long.

The wind had a huge impact on this game as well, with both quarterbacks struggling to generate yards through the air. Both Carson Wentz and Russell Wilson missed wide-open receivers throwing against the wind, and punts and kicks were considerably less effective all day long.

Seattle scrapped their way to a 10-3 lead at halftime, although they should have been up by multiple scores. A rare miss from Wilson to tight end Jacob Hollister in the end zone cost them four points (they converted a field goal instead) and a dropped catch by DK Metcalf, also in the end zone, cost them seven.

After the Eagles struck first on a short field goal midway through the first quarter, Seattle responded quickly on a flea-flicker from Chris Carson to Russell Wilson that worked perfectly, as Wilson hit Malik Turner in the end zone on a dime for a touchdown.

It was Seattle’s first flea-flicker of the season and gave them an early lead.

Later in the half, Ziggy Ansah forced a fumble that was negated by a Shaquill Griffin holding penalty, but Seattle forced a turnover a few plays later on an interception from Bradley McDougald.

The interception was part of a disastrous game from Wentz, who lost two fumbles and threw another interception – this one by Flowers – which sealed the game late in the fourth.

Wentz finished 33-45 with 256 yards, one garbage-time touchdown, two interceptions, and two lost fumbles.

Shaquem Griffin was the catalyst behind one of Wentz’s fumbles on his first big play of the season as a member of the defense, drilling Wentz and forcing a fumble that was recovered by Branden Jackson.

Griffin had a really solid game, flashing excellent disruption as a pass rusher and finishing with four tackles and one pass defended.

The Seahawks moved to 6-0 on the road this season, and will now root for Green Bay on Sunday night against San Francisco, Seattle’s NFC West rival.

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Jadeveon Clowney had treatment on hip, questionable for Week 12

Seattle Seahawks star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is questionable with a hip injury, and had off-campus treatment on Friday afternoon.

The Seattle Seahawks may be without their star defensive end, Jadeveon Clowney, on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Clowney is officially listed as questionable with a hip injury, and coach Pete Carroll revealed the star pass rusher was not at Seattle’s practice on Friday while he got treatment on his hip at another location.

“He had a little off-campus treatment today,” Carroll said on Friday. “So, we’ll see how he is on game day.”

Clowney had a monstrous game against the 49ers in Week 10, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Not having him against an Eagles team that is missing starting tackle Lane Johnson would be a big blow for this Seattle defense.

Carroll said Clowney will meet up with the team before the game on Sunday, and they’ll work him out on the field before determining if he will be able to play.

If Clowney cannot go, the Seahawks will rely heavily on Quinton Jefferson and Rasheem Green to anchor the pass rush, with Ziggy Ansah, Shaquem Griffin and potentially rookie L.J. Collier seeing an increase in snap counts as well.

Look for an update on Clowney’s status roughly 90 minutes before Seattle takes on Philadelphia on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. PT.

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