Tag: Seattle

Seahawks CB Tre Flowers motivated by pressure of excelling in 4th year

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tre Flowers told reporters that he is focused on excelling on the field in his fourth year in the NFL.

Tre Flowers has had mixed results on the field since the Seattle Seahawks selected him in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft. However, he has been having a solid training camp and is hyped up for the 2021 season as he enters a contract year.

Flowers suffered a hamstring injury last year, forcing him to miss a few games. He showed improvement in some areas but is aware that 2021 is a do-or-die year for him with free agency approaching.

“I’m really focused on it this year going into my fourth year,” he told reporters this week. “A lot of mental steps. I want to put it all together… I got hurt last year so a lot of stuff happened to me, and I just went on a full reset.”

The fourth-year cornerback stated that he will not let his past mistakes haunt him and focus on reaching the greatest of heights this season.

“I’m just letting all of the years go before me,” Flowers said. “Not thinking about all of the plays I’ve missed and trying to get better every day… I just want this real bad. I want to be good, I want to be great. I want to make the plays.”

With Shaquill Griffin gone, the Seahawks will need their other CBs to step up and Flowers looks to do just that.

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Russell Wilson supports LT Duane Brown in contract negotiations

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson supports left tackle Duane Brown in his contract negotiations with the team this offseason.

In the aftermath of Duane Brown’s displeasure at not receiving a contract extension from the Seattle Seahawks, quarterback Russell Wilson voiced his thoughts on the matter.

Wilson told reporters that Seattle needs Brown out there protecting him, stating that he is one of the premier left tackles in the NFL and that he is beating Father Time at age 36.

“Not having Duane Brown out there is a pretty significant deal because I think he’s one of the best left tackles in the game, there’s no arguing it,” Wilson said on Sunday. “I think he’s as good as it gets. There’s nobody more athletic, more talented than he is. Age is just a number. He looks like he’s 28-30 out there. He’s really exceptional. So smart and physical, understands the game, and I think people fear him, to be honest with you, when they’re rushing him and playing against him.

“So we definitely want to be able to get him back out there. We’ve got to figure that out because we need Duane Brown.”

Indeed, Brown is a key cog in the offense and has proven he can still play well in his late 30s. It would be ideal to have him around for at least the short-term future, but he will likely desire a lucrative contract as aging players often do, and star safety Jamal Adams has been wanting the same thing this offseason. The Seahawks must have their priorities straight in the coming weeks as the 2021 regular season creeps closer.

“I think he’s got several more years to play,” Wilson continued. “I think he can definitely do it. I don’t think there’s anybody more athletic than him. You see what he can do. And he’s also our leader. He’s a guy who really leads the offensive line, and really, he commands the offensive line and really can set the tone.”

The Seahawks will play their first preseason game against the Raiders on Aug. 14 at Allegiant Stadium at 6:00 p.m. PT.

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Seahawks rookie Tre Brown enters 2021 season with chip on his shoulder

Seattle Seahawks rookie cornerback Tre Brown enters the 2021 season with a chip on his shoulder due to outsiders’ doubts about his height.

The Seattle Seahawks selected cornerback Tre Brown in the fourth round of this year’s NFL draft and the rookie wants it known that he will not slip under the radar.

Brown joined 710 ESPN Seattle’s Danny and Gallant to discuss his experience in Seattle’s training camp thus far and his adjustment to the game at the professional level.

“Right now I’m just getting my feet wet, learning a lot about the different changes of the NFL and how they do things,” Brown said. “But I’m sure when I have this down pat, I’m gonna definitely make a name for myself in this league, and I’m going to be around for a while.”

Pete Carroll and John Schneider have a preference for tall corners, but Brown lies outside their usual target height at 5-foot-10. Some thought Brown’s height caused him to fall in the draft, but he stated that he uses the doubts surrounding him because of his shorter stature as motivation to excel, particularly against taller receivers.

“It was something I definitely took as a challenge. Every day I face that, and so every Saturday I went against a receiver or whatever (in college), they had to pay for that. When you watch that tape after the game, a 6-foot-3 receiver vs. a 5-foot-9, 5-foot-10 corner, you should be pretty embarrassed because I locked you up that day. Check the tape. My height doesn’t matter. It’s a chip on my shoulder.”

Seahawks fans may be able to see Brown on the field very soon, as Seattle plays its first preseason game against the Raiders next week on Saturday, Aug. 14.

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Seahawks Ben Burr-Kirven heads into 2021 with uncertainty but optimism

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven said that he will head into the 2021 season with the mindset that he will be a starter.

Surrounded by veteran stud linebacker Bobby Wagner and young up-and-comer Jordyn Brooks, Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven heads into the 2021 season with uncertainty.

Most of Burr-Kirven’s playing time has been on special teams. However, he is treating this offseason like he will be a starter on the field in September.

“I think you still approach it like you are going to be a starter,’’ Burr-Kirven said. “And that’s what everybody has to do because the reality of the game we play is you’re always one play away from being in the game. I think that’s the only way to do it. If you have that mindset that ‘Oh, I’m a backup’ then you are not going to prepare the way you need to.’’

Indeed, injuries are common in the NFL, and players must always be prepared to be thrust into action even when they least expect it.

Burr-Kirven expressed his reverence for Wagner and former Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright, stating that they showed him what it takes to excel at the professional level beyond the basics.

“Everybody knows how to play football if you make it this far,” he continued. “You know how to study tape and all that. But there is so much from the recovery aspect, time management. Having Bobby and K.J. when I came in kind of opened my eyes to know there is so much more to being a football player than coming out and practicing hard and watching film.’’

Burr-Kirven will likely spend most of his third year in the NFL on special teams, but he could see the field on defense more frequently if complications arise.

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Aldon Smith reporting to Seahawks training camp, but for how long?

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Aldon Smith is reporting to training camp, but will he remain on the roster for long with his legal issues?

Jamal Adams has reported to Seahawks training camp in the midst of discussions regarding a potential contract extension, but he is not the only veteran player to report for duty.

Defensive end Aldon Smith, signed by the Seahawks in April, is also ready to go for training camp, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson. A former seventh overall pick, Smith had a somewhat resurgent season with the Cowboys in 2020 after not seeing the field for four years. He could certainly provide some firepower to the Seahawks’ defensive line this upcoming season.

However, Smith’s myriad of legal issues has been well-documented. Smith spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons with the Raiders but did not play a down due to a suspension for a hit-and-run and the organization released him in 2018 for a domestic violence incident. Smith remained a free agent until the 2020 season when Dallas scooped him up and the NFL reinstated him.

This is certainly not the first time Seattle has signed a player with a troubled history, but Smith is particularly controversial. Smith was arrested again this offseason, this time for second-degree felony battery. His arraignment on the new charges has been moved to August, after it was initially scheduled for July 14.

Smith is under a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Seahawks, which they can shed quite easily, leaving only $137,500 in dead cap if they release him in the event that he is convicted. If he is able to play for 2021, fans can only hope he will make sufficient contributions to the defense.

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Deshawn Shead had an interest in coaching for Seahawks for years

Former Seattle Seahawks defensive back Deshawn Shead had an interest in coaching for the team for years, talking with Pete Carroll about it.

Over a year and a half after his retirement from the NFL, former Seattle Seahawks defensive back Deshawn Shead joined the team’s coaching staff as their defensive assistant/defensive backs coach in March.

Shead told reporters that he had an interest in coaching at the professional level for the longest time before taking the position with Seattle. He stated that he is motivated by seeing younger players succeed under his tutelage.

“It’s always been something I was very interested in,” Shead said. “I’ve always been a captain at every level that I played, so I find myself just coaching naturally. I love to see when you tell somebody something and then teach somebody something, and they go out there do it successfully. I’ve always had that in me.”

Head coach Pete Carroll revealed that he and Shead stayed in contact after the latter’s departure from the Seahawks and subsequent retirement, and Carroll clearly had the idea of Shead joining the coaching staff on his mind for quite some time because of the qualities he showcased as a player.

“We’ve stayed in contact for a couple of years here, and he’s always been one of our favorite guys because he’s just one of the most true-blue guys we’ve ever seen in the program — hard-working, dedicated, smart, creative, tough,” Carroll said. “I mean, he had all of the elements that we love in the program, big chip on the shoulder, he had to always prove it. So we just kept in contact, and I talked to him a few years back that, ‘If you’re ever thinking about it, let’s talk. There’ll be a conversation waiting for you.'”

Shead expressed his enthusiasm about returning to the Emerald City to coach for a competitive organization with a coaching staff and defensive system he is familiar with, calling it the best-case scenario for him and his family.

“It’s very special,” Shead said. “Best case scenario to come here in Seattle. We have a home here. This has been my home for the past nine, 10 years, from playing here. So to come here to a system I know, great coaching staff—they know what it takes to win, how to build a team. You’ve got Coach Carroll that I can learn a lot from, Coach (Ken) Norton, who has a lot of knowledge, who I’ve learned so much from already. So just to come on Coach Norton’s staff was a blessing to have this opportunity and start here, and I’m glad I’m here.”

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Dominick Wood-Anderson signs with Seahawks

Former Tennessee tight end Dominick Wood Anderson signs with Seattle Seahawks.

A former University of Tennessee football player will get another chance to make an NFL roster for the 2021 season.

VFL Dominick Wood-Anderson was signed Wednesday by the Seattle Seahawks.

Wood-Anderson, a tight end, was signed by Seattle in 2020 as an undrafted free agent. He was, however, placed on waivers prior to training camp so the Seahawks could comply with the league’s COVID-19 protocols.

The 6-foot-4, 247-pound tight end played his junior and senior seasons for the Volunteers after transferring from Arizona Western Community College.

While on Rocky Top, he appeared in 24 games, making 17 starts for Tennessee.

He recorded 38 receptions, 408 receiving yards and three touchdowns for Tennessee.

Bills Wire’s Week 9 Player of the Game: QB Josh Allen

QB Josh Allen is Bills Wire Player of the Game.

What a day for our three-time Bills Wire Player of the Game, quarterback Josh Allen. The third-year QB helped lead the Bills to play their best game yet, against a Super Bowl contender in the Seattle Seahawks.

While anything and everything clicked for the Bills as a unit in Week 9, with the Bills defense making light work of the current MVP front-runner, the fact that Allen out-dueled his counterpart in Russell Wilson. It was a statement win for Allen, a statement win for the defense, and well… a statement win for the Bills to put a little respect when others speak their name.

Allen finished with one of his better stat lines, completing 31 of his 38 passes on the day, with 415 yards by air and three passing touchdowns. He also added a touchdown run as well.

While this is an excellent win that the Bills can build off of, they now gear up to play another feisty NFC West team that has also one – upped the Seahawks recently, in the Arizona Cardinals.

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Amazon has bought the naming rights to …

Amazon has bought the naming rights to downtown Seattle’s arena which will house a new NHL team and the Women’s National Basketball Association’s Seattle Storm, the company announced Thursday. The KeyArena will now be renamed to Climate Pledge Arena, in reference to Amazon’s ambitious climate plan, which was first unveiled by CEO Jeff Bezos last September.

Dominick Wood-Anderson joins former Vols with Seahawks

Dominick Wood-Anderson joins former Vols with Seahawks.

SEATTLE – Former Tennessee tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson did not hear his name called in the 2020 NFL Draft, but will get a shot at an NFL career after signing with the Seattle Seahawks, joining two former Volunteers.

Wood-Anderson will join former Tennessee defensive end Darrell Taylor and lineman Khalil McKenzie in Seattle.

Taylor was teammates with Wood-Anderson in 2018 and 2019. Wood-Anderson signed with the Vols as a JUCO prospect.

Taylor was selected by the Seahawks with the 48th overall pick in the 2020 draft.

McKenzie played defensive line at Tennessee from 2015-17, and was converted to offensive line after being drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. After spending time on the practice squad, McKenzie briefly played in the XFL for the Los Angeles Wildcats before re-signing with the Seahawks on April 20.

Wood-Anderson caught 38 passes for 408 yards and three touchdowns in two seasons at Tennessee, and was often deployed as a blocker. He joins a Seattle depth chart that includes Greg Olsen and Will Dissly at tight end.