HEADLINES

Pete Carroll

Seahawks RB Chris Carson Suffers Setback

December 8th, 2017 at 8:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Seahawks running back Chris Carson‘s attempt at a 2017 comeback has been halted for the time being, as head coach Pete Carroll told reporters that Carson suffered a setback in his recovery from a broken leg, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.Chris Carson (vertical)

“(Carson) a little bit of an ankle turn. Just caught it a little bit,” said Carroll. “So just got to make sure we know what that means as he bounces back from it. We were looking to try to find a time when we could put him back on the practice field next week or the week after that.

We were looking with real optimism. But I don’t know if that’s going to happen after the little setback. We’ll have to see when we get though the weekend. We won’t know until like Wednesday or something of next week where that fits.”

As Carroll alluded to, Seattle was hopeful that Carson would be able to return from injured reserve at some point this year. In fact, Carroll said earlier this week that Carson had been “unbelievably ahead of schedule” in his rehab. While a return now appears doubtful, Carson could conceivably come back if/when the Seahawks earn a postseason berth. Carson has already been sidelined for more than eight weeks (the league minimum when placed on IR), so he can return to Seattle’s active roster at any time.

Carson, whom the Seahawks selected in the seventh round of the 2017 draft, had seized the club’s starting running back job before going down with injury. On 49 carries, the 23-year-old Carson had managed 4.2 yards per carry while also handling seven receptions. Even though he’s been absent for two months, Carson’s 208 yards rushing are still tops among Seattle running backs.

Without Carson available, the Seahawks have tried a number of options in the backfield with little success, as the club ranks just 22nd in rushing DVOA. The latest candidate for playing time is former fourth-rounder Mike Davis, whom Seattle claimed off waivers from San Francisco before the season began. Davis managed 64 yards on 16 carries in Week 13 against the Eagles.

West Notes: Lynch, Staley, Buchanon

November 26th, 2017 at 10:08pm CST by GregGoldstein

The Broncos turned to another quarterback, but got the same results in today’s loss to Oakland. Second-year signal caller Paxton Lynch was the latest passer to rack up a defeat during the team’s seven game losing streak. However, the loss was not the only thing the former first round pick suffered on Sunday.

Lynch was forced to exit the game in the third quarter after an apparent right ankle injury, reports Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post. The quarterback was seen very emotion on the sideline when he learned that his day would be done. It’s a crushing development for Lynch, who’d been waiting for his chance to get on the field as he’d been recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered in the preseason.

Trevor Siemian was good in relief, but with the team at 3-8 and clearly out of the playoff hunt, I’m sure head coach Vance Joseph wanted to see what he had in his young gunslinger. It remains to be seen just how serious the injury actually is, though it appears to be distinct possibility that the team will have to switch starters again in Week 13.

  • The 49ers have dealt with a variety of injuries this year, but seemed to avoid another to one of the team’s best players. Left tackle Joe Staley left the game for just one play after an apparent leg injury, but was able to return without much issue. The veteran lineman clarified after the game that he simply hyperextended his knee and is fine, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link).
  • Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians confirmed that linebacker Deone Bucannon has injured right leg, says Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. While the news is concerning on its own, there is added negativity because it’s the same leg that Bucannon had surgery on during offseason, which forced him to miss the first three games of the year. It’s not known just how long it’s expected to keep the 25-year-old out, but the team does have three reserves in Josh Bynes, Scooby Wright and Bryson Albright to take those snaps should the injury force Bucannon to miss time.
  • The Seahawks came out of their win over the 49ers with few injuries of their own. Head coach Pete Carroll said that defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson was “Ok” after leaving in the fourth quarter, reports Brady Henderson of ESPN.com. However, Henderson also passes along that second-string tight end Luke Willson suffered a bit more serious of an injury after he was removed in the second quarter with a concussion. Carroll did mention to reporters that the tight end has a chance to play in next week’s game, but he obviously must pass concussion protocol first. In the meantime, both Jimmy Graham and third-stringer Nick Vannett were able to find the end zone without Willson in the lineup.

Seahawks Pass On Colin Kaepernick

June 2nd, 2017 at 4:18pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks won’t be signing Colin Kaepernick. At least, not right now. Today, coach Pete Carroll told reporters that while the door remains “open” to a union with Kaepernick, there is nothing imminent on that front. Colin Kaepernick (vertical)

[RELATED: Seahawks Sign Marcus Cromartie]

This jibes with a report from earlier this week which indicated that no deal would be coming together at this time. Still, all signs indicate that the Seahawks’ meeting with Kaepernick was not just done as a courtesy. The team had real interest in him, reports say, and Carroll insists that there is some degree of interest in the former 49ers signal caller. Carroll said that Kaepernick demonstrated that he is still a starting-caliber quarterback and he can’t imagine that he won’t get an opportunity to play somewhere in the NFL this year.

Austin Davis worked out for the Seahawks on the same day as Kaepernick, but he also remains unsigned. If the Seahawks want to continue looking at outside backup QB options for starter Russell Wilson, they could explore vets such as Robert Griffin III, Shaun Hill, and Christian Ponder.

NFC Notes: Wolf, Seahawks, Vikings, Rams

January 19th, 2017 at 2:13pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Packers director of football operations Eliot Wolf has accepted a new contract in Green Bay and withdrawn from the 49ers’ search for a general manager, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today. He’s the second candidate this week to bow out of San Francisco’s hunt for a GM, joining Seahawks co-director of player personnel Trent Kirchner. One of Wolf’s colleagues in Green Bay, director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst, and Vikings assistant GM George Paton are continuing to vie for the 49er job and will conduct second interviews with the team next week.

More from the NFC:

  • The Seahawks could lose a second-round pick for not disclosing cornerback Richard Sherman‘s knee injury during the season, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN. Seattle is cooperating with the NFL’s investigation, though the team doesn’t believe it deserves major punishment because Sherman didn’t miss any time on account of the ailment. Head coach Pete Carroll, who revealed Monday that Sherman had a “significant” MCL issue, could also face a fine. Last September, the league fined Carroll $200K and heavily punished the Seahawks – they received a $400K fine to go with a loss of a a fifth-round pick and a week of OTAs – after they violated its rules regarding contact practices in the offseason. As a result of this violation, the league could elevate the fifth-rounder to a second, per Mortensen. League policy clearly indicates the Seahawks were in the wrong for not listing Sherman on the injury report.
  • Pending free agent linebacker Chad Greenway is either going to re-sign with the Vikings or retire, the 34-year-old told Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune. “If playing in Minnesota for another year is an option — and pretty much all season, I’ve felt like this is going to be my last year — and now I’m just trying to make sure that decision is the one I want to make,” said Greenway. “I’ve lived every day like I wanted to, like it could be my last game in the NFL, and I enjoyed the season. Now I can take some time and think about it, and we’ll come to a decision real soon.” Greenway is the longest-tenured current Viking, having spent his entire career with the team since it selected him 17th overall in 2006. In 2016 – his 11th year – the remarkably durable Greenway logged his 10th season consisting of 16 appearances, though he recorded career lows in starts (nine) and tackles (41).
  • Redskins assistant defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant is likely to join ex-Washington offensive coordinator and now-Rams head coach Sean McVay‘s staff in Los Angeles, tweets Sporting News’ Alex Marvez. However, a deal isn’t done yet, notes Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post (Twitter link). The Redskins want to retain Pleasant, who just finished his fourth season with the club.

10 Coaching Candidates For The Rams

December 13th, 2016 at 10:00pm CST by Zachary Links

In an iconic scene from season nine of The Simpsons, Krusty the Klown announced his retirement to a scrum of not-so-stunned reporters. Krusty The Clown

“But Krusty,” one reporter asks. “Why now? Why not twenty years ago?”

It wouldn’t have been out of place for any Rams beat reporter to channel that sentiment and ask a similar question of COO Kevin Demoff when he addressed the media on Monday. Jeff Fisher‘s dismissal was long overdue and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone outside of the coach’s family who disagrees.

For now, the Rams will turn things over to special teams coordinator John Fassel on an interim basis. While this is ostensibly a chance for Fassel to impress team brass and land the head coaching job for 2017, most are expecting the Rams to hire a name brand coach that will energize the fan base and give the team some additional panache in free agency.

With a few weeks to go between now and the official end of the Rams’ season, here are ten names that could be considered for the job:

Jim Harbaugh (vertical)Jim Harbaugh, head coach at the University of Michigan: Some say that living well is the best revenge. Others say that the best revenge against your former employer is setting up shop across the street and destroying them. Santa Clara-to-Los Angeles is a lengthy drive, but you get what we’re getting at.

Harbaugh, in theory, could leave his alma mater and crush the 49ers by joining up with a divisional rival. The Rams have reportedly been loafing in practice and Harbaugh is the kind of throwback disciplinarian that the team badly needs. It’s fair to assume that the Rams will get in contact with Harbaugh, but it will be tough to get him to leave his lucrative job in Ann Arbor.

With National Signing Day around the corner, Harbaugh could publicly remove himself himself from consideration if he is not at all interested in an NFL return. Alternatively, if Harbaugh wants to get sweet revenge against the Niners, Stan Kroenke better have his checkbook ready. Signing Harbaugh could cost upwards of $10MM/year and that’s before factoring in his buyout clause with the Wolverines. If Harbaugh bolts, he’ll owe U-M the prorated portion of his $2MM signing bonus. With two of the seven years served, 5/7ths of that amount comes out to roughly $1.43MM.

Click here to read more from Zach Links..

Read more

Rams Eyeing Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll

December 13th, 2016 at 12:28pm CST by Zachary Links

Let the rumors begin. In a city dominated by celebrity gossip, it only makes sense that there will be rampant speculation about the Rams’ head coaching vacancy and several big names bandied about. The “power brokers” within the Rams organization have Seahawks coach Pete Carroll high atop their wishlist, multiple sources tell Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. That group includes owner Stan Kroenke and vice president of football operations Kevin Demoff. Pete Carroll

[RELATED: Pete Carroll Fined $200K By NFL]

There are a few important things to note here. One, Carroll is under contract with Seattle through the 2019 season, and the Seahawks aren’t about to give their star coach away to a divisional rival. Secondly, there’s no indication in Robinson’s report that the Rams have reached out to Carroll. Third, it’s not known whether the job would be of interest to the former USC head coach, though some believe that a return to California would appeal to him. Robinson’s report is clear on all of these points: the interest is there, but it is not necessarily mutual, nor is it particularly likely to come to fruition.

“Pete makes sense in a lot of ways,” one source said. “There is already a defensive core in place for him to work with. He has deep coaching ties across [the NFL] and knows how to build an offensive staff that can bring along [Goff]. … He’s a California guy at heart and has a track record there with the L.A. fan base [from his time at USC]. He’s also a great, great coach.”

Would Carroll consider leaving the Seahawks? Would the Seahawks even entertain the notion of sending a Super Bowl winning coach to another NFC West team? And, when push comes to shove, are the Rams ready to give Carroll a record-setting contract and forfeit several draft picks? It’s a situation to keep an eye on this offseason, but the roadblocks here are massive.

For what it’s worth, Carroll responded in the affirmative today when asked if he’d rule out any chance of wanting to coach the Rams (Twitter link via Jack Wang of the Daily News).

Seahawks Lose Fifth-Round Pick

September 19th, 2016 at 12:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks will lose their fifth-round pick in 2017 for violating the league’s rules regarding contact practices in the offseason, according to an announcement from the NFL. The Seahawks will also lose a week of OTAs and face a fine of $400K. Coach Pete Carroll personally will have to pay $200K in fines for his role. Pete Carroll

The NFL and NFLPA’s agreement on excessive contact in offseason workouts was breached on June 6th when Carroll’s team doled out hard hits during OTAs. This is not the first team that the Seahawks have run afoul of these regulations and, therefore, they were docked a draft choice in addition to the fines.

In this year’s draft, there were three instances of teams losing draft picks as a result of rules violations. The Patriots (first round), Chiefs (third round), and the Falcons (fifth round) were all penalized for different infractions by the league office.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Seahawks Extend Pete Carroll Through 2019

July 26th, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Seahawks have signed head coach Pete Carroll to a long-term extension that will keep him in Seattle through the 2019 season. Carroll’s contract had been set to expire after the upcoming season.Pete Carroll

[RELATED: Seahawks, Michael Bennett’s agent to discuss contract]

Carroll’s extension comes just two days after the Seahawks locked up general manager John Schneider through the 2021 campaign, meaning the club’s brain trust will be together for at least the next four seasons. Seattle was always expected to hammer out a new deal with its head coach, and Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reported yesterday that there was no rancor in negotiations. Rather, the Seahawks (and Carroll) simply wanted to follow their usual offseason plan — tackling free agency, the draft, and extensions for contract year players — before working out a new agreement.

In addition to allowing Carroll avoid a lame-duck status in 2016, the extension also gives both Seattle and Carroll some added security — Carroll will be guaranteed a salary for a few extra years, and the Seahawks mitigate the risk of their head coach eyeing another job. While there has been no indication that Carroll would want to leave Seattle, one January report suggested that the former USC head coach may eventually have interest in a Los Angeles NFL job, with the Rams – and possibly Chargers – returning to L.A.

Carroll’s current contract is believed to place him among the NFL’s top three highest-paid coaches, with an annual salary in the range of $7-8MM per year. Presumably, his new deal wouldn’t involve a pay cut of any sort, so Carroll will continue to rank near the top of the salary leaderboard for coaches after signing his extension.

Since taking over as the Seahawks’ head coach in 2010, Carroll has led the team to a 60-36 regular-season record, with a 9-6 record and a Super Bowl win in the postseason. Seattle has won at least 10 games and made the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, winning at least one postseason contest every year and earning a spot in the Super Bowl twice.

Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) was the first to report the extension and noted that it runs through 2019. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC West Notes: 49ers, Gamble, Davis, Carroll

July 25th, 2016 at 8:32pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The 49ers have hired Tom Gamble as assistant general manager, the club announced today. Gamble is in his second stint with San Francisco, as he worked alongside GM Trent Baalke in the club’s front office from 2005-2012 before re-joining the team in January 2015 as a senior personnel executive. Notably, current 49ers head coach Chip Kelly brought Gamble with him to Philadelphia as his top personnel man, but Gamble was ousted following the 2014 campaign.

Here’s a look at the latest from the NFC West:

  • Although the 49ers are reportedly more interested in keeping offensive tackle Anthony Davis than trading him, the club is “wary” of Davis’ reinstatement and could be questioning his commitment to football, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). San Francisco is somewhat worried that Davis will be challenged in his return to the everyday grind of the NFL, and the team’s staff will watch him closely as camp and the preseason progresses. Davis, a former first-round pick, is far more talented than the Niners’ incumbent right tackle, Erik Pears, so the club doesn’t have much to lose by letting Davis attend training camp and compete for a starting position.
  • Now that the Seahawks have extended the contract of general manager John Schneider, head coach Pete Carroll will be next, sources tell Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Seattle uses a specific approach to the offseason, tackling free agency, the draft, and then extensions for their players entering the last year of their deals. Carroll, sources tell Condotta, merely wanted to get through that period of the club’s to-do list, and there’s been no rancor of any kind in negotiations. Plus, Carroll likely wanted to ensure that Schneider was kept under contract before agreeing to re-sign, as he did when the pair was up for new deals previously.
  • The Seahawks are in good shape for the future after extending Schneider, writes Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com, and Schneider says the most critical part of the club’s success is a lack of vanity. “No ego. Ego is the enemy,” said Schneider. “And it’s being able to communicate, being able to communicate in a clear, concise fashion and make decisions as quickly as you possibly can. But knowing that, first and foremost, we’re looking out for the organization, No. 1, what’s best for the organization.” Carroll has final say on personnel moves in Seattle, but that distinction has never proved controversial among the team’s leadership.
  • Earlier today, we learned that the Seahawks will meet with the agent for defensive lineman Michael Bennett to discuss a new contract.

Seahawks To Extend GM John Schneider

July 24th, 2016 at 9:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks and longtime GM John Schneider have reached an agreement on an extension that will make him one of the highest-paid GMs in the NFL. It’s a five-year extension for Schneider set to run through the 2021 season.

The deal, per Clayton, will approach $3.75MM per year, matching Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome for the highest full-time GM salary in the NFL . Schneider was set to be seeking a contract worth $4MM per season, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.

Schneider’s contract was set to expire after the 2016 season. Pete Carroll‘s deal expires after 2016 as well and the Schneider pact is expected to soon lead to an extension for the team’s highly-regarded head coach.

The team has qualified for the playoffs in five of the pair’s six years together, including each of the past four. Assembling a mostly homegrown group of talent during this decade, Seattle’s gone to two Super Bowls, winning one and coming closer than perhaps any big-game loser has to claiming another title one year later.

Under Schneider’s regime, the Seahawks have been one of the league’s best at drafting talent and possibly the best reaching extensions with cornerstone players — including Russell Wilson, Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman and Bobby Wagner. They received the most productive years of Marshawn Lynch‘s career after trading for the then-maligned running back and recently hammered out an extension with former UDFA Doug Baldwin, the latest member of Seattle’s deep core now locked up long-term.

The agreement was first reported by ESPN.com’s John Clayton. FOXSports.com’s Jay Glazer (on Twitter) was first to report the length of the agreement. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Load More Posts