Author: Art Thiel

Against the Giants in December 2020, Seahawks SS Ryan Neal blocks the punt of Riley Dixon, which produced a safety and a 5-0 lead. / Corky Trewin, Seattle Seahawks Now that SS Jamal Adams, through no fault of his own, is done for the Seahawks season, local and national media and fans have pounced on his acquisition from the New York Jets in July 2020 as the most lopsided transaction since the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Because, well, it’s mostly true. The Seahawks are the Napoleonic France of the NFL. They gave up their 2021 and 2022 first-round picks, plus…

WR Tyler Lockett hauls in a Russell Wilson moon ball for a touchdown Sunday against the 49ers. / Corky Trewin, Seattle Seahawks Perhaps Seahawks followers should have recognized the clue. In his Friday presser before Sunday’s game with the 49ers, coach Pete Carroll declared Russell Wilson healed and ready. “This is the best he has felt,” he said. “This is eight weeks. We are at eight weeks right now for broken bones. This will be the best he’s been and I’m excited for him to play again.” The unequivocal medical assessment help create the most high-risk, high-reward game plan of…

Seahawks LB Carlos Dunlap swats away Jimmy Garoppolo’s final pass to preserve the Seahawks’ win. / Rod Mar, Seattle Seahawks It’s easy for fans to think that all players on a team know each other. It’s often not the case, especially when a team sinking fast like the Seahawks needs so much help that every Amazon driver through the headquarters doors gets a once-over by frantic scouts. Fortunately, the guy through the door Wednesday was RB Adrian Peterson, who has almost as many NFL touchdowns as Amazon has trucks. By Sunday, he was good enough and the Seahawks desperate enough…

Against the Cardinals missing their starting QB, Kyler Murray, Russell Wilson was out-gunned by Arizona backup Colt McCoy. / Drew McKenzie, Sportspress Northwest Name the injured NFL quarterback who said this Wednesday about returning to play after a four-week absence: “You’re not practicing, you’re not throwing the ball, stuff like that. But I try to do as much as I can, (similar to) when I was out. Just trying to stay close to it and prepare myself for when I do come back, that I’m not feeling clueless out there.” It certainly wasn’t Russell Wilson. Way too real. Kyler Murray…

Robbie Ray, the reigning Cy Young Award winner in the American League, is now a Mariner. / Alan Chitlik, Sportspress Northwest Before signing the whopper deal with the Mariners, the star called a player he knew on the roster for some dish on the club. “He told me what was great about this organization,” the star recalled. “He said they’re going to make you feel like family. They’ll take care of you. And that played a big role in my situation. You always want to be with people that treat you right.” Mitch Haniger probably said something like that to…

UW athletics director Jen Cohen shares a laugh with her new hire, football coach Kalen DeBoer. / Art Thiel, Sportspress Northwest College football’s annual post-season coaching-job shuffle has gone nuclear. Openings at so many program giants seems unprecedented, topped by Brian Kelly, the most successful coach in the storied history of Notre Dame, telling the Fighting Irish to drop dead. He took LSU’s offer of 10 years and $95 million. The episode followed Lincoln Riley telling Oklahoma to drop dead, decamping for USC and $110 million, plus a mansion and a private jet for his family. If you’re looking for…

Where the football goes, Seahawks QB Russell Wilson sometimes doesn’t know, but won’t admit it. / Drew McKenzie, Sportspress Northwest For two minutes, he flickered, then shone. Over 10 plays and 96 yards, Russell Wilson was mostly his old self, throwing darts and bombs as the clock ran down at FedEx Field in suburban Washington, D.C. The remains of the Monday night national TV audience, schooled for a decade to always watch Seahawks games because they can count on seeing football’s equivalent of a two-headed calf held by a bearded lady, was thrilled. Sure enough, the man ran the tightrope,…

Fresno State’s Kalen DeBoer, with the Old Oil Can Trophy after winning the rivalry game with San Diego State, is the new head coach at the University of Washington. / ABC30.com In the world of big-time college football, Kalen DeBoer is not a figure with a national brand. He’s doesn’t check the box requiring previous head coaching experience in a Power 5 conference. Nor does he have connections to University of Washington heritage, nor convictions similar to Don James and and Chris Petersen that defense and the run game are unassailable essentials to winning. None of the foregoing means much…

From here, the damaged finger looks back to normal. But whether the guy attached to it is back to normal awaits the Monday night game at Washington. / Drew McKenzie, Sportspress Northwest When last they played the Washington Football Team, at the Loo Dec. 20, 2020, the Seahawks won ugly, 20-15, improving their record to 10-4 and clinching their eighth playoff appearance in the previous nine seasons. No one was more delighted with the results than seasonal newcomer SS Jamal Adams, acquired at considerable expense from the perennially malodorous New York Jets. “I’m not used to this — I know…

Cougars RB Max Borghi ran through Washington’s defense for 129 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns in the Apple Cup Saturday night at Husky Stadium. / Drew Sellers, Sportspress Northwest In few years, we’ll have enough perspective to answer the key Apple Cup question from Saturday night at Husky Stadium. What will have lasted longer: The party in the Palouse following the Cougars’ 40-13 win (box) over Washington — the biggest Washington State margin of victory in the series’ 113 meetings — or the head coaching career of the Huskies’ Jimmy Lake? Judging by the exuberance on the field…