Seattle, WA

Michael Bennett: Thoughts on Seahawks’ D and LOB comparisons

Published

1 year ago

August 10, 2023

Michael Bennett: Thoughts on Seahawks’ D and LOB comparisons

The Seattle Seahawks have hopes of taking a big step forward on defense this season, as they have a group with a good mix of young talent, offseason additions and proven veterans.

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Any Seahawks defense will always be measured against the unit that led Seattle to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances and one championship a decade ago, so that made the insight from a guest on Thursday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk particularly enlightening.

Michael Bennett, who was a versatile defensive lineman and three-time Pro Bowler when he played for the Hawks from 2013-17, has been at Seahawks training camp this week, both as an observer and someone who can lend a hand in helping the defense. Ahead of calling the Hawks’ preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings on King 5 TV, Bennett shared his impressions of the team with Brock and Salk.

“The team is very energetic. They have a lot of passion. They have a great mixture,” Bennett said. “To make any great dish, you need a lot of ingredients. I think they have those ingredients of, like, veteran, youth, speed, wisdom, and then also a lot of people who’ve had experience playing in some big games – not the big game, but some big games, you know. And so overall, I think it’s pretty good.”

One person who stands out to Bennett is a former teammate of his: linebacker Bobby Wagner, a six-time All-Pro who is set for his 11th season in a Seahawks uniform after a brief one-year stint with the Los Angeles Rams.

“It’s great to see Bobby back,” Bennett said. “I think the energy that Bobby has and the ability for him to come in and impact in the leadership role, outside of his great talent to be one of the best linebackers this generation, his ability to put people in the right positions, knowing the defense, knowing the play calls… I think that’s the biggest addition this offseason that they had.”

There’s another offseason addition that Bennett highlighted: Julian Love, who joins a corps of safeties led by three-time Pro Bowler Quandre Diggs.

“I think you look at the secondary, Julian Love, watching him out there – you already know what Quandre is going to do, but seeing how Love is out there, being able to fit in and also bring in his own passion and his power into the team has been special to see.”

Does this defense stack up with the LOB?

The secondary that played behind Bennett’s defensive line during his time with the Seahawks, known as the Legion of Boom, is perhaps one of the greatest groups to ever play the position. Seattle is building impressive depth with their defensive backs now, too. Riq Woolen, a Pro Bowler as a rookie, leads a cornerback group that also includes 2023 first-round pick Devon Witherspoon, while the aforementioned safeties expect to get three-time Pro Bowler Jamal Adams back from injury at some point in 2023.

Can this secondary compare to the LOB? Bennett was reticent to say yes, but he admitted there is one thing this group has that stands out.

“I can’t really compare because I haven’t seen it, but they do have great depth. I think the thing that they do have is a lot of speed,” he said. “They might be faster than (the secondary) when I played, I think. As far as, like, just all-around speed, I think this this secondary is a lot faster.”

There’s a key reason why Bennett said a comparison is unfair, though, which is that it’s basically impossible to find another Kam Chancellor, who was a four-time Pro Bowl strong safety with Seattle from 2010-17.

“There’s no Kam Chancellor. That changes everything,” Bennett said. “Without a Kam Chancellor, I can’t compare y’all. Y’all would need another superhuman with superhuman strength and superhuman speed to be out there, so I can’t compare. … He allowed our defense to be different, right? Because we were able to play nickel defense. He was a linebacker playing safety, and he was so smart. I feel like Kam is one of those people who, it will probably take a little while because he ended up getting injured, but I feel like Kam is a Hall of Fame player to me. He made a big impact on a great defense and he changed the game in a real way.”

Listen to the full Brock and Salk conversation with Michael Bennett in the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post.

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Seattle, WA

Manhunt underway for Mason County shooting suspect

Published

1 hour ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Manhunt underway for Mason County shooting suspect

Manuhunt underway for Mason County assault suspect

Mason County deputies are looking for a man wanted in a shooting in Belfair on Monday.

MASON COUNTY, Wash. – The Mason County Sheriff’s Office is currently searching for a convicted felon wanted in a recent shooting.

The sheriff’s office says Michael Allen Beyer is wanted for first-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

Deputies believe Beyer was involved in a shooting that happened in Belfair on January 6.

Beyer is considered armed and dangerous. If you see him, do not approach him and call 911 immediately.

Anyone with information regarding Beyer’s whereabouts is asked to call Detective Helser at 360-427-9670 x657, or Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

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Seattle, WA

Two more Seattle restaurants close due to minimum wage hike

Published

9 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Two more Seattle restaurants close due to minimum wage hike

Two more Seattle restaurants are calling it quits thanks to the untenable minimum wage hike.

At the same time that the Seattle minimum wage rose from $19.97 an hour to $20.76 an hour, the city ended the tip credit of $2.72. Under the previous rules, restaurants were able to pay $17.25 hourly wage if their staff earned at least $2.72 in tips per hour. But as cost of business continues to skyrocket in Seattle, a minimum wage hike without a tip credit is simply untenable for many small businesses.

Jackson’s Catfish Corner in Seattle’s Central District closed its doors in this new year. In an interview with Converge Media, owner Terrell Jackson argued Seattle is too expensive to operate in.

“I know that the minimum wages went up to 20 bucks an hour … I know that’s hard for my business as a small Black business,” Jackson said. “I’m not Amazon or Walgreens or Walmart who can pay their employees that much.”

Jackson isn’t alone in his complaints.

More from Jason Rantz: Panic as Seattle restaurants may not survive massive minimum wage shift

A second West Seattle eatery closes, citing the minimum wage hike

Bel Gatto, a bakery and café, became the second West Seattle eatery to close its doors over the Seattle minimum wage hike. The owner posted a sign to the front door to thank supporters but said she can’t afford to stay open anymore.

“Our revenues, unfortunately, are not able to cover the close to 20% increase in mandated wages, salaries and payroll taxes put into effect by the Seattle City Council effective 1/1/25. This ruling has made the continuation of our bakery operations untenable,” the sign read.

The owner, Peter Levy, explained to the West Seattle Blog that, “we were approaching close to a break even status in the last quarter of 2024, but the requirement to absorb another $4,000 per month in payroll expenses with the new mandate by the city put a break even further from our grasp which is what led to the closure.”

Last week, a video by Corina Luckenbach, owner of Bebop Waffle Shop in West Seattle, went viral as she said the minimum wage hike was forcing her to close after 11 years. She said she didn’t have an extra $32,000 a year to pay her staff what the city mandates.

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Will more restaurants close?

Ahead of the minimum wage hike, restauranteurs offered many warnings over what’s to come.

Ethan Stowell operates a number of Seattle’s top restaurants, including How to Cook a Wolf, Staple and Fancy, and Tavolata. He warned this change would be exceptionally costly for businesses in an industry notorious for razor-thin margins. And restaurants can’t merely raise menu prices again.

“I know everybody wants to say, ‘Just raise things (on the menu) a dollar or two,’ and that’s what it’ll be. That’s very simplified math. I wish it was that easy, but it’s not. This is a large increase that’s probably large enough to be equal to or close to what most restaurants in Seattle profit,” Stowell told “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

Portage Bay Cafe co-owner Amy Fair Gunnar noted the minimum wage change will cost her about $45,000 more a month. She said restaurants will have to “seriously change what they’re doing or they’re going to close their doors.”

More from Jason Rantz: Here’s why Seattle residents vow to stop tipping in new year

Ignoring the warnings, mocking the business people

The warnings from restaurant owners were mostly ignored or mocked.

Efforts by the Seattle City Council to address the forthcoming crisis fell apart after activists said they didn’t want restaurants to get an exception. Council president Sara Nelson told “The Jason Rantz Show” they will take up the issue again this year but there’s no specific idea yet to forward for legislation. The Mayor of Seattle, Bruce Harrell, has been almost completely absent from the issue.

Left-wing voices, meanwhile, claim to not care. That if businesses “can’t afford to pay a living wage,” then they shouldn’t be in business.

One reporter with The Stranger mocked one of the closures, quipping on X, “Has anyone ever eaten at bebop waffle lol.” Left-wing Seattleites condemned the business for “creating a right wing media darling to complain about paying people a living wage.”

KING 5 reporter Maddie White helped elevate this talking point by citing the National Low Income Housing Coalition, claiming “the average renter needs to make upwards of $40 an hour to afford rent.” But she’s quoting a stat for two-bedrooms. Minimum wage jobs aren’t meant to cover the cost of a single person renting a two-bedroom home or apartment.

Ironically, as activists dismiss the concerns of small business owners, they fail to acknowledge the inevitable consequence: when those businesses shut down, people lose jobs. A $20.76 hourly minimum wage — even with a $2.72 tip credit — means nothing if you’re unemployed.

Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason Rantz on X, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

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Seattle, WA

Reports: Seattle Seahawks to interview 2 candidates for OC job

Published

17 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Reports: Seattle Seahawks to interview 2 candidates for OC job

A pair of candidates have surfaced in the Seattle Seahawks’ search for a new offensive coordinator.

An NFL insider’s view on Seahawks OC change and what’s next

The Seahawks are scheduled to interview Detroit Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley and Chicago Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown, according to multiple reports. NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero first reported the news Thursday morning.

Seattle will interview Fraley on Friday and Brown on Saturday, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

The Seahawks moved on from offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb on Monday after an up-and-down season for Seattle’s offense that included one of the worst rushing attacks in the league.

Fraley, 47, has been on Detroit’s coaching staff for the past seven seasons, including the past five as the team’s offensive line coach. Fraley has coached an offensive line that’s paved the way for one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks. The Lions rank third in Pro Football Focus’ run block grading and finished the regular season sixth in both rushing yards per game (146.4) and yards per carry (4.7).

During his time in Detroit, Fraley has helped develop four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow and three-time Pro Bowl right tackle Penei Sewell. As a player, Fraley started 123 games at center and guard over a 10-year NFL career with the Eagles (2001-05), Browns (2006-09) and Rams (2010). According to Breer, Fraley has done groundwork in searching for a pass game coordinator that he would pair with as an OC.

Brown, 38, began the season as Chicago’s passing game coordinator. He then was promoted to offensive coordinator when Shane Waldron, a former Seahawks assistant, was fired as OC on Nov. 12, and then to interim head coach when Matt Eberflus was fired on Nov. 29. Brown went 1-4 as the Bears’ interim head coach.

Brown was the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator in 2023. Prior to that, he spent three seasons under head coach Sean McVay in various roles on the Los Angeles Rams’ coaching staff.

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