Seattle, WA

Schlereth: What Seahawks OL is doing with backups is ‘amazing’

Published

1 year ago

October 4, 2023

Schlereth: What Seahawks OL is doing with backups is ‘amazing’

The Seattle Seahawks have a lot of momentum right now, sitting at 3-1 thanks to a trio of wins after dropping their season opener.

Sounds like a bad time for a bye week, right?

Seattle Seahawks Observations: K.J. Wright on Witherspoon and defense

Well, not exactly. The Hawks have been plenty banged up early on this season, and there’s no position group that’s been hammered with injuries more than Seattle’s offensive line. Not that you’d know it just by looking at how well the offense has played thus far.

In Monday’s 24-3 win over the New York Giants, the Seahawks played most of the game without a single starter on the O-line playing in their usual spot. In fact, only one starter period was healthy by the end of the contest: Evan Brown, who usually plays center but was moved to guard as rookie Olu Oluwatimi took over due to the group’s overall health.

Starting tackles Charles Cross (toe) and Abraham Lucas (knee) have both been out the past three games, and Lucas is on injured reserve. Then on Monday, guards Phil Haynes (calf) and Damien Lewis (ankle) both had to exit the game. That left Seattle with a line made up of Brown and Anthony Bradford at guard, Stone Forsythe and Jake Curhan at tackle, and Oluwatimi at center.

Even with all that shuffling, the Seahawks allowed just two sacks on the night and helped Seattle rush for 121 yards on 23 carries, which amounts to 5.3 yards per attempt.

“It’s amazing what Seattle has been able to do,” said Mark Schlereth, an NFL on FOX analyst and former pro lineman, on Tuesday when he joined Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob.

Why is Schlereth amazed by by Seattle’s O-line? Because it’s hard to field a starting five in the NFL, let alone find backups who can step in without being overmatched.

“I mean, I think they had all five guys (playing on the offensive line who) were essentially backups. In this day and age in the National Football League, you don’t have backups that can play. Let’s face it, they just can’t,” he said. “You lose one or two starters on your offensive line and you’re in deep trouble, and to be able to have both your backup tackles in and backup center and guards, it’s incredible what they’re doing right now.”

Schlereth, who is also a morning radio host for Denver Sports, a sister station of Seattle Sports, made sure to give credit to the Seahawks’ front office and coaching staff.

“Tip of the cap to (head coach) Pete Carroll and (general manager) John Schneider and their ability to create guys – and not only create guys that can play, but also call a game,” he said.

The man responsible for the offensive playcalling is offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who is in his third year in the position with Seattle.

“Shane Waldron (can) call a game where the ball gets out of your hand quickly, where you’re still running the ball, where you’re not having those guys play on the high dive for 50, 60, 70 plays as opposed to what the Giants did,” Schlereth said.

That’s an important comparison, because the Giants’ O-line was also banged up on Monday, though not as much as Seattle’s. New York had a pretty tough time making due, allowing 11 sacks, which tied a single-game record for the Seahawks.

“I always say this about offensive line play and playcallers: if you allow your guys to give up seven to eight sacks, you (stink) as a playcaller,” Schlereth said. “Forget the guys up front, you’re a horrible playcaller.”

Listen to the full Wyman and Bob conversation with Mark Schlereth in the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post.

State ferries: A better idea from Nordic countries

Published

5 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

State ferries: A better idea from Nordic countries

Re: “Diesel or hybrid ferries? How about simply reliable” (Jan. 7, Opinion): Gov. Jay Inslee, Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson and The Seattle Times editorial board are asking the wrong question: diesel or hybrid ferries? Inslee and the majority of Democrats support…

Source link

Seattle, WA

Manhunt underway for Mason County shooting suspect

Published

13 hours 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).

BEST OF FOX 13 SEATTLE

New 2025 laws that are now in effect in WA

Orca Tahlequah seen pushing second dead calf in WA waters

WA skiers demand action as ‘rampant’ thefts plague Stevens Pass

Here’s when you’ll need REAL ID to go through US airport security

New restaurants coming to Seattle in 2025

To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.

Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.

Crime and Public SafetyMason CountyNewsBelfair

Source link

Seattle, WA

Two more Seattle restaurants close due to minimum wage hike

Published

22 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.

More from Jason Rantz: Democrats blame Los Angeles fires on climate change to deflect from their own complicity

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.

Follow @https://twitter.com/jasonrantz

Source link