Seattle, WA

Seahawks Instant Reaction: How will Frank Clark fit back in?

Published

1 year ago

October 25, 2023

Seahawks Instant Reaction: How will Frank Clark fit back in?

The loss of Uchenna Nwosu has led the Seattle Seahawks to make an addition to their pass rush, with head coach Pete Carroll confirming Wednesday that the team expects to reunite with Frank Clark on a midseason deal in free agency.

Bump: How much should Frank Clark play right away?

Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy were on the air when the news about Clark’s return broke from NFL insiders Wednesday morning, allowing them to share their instant reactions. Let’s take a look at what Michael Bumpus and Stacy Rost have to say.

Frank Clark at a glance

Rost provided a look at the 30-year-old Clark’s career at this point, then asked Bumpus a big question.

“He was most recently with Denver – appeared in two games, didn’t start any of them, had two combined tackles so obviously not much there,” Rost said. “But for three consecutive seasons from 2019 to 2021 with Kansas City, he was in a Pro Bowl. The most sacks he’s ever had in a season is still with Seattle in his final season here. It was a different defense, different coordinator, different base defense, different players were here. Is this because of (the injury to) Uchenna Nwosu?”

Bumpus, a former NFL wide receiver who is now a Seahawks Radio Network host and Pac-12 Network analyst, said the loss of Nwosu to a pectoral injury Sunday probably amplified the situation with Clark, who was released by Denver on Oct. 14.

“They were probably going to look anyway,” Bumpus said, “but Uchenna made it like, ‘Alright, we really got to take a look. Fly him down here, let’s see where his mind is at, let’s see where his body is at.’”

Bump: How much should Clark play right away in Hawks return?

Bumpus then compared it to the Seahawks’ decision to draft Devon Witherspoon at No. 5 overall in April even though cornerback was not believed to be the biggest need for the team at the time. It also helps that Clark can be added without trade compensation, unlike other options Seattle could explore.

“It’s kind of like the Devon Witherspoon move. You’re just going to get the best available player out there right now, and I think Frank Clark, he might be the best available within the means that the Hawks are willing to spend. You can go after the young man over there with the Vikings (Danielle Hunter), but they’re gonna ask too much.”

Does the move make sense?

Clark has been available for a little over a week, and Bumpus wasn’t so sure at first that bringing Clark back would make sense to Seattle. The Nwosu injury obviously changed the situation, however.

“I wasn’t expecting it. I didn’t think they were going to do it, yet I understand why you would do it,” Bumpus said. “This man has been productive the last couple of years, as of late it has been a little bit of a struggle. I look at the defensive scheme and thought that maybe he wouldn’t be a good fit, but you know what? This defense is ballin’, you lost one of your dogs so you gotta go check somebody out.”

Rost asked Bumpus why he didn’t initially think the Seahawks would bring back Clark, and he said it had to do with the team’s current defensive principles. Seattle switched from a 4-3 defensive front to a 3-4 prior to the 2022 season, so even though Clark has been with the team before, his experience is in a different base scheme.

“He had his success playing in a 4-3 defense. Now, you look at what the Seahawks do and at times it looks like a 4-3 defense, it’s all personnel or whatnot. I just felt as if that’s the type of defense he needed to be in to have that success. But, you know, you hear (Seahawks defensive coordinator) Clint Hurtt and (head coach) Pete Carroll say look, it’s a 3-4 with 4-3 principles. When Clark is out there, I bet we’re gonna see some 4-3 principles.”

Bumpus added that just because he didn’t expect the Seahawks to sign Clark doesn’t mean he dislikes the idea.

“I’m not against it. I’m always with signing a baller, and for some reason guys come back to Seattle and find their way so let’s see what happens here. … When you can get a veteran who was a Pro Bowler, who’s been here before – different defense but you’re familiar with them – I can understand why you would do it.”

Bump and Stacy airs live from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports 710 AM and the Seattle Sports app. Listen to the full conversation about Frank Clark from Wednesday in the video player at the top of this post, and click here for podcasts from the show.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Salk: Seahawks’ best trade route to help D may not be at edge
• Is Seattle Seahawks QB Geno Smith’s play a cause for concern?
• Who could be Seahawks trade options with Nwosu out?
• Football 101: Where the defense still has holes to fix
• Booger McFarland: Seattle Seahawks, 49ers ‘mirror images of each other’

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Seattle, WA

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…

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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).

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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

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