Seattle, WA

Seahawks training camp preview: Key questions for special teams

Published

4 months ago

July 17, 2024

Seahawks training camp preview: Key questions for special teams

We’re one week out from the Seattle Seahawks’ first training camp under Mike Macdonald. There are a lot of questions about the roster which we hope will be answered through camp and the preseason, and starting today we will preview the season with three questions concerning every part of the roster. The preview for special teams is the only one that will not focus on specific positions, but instead concentrate on the entirety of the unit.

Special teams roster: K Jason Myers, P Michael Dickson, LS Chris Stoll

How will the Seahawks handle the new kickoff rules?

This is a blanket question for everyone, I suppose. The modified NFL kickoff was designed to, well, make the kickoff relevant again. Reduce the touchbacks, put the ball in play, and find ways for the kick return to be safer for the players without eliminating kickoffs completely.

There’s a phenomenal article by Sumer Sports’ Shawn Syed, who broke down every kickoff from the XFL (from which the NFL’s kickoff rules are generally modeled off of) to spot patterns in the date and to see what can translate to the NFL. It’s not as simple as aligning differently and swapping returners. There is so much to learn about different coverage schemes, potential option plays with a second returner, kickers changing their ball placement for where the kick lands, etc. that it is going to take some time to adjust.

Here’s what Syed concluded after his research:

Aside from strategic nuance and rule manipulation, the change in the NFL kickoff is going to have a tangible impact on the field; there will likely be an astounding increase in the percentage of kickoffs returned this season.
More players will find their name on the stat sheet and great players will emerge in different ways, on both the kicking and returning side. The best special teams coordinators will be able to get the most out of their players executing the fundamental techniques of football but will also find creative ways to open and close space for returners. The best kickers will also give their team an advantage by how they kick the ball into the landing zone.
Instead of checking the box and starting a drive at the 25 yard-line, teams will have to earn their starting field position. Each yard added onto the start of a drive increases a team’s chance to score points, but kickoff units may find that the differences in the XFL rules and NFL rules fall in their favor.

The new kickoff is one of the most compelling reasons to watch the preseason. We might see an established star as a second returner/speed option threat, Jason Myers involved more as a tackler, Michael Dickson used as a kickoff man, different strategies to limit field position, and I consider all of it as exciting as it is confusing.

Who is going to return punts?

Piggybacking off the previous topic, there are no shortage of viable candidates for kick returner for the Seahawks. Dee Eskridge, Laviska Shenault Jr, Dee Williams, Kenny McIntosh, Tre Brown, and Nehemiah Pritchett are among the potential options for kickoffs. We may even see, say, Kenneth Walker III on special teams but that’s just speculation. Players with deep punt return experience, however, are in short supply.

Williams is the most experienced but unless he dramatically improves he won’t make a dent on the wide receiver depth chart. Everyone else I’ve listed did not return punts in college or the pros. Easop Winston Jr returned 10 punts with the New Orleans Saints in 2021 and had those duties for the Seahawks last preseason, but he similarly has an uphill battle to make the roster as a receiver.

Tyler Lockett is the veteran, safe pair of hands as a punt returner but his days of being an All-Pro at the position are long gone. He might be the option for fair catches inside the 20.

It’s arguably more important Seattle figures out punt returner than kick returner, and hopefully that means no repeat of the time they let Earl Thomas return punts and force-quit that experiment after one game.

Are we going to get “even year” Jason Myers brilliance again?

Jason Myers has seldom been a consistent placekicker on a year-to-year basis. His statistics in even-numbered years versus odd-numbered years are something of a running joke. Myers’ two Pro Bowl seasons (one with the Seahawks and the other with the New York Jets) were in 2022 and 2018, respectively. He didn’t miss any field goals in 2020 and even banged through a 61-yarder. Meanwhile, he was a very underwhelming 17/23 on field goals in 2021 and got cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017 after going 0-3 on 50+ yard kicks and missing a couple of PATs.

Last season was an odd year for Myers even by odd-numbered year standards. He missed seven field goals, tying a career-high set in 2016 (even-numbered year!), but was perfect on PATs for the first time. Worryingly, Myers was only 6/10 on field goals in indoor stadiums, including two misses against the Detroit Lions, a missed game-winner versus the Los Angeles Rams, and a miss inside of 40 yards versus the Dallas Cowboys.

A loose defense of Myers is that he was asked to do way more field goal kicking than is reasonable. He led the league with 42 attempts, five more than his previous career-high of 37 back in 2022. When you look at the percentages of all kickers since 2000 with at least 40 attempts in a season, Myers has a middling ranking. His middling ranking also applies to DVOA, so the volume of misses does not indicate his overall season was a bad one.

Perhaps Myers is emblematic of kicker volatility. If your name isn’t Justin Tucker there’s just not going to be grand expectation of high accuracy every season.

From the FTN Football Almanac 2024:

Field goal percentage is almost entirely random from season to season, while kickoff distance is one of the most consistent statistics in football.

This theory, which originally appeared in the New York Times in October 2006, is one of our most controversial, but it is hard to argue against the evidence. Measuring every kicker from 2018 to 2022 who had at least 20 field goal attempts in each of two consecutive years, the year-to-year correlation coefficient for field goal percentage was an insignificant (and negative) -.05. Jason Myers of Seattle is a great example. In 2018, he had a Pro Bowl season for the Jets and connected on 92% of field goals, which got him a big contract in Seattle. In 2019, he declined to just 82%. In 2020, he rebounded and hit all 24 of his field goal attempts with no misses. The next year, he was back down to 74% including two misses from inside 40 yards. And then in 2022, Myers connected on 92% of his field goals.

What you hope to see is Myers maintain his excellent PAT record but not have his name called for more field goals than necessary. This is nevertheless an important year for Myers considering this is his final season with any guaranteed salary.

There are no questions about Michael Dickson, for we know he is not to be questioned.

Our next preview will look at the quarterbacks.

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Seattle, WA

Everything TikTok Restaurant Reviewer Keith Lee Ate in Seattle

Published

8 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Everything TikTok Restaurant Reviewer Keith Lee Ate in Seattle

TikTok food critic Keith Lee, who taste tests dishes from family-run restaurants around the country while sitting in his car, stunned his nearly 17 million followers in the last week with a video from Seattle that his followers alleged included him unknowingly eating a piece of sushi with a “worm” in it from Fob Sushi Bar in Seattle. The restaurant was his first and highest-rated stop in the city until all hell broke loose on the internet.

Lee did eat several other places while he was in town, however. Here’s where and what he thought of them.

King’s Barbeque House

518 6th Avenue S, Seattle

The ducks hanging in this window of this Chinatown spot caught the attention of Lee and his family, so they stopped to buy one and filmed the process of its preparation for takeout — including the head. “I’m not going to eat this, I just thought it was interesting,” Lee says. Cool, cool, cool.

He proclaimed it seasoned to perfection, said it tasted like a duck but not gamey or exotic, and just seasoned meat — which… seems normal? Loved the rice and proclaimed the skin the home of all the flavor. Ultimately, he gave it a 9.5 out of 10 and said he likes Seattle.

Pike Place Market
This stand outside Pike Place, where shoppers buy a cup or try as many different drinks as they like, caught Lee’s eye on a rainy day. His first sip was of the buttered rum cider, which he judged to be “real sour” and “real good.” That and lavender cider got 7s, and his highest rating went to the cinnamon spice cider at an 8. Lee bought everyone else waiting in line cider and attempted to leave one of his trademark large tips for the staff but noted on the video in a caption, “[T]ipping isn’t a thing in Seattle so it took some time to explain what we were doing.” In the end, Lee purchased 60 large cups and asked the vendors to keep anything left over from people who wanted a smaller size.

3114 NE 125th Street, Seattle

A fan of this restaurant emailed Lee to ask him to visit, saying it struggled during COVID and was still trying to get back on its feet. His family purchased doro wat, beef tibs, oatena, injera, and samboosa. Lee found the presentation of the beef tibs in a to-go container lacking because the grease was leaking, and although the beef was tough, the flavor was “deep” and “spicy.” Several family members rated it and opinions were varied. The samboosa was not to his liking, with too many lentils, and was “very mushy.” Its rating was a 1. He compares the doro wat to barbecue or braised chicken (it is stewed and covered in spices, so… yes) and gives it a 7.9. Why not an 8? The world will never know.

Lee and his family left the restaurant with $1,000 to pay for anyone who came in to eat after them, which is admittedly very cool.

A Seattle teriyaki chicken taste-test

Various locations

Lee decided to get teriyaki chicken from several places and taste-test them against each other. What could go wrong?

Chickens from the top five most recommended places, including Toshio’s Teriyaki, Rainier Teriyaki, Nikko Teriyaki, Toshi’s Teriyaki in Bellevue, and Ichi Bento. Spoiler alert: Ichi Bento and Toshi’s tied, but Ichi would have won if they had rinsed the rice so it was less starchy, per Lee.

504 5th Avenue South, Suite 107A, Seattle

The Filipino food at Hood Famous received raves, though Lee seemed to struggle to accurately describe the dishes. He ordered multiple dishes, from savory mains to desserts. In describing them, the word ube was used a lot, and although it was an ingredient in some of the dishes, he meant umami a few times. But honestly, who knows?

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Seattle, WA

Seattle weather: Scattered showers Thursday, more wind and rain Friday

Published

16 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Seattle weather: Scattered showers Thursday, more wind and rain Friday

Seattle weather: Chance of showers Thursday, less winds

FOX 13 Seattle Meteorologist Ilona McCauley has your latest western Washington weather forecast!

A much calmer afternoon and evening after strong winds moved through the area Tuesday into early Wednesday. We had stronger storm cells off the Washington coast, prompting a tornado warning near Westport. No damage was reported. This evening, scattered showers continue with even a lightning strike along the coast. Our next round of wind and rain will move in by the end of the week.

This evening, scattered showers continue with even a lightning strike along the coast.

Overnight showers will continue with mild temperatures, lows in the upper 30s to low 40s. Scattered showers will continue through the day Thursday.

Scattered showers will continue through the day Thursday.

Highs will be slightly cooler with temperatures in the mid to upper 40s.

Highs will be slightly cooler with highs in the mid to upper 40s.

Our next round of wind and rain will move in on Friday as another low pressure system moves into the Pacific Northwest. We are tracking gusty winds along the coast and north interior, but not as strong as what we saw with this bomb cyclone. Stay tuned!

Our next round of wind and rain will move in on Friday as another low pressure system moves into the Pacific Northwest. (FOX 13 Seattle)

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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 Seattle 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.

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Seattle, WA

Nashville Predators vs Seattle Kraken score today: Live updates, stats, how to watch

Published

23 hours ago

November 20, 2024

Press Room

Nashville Predators vs Seattle Kraken score today: Live updates, stats, how to watch

The Nashville Predators’ road trip concludes Wednesday with a nationally-televised game against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena.

Nashville (6-10-3) won 5-3 in Vancouver on Sunday to end a three-game losing streak, with Steven Stamkos recording his first two-goal game as a Predators player.

Seattle (9-9-1) had a four-game winning streak snapped in a 2-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday. Goaltender Joey Daccord has seized the No. 1 goaltender spot and is 8-3-1 with a .918 save percentage this season.

The Predators and Kraken last played on Oct. 15, a 7-3 Seattle win at Bridgestone Arena.

Follow the Tennessean’s live Predators game updates below:

Nashville Predators vs. Seattle Kraken: Live updates, highlights from NHL game

Date and game time: 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 20
TV channel: TNT and truTV nationally
Streaming info: FUBO (free trial available), MAX app
Radio: 102.5 FM The Game

The Nashville Predators vs. Seattle Kraken game will be televised nationally on TNT and truTV, with streaming available via FUBO and MAX.

Odds according to BetMGM on Wednesday, Nov. 20

PUCK LINE: Predators -1.5 at +180, Kraken +1.5 at -225
O/U: 5.5 goals
MONEY LINE: Kraken +120, Predators -140

All times central; Games on FanDuel Sports Network South unless otherwise noted

Record: 6-10-3, 15 points

October

Oct. 10: Dallas Stars, L 4-3
Oct. 12: at Detroit Red Wings, L 3-0
Oct. 15: Seattle Kraken, L 7-3
Oct. 17: Edmonton Oilers, L 4-2
Oct. 19: Detroit Red Wings, L 5-2
Oct. 22: Boston Bruins, W 4-0
Oct. 25: at Chicago Blackhawks, W 3-2
Oct. 26: Columbus Blue Jackets, W 4-3 OT
Oct. 28: at Tampa Bay Lightning, L 3-2 OT
Oct. 31: Edmonton Oilers, L 5-1

November

Nov. 2: Colorado Avalanche, W 5-2
Nov. 4: Los Angeles Kings, L 3-0
Nov. 6: at Washington Capitals, L 3-2
Nov. 7: at Florida Panthers, L 6-2
Nov. 9: Utah Hockey Club, W 4-0
Nov. 11: at Colorado Avalanche, L 3-2 OT
Nov. 14: at Edmonton Oilers, L 3-2 OT
Nov. 15: at Calgary Flames, L 2-0
Nov. 17: at Vancouver Canucks, W 5-3
Nov. 20: at Seattle Kraken, 9 p.m. on TNT
Nov. 23: Winnipeg Jets, 6 p.m.
Nov. 25: at New Jersey Devils, 6 p.m.
Nov. 27: Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m.
Nov. 29: Tampa Bay Lightning, 2 p.m.
Nov. 30: at Minnesota Wild, 7 p.m.

December

Dec. 4: at Toronto Maple Leafs, 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 5: at Montreal Canadiens, 6 p.m.
Dec. 7: at Ottawa Senators, 6 p.m.
Dec. 10: Calgary Flames, 7 p.m.
Dec. 12: at Dallas Stars, 7 p.m.
Dec. 14: at Colorado Avalanche, 8 p.m.
Dec. 17: New York Rangers, 7 p.m.
Dec. 19: Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m.
Dec. 21: Los Angeles Kings, 12:30 p.m.
Dec. 23: Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m.
Dec. 27: at St. Louis Blues, 7 p.m.
Dec. 30: at Winnipeg Jets, 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 31: at Minnesota Wild, 7 p.m.

January

Jan. 3: at Vancouver Canucks, 9 p.m.
Jan. 4: at Calgary Flames, 9 p.m.
Jan. 7: at Winnipeg Jets, 7 p.m.
Jan. 11: Washington Capitals, 7 p.m.
Jan. 14: Vegas Golden Knights, 7 p.m.
Jan. 16: Chicago Blackhawks, 7 p.m.
Jan. 18: Minnesota Wild, 7 p.m.
Jan. 21: San Jose Sharks, 7 p.m.
Jan. 23: at San Jose Sharks, 9:30 p.m.
Jan. 25: at Anaheim Ducks, 9 p.m.
Jan. 29: Vancouver Canucks, 8 p.m.
Jan. 31: at Buffalo Sabres, 6 p.m.

February

Feb. 1: at Pittsburgh Penguins, 6 p.m.
Feb. 3: Ottawa Senators, 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 7: at Chicago Blackhawks, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 8: Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m.
Feb. 22: Colorado Avalanche, 5 p.m.
Feb. 23: New Jersey Devils, 5 p.m.
Feb. 25: Florida Panthers, 7 p.m.
Feb. 27: Winnipeg Jets, 7 p.m.

March

March 1: at New York Islanders, 11:30 a.m.
March 2: at New York Rangers, 6 p.m.
March 4: at Boston Bruins, 6 p.m.
March 6: Seattle Kraken, 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
March 8: Chicago Blackhawks, 7 p.m.
March 11: at San Jose Sharks, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN+ and Hulu (sign up here)
March 14: at Anaheim Ducks, 9 p.m.
March 15: at Los Angeles Kings, 7 p.m.
March 18: St. Louis Blues, 8 p.m. on ESPN
March 20: Anaheim Ducks, 7 p.m.
March 22: Toronto Maple Leafs, 6 p.m.
March 23: at St. Louis Blues, 5 p.m.
March 25: at Carolina Hurricanes, 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+ and Hulu (sign up here)
March 27: St. Louis Blues, 7 p.m.
March 29: Vegas Golden Knights, 5:30 p.m.
March 31: at Philadelphia Flyers, 6 p.m.

April

April 1: at Columbus Blue Jackets. 6 p.m.
April 3: at Dallas Stars, 7 p.m.
April 6: Montreal Canadiens, 6 p.m.
April 8: New York Islanders, 7 p.m.
April 10: at Utah Hockey Club, 8 p.m.
April 12: at Vegas Golden Knights, 9 p.m.
April 14: Utah Hockey Club, 7 p.m.
April 16: Dallas Stars, 7 p.m.

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