Seattle, WA
Seattle Seahawks Draft Profile: Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner
With the 2022 NFL Draft set to kick off in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 28, the Seahawks can have an opportunity to kickstart a brand new period for the franchise with eight picks, together with a top-10 decide and 4 picks complete within the first three rounds.
Over the following month main as much as draft weekend, the AllSeahawks writing workers will dish out in-depth profiles on quite a few prospects who could possibly be targets on Seattle’s huge board.
Subsequent up within the sequence: Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner—arguably the No. 1 nook on this 12 months’s class and one in all Seattle’s top-30 pre-draft visits.
Background
Beginning in all three years of his collegiate profession, Gardner recorded 9 interceptions and 16 cross deflections whereas permitting simply 58 receptions on 135 targets (42.9 p.c completion price) for 703 yards and an opponent passer score of 30.4. Much more spectacular is the actual fact he did not enable a single landing in 1,120 profession protection snaps, solidifying him as a three-time first-team All-AAC honoree and a 2021 Consensus All-American. Now, the 21-year outdated goals to grow to be the NFL’s subsequent sensation at cornerback and definitely boasts the instruments needed to perform that objective.
Strengths
Gardner is all the things Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has desired on the cornerback place after which some. He is 6-foot-23/4, 190 kilos, has 331/2-inch arms, performs with an eagerness to indicate his physicality and likes to assault the ball.
As his numbers would appear to point, Gardner’s ball abilities are off the charts. Making his accomplishments all of the extra putting, he performed essentially the most press protection (75 p.c) within the nation final season. His skill to succeed at these charges stems from his superior approach, which incorporates a powerful utility of step-kick—the bread and butter of Seattle cornerbacks. Gardner suffocates opposing receivers on the line of scrimmage and combines his NFL-level approach and 4.41-second pace to lock down routes on a constant foundation.
Arms, footwork and imaginative and prescient are all glorious. He is extra expertise than soccer IQ in the meanwhile (we’ll get to that later), however he nonetheless has a great head on his shoulders with above-average recognition, response time and execution.
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Moreover, Gardner welcomes contact and is greater than prepared to make a sort out if want be. He works by means of most blocks effectively to succeed in incoming ball carriers and successfully fills speeding lanes. You will not should ask him twice to get down and soiled.
Weaknesses
Whereas Gardner’s enthusiasm is admirable, he can virtually be too hyper-aggressive at occasions. That makes him liable to being baited or taking a nasty leap on a ball, and it additionally results in some questionable whiffs on sort out makes an attempt.
On prime of that, his skinnier body does seem to maintain him from having the ability to end off sure tackles or grow to be overmatched by greater blockers. He might additionally enhance in his approach as a tackler; he can get a bit awkward in his angles and fail to wrap up correctly.
Excessive-end competitors was restricted for Gardner within the mid-major AAC. That is been a priority for some, who really feel his unprecedented faculty manufacturing could also be overblown because of this.
Slot in Seattle
The match between Gardner and the Seahawks is fairly apparent and roughly good in principle. After the abrupt finish to the “Legion of Growth” period, Seattle hasn’t been capable of finding a long-term resolution at cornerback; and its two greatest corners within the 5 seasons since, Shaquill Griffin and D.J. Reed, now play elsewhere. As famous, Gardner is virtually fluent within the workforce’s desired approach and is greater than able to dealing with the aggressive coverages new defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt is predicted to deploy.
It is seemingly that Gardner is among the few prospects Seahawks normal supervisor John Schneider and firm would keep at decide No. 9 to pick out. However for all of the positives listed above, it is attainable the thrilling younger nook could possibly be lengthy passed by that time.
Earlier Seahawks NFL Draft Profiles
Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina | Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa | Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State | Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU | Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati | Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA | Cameron Thomas, EDGE, San Diego State | Trevor Penning, T, Northern Iowa | Hassan Haskins, RB, Michigan | Abraham Lucas, T, Washington State | Troy Andersen, LB, Montana State | Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota | Kingsley Enagbare, DE, South Carolina | Cade Otton, TE, Washington | Rasheed Walker, T, Penn State | Brandon Smith, LB, Penn State | Daniel Faalale, T, Minnesota | Dameon Pierce, RB, Florida
(2021 reader photo by Claire)
On Tuesday night, some will stay home with a bottle of bubbly (inflatable or otherwise) to say goodbye to 2024. Others will head out. And if that’s your plan, all the better if you can celebrate right here on the peninsula. So we want to be sure our Holiday Guide‘s New Year’s list has all the options. If you know of something we’re missing – bar party? live music? late dinner with a midnight toast? organized run? or? – please send the info so we can add it to the list ASAP! westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you.
Seattle’s longest-running bar is set to close its doors at the end of the year. The historic site is known for its ghost stories, pressed-tin ceiling, and buckboard floors in the heart of Pioneer Square. There are murmurs the bar could reopen after a renovation in spring, but that’s still uncertain.
In the Merchant’s basement, daylight shines down through the small purple glass windows in the sidewalk above. The city’s oldest saloon sits at a main intersection of the city’s oldest neighborhood, forever tied to Seattle’s history.
First opened in 1890 before moving to its current spot in 1907, Merchant’s originally offered gambling and a brothel during Seattle’s early gritty days. Bartenders there say the current owners plan to close the bar next week.
“I had to let everyone go, it was pretty sudden,” says Anthony Powell, a supervisor and manager at Merchant’s. “I just told everyone: ‘work ‘til the end of the year and that’s it.’”
One bartender who got hired less than six months ago says he got almost no notice that Friday would be his last shift. That’s the nature of the business, he shrugged.
Powell says he got word from owner Darcy Hanson in early December that the bar would be closing. Hanson did not respond to KUOW’s requests for comment. There are rumors among the remaining staff that the owners want to renovate the interior and re-open the historic watering hole in the spring, but nothing’s been confirmed.
Few bars in Seattle carry the ambiance that Merchant’s offers. A giant, century-old wooden bar stretches along one side of the room. Hardwood floors worn smooth by over a hundred years of patrons and partiers. According to the bar’s website, nearly everything in the place is haunted, from the paintings on the wall to the wall of wine bottles.
After decades of serving Seattle, Merchant’s is starting to show its age. Powell says some parts of the saloon do need updating.
“I mean, it’s the oldest bar in Seattle,” Powell says looking over the barroom. “Our electrical is shot behind this bar completely, the coolers are over 35 years old. A lot of stuff doesn’t work.”
That’s the charm that comes with a place as old as the cobblestones out on Yesler Street. Merchant’s, a dive bar according to Powell, doesn’t feature fancy lighting or a new sound system like the nightclubs around the corner. In one smoky corner of Merchant’s, deep leather couches almost disappear in the shadows.
Stepping down the stairs to the bathroom is like stepping back in time. The exposed rock walls feel like a private cellar or speakeasy. Pioneer Square’s signature purple glass sidewalk windows can be seen clearly down here, a view you can usually only find during an underground tour.
Powell, who has worked at Merchant’s for a little over four years, says business has been pretty slow recently. Like a lot of neighborhoods in Seattle, Pioneer Square is struggling to attract more customers. The pandemic didn’t help a sleepy bar like Merchant’s.
Still, Powell says, the bar is a regular stop for sports fans heading to the nearby stadiums and tourists who want to experience a piece of Seattle history. A lot of people come in to raise a glass just to say they’ve had a drink at the spot, Powell says.
This month, the bar had its busiest weekends of the year thanks to the annual SantaCon pub crawl. Powell says he was hoping they would be open next year when SantaCon organizers want to extend the event to all four Saturdays of December – but it looks like that won’t happen.
Merchant’s is hosting a farewell party on Monday, December 30. Powell says he’ll be working with longtime bartender Michael Harris to pour the final drinks at the oldest place in town.
“It was a great experience, I loved it,” Powell says, “the people that come through are really great. You meet a lot of people around the world, because it’s a tourist bar, they love to come here. So I’m sad to see it go for sure.”
Seattle, WA
Stowaway busted: Unticketed passenger caught boarding Delta flight from Seattle to Honolulu
A passenger without a ticket, a stowaway, was found on board a Delta Air Lines flight as it was about to fly from Seattle to Honolulu on Christmas Eve.
Delta Flight 487, an Airbus A321neo aircraft scheduled to depart Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for Honolulu on Dec. 24, was stopped while the plane was taxiing on a runway when the unticketed passenger, who was not identified, was discovered, according to the airline.
The aircraft returned to the gate, where the passenger was ultimately arrested.
“As there are no matters more important than safety and security, Delta people followed procedures to have an unticketed passenger removed from the flight and then apprehended,” the airline said in a statement. “We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels and thank them for their patience and cooperation.”
Passenger boarded flight without a ticket
The Port of Seattle Police Department told USA TODAY that the passenger entered the airport the day before boarding the flight, on the evening of Dec. 23.
According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the unidentified passenger passed through standard screening procedures and did not possess any prohibited items, but “bypassed the identity verification and boarding status stations,” and was able to board the aircraft without a boarding pass.
The TSA said that the incident was still under investigation.
After passing through TSA security, officials with the Port of Seattle said that the passenger had “also gained access to the loading bridge without a scanned ticket at the gate.”
Delta also said in a statement that “the unticketed passenger boarded the flight at the gate without presenting a boarding pass.”
Port of Seattle police said that once the aircraft returned to the gate, the unticketed passenger managed to exit the plane, but was later found in an airport terminal restroom.
The unticketed passenger was arrested for criminal trespass and booked into the South Correctional Entity jail in Des Moines, Washington, according to police.
Delta said that the flight was ultimately delayed for 2 hours and 15 minutes while TSA personnel conducted additional security checks. Port of Seattle police also swept the aircraft and terminal with K9 dogs.
Another stowaway caught on a Delta flight last month
The incident comes a month after a woman was found on board a Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Paris without a ticket.
Cour documents from the arraignment of Svetlana Dali show that she managed to get through TSA security screening at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Nov. 26 by “entering through a special lane for airline employees masked by a large Air Europa flight crew.”
Dali was then able to board a Delta flight without presenting a boarding pass before she was eventually discovered after the plane had taken off.
On Dec. 16, Dali was arrested in Buffalo, New York on a bus bound for Canada, having cut off her ankle monitor.
Max Hauptman is a Trending Reporter for USA TODAY. He can be reached at MHauptman@gannett.com.
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