Seattle, WA

The changes Big Ray sees in Seattle Seahawks OL Olu Oluwatimi

Published

7 months ago

June 8, 2024

Press Room

The changes Big Ray sees in Seattle Seahawks OL Olu Oluwatimi

There’s been plenty of investment and retooling amongst the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive line this offseason.

Salk: Why Seattle Seahawks’ O-line injuries are a bit concerning

The Seahawks are likely to feature at least two and potentially as many as four new starters on the unit when the season kicks off in September, which is partially dependent on the health of right tackle Abraham Lucas. One position across the front Seattle will definitely have a new starter at is center, which opened up after Evan Brown’s departure in the offseason. A top candidate to fill that role is second-year lineman Olu Oluwatimi.

The Michigan product was a topic of discussion Friday when former Seahawks offensive lineman Ray Roberts joined Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk for Blue 88. Co-host Mike Salk was curious as to if Roberts thinks Oluwatimi is ready to take on the responsibility of starting center.

“Yeah, I think so,” Roberts responded. “I was at practice yesterday and just watched him a lot, and it seems like his body has changed a little bit. And then I think (offensive line) coach (Scott) Huff has him really being a little bit more explosive out of his stance, especially in the run game.”

Growing pains

Roberts noted that physicality was a facet of Oluwatimi’s game that he thought needed improvement from last season. When entering the draft, strength was supposed to be one of the more NFL-ready aspects of the Upper Marlboro, Maryland, native’s skill set, but Roberts explained why that doesn’t always translate to the NFL right away.

“The thing is when you’re in college and you’re a dominating like offensive line player, a lot of times once you get your hands on a guy, those dudes kind of know that they’re done and they kind of stop trying,” Roberts said, “In NFL, those dudes keep playing. So you have to keep driving, moving your feet, leaning on them, pressuring them with your hands and those types of things. I think last year he fell into a little bit of like, ‘Hey, this is how I did it at Michigan.’ And then sometimes the guys would fall off his block at the line of scrimmage and get the tackle.

“… So trying to fit into the block and then finish the block I think is where his improvement needs to be at on this level, and from watching the drills and the teaching that’s going on with the offensive line, I think they’re working really hard and bringing that out of him.”

Oluwatimi appeared in 16 of 17 games and made one start last season. He was in on 13% (129 plays) of the team’s offensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference.

Prior to arriving in Seattle, he was standout on the nation’s best offensive line at Michigan. The Wolverines won the Joe Moore Award, given annually to the country’s best O-line, during Oluwatimi’s final collegiate season, and he won the Rimington (best center) and Outland (best interior lineman) trophies for his efforts as the linchpin of the group. The standout season with Michigan came after Oluwatimi spent three years as a starter at Maryland. So he has plenty of playing experience.

“The intelligence part of it, I have no problem,” Roberts said. “He’ll get all the calls right, he’ll be able to communicate to the offensive line and those types of things, but I did think that last year he needed to be a little bit more physical, and I think that they’re working on that in the offseason.”

Find the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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Seattle, WA

State ferries: A better idea from Nordic countries

Published

9 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

17 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

1 day 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.

Follow @https://twitter.com/jasonrantz

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