Tre Flowers: ‘Sadly, y’all want me to be Sherman.’ Is Sidney Jones now a Seahawks option?
Tre Flowers made himself an easy target by talking publicly after the game. And many won’t care.
But credit to Flowers and his fellow starting cornerback D.J. Reed for being a stand-up guys and answering reporters’ questions outside the Seahawks’ locker room on his way to the team bus about their and their defense’s mess at U.S. Bank Stadium Sunday. Other veteran starters on Seattle’s malfunctioning unit refused to and walked on.
As he talked, Flowers made some startling comments. Some suggested a difference between the coaches’ schemes and how players want to play it.
And one comment from Flowers shows the long shadow of Richard Sherman as a Seahawks legend at his position remains difficult for Flowers to shake. Or live up to.
Asked what he needs to do to make the aggressive plays on the ball that will change these results, Flowers said: “More film. More film study. More just feeling the game. More...
“Sadly, y’all want me to be Sherman.”
That suggests he’s lost confidence.
Flowers says, no way.
Asked where his confidence is right now, Flowers said: “High.
“High as hell. I mean, I don’t care what anybody says or — no offense to what anybody writes — I know I’m playing good. Everybody can get better,” Flowers said. “If you want to point the finger at me, go ahead.”
Coach Pete Carroll hand-picked Flowers in the 2018 draft months after Sherman’s last game for the Seahawks and turned Flowers from college safety into a 6-foot-3 cornerback. Carroll said following Sunday’s game he wanted his corners to be more aggressive on passes on the air, to “get wins” and get the defense off the field when it absolutely had to but didn’t in the team’s 30-17 loss Sunday at the previously winless Minnesota Vikings.
Carroll never said he wanted Sherman to be more aggressive, in any game from 2011-17 in Seattle’s Legion of Boom, Super Bowl heyday.
“I was disappointed late in the game. We needed to challenge (the ball) to get some wins, to see if we could get off the field that way,” Carroll said. “And their receiver beat us.”
The Seahawks traded at the end of August with Jacksonville to acquire former University of Washington cornerback Sidney Jones. Carroll said four weeks ago there would be an acclimation time before Jones, who has started for the Eagles and Jaguars at left and right cornerback, would be a viable option to start for Seattle.
What’s keep Jones from starting now?
“Not much. He’s really close, close to be playing, helping us,” Carroll said. “The competition is on. This week I told him we might play him today and we just didn’t get it done today.
“We are looking at everything.”
Flowers said “I’ve got a couple questions” about Carroll’s and defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr.’s schemes.
“I’ve got to find a way to (attack) digs (dig routes),” Flowers said of the many inside routes opposing receivers are easily catching in front of him, in zone and in man coverages. “Those in routes, I’ve got to find a way to drive them (attack the pass in the air) or whatever it is.”
Flowers suggest confusion and uncertainty exists between what the scheme is calling for in coverages.
“There’s a little gray area right now amongst a couple people,” he said. “And I’ll fix it or someone else will fix it. We don’t know yet.
“I’ve got a couple questions myself.”
“I’ve just got to play better overall,” Flowers said.
“Concerning? No, not at all. It’s a 17-game season. It’s a long way. We are going to fix whatever it is, and get back to work.”
Brooks carted off
Jordyn Brooks, the 2020 first-round pick benched by Carroll briefly last week in Seattle’s loss to Tennessee, for a late hit out of bounds left the game early in the fourth quarter on the back of a motorized cart. He appeared to injure his lower right leg tackling Vikings tight end Tyler Conklin in the open field following a catch, just before Minnesota kicked a field goal to up its lead to 27-17.
Cody Barton replaced Brooks at outside linebacker.
It looked awful. But Carroll said Brooks had leg cramps. Brooks returned to the field later in the game.
Thompson debuts
Wide receiver Cody Thompson, promoted by the Seahawks from the practice squad Saturday, made his NFL debut, at age 25. The former high school quarterback from Huron, Ohio, and University of Toledo wide receiver was on the return team for the game’s opening kickoff. He was also on the kickoff-coverage team.
Thompson was active Sunday because rookie wide receiver Dee Eskridge missed his second consecutive game with a concussion Eskridge got in Seattle’s opener at Indianapolis.
Myers’ streak ends at 37
Jason Myers made his first field goal to extend his Seahawks record to 37 makes in a row. Then he missed a 44-yarder wide in the second quarter. Seattle stayed ahead 17-14.
Curhan also debuts
Jake Curhan made his NFL debut Sunday, months after it seemed he may never get one.
The rookie from the University of California — and Carroll’s alma mater of Redwood High School in Larkspur, California — replaced Jamarco Jones at right tackle for one series in the second quarter. Jones started there for the first time since November, because Brandon Shell was out with a sprained ankle.
Curhan thought his NFL chances may be done this spring. Medical evaluations before the draft revealed a heart issue. That scared teams into not drafting him. Seattle’s medical staff found the condition Curhan declines to detail as manageable. The Seahawks signed him after the draft as a rookie free agent.
He had an impressive training camp to make the team, replacing Cedric Ogbuehi as a backup tackle. Ogbuehi, a former first-round pick by Cincinnati, is on Seattle’s injured-reserve list.
Jones replaced Curhan after one drive. Then Jones left in the second half with what the Seahawks said was an upset stomach.
No word on whether that was from watching his team’s defense.
“I thought Jake did a really good job stepping in there playing right tackle against some really, really good pass rushers,” quarterback Russell Wilson said. “I mean, you think about Danielle Hunter over there, just the guys that they have. Everson Griffen obviously is great player, too. But Hunter mostly on the right side there.
I thought he did a really good job. He was poised. I thought Jake Curhan did a tremendous job stepping up and stepping in. He’s been really, really solid all training camp, to be honest with you, and all season. So to have a rookie right tackle that can step in and play the way he did with the confidence he did in a tough environment, loud, I thought he was poised. So, as the games go on he’ll continue to get better and better.”
Hart thankfully reconsiders
The wild first half had what almost included one of the wilder scenes in recent NFL history.
After the Vikings scored their second touchdown of the game, Kirk Cousins’ 15-yard pass too easy in front of Reed in the second quarter, a crazy guy in orange shorts and a Vikings jersey jumped out of stands and ran to midfield into the middle of the Vikings’ logo.
Wide receiver Penny Hart started to run off the Seahawks’ sideline to tackle the guy. He got nearly to the yard-line numbers, as if he was really about to do it.
Hart’s startled teammates and coaches got him to come back. Fellow wide receiver Freddie Swain looked at Hart with an expression that said “What were you thinking?!”
Security guards let the guy run around to the opposite goal line before one of them tackled him and sent him away, presumably to jail.
And Hart played on.
