Good afternoon, 12s. Here's a look at what's going on out there and any news you might have missed, about your Seattle Seahawks this week.

Getting Ready For 49ers

Seahawks senior reporter John Boyle breaks down five things to watch for the Seahawks matchup against the 49ers on Sunday. Here are two of those storylines to watch.

Can Geno Smith and the offense play cleaner football?

When the Seahawks are playing clean on offense, they have looked great at times this season, but when penalties, sacks and turnovers, or in recent games, errant snaps, start to show up, drives stall out. That was the case against the 49ers in the last meeting with a promising opening drive ending on a red zone interception, and with other drives stalling out after penalties, and it has been a factor in every Seahawks loss, with Seattle committing 11 turnovers in its five losses, and having nine or more penalties in four of the five losses, including 23 in the past two games.

Smith, who was apologetic after throwing three interceptions against the Rams in his last game, knows the Seahawks have a lot of potential, but that to reach it he and the offense will need to be cleaner.

"I think we can beat anybody," Smith said. "I think we got the guys in this locker room, we got the coaches, we got the right mindset, we got the right work ethic. I think we have to be a little bit smarter and definitely be smarter in the situational area. And then also I think we've got to stop shooting ourselves in the foot, stop putting ourselves in backed-up situations early on. It's going to be tough in this league playing in third-and-longs. I mean the percentage rate is not high, so the more we can put ourselves in those manageable situations, the better we are, and we've been great in the third-and-medium game, so just thinking about first and second down, those are the big things is being better on first and second down, which will help us out on third down."

How does the new inside linebacker tandem perform?

The Seahawks will have two new inside linebackers from the previous meeting against the 49ers, having acquired Ernest Jones IV in a trade three weeks ago, and having decided coming out of the bye to waive Tyrel Dodson, paving the way for rookie Tyrice Knight to be the likely starters (Macdonald said Drake Thomas could also see playing time there).

Jones has impressed in his first two games with the Seahawks, but now he'll be playing alongside a new linebacker next to him, and he'll also add the responsibility of being the on-field play-caller, a role previously held by Dodson.

"I just think just experience," Jones said of the difference between starting next to Dodson in the past two games and, presumably, Knight this week. "He hasn't played that many games, he won't have that on his side. But he comes to work every day; ever since I've been here, you could tell that he's a good player, that he uses his hands well, that he can flow and mimic the ball carriers, like me. I feel confident in knowing that when we get out there on Sunday, he's going to execute his job."

Former Seahawks Head Coach Mike Holmgren Inducted Into San Jose Sports HOF

Before helping to lead the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl appearance, Mike Holmgren was the head coach of the Packers, an assistant coach for the 49ers and spent time as an offensive coordinator for Oak Grove High School in San Jose. He coached for the high school from 1975-1980 and will be inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in 2024.

Seahawks Legend Jermaine Kearse Named Legend of the Year

Jermaine Kearse, a Super Bowl XLVIII Champion and proud Washington native, is the co-founder of Evergreen Golf Club in Redmond, Wash. Beyond his entrepreneurial success, he is a dedicated community activist, actively working to enhance local engagement and support initiatives that uplift his community. Jermaine's passion for both business and social responsibility drives him to create opportunities that inspire and empower those around him.

Other Seahawks Related News

Week 9 and 10 High School Coaches Of The Week

Our week 9 coach of the week winners are head coach Bryan Bremer of Cashmere High School, defensive coordinator Evan Cook of Decatur High School, Dave Miller of Lakes High School and head coach John Fiala of Cedarcrest High School. Each coach will be invited to a Seahawks game later this season to be recognized for their accomplishments and will receive a $500 donation to their football program!

Cashmere head coach Bryan Bremer started his coaching journey at Whitworth University where he was an assistant coach in 2014-2017. Coach Bremer served as the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator during his stint with the Pirates. In 2018, Coach Bremer began his journey at Cashmere High School. Coach Bremer has been the head coach at Cashmere for the last seven years. Beyond the wins and losses, Coach Bremer has built positive life-long relationships with his players, coaches, and community members which is most important to him. The Cashmere Bulldogs are 8-1 after beating Naches Valley 56-0 last week, have outscored their opponents 441-94 this season and are currently #5 in the 1A WIAA RPI rankings!

Decatur defensive coordinator Evan Cook is a product of Federal Way Public Schools playing for Todd Beamer High School. After graduating he attended Eastern Washington University where he won 2 conference championships and a national title. Since graduating from EWU with a degree in criminal justice and minor in sociology, coach Cook has served in Federal Way and South King County for the last decade. He's been helping youth who have been impacted by the juvenile justice system to help youth avoid the school to prison pipeline which he himself faced as a young man. Currently, Cook runs a program called More Than Athletes in Federal Way. The program focuses on developing students to build a game-plan for life and cultivate their gifts and talents to go and impact this world in a positive way. Among all of his off the field leadership and mentorship, Coach Cook has helped lead Decatur to a 9-0 season ready for a chance at the 3A state title through their upcoming playoff run. Coach Cook's defense has been dominant with 4 shutouts including their last win against his alma mater Todd Beamer 54-0.

Dave Miller has been coaching at Lakes high school for 39 years! For the last 26 years he has been the head coach leading the Lancers on and off the field including coaching Seahawks Legend and Super Bowl Champion Jermaine Kearse! Coach Miller is one of the most accomplished coaches in WIAA history with 23 state playoff berths, 12 league championships, two state finals, and six semifinals. In 2020, Coach Miller was inducted into the Washington State Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The Lancers are currently 9-1, PSL league champions and are ready to make a run in the 3A state playoffs after their dominate win last week 52-0 against White River!

Coach Fiala's passion for football has truly been his entire life. He started his football career in 5th grade followed by playing at both the University of Washington six years and in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is his sixth season as head coach for Cedarcrest High School, although he has played a role as a coach locally in both Jr. Red Wolves Football program as well as Cedarcrest Lacrosse. Coach Fiala is a longtime resident of Duvall with his family including his incredible wife and three amazing children. Coach Fiala is incredibly passionate about the game of football, the growth of each individual and building a family of champions for their collective future. Cedarcrest is the 2024 KingCo Lake Division Champions! After a big win in week 10 against Woodland they punched their ticket to the WIAA 2A round of 16 state tournament!

Hawks Huddle Business of the Week

The **Hawks Huddle** business of this week is Risen Devices

Mallory Delabar founded Risen Devices after discovering that standard medical bracelets didn't meet the unique needs of her two children, who were diagnosed with rare genetic diseases. Determined to provide a better solution and leveraging her over a decade of experience working in tech and healthcare, she developed a digital medical alert bracelet that ensures vital medical information is always accessible and tailored to each individual's needs. By creating Risen Devices, she made sure that what worked for her family could also benefit others with similar medical challenges.

Partnering with the Seattle Seahawks represents a significant milestone for Risen Devices. As a lifelong Seahawks fan and with a founder who was born and raised in the greater Seattle area, this collaboration is deeply personal and fulfilling.

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The Sound of the Seahawks: S3 Ep.8, Rise Above

With three straight Divisional matchups on the horizon, the Rams come to town for a Week 9 matchup, where even a career day from Jaxon Smith-Njigba proved to not be enough as the Seahawks fell short in overtime. New addition, Ernest Jones IV, begins to settle into his new home of Seattle, where there are hopes that his valuable experience and energy will bring a spark to the roster. The second half of the season is always a sprint, but first the team will use the bye week to rest, refocus, and self-assess. This is where resilience meets ambition, and it is vital the Seahawks take advantage of every opportunity remaining in front of them.

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Salute To Service Spotlight

For the NFL's Salute to Service month, the Seahawks are spotlighting a member of the organization who is currently or has served in the armed forces. This year's spotlight is Justin Lampkin.

Sergeant First Class Justin Lampkin is the first active-duty full-season intern for the Seattle Seahawks business operations as part of the Department of Defense SkillBridge Program. Justin is currently interning in the community engagement department while also finishing out his 20 years in the Army as he looks to retire and transition into the private sector.

Justin was born in Ridgecrest, California, and grew up on Whidbey Island, Washington. He joined the Army in 2005 when he was 20 years old. Since then, Justin has served in the 101st Airborne, 1-60th Special Operations, and 1st Special Forces Group. During his military career, he was deployed to Iraq twice, Korea, and the Philippines. He earned a Bronze Star, Korean airborne wings, and a Combat Action Badge. Justin is happily married to his wife, Sheena, and they have an incredible daughter, Makyla.

The Seahawks thank you for your sacrifice and service Justin and all you do for our community!

More From Around The Web

Michael-Shawn Dugar: Can DK Metcalf and Abe Lucas save the Seahawks’ offense (and their season)?

Cameron Van Til of Seattle Sports: What are realistic expectations for Abe Lucas in potential return?

Zac Hereth of Seattle Sports: Which Seahawks need to have great games vs 49ers? Bump weighs in.

Shane Lantz of The Associated Press: CB Josh Jobe making the most of opportunities with Seahawks.

Matt Calkins of The Seattle Times: Can Mike Macdonald lead Seahawks out of slump before wheels fall off?

Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times: How Seahawks are planning for Devon Witherspoon to make a bigger impact.

Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times: Seahawks hope new-look defense shakes things up for playoff run.

Gregg Bell of The News Tribune: Geno Smith on the Seahawks’ need to beat 49ers: ‘It’s very personal.’ For now. And later.

Corbin K. Smith of Sports Illustrated: 'It's Very Personal': Geno Smith, Seahawks Looking to Snap Drought vs. 49ers.

Corbin K. Smith of Sports Illustrated: Offensive Line Questions Persist as Seahawks Prepare For 49ers Rematch.

John Boyle of Seahawks.com: Coby Bryant Thriving In New Role, And Seahawks Believe 'His Best Football Is Ahead Of Him'

John Boyle of Seahawks.com: Geno Smith: Seahawks Need To Clean Up Mistakes, But If They Do, 'I think we can beat anybody'.

Ari Horton of Seahawks.com: DK Metcalf Said Sitting Out For Two Games Provided A 'Different Perspective'.

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