RENTON, Wash. - If there's a silver lining to the Seahawks likely losing Jamal Adams for the remainder of the 2022 season, the team has grown used to playing without him since he arrived via trade from the Jets. Dealing with numerous injuries, including playing through a torn labrum in his shoulder in 2020, he missed nine regular season games in his first two seasons with the organization.
But after four games, with Adams missing all but one quarter due to a torn quad tendon that required surgery, there's no question Seattle badly misses the uniquely skilled All-Pro safety this time around. Without his services, coach Pete Carroll's squad ranks 31st in points allowed (28.8 points per game), 28th in pass defense, and 29th in run defense. In advanced metrics, they sit 31st in DVOA according to Football Outsiders, including dead last defending the pass.
Making the situation more disheartening, unlike a year ago when the Seahawks were still trying to figure out how to best utilize his talents on the fly after he held in for a new contract, Carroll felt they finally had a schematic plan in place to maximize Adams' abilities. But since he went down in Week 1 with a fluky injury while attempting to sack former teammate Russell Wilson, they have struggled with Josh Jones stepping in as his replacement and felt his loss much more than previous years.
“As it was a year ago, it went the other way. We didn’t have him to develop some stuff that we wanted to do then," coach Pete Carroll said of the Seahawks navigating the waters without Adams. "Now, we had enough time to get our stuff going, so we have had to shift gears some. I’m going to leave it at that.”
Likely fatigued from being asked about the subject, Carroll refused to delve into how much Adams' absence has influenced Seattle's ongoing defensive woes or impacted what they can or cannot do schematically. But on the field, it's clear the defensive blueprint put in place under a revamped defensive coaching staff isn't working near as well as envisioned without No. 33 flying around making plays.
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Transitioning to a hybrid 3-4 defense with defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt taking the reins and assistant coaches Sean Desai and Karl Scott joining the fold, Adams played extensive snaps in nickel and dime sets as a pseudo-linebacker in training camp, often replacing Cody Barton with the Seahawks keeping three safeties on the field. Known for his pass rushing prowess and physical play defending the run, lining him up in the box more often was expected to provide more flexibility while still having an extra defensive back on the field to combat opposing passing games.
Minus Adams, Seattle has been more selective mixing in such three safety sub-packages, but the team has continued to play a ton of nickel defense with five defensive backs on the field. In a 48-45 win over Detroit on Sunday, slot cornerback Coby Bryant played 58 out of 74 snaps, or nearly 80 percent of the team's defensive snaps. He played 66 percent of their snaps one week earlier against Atlanta and even against run-heavy San Francisco in Week 2, he was on the field two-thirds of the time.
In today's NFL, it's not uncommon for teams to play nickel or dime sets more than 50 percent of the time. But with the coaching staff strangely staying in nickel and even dime sets in the red zone and in short yardage situations, the Seahawks' reliance on such sub-packages while missing a huge piece of the puzzle in Adams has hindered them greatly defending the run and results against the pass haven't been much better.
Given the dire circumstances after allowing 45 points to a Lions offense without three of their top playmakers, it's easy to say Carroll and his assistants have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what they can do to help right the ship. After already benching an underperforming Darrell Taylor a week ago, it may be time to make another switch at strong safety where Adams normally resides to try to find a spark.
Despite impressing throughout training camp and the preseason to earn a roster spot, Jones hasn't performed well in Adams' stead by any measure. According to Pro Football Focus, he's missed nine tackles, the second-most among safeties in the NFL, while posting a 28.1 percent missed tackle rate, fourth-worst in the league. He also has allowed 229 yards in coverage, almost 70 yards more than any other safety, along with yielding a 132.9 passer rating.
Though Carroll, Hurtt, and teammates have maintained confidence in Jones publicly and he has shown he can get the job done in the past, signs point towards Ryan Neal potentially working his way back into the lineup alongside Quandre Diggs in the near future if he can't step up his level of play. Now fully healthy after missing most of camp and the entire preseason with a high ankle sprain, he logged a season-high 37 defensive snaps against the Lions, with a portion of those coming at the expense of Jones.
Neal didn't necessarily play well in his first extended action of the season and allowed a pair of touchdowns in coverage on Sunday, but the former undrafted signee out of Southern Illinois shined stepping in for Adams each of the past two seasons, contributing 93 tackles, two interceptions, and six pass breakups while starting nine games. Based on comments from Carroll, he hopes to continue giving him chances to get involved in coming weeks, hinting that a change at strong safety may be on the horizon.
“I really think that he’s going to continue. I talked to him just before this game about this week coming up. We had prepared him to play against Detroit, but I had told him that I wanted to try to expand his play time and give him more opportunities to do stuff," Carroll explained. "I just liked the guy on the field. He’s an aggressive, fiery, feisty dude and he hits people and seems to make things happen. So, I’m anxious to see if we can continue to grow his opportunities.”
Since Neal has played well as a spot starter in the past, it's possible such a changeup could pay dividends for the Seahawks and help turn the tide. At the same time, while he's a physical, aggressive player who carries a boulder on his shoulder after being cut multiple times by multiple organizations earlier in his career, he isn't near the caliber of player of Adams and the scheme isn't the same as it was the past two years, making it far from a guarantee he will be able to replicate that success.
In the event Neal can't get the job done or Seattle doesn't feel certain about his capabilities as an every down player instead of a situational defender, the team does have a few capable free agents to consider for reinforcements.
Among them, former All-Pro safety Landon Collins remains a free agent and possesses a similar skill set to Adams with 10.0 career sacks on his resume. He recently worked out for the New York Giants and though his coverage numbers have not been good in recent seasons with Washington, he could provide a solution that better fits the team's current scheme as a physical run defender with plus-blitzing skills.
It's also possible Seattle could consider bringing back Marquise Blair, a former second-round pick out of Utah who was released during final roster cuts in August and currently is on Carolina's practice squad. With that said, he was waived for a reason with Jones outplaying him in camp and the preseason, so that ship may have sailed given his lengthy injury history and inconsistent performance when healthy.
Regardless of what the team opts to do, Carroll and his staff have to keep all options on the table shaking up personnel as the Seahawks try to shore up one of the NFL's worst defenses. They may choose to stick with Jones a bit longer, but if he can't dramatically improve his performance, they will have no choice but to move a different direction either internally with Neal or outside the organization with a proven commodity such as Collins in quick order.
Baker’s is a neighborhood craft cocktail bar that feels more like a family gathering than a restaurant.
That being said, the restaurant is taking pandemic rules seriously and offers limited seating available on their patio and garden.
It’s recommended that diners make a same-day reservation if they’re opting to eat in. Phone lines open at 2 pm, two hours before Baker’s opens for the evening.
Whether you’re dining in or out at Baker’s, you need to try their cocktails. Each comes dressed with beautiful garnishes and taste so good that they’re mighty dangerous.
Choose to feast on an array of fancy snacks or go straight for the entrees. We love the sprouting kale rabe dip, Dungeness crab cakes, and cheese and meat platter.
For Eric Anderson, the creation of a dish often starts with a single spark of an idea. Sometimes the spark catches immediately, others it sits smoldering until suddenly the idea ignites.
"I just wanted to have a menu staple featuring crab. I love Dungeness crab and that was kind of how the call got rolling," said Anderson, the chef/owner of Samara. "I didn't realize it would be the signature dish necessarily. We wanted something that could be any season, that didn't necessarily have a highlight moment."
Born outside of Chicago and trained at top restaurants in Portland, then Seattle, Anderson opened Samara in Seattle's Sunset Hill neighborhood back in 2019.
"This is a sophisticated but casual restaurant serving organic vegetables and organic wines, sustainable seafood and heritage breed animals from the Northwest area," said Anderson. "The reality is we've made a special occasion spot. People come for anniversaries, birthdays, celebrations and date nights. We see lots of couples having nice meals together, and that's nice for us."
The restaurant does have an electric oven and induction burners, but during service, all of the cooking is done using a wood fire.
"I enjoy the live fire aspect of it. I like building the fire. I like watching it burn. I like the way it smells. I think people gathering around the fire, it's a source of comfort. It's a source of warmth. It really helps this space set a mood," said Anderson.
The focus on fire and insistence on using hyper-local ingredients provide Anderson and his team the guardrails for a dish, the constraints for creation. From there, they put it together like a puzzle.
"Some of these dishes we'll spend — we try two versions each season typically, and it'll take two to three years for the dish — we won't even put some of them on [the menu]. We'll think of things and work and work and work at it, but it doesn't make the cut for whatever reason. Then, several years later we'll revisit it and the magic finally shows up. Other dishes come almost immediately. I don't know why. That's just part of it," said Anderson.
That magic is apparent in a dish that may be Samara's signature. The menu explains it simply, "buttered Dungeness crab, charred rice cake, tarragon." It's a description that belies the complexity of each component.
"We have clean Dungeness crab meat warmed in a giant pool of butter. We make a seasoned rice cake and we char it on the grill. We pile the crab on top. We make a puree of tarragon and parsley, then the real magic is the crab reduction. We build a crab sauce and reduce it like a demi or double-demi. We have just a few drops of that [on the plate]. So, that bumps the [crab flavor] way up," said Anderson.
Each part of the dish adds flavor, texture and color. Individual components that, together, form an ideal bite.
"The rice cake is going to be just a little bit crunchy. You'll have good smoke flavor, but a light smoke flavor. Then you just have all the richness of the crab. That crab stock adds just a little bit of saltiness to [the dish] and the tarragon keeps everything from feeling too rich and heavy. So it feels comforting. It also feels light, but it's filling," said Anderson.
That dish tells a story on its own, but it's also a chapter in a larger story, one Anderson is sharing each day through the menu at Samara.
"I hope we're telling my version of living in the Northwest, my experiences in other restaurants and the chefs I learned from, the way I see things now and the way I like to present the bounty of the Northwest," said Anderson. "When I say 'bounty of the Northwest,' I always feel a little corny, but that's the reality of it. This is an amazing growing region."
This article appears in print in the March 2020 issue, as part of the “Best Neighborhoods” cover story. Click here to subscribe.
The 1920s were a big decade for Sunset Hill. The Sunset Hill Community Association (SHCA) formed in 1922, making it one of the city’s oldest neighborhood associations; its Craftsman clubhouse, for resident meetings, classes and events, came along in 1929. In 1927, the City of Seattle Parks Department designated the once private Golden Gardens as a public beach. Just south in central Ballard, Market Street was poised to claim its position as the commercial heart of Seattle’s northwest quadrant.
Nearly 100 years later, this waterfront community still gathers at the SHCA clubhouse, where active local groups meet over shared interests ranging from issues affecting Sunset Hill to yoga classes and a diving club. Golden Gardens is still the neighborhood’s shining star—a destination worthy of driving across town in summer traffic. And Ballard, having grown exponentially as a commercial district, is so densely populated that its borders seem to bleed into the neighborhoods farther north.
Sunset Hill echoes old Ballard’s charm while keeping those new dining and retail perks in close reach, but its proximity to Puget Sound is what makes this pocket neighborhood a prime destination for urban dwellers who crave a strong aquatic connection. The area is flanked to the west by captivating views: a steel-colored expanse that stretches from the waters of Shilshole Bay and Puget Sound to the sky, with Bainbridge Island and the Olympic Mountains between. Drive along Seaview Avenue NW from the Ballard Locks to Golden Gardens and just try to keep your eyes on the road. Here you’ll find Surf Ballard, where adventure seekers can take lessons and rent stand-up paddleboards and kayaks to plunk into the water just across the street. (Surfing is better on the coast, though you can rent gear for that, too.) Out front, Tortugasells coffee drinks and baked goods out of a Winnebago from mid-May through mid-September. Un Bien slings some of the city’s best pork sandwiches in a hot pink shack next door.
Those same views can be seen from a bird’s-eye perspective at Sunset Hill Park, a pocket of greenery dotted with benches and picnic tables on 34th Avenue NW between NW 75th and 77th streets; it’s reminiscent of Queen Anne’s Kerry Park, but with far fewer tourists.
Cocktails and small plates at Baker’s.
The houses in this area run the gamut from petite brick Tudors straight out of a fairy tale to charming Craftsman homes. Real estate agent Brooke Davis with RE/MAX Metro Realty says these older homes (many of which have been updated and lovingly restored) have built the character of Sunset Hill. She talks, too, of the natural light inherent in many of the neighborhood’s houses: Southern and western exposures, due to the orientation of the hills, mean brighter indoors to combat that flat Seattle gray.
After some leadership uncertainty at Loyal Heights, a new principal has been appointed to carry out the rest of the school year.
Principal Geri Guerrero has been out on leave, and will not be returning to Loyal Heights, Seattle School Superintendent Denise Juneau announced in a letter to families last week. The new principal will be Michael Berkenwald, former assistant principal of John Hay Elementary.
“Feedback from LHE staff and community indicated the desire for a leader who listens to their voices and perspectives; a leader who cares, is hardworking and transparent, and one who will be visible,” Juneau wrote to families. “Mr. Berkenwald embodies these characteristics, and his extensive school leadership experience make him a great fit for the LHE community.”
Berkenwald earned his BA in history from the University of Washington, and his Master’s in Teaching from Seattle Pacific University. He then received his Principal Certification and Master’s in Educational Leadership from the University of Washington’s Danforth Educational Leadership Program.
Berkenwald takes over as principal of Loyal Heights today (Nov. 18) and will remain in the role through the 2019/2020 school year. In the spring, Seattle Public School’s central office will determine if a principal selection process is needed.
“Until then, Principal Berkenwald’s dedication to collaborative problem solving and his commitment to high quality learning for all students, combined with his transformational leadership experience, will be a great fit for Loyal Heights,” Juneau writes.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: According to property records filed with King County, LPC West purchased the site from Da Li Development for $42 million. The development site is located at 112-130 5th Avenue.)
SEATTLE — LPC West, the West Coast arm of national real estate firm Lincoln Property Company, has partnered with Intercontinental Real Estate Corporation (“Intercontinental”) to close on a future 9-story office building near Seattle’s Space Needle, with plans to develop the property into a life sciences space.
Located on the border of the South Lake Union and Uptown neighborhoods, the property will feature approximately 195,000 square feet and will cater to the unique needs of the city’s flourishing life-science sector. One of the nation’s top life sciences hubs, Seattle is home to the University of Washington, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Allen Institute for Brain Science, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and more.
“The new building at Fifth Avenue and John Street will add a striking addition to one of the nation’s preeminent markets for research and innovation,” said J.P. Harlow, Senior Vice President of LPC West. “This building will help meet the region’s growing demand for spaces to serve the life science sector.”
“We are thoroughly committed to helping meet the needs of one of the nation’s leading markets for the life sciences while further expanding our footprint in Seattle,” said Jessica Levin, Senior Director, Acquisitions for Intercontinental. “The combination of Seattle’s life science fundamentals and the Puget Sound region’s nation-leading funding, growth and talent make this development a compelling long-term investment for our portfolio.”
In June, LPC West and Intercontinental broke ground on another life science building, at 222 Fifth Ave., directly adjacent to the planned life sciences building at Fifth Avenue and John Street.
The Class-A building, which is currently in the early design stages, will feature views of the Space Needle, Climate Pledge Arena, and the Puget Sound. The site offers full transit accessibility, with access to the Seattle Center Monorail, Metro Transit routes and Highway 99. The property is in an area with a Walk Score of 97 – rated a “Walker’s Paradise” – according to a leading neighborhood walkability research firm.
The Puget Sound has earned a reputation as an emerging national hub for the life sciences, evidenced by the one in five Seattle employees working in STEM professions, according to the U.S. Census. Home to one of the world’s top research institutions, the University of Washington, and leading medical organizations, Seattle ranks as the nation’s No. 5 life science city.
The nation’s 15th largest metropolitan area, Seattle has experienced significant economic growth in recent years related to the industry leaders headquartered in the region, including Amazon, Microsoft, and Costco. Between 2010 and 2020, Seattle’s population grew by more than 22% – more than any large U.S. during that period. The city ranked No. 1 on Forbes’ list of “Best Places for Business and Careers.”
The sites are located alongside South Lake Union, a thriving mixed-use neighborhood that hosts close to two dozen leading global health, tech, and research organizations. That includes employers such as Seattle Children’s Hospital and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, along with thousands of residential units, and millions of square feet of office and life science space. Approximately $10 billion has been invested in the neighborhood over the last 15 years in the form of development and public infrastructure.
To date, LPC West has been involved in over 4.5 million square feet of transactions across all major life science markets in the west.
About Lincoln Property Company
Lincoln Property Company manages and leases over 403 million square feet of office, industrial, and retail projects, and currently manages over 212,000 multifamily units. Over the last 15 years, Lincoln has been increasingly active with $15 billion of acquisitions and development, bringing its current total to over $76 billion in AUM. In the Pacific Northwest, LPC West currently owns and operates approximately 6 million square feet. Its properties span a variety of markets including Seattle and Bellevue and the surrounding region. The PNW has a robust pipeline of over 1 million square feet of office development in addition to over 1,000 multifamily units under construction and in planning.
About Intercontinental Real Estate Corporation
Intercontinental Real Estate Corporation is an SEC Registered Investment Adviser* with decades long experience in real estate investment, finance, development, construction management and asset management. Since 1959, Intercontinental and its affiliates have managed, developed, or owned collectively over $21 billion in real estate property. Today, Intercontinental manages a real estate portfolio of approximately $15.5 billion for its clients. The Intercontinental portfolio is diversified both by robust property mix and by geography. Fund strategies actively seek opportunities to invest in both Core and Core-Plus properties, as well as in Value-Add operating properties and development projects.
On Sunday, Sept. 11, a church in South Lake Union is holding a grand opening for their new building, located in the heart of Amazon's Seattle headquarters.
The building housing Seattle Unity – a non-denominational spiritual community with its roots in Christianity, but which welcomes people of all beliefs including atheists – was designed by Tom Kundig, a famous Seattle architect who also designed the Burke Museum.
Seattle Unity has been in South Lake Union, across the street from Denny Park, since 1960. It’s seen the neighborhood change drastically, from a warehouse district to the headquarters of Amazon.
"We did look at options of selling and moving, you know, out into the suburbs," Reverend Diane Robertson, the church's associate minister, said. "And then our community just really felt it was important to maintain kind of a spiritual presence here in South Lake Union and in downtown Seattle."
Kundig wanted the new building to be a place of stability. It’s a simple building: The corner tower has small slits that bring in light to the meditation rooms and chapel. At night, those little windows turn into light fixtures and illuminate the street corner. Kundig calls it a tower of light.
“These buildings are, in a sense, musical instruments. Volumetric musical instruments. Certainly music is played in them, but also the light and how the light is playing in there,” Kundig said.
It’s the first time he’s led design on a place of worship, although he helped design the Chapel of St. Ignatius 25 years ago on the Seattle University campus. And working on this new church was personal for Kundig: He grew up Unitarian, in a denomination similar to Seattle Unity’s, which welcomed many people from Catholic and Jewish backgrounds.
“Honestly, I think they’re the most special spaces in architecture,” Kundig said.
