FOXBORO, Mass. — Since Pete Carroll took over the Seahawks in 2010, airlines have been making a lot of money on direct flights between Seattle and New England.
The Patriots and Seahawks run far different offensive and defensive systems, but it seems an unusually high numbers of players have suited up for both teams since 2010.
The Patriots currently have former Seahawks cornerback Justin Coleman, defensive tackle Alan Branch and tight end/defensive end Greg Scruggs (injured reserve) on their team, while the Seahawks have former Patriots defensive tackle Sealver Siliga and linebacker/safety Dewey McDonald.
Here’s a (possibly) incomplete list of players who have been on both teams since 2010.
CB Justin Coleman
DT Alan Branch
TE/DE Greg Scruggs
DT Sealver Siliga
LB/S Dewey McDonald
CB Brandon Browner
OT Keavon Milton
DT A.J. Francis
DT/OT Kona Schwenke
OT Caylin Hauptmann
QB Matt Flynn
RB Leon Washington
OL Robert Gallery
SS Lawyer Milloy
QB/WR Isaiah Stanback
LB Alex Singleton
WR Deion Branch
DT Landon Cohen
The Patriots and Seahawks also have shown interest in similar players through the years, such as defensive tackle Dominique Easley, wide receiver Percy Harvin, running back Fred Jackson and defensive tackle Kevin Williams.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said his team and the Seahawks might look for the same kind of players.
“I’m sure there are some similar traits,” Belichick said. “I think schematically there are some definite differences. I mean defensively their scheme is – Pete’s pretty much coached a similar scheme since when he was at Arkansas. I don’t think that’s changed too much but I’d say it’s a little bit different than what our scheme is, but I think some of the fundamentals of players — competiveness, tackling, things like that — are (similar).
“Players that fit into that category I’m sure we liked, Seattle likes, probably 30 other teams like. Again, I would say more of our study of them has been less along those lines and more along just kind of overall how they put a team together, how they build their roster, how they manage their roster, things like that. I don’t think we’re going to run their defense, I don’t think they’re going to run ours. I don’t think we’re going to run their offense, I don’t think they’re going to run ours. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some other similar characteristics. I’m not trying to say that. But I think schematically they’re a west coast-based offense with read-option, things like that. That’s not really what we do, but they’re good at what they do. We’re good at what we do, so that’s different ways of doing it.”
Siliga and Coleman are two players who have traveled back and forth between New England and Seattle multiple times.
Siliga was on the Seahawks’ practice squad in 2013 before being released and added by the Patriots. He started 13 games in three years with the Patriots before he went unsigned as a free agent this offseason, when the Seahawks scooped him back up.
Coleman was signed by the Patriots last summer, was waived, signed to the Seahawks’ practice squad and then was re-signed by the Patriots.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
