Anyone other than Dan Quinn, 1 step forward (firing Pete), 2 steps back (hiring Quin)
Joseph
Agreed, all this continuity is not going to turn us into a SB team again if Quinn is HC.
Peter
Pro Quinn: we missed the playoffs so we have an easier strength of schedule so we could easily win 8 games next year.
Also Kellen Moore who is as whelming to me as Waldron. I mean look what he did in his time in Dallas!!! A team that is cursed but curiously always has talent.
Plus to piggy back on a comment from the previous thread from Joseph, Quinn has almost no vibes about him which would allow John to maybe take the reigns on the weekly Mike and Salk show.
Tialen Kelley
At least then we will know to fire Schider as well next go round
DW
I would be sad.
That is all.
BK26
First off, the HawksZone piece was really good. It’s very enjoyable to hear guys talk about and discuss your team and having fun doing it. No agenda’s, no preconceived notions. Just guys that know what is going on with the team and talking about it. I’m glad you are doing some of those (thinking of Viens too). And it will help them.
Dan Campbell is closer to Pete Carroll in that he is actually creating a culture; he is legitimately building something that is almost alive. It is EXTREMELY hard to do. He and Pete are the only ones that I can think of that did it as coaches themselves. Nothing like what the Ravens have done, where it is an organizational machine. Pete also showed that it is hard to maintain.
Quinn can’t do that. Quinn can only maintain a structure. Not a cultural structure or anything really impressive, just a staff and some consistency. Quinn also doesn’t have any answers for Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. Or many other offensively-minded coaches. He can’t be the answer to our coaching search. If that is the case, John Schneider might not be long for the job, as he has clearly misread the entire league. It is the definition of safe. Quinn = Quilted Northern.
We are down to two choices for the most part, with one of them more or less gone. Hopefully we don’t have to do this for another 10+ years….
Peter
I like Dan Viens quite a bit. As a super fan ( meaning him) it’s. Ice to hear someone very early out discussing the end of the road on Pete, future qbs, etc.
He had a good segment yesterday about Kafka. Now whether that happens who knows but he at least did his leg work.
BK26
I’m actually listening to that segment now. I like getting different perspectives that are framed as their opinion and not gospel. Don’t agree with it all, but it’s rare for me to enjoy a lot of Seahawk stuff out there that isn’t Rob.
Kafka…I wouldn’t be over the moon but he would be ahead of a few others that might surprise people. I might know a bit more about him since I’m down here in KC. And he played against Iowa in college.
Mr Drucker in hooterville
“creating culture” is overrated. Because every team has a culture: good or bad. There is not a single HC hire who wouldn’t create some kind of culture. What should be said is, we need a coach who creates a culture around ‘winning, Improving players around them, not excusing detrimental actions, AND has players bought into the coaches ingenuity.”
That’s a culture that is needed. Not just a ‘good culture.’ If Pete Carroll was a ‘culture builder’, I don’t want anything like that.
Joseph
It be quite hypocritical for JS to hire Quinn, let alone the other DCs. JS even said the important of hiring a good OC because you don’t want to keep losing them when you have a defensive HC.
If you hire Quinn, then there is really no point in firing Carroll.
Peter
Well….not no point.
No point for the fans. But all the points for John who gers to do what he wants.
JP
John is a highly respected GM I’m told, I’m sure he knows what he’s doing. If he wants a yes-man to execute his vision after years under Pete, then so be it.
Peter
Seems like if you want to win its more important to have a great coach than a yes man…..Reid, mcvay, bellichick, and pete….none were yes men.
Though I do worry that John getting a yes man may be more important after 14 years of being in the shadow than a getting a great hire.
Odium
Really hoping this is a smoke screen and not indicative of actual fire. If JS wants to be free of Pete, why in the hell hire Quinn??
BrandoK
If Dan Quinn is hired McShanahan aren’t afraid at all might not even lose sleep over it with the hire they might even be more happy with it. They’ll just pencil in 2 wins each. I can’t even see Seattle having a chance to beat McShanahan. It’ll be hard for me to root for this team if Quinn is hired.
My excitement after they finally moved on from Pete was high just happy to finally move on from the Pete culture and then just to run it back with Quinn Why. Quinn is not the answer and never was he’s. Go for a coach that can make a difference with scheming instead of just a coach that just brings in leadership and nothing else.
BK26
It’s not like Kyle Shanahan laughed when he was asked about going up against Quinn’s defense (he did). There’s your sign.
Big Mike
John? Hello John?
Elmer
Mel Kiper’s mock has us taking JJ McCarthy. Please no…
cha
Also suggested last week that Atlanta would send #8 overall to Chicago for Justin Fields.
The hair product has penetrated through the skull at the moment.
Elmer
There is a horse hair product called Cowboy Magic. Maybe he should try that. If it doesn’t work out,, he could wear a Stetson hat.
Orcas Viking
With that last bit of advice he would then be who he is at this point, all hat and no cattle.
Aaron Bostrom
Although many signs are pointed to DQ, I can’t believe Schneider would make that hire, with his one opportunity he’s been waiting for. I really hope that Ben Johnson to WA isn’t a foregone conclusion. Maybe he convinces WA to hire him, given the success he had developing the 2nd overall pick CJ stroud.
Aaron Bostrom
*Maybe Slowik
Denver Hawker
JS, after announcing Quinn as HC,
For my next act, in the first round of the 2024 nfl draft, we select, a safety.
Seahawk fans erupt with whelming glee, offseason championship secured, stores sell out of Tatupu jerseys.
In this dark timeline, Jamal retires due to ongoing injuries, and is retained as an advisor alongside Pete Carroll, where they trail DQ’s every step, clacking coconut shells. JS assumes the title Supreme Chancellor and secures funding from Vulcan for a new PC cloning program.
Orcas Viking
The only positive to Dan Quinn becoming the HC is that it will open up a ton of free time to focus on other more important things in life.
Yep, especially the first half of the season when the weather is good. By the time the 2nd half arrives I’m guessing the Hawks will be mired in their usual mediocrity so since the weather will be cappy I can just go ahead and watch NFL teams that actually understand how to win…..KC, Buffalo, et. al.
Orcas Viking
As a retired guy now for three years, there are quite a few retirement projects I have neglected. The collected works of Samuel Johnson are sitting on the shelf ready and waiting. If it’s Quinn, and we don’t get Ben Johnson, at least I have another Johnson to keep me entertained, and, frankly, it would be a better use of time.
Malanch
“If it’s Quinn, and we don’t get Ben Johnson, at least I have another Johnson to keep me entertained …”
Pause.
Orcas Viking
As a 63 year old that has been married to the same beautiful lady for close to 40 years, I don’t associate with that Mr. Johnson anymore…he is a long lost friend who no longer distracts me with idle conversation and thoughts…
Group Captain Mandrake
I’ve already started doing this for the last few seasons. Why sit inside and watch boring (at best) football when I can be doing something outside? On the whole, it’s a decision I have not regretted. I do wish they would at least make the choice difficult though.
OTC’s comp picks projection has no picks for the Seahawks (no shock there)
McZ
4 for Philly, 4 for Niners, 4 for Rams, 3 for Green Bay.
If they continue to draft like they did in the last couple of seasons, the gap will stay at it is.
Brodie
It feels like they could actually get some this year if they hold their water. Brooks, Fant, LW, Bobby, DT, Haynes, Parkinson…
You would think those guys could all get signed if we don’t do it.
Each year I hold out hope that they’ll actually try to work this system a bit, yet they never do. Maybe w/o Pete pushing the narrative that we’re ‘right there’ JS can take a longer term approach.
Maybe we can manage to contain our exuberance when guys like Austin Blythe, Kerry Hyder, Gerald Everett, BJ Finney, Benson Mayowa, Bruce Irvin, Barkevious Mingo, etc. are sitting there. I think it’s been 5 years since we’ve had a comp pick, yet many teams manage to secure almost 4 per year.
Seahawk_Dan
If Schneider picks Quinn I really do think that would be a cowardly pick. As if he has to pick Quinn because of the incorrect thought of bringing in familiar faces for stability or if a previous bygone era to retain old glory.
Big Mike
So here’s a question for you all…….if he brings in Quinn will be because Jody forced him to?
So the Seahawks are tanking for Quinn Ewers next season.
Peter
The quinn and quinn connection…..
WLO333
How high the look to draft a center probably hinges a bit on what the Seahawks think of Oluwatimi. He wasn’t able to displace Brown, who seemed to handle the mental side of the gane just fine, but got pushed around often. Olu seemed to have more strength than Brown, but didn’t seem ready mentally. But the entirety if the interior O line is in question to me.
I see Bradford in a similar light to Olu. He seemed to not be ready mentally despite showing he has the raw power to push people around.
We put some mid round draft capital into G and C last year, but its still not clear that we can rely on either of those players going forward. I don’t think Lewis showed enough improvement this year, and that re-signing him should not be prioritized, nor do I think Haynes can be relied on to make it through an entire sesson (even on the bench). With the lack of experience all around, I don’t see how that can be immediately remedied in the draft…unless you can get a stud ready to start out of the gate.
Oluwatimi and Bradford seem like longer term development projects, and may just be depth pieces going forward. But at least we have some young guys with potential in the system. It would be a lot nicer to draft a Cross or Lucas level player that has the talent to step in right away. But before they drafted those two, I don’t remember that happening too often in Seattle for picks out of the first round.
Peter
Not to worried about Olu v. Brown. Pete went far away from always compete into status quo, once a starter always a starter.
See: mafe v. Irvin. Clark and Hall. Adams when Love was the superior player.
Julian
I’d really like to see them come away with one of the hybrid Right Tackle, Left Guard type from this years draft and there are quite a few of them. This would be a hedge against Abe Lucas’s knee injury being chronic and if all things being well Abe returns to full fitness, the Seahawks would have a dominant Left Guard instead.
Blitzy the Clown
You cling to the hope that Slowik interviewing with the Commanders suggests Johnson isn’t a lock as their next HC.
And I cling to the hope that John Schneider, of the Ron Wolf tree, wouldn’t wait 14 years to get his big chance to run his franchise, only to give the keys to his team to Dan Quinn. Especially after acknowledging the problem of maintaining staff continuity on the offensive side. It seems antithetical to who he is. But then, this franchise has disappointed in similar ways so many times in the last 7 or so years. I had hoped, truly hoped, that was Carroll’s doing.
Big Mike
Desperately clinging……….so very, very desperately.
Peter
I have high hopes.
But I’m not going to be surprised when like russ and Pete we find out that Pete and John were greater than the sum of their parts.
Mark Derricott
Not saying it won’t happen, but JS has reason enough to pass due to the fact that DQ was in Seattle under GM–>HC rather than HC–>GM model. No baggage. Different band.
And as a coach, the only thing I see going for DQ is the astroturfers.
Tallyhawk
This is my thought. I keep seeing comments that JS will play it safe, Quinn or Vrabel, since he only likely has one shot at this. The thing is he’s only going to get that one shot whether he goes safe or not. He’s always struck me as more aggressive than Pete so until a choice is made I’m sticking to the thought he will go with someone other than the safe choice. I’d even go so far as to say he might pick someone who hasn’t got a lot of press.
ShowMeYourHawk
The ONLY way I’d be satisfied with Quinn as new HC would be if he’s very clearly informed before his hire that he’s strictly Head Coach as a figurehead, CEO and motivator. He WON’T have input on player acquisition and roster building. He WON’T be scheming defensive plays. His job will ONLY be to keep the Coordinators that John hires responsible for their results and to speak to the press before and after games. Other than the paycheck and the title, not sure why he’d agree to these terms but….
Honestly, if Quinn is really who John may settle for, we may as well roll the dice on Vrabel. At least his volatility would make things interesting and not a milquetoast rehash of the “glory days.”
Julian
Another Corbin Smith nugget from his appraisal of the Head Coaching candidates is Dan Quinn’s defense gave up an average of 26 points a game in 2023 against teams with winning records.
Yep, have this one on my phone. It’s so very true besides being funny
Todd M
If I recall correctly, the Seahawks didn’t punt once against the Cowboys (and the Cowboys also did not punt, but that’s a different story).
Debra Sheard
Just because Slowick is not scheduled for a second interview does not mean John doesn’t want him as a coach. It might simply be that Slowick has told the Seahawks he is not interested in the job and John has had to move on to other options
Seems a bit unlikely he would say that, then interview with the Commanders and Falcons
McZ
Either this, or he doesn’t want to go to a place, where the GM is making all the calls.
EmperorMA
Either this, or he doesn’t want to go to a team with no franchise QB that drafts at #16 this year and is highly likely to draft somewhere around #12 – #18 next year.
3 open vacancies filled: Pierce (LV), Mayo (NE), and now Callahan (Ten). The music has started and chairs are being filled.
cha
Kiper mocked McCarthy to Seahawks at #16
“I don’t rate him as a first-round QB but he has upside and someone’s going to take a chance on him.”
Also points out Geno Smith contract is escapable after 2023. To replace him with McCarthy?
Peter
I don’t rate him as a first round qb.
Checks out Mel. Thanks.
BK26
I’ve got to stare cross-eyed while eating raw horseradish for a while to see McCarthy and “1st” round in the same sentence without waiting for the punchline.
ShowMeYourHawk
Translated: “Without a HC in place, I don’t know what they’ll do…. so, here’s this lazy shit. Now, off to buy more house primer for my daily hair coloring.”
Alex Potts
Wanna be convinced of Patrick Graham? listen to this interview via Dan Viens youtube
Hard to hear this guest saying the Seahawks made a dumb move over Carroll though.
Clearly hasn’t seen much of the team 😂
Peter
That part with standing it was interesting hearing him speak on what Graham was able to do on defense vs. The last half decade.
Specifically vs. Overall cost
Alex Potts
He also mentions talk around the league is they think Dan Quinn will end up in Carolina after Dan Morgan was hired. And that Vrabel might be the lead candidate in Seattle.
Julian
I still stand by the idea Patrick Graham would be a really nice Assistant Head Coach, Defensive Coordinator hire. Whether that’d be enough to get him to leave Las Vegas, I’m not sure?
BK26
Couldn’t listen to it. Got 10 minutes in and realized that this wasn’t an expert. Or a random guy walking down the street whose opinion I cared to hear. I can’t imagine being that far out of the loop. Was a little embarrassing.
MMjohns195
One thing that hasn’t seem talked about much to me, is that John specifically said that coaching falls under his umbrella now. Could it be possible that even if they hire a Quinn type, that John is the one with the connections to find the OC/DC, it would make sense that he could hire a younger guy, then be the one to find the OC/DC and all that. Just a point that hasn’t really been touched on much.
Big Mike
It’s been touched on, especially as it concerns the possible Vrabel hiring.
I could live with Vrabel but as mentioned, if JS and he get a sharp OC, that guy will be gone in a year or two. The only solution for stability is an offensive guy WHICH JOHN ACKNOWLEDGED in his presser!
BK26
That was is crazy and hopefully obvious: he acknowledged the OC turnover and how it literally ruined a player. So he can’t do that by hiring Quinn.
Or he can and look like he doesn’t know what he’s doing and come off like a bad car salesman.
Peter
The problem with John’s comment is that only really applies to very new HC’s. Or underconnected HC’s. Not sure how realistic it was for him to make that comment.
If it’s Patrick Graham as HC and say Kafka as OC…..great. what mid to upper level coach, quinn or Vrabel, is going to have John build his staff of around two dozen coaches and quality control personnel?
I get it in saying the hard things like Hurtt, Norton, desai needd to go. But if Quinn come here and says Moore or Veabel comes here and wants Smith or even better Lafleur type how does John say “nah it’s my guy?”
MNF_Hawk
Maybe this will be JS’s way of revealing that he was behind all these terrible moves the last 5-8 years.
Seahawksfan5897
HUGE fan your work, Rob. This is the first time I’ve left a comment.
Over the past several days, I’ve been thinking that Slowik would be the choice since Ben Johnson appears to be going to Washington.
However, I’m now wondering if Mike Kafka is actually the person that will be hired.
I will be very disappointed if John Schneider goes against his Green Bay roots and hires a defensive coach. You have made great points about why an offensive coach that can call plays is much better in the NFL today.
I had dismissed Kafka up until this point. But after realizing he is the ONLY coach out of the five to get second interviews to have an offensive background, I did a little research on him this morning and found this article from early last year which got me A LOT more excited about him:
He played quarterback in the NFL and tutored Patrick Mahomes. And John Schneider has a relationship with Andy Reid, so he will know all about Kafka from somebody he both trusts and respects.
I put a lot more weight into what Kafka did in 2022 with the Giants than what happened in 2023. Coaches don’t just all of a sudden forget how to coach in one year.
If Kafka could be paired with a really good defensive coordinator and a lot of other high-quality assistant coaches could be hired, I would be very optimistic about what the Seahawks can accomplish next year and in the future.
I think he is a contender for sure — I’ve got an article coming on him
TatupuTime
I’m not smart enough to know how good a head coach Kafka would make. Having listened to a bunch of interviews with most of the candidates, he does have a lot less on camera charisma than most of the other candidates. A good coach doesn’t need to be a good media interview, but if things go poorly on field I could see it quickly ballooning into a nightmare off the field.
Mike
I think if Johnson is not an option the biggest question for JS is how does he feel about Slowik? If he’s not sold, I can’t help but feel that it might come down to Quinn or Vrabel. I would prefer a young offensive coach, but in the absence of that Vrabel>Quinn, though Schneider might prefer the devil he knows.
Quinn would be a deflating hire, in my opinion. Vrabel I would at least understand and be ok with.
Gross MaToast
I am currently not gruntled with this coaching search. The idea that Dan Quinn is ‘The Guy’ is too perfect not to be right. It’s so perfect, it has to be wrong.
But the current doubt is why I thought JS should’ve gone with Pete. Maybe JS is great. I don’t know; we haven’t seen any obvious JS moves…until now. Certainly the condition the roster is currently in doesn’t advocate that there’s a scouting/drafting/contract working polymath on the job, but we really can’t separate Pete from JS…yet. If he hires Quinn, then it’s a renewed countdown to new ownership and the traditional clean sweep that accompanies it. We can hold off on that until Quinn’s at the podium with JS and Pete and Jamal and smiling for the cameras.
I have a difficult time believing that one could put in 14 years at a job, nodding politely at whatever cockamamie Rube Goldberg roster machinations bubble up in Pete’s head before, during, and after each season, then get an opportunity to Be The Man and your big move–the one that’s going to define your tenure–is Dan Freakin’ Quinn. It would be a hire that screams ‘Anthony Lynn: Leader of Men’ on the happy road to a series of 8-9/9-8/6-11/Fired. Surely JS is playing his cards close and the obvious is really just a distraction.
Right?
Big Mike
Logic says yes, that is right. However logic says a 12 game rental of Leonard Williams wouldn’t be a good move if you’re giving up a second round draft choice and Carroll claimed that was all about John. Supposedly GMs are loathe to give up draft choices so did JS throw logic out the window to try to get Carroll one more run, really think the team was a real contender or lastly was it all Pete and John played the good soldier and let Carroll set him up for the possibility of the bus running him over?
Matt
Rob, have you had a chance yet to watch Dan Viens’ interview with Hondo Carpenter?
He couldn’t have been more effusive with his praise of Patrick Graham as a head coach candidate.
Admittedly, I knew virtually nothing about Graham, so it was really nice to learn some things about him that sound fantastic, and to at least be able to understand why the Seahawks are bringing him back for a second interview.
It was hard to get through his opinion of Carroll and the Seahawks. Did he really imply that Schneider thinks he hit a triple as a GM when really he was born on 3rd base with Carroll?
Matt
I strongly disagreed with his takes on Pete and the team in that respect. That, to me, screams someone who isn’t close to the team and really studied them over the last several years. And then on the flipside, he is very close to the Raiders and makes sense that he’d have so many thoughts on Graham.
Do you mean the “football people”… or the “non-football people”?
ShowMeYourHawk
BUT, BUT…. OUR “ADVISOR!!!”
GoHawks5151
Would be our luck Pete gets it and gives total control on offense to a young OC
Peter
Nate carrol?….
cha
I’m going to say something and it probably reveals a side of myself that I’m not crazy about.
Here goes.
Pete has always preferred positivity over the years and that’s great. But when you express such blindingly positive sentiments about an obviously broken system the last few seasons, it is very difficult to take it at face value. Moreso when he is praised for the ‘culture’ thing that he believes in his players, etc. That we’re just negative sourpusses for not jumping on that train.
Well when Pete got fired, the shoe was placed on the other foot. How did he react? Was he positive about what’s next for him? No. He complained, misconstrued, pouted that he had a plan in place to fix everything but didn’t get the chance because the people he was talking to could not possibly understand football and by doing so perfectly validated the team’s decision to part ways.
It was cathartic for me personally. The old coach got a dose of medicine that he’s dealt to all of us as Supreme Overlord of Football Operations for years, and it was bitter.
BK26
I see nothing wrong with this take.
For me, it kind of took a mask off of Pete and the situation. You could see how far he (and the team) had fallen. Showed that the move was necessary. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Big Mike
Great post cha. You’ve summed up the feelings of many of us I’d guess and done so rather succinctly.
352 Hawk
💯 I found myself rolling my eyes listening to Pete’s raw raw for the last 6-7 years. It was a great day for me when they fired him. It seemed to me, the Seahawks had stopped caring about the fans.
Just my $0.02
SeattleLifer
I’ve thought the same of Pete with what he’s shown after his firing. Shows his ego and need for control(and subsequent loss of it) in how he reacted so poorly in losing his status along with taking shots at ownership and even a dig at John and just carrying on about it all in media/public. Pretty sad for the supposed perpetually positive and happy for everyone let’s all move forward in a good way always Petey.
king
I don’t get all the talk about Pete being a master culture builder. I believe he was the root of the decay in the team. I know it is not a popular opinion but when you look at Pete’s history, of course there were a lot of wins at USC and with Russ, Lynch, and the LOB (and although I think they got hit with a horseshoe to get the drafts they got–nobody beats the draft consistently, especially not to that extent–I still give them credit for building a beast), but there is also a wide swath of dysfunction.
As you intimate, Pete isn’t the guy he wants us to believe he is. Good riddance. It was 7 seasons too late, maybe more. The way the team imploded with back-biting and accusations of favoritism after That Play should have been a massive, flashing neon sign that there were problems specifically with the ‘culture’. Organizations with great culture handle even crushing setbacks with far more grace, dignity, and togetherness.
kyle needham
I don’t know if anyone else has said this – but the thing I am semi-favorable on Kafka about is that he comes from Reid, who came from Holmgren, who is in Schneider’s ear. I’m wondering if he isn’t getting talked up a bit by Holmy, who’d have more inside information via Reid. Just my thoughts – although, I’d MUUUCH prefer either of Johnson or Slowik.
ShowMeYourHawk
Devil’s advocate: While the connection back to Schneider’s GB days is certainly a factor in his decision making, is having Holmgren (who also eventually flamed out in Seattle) in John’s ear the boon some may think it is? While Holmgren’s “coaching tree” is laughably richer than Pete’s, they aren’t all “Andy Reid”s.
kyle needham
Oh, I agree with what you’re saying. I’m definitely not advocating for Kafka – and feel like he’d be an uninspiring choice. I’m just trying to understand how Kafka might be getting so much attention in Seattle. My thought is that Holmgren is only good in that he’s advocating for an offensive coach.
BK26
And Reid’s coaching tree has kind of fallen apart lately. Take out Doug Pederson (who jury is still a little out on still) and there really isn’t anything. Nagy is a failure (maybe even as an OC again), Bienemy can’t break through. Is it turning into Belichick’s kind of coaching tree?
Brett
So I read the article Corbin referenced and I don’t know how he came to the conclusion that the request for interview had to occur within three days of the end of their season:
Virtual interviews can occur three days after Week 18 games, and they must be wrapped up before the end of the wild-card round
Three days AFTER week 18 games, but before the end of the wild card round (not WITHIN three days of the end of week 18). The Falcons were reported to have put in a request to interview Macdonald on January 11, four days after the end of week 18.
Dregur
Reporting is the not the same as the initial request being made, me thinks. Smith was fired on the 9th.
Aaron Bostrom
Per TP: The #Commanders and #Falcons are both expected to send a contingent to Detroit next week to conduct second interviews with #Lions OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn, per sources.
No more interviews are permitted with coaches still in the playoffs until after Sunday’s games.
Why aren’t we doing this?!
Troy
Seattle is the hardest to predict at this point. Very little noise…
NE – Mayo
LV – Pierce
TEN- Callahan
LAC – Harbaugh
CAR – Canales
ATL – Belicheck
WAS – Johnson
SEA – ???
Quinn? Compete for Johnson? Wait for MacDonald? Slowik? Kakfa? Ejero? Graham? Morris? Vrabel?No clue….
To those outside Seattle, they would write this comment and say Quinn to Seahawks is obvious
GoHawksDani
Didn’t read all the comments, but read a ton of negative about Quinn.
He’s not my first choice, but he’s not Pete either. He was here during the LoB, he can lead a team with good coordinators and he seems a much better defensive mind than PC ever was.
Quinn + a good OC who can mold a young QB and it could be something good. Now keeping a good OC is another topic…
To me Quinn and Vrable is on the same level (different pros and cons but around the same value). Both proven decent floor good ceiling. They are not super high ceiling like Slowik or Johnson but probably a bit higher floor.
I hope Slowik is the guy, but if they appoint Quinn, I won’t fell on my sword…let’s wait and see how the offseason shakes up first
It will be an incredibly underwhelming hire and there’d be very little cause for optimism
IMO
BK26
Seconded.
Getting rid of Pete bought some hope that was all but gone. Bringing in Quinn really eats away at what they had earned back.
Peter
Quinn + oc to mold a young qb…..
Isn’t this exactly what John spoke of and referenced directly in regards to Alex Smith.
BrandoK
Quinn is Pete lite. He will spew the same narrative Pete has been saying and Seattle has gone stale with that. New voices are needed in the team after Pete not the same kind.
cha
As Rob predicted…
Dianna Russini
@DMRussini
·
3m
Former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith has received serious interest from more than 7 teams about joining their offensive staff as the offensive coordinator, per sources.
He will have options.
Peter
Schwartz, Spagnuolo…..there’s quite a few coordinators I like who were bad to terrible HC’s.
Seahawk_Dan
Getting rid of Pete and 14 years of his mark means that you need to start fresh.
Not should, not maybe. You NEED too have a new identity after a previous coaching regime, especially one that’s been around for almost two decades. If not and you bring in some of the same staff and “culture” in some pathetic attempt to catch lightning in a bottle twice is lazy and desperate.
John said in that press conference, “Stagnant”. I would hope that bit of honesty is the biggest clue that Quinn isn’t the answer.
BrandoK
💯
Joseph
It be ironic of JS to hire Quinn, who is stagnant lol
Mr Drucker in hooterville
after getting past the depression of Rob’s DQ video, I realized something.
The good news of this ‘DQ inevitability’ is this: if they now hire ANYONE other than DQ, I’ll be excited. Vrabel, Kafka, Graham will all be more welcome hires.
There’s that.
BA
We may be giving JS too much credit frankly. He’s spent the last 14 years being very good at being a yes-man and not ruffling feathers and I don’t see why that would suddenly change now. Plus, he’s learned from the expert (Pete) in saying what people want to hear and then not following through/doing the opposite.
Big Mike
And this is exactly what I am afraid of.
Wilson502
This is exactly what I aludded to yesterday. I think we maybe be vastly overrating JS as a GM. “Respected around the league” is meaningless when you make sub optimal moves and say 1 thing and do another.
Sea Mode
What? Nobody rushing to give Clint Hurtt a job? But but, all these guys got families, you know… (can’t believe Pete actually tried to use that one on Jody)
Jonathan Jones
@jjones9
·4h
New Bears OC Shane Waldron wasting no time trying to fill out his staff. He’s setting up interviews with Seahawks coaches Chad Morton, Sanjay Lal and Kerry Joseph among others for various staff positions, per source.
cha
I think Hurtt poisoned himself for another reason besides the on-field performance.
He was a fiery presence as a DL coach and Asst HC. He was interviewed a couple years back and there was an under-the-radar story going round of him destroying a projector or something at halftime of the Vikings game (the one where they got rolled for 200 rushing yards and RW pulled them out of the fire with that miraculous last drive).
This year he was asked more than once about his ambitions and (quite normally) said he’d like to be a head coach one day.
And when asked about his fiery personality, he said he’s had to dial that back significantly since he became the Defensive Coordinator. That he needs to be more balanced and more calm and in control. He also shrugged off terrible defensive performances, saying ‘we’re going to be working on fundamentals this week’ as if in Week 16 you can just flip a switch and change the whole vibe by spending an extra 30 minutes with a tackling sled.
I would have loved fiery Clint Hurtt addressing the defense this year. Not sure it would have made a big difference, but the alternative was dreadful.
It felt strongly like he was just parroting some coaching from Pete Carroll, and the results matched.
I’m afraid he’s sunk his ambitions by hitching himself to the wrong wagon.
Gross MaToast
(Continuing my anti-Quinn ranting)
Quinn did the same, admitting that he had to get away from the Pete-centric scheme in Atlanta. (Didn’t seem to matter much either way for his ATL D.)
The biggest difference between Quinn and Hurtts was that instead of Shane Norton Jr, he had Kyle Shanahan calling the offense. Once that was done…welcome to Hurttsville.
Quinn is likely better than Hurtts, but that’s a low bar.
The cheese sandwich is jacked and pumped to get back out there and get this thing figured out.
TatupuTime
DQ would be a huge letdown.
While a bit worried by reported second interview cycle, I am clinging to the fact that I think John loves surprises and takes great pride in them. I think there is very much a world where he’s targeting one of the preferred candidates and will do as much as possible to keep that under wraps until the big reveal.
I’m also clinging to the fact that JS talked about competing for top guys and why Seattle is a destination in his press conference. He’s a man with an ego that is aware of media (traditional and social). I think he’s aware that DQ would come off as a let down, while he looks like the man if he can real in the hot name in Johnson.
Acknowledging that Kyle Shanahan is a great offensive mind, I’m not sure there is a coach that gives off bigger D-bag vibes in the entire league (until Harbaugh returns). So glad to not have to cheer for Shanahan or Harbaugh.
Whit21
If JS hires Dan Quinn then I dont think its make it or break it for his job..
He might be selling it as a bridge HC.. if he fails in 2 to 3 years. Then they can wait for a real candidate..
*see jim mora jr* for more info
Peter
Not sure if you can say you have a post Pete plan to Vulcan and the plan is to botch this hire bit in 3 years hire the great coach then.
With them moving from the most important qb the team ever had, then the most important coach with a winning season (!!) I don’t think John gets 3 years to get this right.
I’m not saying super bowl. But I am saying win the division, get to the conference championship game or nearly be there in short order.
Whit21
If jody can delay the sale for a while and johns contract is til 2027.. im just saying that they might think of this hire as a possible bridge..
JS probably knows the dangers of hiring the wrong guy and many of the top candidates would be first time HCs. If they draft well and build a young core ontop of whats already here.. its not a long shot for another candidate to show himself in 2025 or 26 and then come out strong in 27..
I dont know if thats the plan, but how can you not think its in JS head if he goes with a ‘safer’ pick at head coach..
John has said he plans and scouts coaches every year and it did work for them hiring Pete..
I’m not sure , never heard of him either. It’s been getting shared around Seahawks twitter, but hopefully it’s just some troll account like that bread guy .
Mick
As if we were trying our best to make the guys who miss Pete happy.
I want to see a young guy with ideas, not Dan Quinn. Still hoping the Cowboys make him head coach.
Rob, I’ve been kinda busy so less time to comment than I usually do. Very impressive coverage of the new HC search, I love the way you present pros and cons for the top candidates and how well written the articles are.
Odium
I’d probably stop watching. I wouldn’t be able to handle this.
Mr Drucker in hooterville
If this is true, Seattle better get a dual threat QB like Jayden Daniels. That’s all Chip knows. Or perhaps go get DTR from Cleveland?
Whit21
DTR would be like trading for Charlie Whitehurst.. JS clearly loves big arm QBs..
If this has any truth to it, we know John Schneider isn’t long for being the Seahawks GM.
If they think Kelly and Quinn are the winning combo, he might be as delusional as Carroll at thinking this team us closer to be a contender than it is.
I really think that Johnson, Slowick or Kafka will be the choice and maybe Wright will come over as DCC/AHC.
BA
Yikes, this combo would basically solidify the Seahawks as the destination of choice for washed up retreads looking for low-risk cushy jobs.
Wilson502
So much for Seattle being an “attractive” destination. I’ve always thought that’s a narrative that’s not in line with reality, if they were true why aren’t the top candidates jumping at the bit to come here?
That could change, but just the general lack of buzz with the top candidates linked to Seattle and the constant notion of DQ being the inevitable choice. I’d love to be wrong, but I don’t have much faith at this point.
People are connecting dots on Quinn, it’s typically just stuff like ‘he seems like the favourite’. I fear it and could see it but nobody’s putting their cards on the table. Nobody seems to know much of anything about Seattle’s search
You’re saying the top candidates don’t fancy it but there’s nothing at all to suggest that
Jabroni-DC
If you were placing a gentleman’s bet Rob do you predict Fuaga goes before #16 or after #16?
Peter
Not Rob but I’ve seen quite a few mocks settling him at 10-12.
Pran
Mike Macdonald interviewed with Commanders it seems per PFT and will do a 2nd rd. Either seahawks is not interested or Macdonald is not.
Lord Snow
You can’t have a clean break from the Caroll era as long as John Schneider is still gm. Maybe he should be the GM. But you can’t call it a clean break as long as he is calling all the shots.
Whichever hire would ruin McVay’s vacation and distract Shanahan and get him talking about getting a SB win “while he can” – that’s the one I want.
However, I’m not sure that person is available. Maybe Bellichek? But that’s a thin maybe given the game seems to be evolving away from his coaching style. I’d kill to trade for Stefanski, but I suppose Johnson and Slowik are the best we can hope for, paired with a strong DC (really hope there’s a way to pry MacDonald away with an Asst HC title). This coaching cycle has me thinking in weird ways…
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Anyone other than Dan Quinn, 1 step forward (firing Pete), 2 steps back (hiring Quin)
Agreed, all this continuity is not going to turn us into a SB team again if Quinn is HC.
Pro Quinn: we missed the playoffs so we have an easier strength of schedule so we could easily win 8 games next year.
Also Kellen Moore who is as whelming to me as Waldron. I mean look what he did in his time in Dallas!!! A team that is cursed but curiously always has talent.
Plus to piggy back on a comment from the previous thread from Joseph, Quinn has almost no vibes about him which would allow John to maybe take the reigns on the weekly Mike and Salk show.
At least then we will know to fire Schider as well next go round
I would be sad.
That is all.
First off, the HawksZone piece was really good. It’s very enjoyable to hear guys talk about and discuss your team and having fun doing it. No agenda’s, no preconceived notions. Just guys that know what is going on with the team and talking about it. I’m glad you are doing some of those (thinking of Viens too). And it will help them.
Dan Campbell is closer to Pete Carroll in that he is actually creating a culture; he is legitimately building something that is almost alive. It is EXTREMELY hard to do. He and Pete are the only ones that I can think of that did it as coaches themselves. Nothing like what the Ravens have done, where it is an organizational machine. Pete also showed that it is hard to maintain.
Quinn can’t do that. Quinn can only maintain a structure. Not a cultural structure or anything really impressive, just a staff and some consistency. Quinn also doesn’t have any answers for Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. Or many other offensively-minded coaches. He can’t be the answer to our coaching search. If that is the case, John Schneider might not be long for the job, as he has clearly misread the entire league. It is the definition of safe. Quinn = Quilted Northern.
We are down to two choices for the most part, with one of them more or less gone. Hopefully we don’t have to do this for another 10+ years….
I like Dan Viens quite a bit. As a super fan ( meaning him) it’s. Ice to hear someone very early out discussing the end of the road on Pete, future qbs, etc.
He had a good segment yesterday about Kafka. Now whether that happens who knows but he at least did his leg work.
I’m actually listening to that segment now. I like getting different perspectives that are framed as their opinion and not gospel. Don’t agree with it all, but it’s rare for me to enjoy a lot of Seahawk stuff out there that isn’t Rob.
Kafka…I wouldn’t be over the moon but he would be ahead of a few others that might surprise people. I might know a bit more about him since I’m down here in KC. And he played against Iowa in college.
“creating culture” is overrated. Because every team has a culture: good or bad. There is not a single HC hire who wouldn’t create some kind of culture. What should be said is, we need a coach who creates a culture around ‘winning, Improving players around them, not excusing detrimental actions, AND has players bought into the coaches ingenuity.”
That’s a culture that is needed. Not just a ‘good culture.’ If Pete Carroll was a ‘culture builder’, I don’t want anything like that.
It be quite hypocritical for JS to hire Quinn, let alone the other DCs. JS even said the important of hiring a good OC because you don’t want to keep losing them when you have a defensive HC.
If you hire Quinn, then there is really no point in firing Carroll.
Well….not no point.
No point for the fans. But all the points for John who gers to do what he wants.
John is a highly respected GM I’m told, I’m sure he knows what he’s doing. If he wants a yes-man to execute his vision after years under Pete, then so be it.
Seems like if you want to win its more important to have a great coach than a yes man…..Reid, mcvay, bellichick, and pete….none were yes men.
Though I do worry that John getting a yes man may be more important after 14 years of being in the shadow than a getting a great hire.
Really hoping this is a smoke screen and not indicative of actual fire. If JS wants to be free of Pete, why in the hell hire Quinn??
If Dan Quinn is hired McShanahan aren’t afraid at all might not even lose sleep over it with the hire they might even be more happy with it. They’ll just pencil in 2 wins each. I can’t even see Seattle having a chance to beat McShanahan. It’ll be hard for me to root for this team if Quinn is hired.
My excitement after they finally moved on from Pete was high just happy to finally move on from the Pete culture and then just to run it back with Quinn Why. Quinn is not the answer and never was he’s. Go for a coach that can make a difference with scheming instead of just a coach that just brings in leadership and nothing else.
It’s not like Kyle Shanahan laughed when he was asked about going up against Quinn’s defense (he did). There’s your sign.
John? Hello John?
Mel Kiper’s mock has us taking JJ McCarthy. Please no…
Also suggested last week that Atlanta would send #8 overall to Chicago for Justin Fields.
The hair product has penetrated through the skull at the moment.
There is a horse hair product called Cowboy Magic. Maybe he should try that. If it doesn’t work out,, he could wear a Stetson hat.
With that last bit of advice he would then be who he is at this point, all hat and no cattle.
Although many signs are pointed to DQ, I can’t believe Schneider would make that hire, with his one opportunity he’s been waiting for. I really hope that Ben Johnson to WA isn’t a foregone conclusion. Maybe he convinces WA to hire him, given the success he had developing the 2nd overall pick CJ stroud.
*Maybe Slowik
JS, after announcing Quinn as HC,
For my next act, in the first round of the 2024 nfl draft, we select, a safety.
Seahawk fans erupt with whelming glee, offseason championship secured, stores sell out of Tatupu jerseys.
I’m laughing through tears
I assume by Tatupu you mean Adams.
In this dark timeline, Jamal retires due to ongoing injuries, and is retained as an advisor alongside Pete Carroll, where they trail DQ’s every step, clacking coconut shells. JS assumes the title Supreme Chancellor and secures funding from Vulcan for a new PC cloning program.
The only positive to Dan Quinn becoming the HC is that it will open up a ton of free time to focus on other more important things in life.
😂
😅
Yep, especially the first half of the season when the weather is good. By the time the 2nd half arrives I’m guessing the Hawks will be mired in their usual mediocrity so since the weather will be cappy I can just go ahead and watch NFL teams that actually understand how to win…..KC, Buffalo, et. al.
As a retired guy now for three years, there are quite a few retirement projects I have neglected. The collected works of Samuel Johnson are sitting on the shelf ready and waiting. If it’s Quinn, and we don’t get Ben Johnson, at least I have another Johnson to keep me entertained, and, frankly, it would be a better use of time.
“If it’s Quinn, and we don’t get Ben Johnson, at least I have another Johnson to keep me entertained …”
Pause.
As a 63 year old that has been married to the same beautiful lady for close to 40 years, I don’t associate with that Mr. Johnson anymore…he is a long lost friend who no longer distracts me with idle conversation and thoughts…
I’ve already started doing this for the last few seasons. Why sit inside and watch boring (at best) football when I can be doing something outside? On the whole, it’s a decision I have not regretted. I do wish they would at least make the choice difficult though.
Too funny but true!!
https://overthecap.com/projecting-the-2024-compensatory-picks
OTC’s comp picks projection has no picks for the Seahawks (no shock there)
4 for Philly, 4 for Niners, 4 for Rams, 3 for Green Bay.
If they continue to draft like they did in the last couple of seasons, the gap will stay at it is.
It feels like they could actually get some this year if they hold their water. Brooks, Fant, LW, Bobby, DT, Haynes, Parkinson…
You would think those guys could all get signed if we don’t do it.
Each year I hold out hope that they’ll actually try to work this system a bit, yet they never do. Maybe w/o Pete pushing the narrative that we’re ‘right there’ JS can take a longer term approach.
Maybe we can manage to contain our exuberance when guys like Austin Blythe, Kerry Hyder, Gerald Everett, BJ Finney, Benson Mayowa, Bruce Irvin, Barkevious Mingo, etc. are sitting there. I think it’s been 5 years since we’ve had a comp pick, yet many teams manage to secure almost 4 per year.
If Schneider picks Quinn I really do think that would be a cowardly pick. As if he has to pick Quinn because of the incorrect thought of bringing in familiar faces for stability or if a previous bygone era to retain old glory.
So here’s a question for you all…….if he brings in Quinn will be because Jody forced him to?
No
You feel she’s given John Carte Blanche then?
So the Seahawks are tanking for Quinn Ewers next season.
The quinn and quinn connection…..
How high the look to draft a center probably hinges a bit on what the Seahawks think of Oluwatimi. He wasn’t able to displace Brown, who seemed to handle the mental side of the gane just fine, but got pushed around often. Olu seemed to have more strength than Brown, but didn’t seem ready mentally. But the entirety if the interior O line is in question to me.
I see Bradford in a similar light to Olu. He seemed to not be ready mentally despite showing he has the raw power to push people around.
We put some mid round draft capital into G and C last year, but its still not clear that we can rely on either of those players going forward. I don’t think Lewis showed enough improvement this year, and that re-signing him should not be prioritized, nor do I think Haynes can be relied on to make it through an entire sesson (even on the bench). With the lack of experience all around, I don’t see how that can be immediately remedied in the draft…unless you can get a stud ready to start out of the gate.
Oluwatimi and Bradford seem like longer term development projects, and may just be depth pieces going forward. But at least we have some young guys with potential in the system. It would be a lot nicer to draft a Cross or Lucas level player that has the talent to step in right away. But before they drafted those two, I don’t remember that happening too often in Seattle for picks out of the first round.
Not to worried about Olu v. Brown. Pete went far away from always compete into status quo, once a starter always a starter.
See: mafe v. Irvin. Clark and Hall. Adams when Love was the superior player.
I’d really like to see them come away with one of the hybrid Right Tackle, Left Guard type from this years draft and there are quite a few of them. This would be a hedge against Abe Lucas’s knee injury being chronic and if all things being well Abe returns to full fitness, the Seahawks would have a dominant Left Guard instead.
You cling to the hope that Slowik interviewing with the Commanders suggests Johnson isn’t a lock as their next HC.
And I cling to the hope that John Schneider, of the Ron Wolf tree, wouldn’t wait 14 years to get his big chance to run his franchise, only to give the keys to his team to Dan Quinn. Especially after acknowledging the problem of maintaining staff continuity on the offensive side. It seems antithetical to who he is. But then, this franchise has disappointed in similar ways so many times in the last 7 or so years. I had hoped, truly hoped, that was Carroll’s doing.
Desperately clinging……….so very, very desperately.
I have high hopes.
But I’m not going to be surprised when like russ and Pete we find out that Pete and John were greater than the sum of their parts.
Not saying it won’t happen, but JS has reason enough to pass due to the fact that DQ was in Seattle under GM–>HC rather than HC–>GM model. No baggage. Different band.
And as a coach, the only thing I see going for DQ is the astroturfers.
This is my thought. I keep seeing comments that JS will play it safe, Quinn or Vrabel, since he only likely has one shot at this. The thing is he’s only going to get that one shot whether he goes safe or not. He’s always struck me as more aggressive than Pete so until a choice is made I’m sticking to the thought he will go with someone other than the safe choice. I’d even go so far as to say he might pick someone who hasn’t got a lot of press.
The ONLY way I’d be satisfied with Quinn as new HC would be if he’s very clearly informed before his hire that he’s strictly Head Coach as a figurehead, CEO and motivator. He WON’T have input on player acquisition and roster building. He WON’T be scheming defensive plays. His job will ONLY be to keep the Coordinators that John hires responsible for their results and to speak to the press before and after games. Other than the paycheck and the title, not sure why he’d agree to these terms but….
Honestly, if Quinn is really who John may settle for, we may as well roll the dice on Vrabel. At least his volatility would make things interesting and not a milquetoast rehash of the “glory days.”
Another Corbin Smith nugget from his appraisal of the Head Coaching candidates is Dan Quinn’s defense gave up an average of 26 points a game in 2023 against teams with winning records.
https://twitter.com/NFL_Memes/status/1746681603135361201
Perfect
Yep, have this one on my phone. It’s so very true besides being funny
If I recall correctly, the Seahawks didn’t punt once against the Cowboys (and the Cowboys also did not punt, but that’s a different story).
Just because Slowick is not scheduled for a second interview does not mean John doesn’t want him as a coach. It might simply be that Slowick has told the Seahawks he is not interested in the job and John has had to move on to other options
Seems a bit unlikely he would say that, then interview with the Commanders and Falcons
Either this, or he doesn’t want to go to a place, where the GM is making all the calls.
Either this, or he doesn’t want to go to a team with no franchise QB that drafts at #16 this year and is highly likely to draft somewhere around #12 – #18 next year.
3 open vacancies filled: Pierce (LV), Mayo (NE), and now Callahan (Ten). The music has started and chairs are being filled.
Kiper mocked McCarthy to Seahawks at #16
“I don’t rate him as a first-round QB but he has upside and someone’s going to take a chance on him.”
Also points out Geno Smith contract is escapable after 2023. To replace him with McCarthy?
I don’t rate him as a first round qb.
Checks out Mel. Thanks.
I’ve got to stare cross-eyed while eating raw horseradish for a while to see McCarthy and “1st” round in the same sentence without waiting for the punchline.
Translated: “Without a HC in place, I don’t know what they’ll do…. so, here’s this lazy shit. Now, off to buy more house primer for my daily hair coloring.”
Wanna be convinced of Patrick Graham? listen to this interview via Dan Viens youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AngzosNHoQs
Hard to hear this guest saying the Seahawks made a dumb move over Carroll though.
Clearly hasn’t seen much of the team 😂
That part with standing it was interesting hearing him speak on what Graham was able to do on defense vs. The last half decade.
Specifically vs. Overall cost
He also mentions talk around the league is they think Dan Quinn will end up in Carolina after Dan Morgan was hired. And that Vrabel might be the lead candidate in Seattle.
I still stand by the idea Patrick Graham would be a really nice Assistant Head Coach, Defensive Coordinator hire. Whether that’d be enough to get him to leave Las Vegas, I’m not sure?
Couldn’t listen to it. Got 10 minutes in and realized that this wasn’t an expert. Or a random guy walking down the street whose opinion I cared to hear. I can’t imagine being that far out of the loop. Was a little embarrassing.
One thing that hasn’t seem talked about much to me, is that John specifically said that coaching falls under his umbrella now. Could it be possible that even if they hire a Quinn type, that John is the one with the connections to find the OC/DC, it would make sense that he could hire a younger guy, then be the one to find the OC/DC and all that. Just a point that hasn’t really been touched on much.
It’s been touched on, especially as it concerns the possible Vrabel hiring.
I could live with Vrabel but as mentioned, if JS and he get a sharp OC, that guy will be gone in a year or two. The only solution for stability is an offensive guy WHICH JOHN ACKNOWLEDGED in his presser!
That was is crazy and hopefully obvious: he acknowledged the OC turnover and how it literally ruined a player. So he can’t do that by hiring Quinn.
Or he can and look like he doesn’t know what he’s doing and come off like a bad car salesman.
The problem with John’s comment is that only really applies to very new HC’s. Or underconnected HC’s. Not sure how realistic it was for him to make that comment.
If it’s Patrick Graham as HC and say Kafka as OC…..great. what mid to upper level coach, quinn or Vrabel, is going to have John build his staff of around two dozen coaches and quality control personnel?
I get it in saying the hard things like Hurtt, Norton, desai needd to go. But if Quinn come here and says Moore or Veabel comes here and wants Smith or even better Lafleur type how does John say “nah it’s my guy?”
Maybe this will be JS’s way of revealing that he was behind all these terrible moves the last 5-8 years.
HUGE fan your work, Rob. This is the first time I’ve left a comment.
Over the past several days, I’ve been thinking that Slowik would be the choice since Ben Johnson appears to be going to Washington.
However, I’m now wondering if Mike Kafka is actually the person that will be hired.
I will be very disappointed if John Schneider goes against his Green Bay roots and hires a defensive coach. You have made great points about why an offensive coach that can call plays is much better in the NFL today.
I had dismissed Kafka up until this point. But after realizing he is the ONLY coach out of the five to get second interviews to have an offensive background, I did a little research on him this morning and found this article from early last year which got me A LOT more excited about him:
https://theathletic.com/4104453/2023/01/19/giants-mike-kafka-nfl-head-coach-candidate/
He played quarterback in the NFL and tutored Patrick Mahomes. And John Schneider has a relationship with Andy Reid, so he will know all about Kafka from somebody he both trusts and respects.
I put a lot more weight into what Kafka did in 2022 with the Giants than what happened in 2023. Coaches don’t just all of a sudden forget how to coach in one year.
If Kafka could be paired with a really good defensive coordinator and a lot of other high-quality assistant coaches could be hired, I would be very optimistic about what the Seahawks can accomplish next year and in the future.
I think he is a contender for sure — I’ve got an article coming on him
I’m not smart enough to know how good a head coach Kafka would make. Having listened to a bunch of interviews with most of the candidates, he does have a lot less on camera charisma than most of the other candidates. A good coach doesn’t need to be a good media interview, but if things go poorly on field I could see it quickly ballooning into a nightmare off the field.
I think if Johnson is not an option the biggest question for JS is how does he feel about Slowik? If he’s not sold, I can’t help but feel that it might come down to Quinn or Vrabel. I would prefer a young offensive coach, but in the absence of that Vrabel>Quinn, though Schneider might prefer the devil he knows.
Quinn would be a deflating hire, in my opinion. Vrabel I would at least understand and be ok with.
I am currently not gruntled with this coaching search. The idea that Dan Quinn is ‘The Guy’ is too perfect not to be right. It’s so perfect, it has to be wrong.
But the current doubt is why I thought JS should’ve gone with Pete. Maybe JS is great. I don’t know; we haven’t seen any obvious JS moves…until now. Certainly the condition the roster is currently in doesn’t advocate that there’s a scouting/drafting/contract working polymath on the job, but we really can’t separate Pete from JS…yet. If he hires Quinn, then it’s a renewed countdown to new ownership and the traditional clean sweep that accompanies it. We can hold off on that until Quinn’s at the podium with JS and Pete and Jamal and smiling for the cameras.
I have a difficult time believing that one could put in 14 years at a job, nodding politely at whatever cockamamie Rube Goldberg roster machinations bubble up in Pete’s head before, during, and after each season, then get an opportunity to Be The Man and your big move–the one that’s going to define your tenure–is Dan Freakin’ Quinn. It would be a hire that screams ‘Anthony Lynn: Leader of Men’ on the happy road to a series of 8-9/9-8/6-11/Fired. Surely JS is playing his cards close and the obvious is really just a distraction.
Right?
Logic says yes, that is right. However logic says a 12 game rental of Leonard Williams wouldn’t be a good move if you’re giving up a second round draft choice and Carroll claimed that was all about John. Supposedly GMs are loathe to give up draft choices so did JS throw logic out the window to try to get Carroll one more run, really think the team was a real contender or lastly was it all Pete and John played the good soldier and let Carroll set him up for the possibility of the bus running him over?
Rob, have you had a chance yet to watch Dan Viens’ interview with Hondo Carpenter?
He couldn’t have been more effusive with his praise of Patrick Graham as a head coach candidate.
Admittedly, I knew virtually nothing about Graham, so it was really nice to learn some things about him that sound fantastic, and to at least be able to understand why the Seahawks are bringing him back for a second interview.
https://youtu.be/AngzosNHoQs?si=6LDBDIxQE4vu8OHU
I have — I found it very interesting on Graham
It was hard to get through his opinion of Carroll and the Seahawks. Did he really imply that Schneider thinks he hit a triple as a GM when really he was born on 3rd base with Carroll?
I strongly disagreed with his takes on Pete and the team in that respect. That, to me, screams someone who isn’t close to the team and really studied them over the last several years. And then on the flipside, he is very close to the Raiders and makes sense that he’d have so many thoughts on Graham.
Carroll tried to get into the LA Chargers apparently:
https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/1749857027965247605
I told you he’s not done. At least he doesn’t think so.
I think the league will decide he is
Do you mean the “football people”… or the “non-football people”?
BUT, BUT…. OUR “ADVISOR!!!”
Would be our luck Pete gets it and gives total control on offense to a young OC
Nate carrol?….
I’m going to say something and it probably reveals a side of myself that I’m not crazy about.
Here goes.
Pete has always preferred positivity over the years and that’s great. But when you express such blindingly positive sentiments about an obviously broken system the last few seasons, it is very difficult to take it at face value. Moreso when he is praised for the ‘culture’ thing that he believes in his players, etc. That we’re just negative sourpusses for not jumping on that train.
Well when Pete got fired, the shoe was placed on the other foot. How did he react? Was he positive about what’s next for him? No. He complained, misconstrued, pouted that he had a plan in place to fix everything but didn’t get the chance because the people he was talking to could not possibly understand football and by doing so perfectly validated the team’s decision to part ways.
It was cathartic for me personally. The old coach got a dose of medicine that he’s dealt to all of us as Supreme Overlord of Football Operations for years, and it was bitter.
I see nothing wrong with this take.
For me, it kind of took a mask off of Pete and the situation. You could see how far he (and the team) had fallen. Showed that the move was necessary. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Great post cha. You’ve summed up the feelings of many of us I’d guess and done so rather succinctly.
💯 I found myself rolling my eyes listening to Pete’s raw raw for the last 6-7 years. It was a great day for me when they fired him. It seemed to me, the Seahawks had stopped caring about the fans.
Just my $0.02
I’ve thought the same of Pete with what he’s shown after his firing. Shows his ego and need for control(and subsequent loss of it) in how he reacted so poorly in losing his status along with taking shots at ownership and even a dig at John and just carrying on about it all in media/public. Pretty sad for the supposed perpetually positive and happy for everyone let’s all move forward in a good way always Petey.
I don’t get all the talk about Pete being a master culture builder. I believe he was the root of the decay in the team. I know it is not a popular opinion but when you look at Pete’s history, of course there were a lot of wins at USC and with Russ, Lynch, and the LOB (and although I think they got hit with a horseshoe to get the drafts they got–nobody beats the draft consistently, especially not to that extent–I still give them credit for building a beast), but there is also a wide swath of dysfunction.
As you intimate, Pete isn’t the guy he wants us to believe he is. Good riddance. It was 7 seasons too late, maybe more. The way the team imploded with back-biting and accusations of favoritism after That Play should have been a massive, flashing neon sign that there were problems specifically with the ‘culture’. Organizations with great culture handle even crushing setbacks with far more grace, dignity, and togetherness.
I don’t know if anyone else has said this – but the thing I am semi-favorable on Kafka about is that he comes from Reid, who came from Holmgren, who is in Schneider’s ear. I’m wondering if he isn’t getting talked up a bit by Holmy, who’d have more inside information via Reid. Just my thoughts – although, I’d MUUUCH prefer either of Johnson or Slowik.
Devil’s advocate: While the connection back to Schneider’s GB days is certainly a factor in his decision making, is having Holmgren (who also eventually flamed out in Seattle) in John’s ear the boon some may think it is? While Holmgren’s “coaching tree” is laughably richer than Pete’s, they aren’t all “Andy Reid”s.
Oh, I agree with what you’re saying. I’m definitely not advocating for Kafka – and feel like he’d be an uninspiring choice. I’m just trying to understand how Kafka might be getting so much attention in Seattle. My thought is that Holmgren is only good in that he’s advocating for an offensive coach.
And Reid’s coaching tree has kind of fallen apart lately. Take out Doug Pederson (who jury is still a little out on still) and there really isn’t anything. Nagy is a failure (maybe even as an OC again), Bienemy can’t break through. Is it turning into Belichick’s kind of coaching tree?
So I read the article Corbin referenced and I don’t know how he came to the conclusion that the request for interview had to occur within three days of the end of their season:
Virtual interviews can occur three days after Week 18 games, and they must be wrapped up before the end of the wild-card round
Three days AFTER week 18 games, but before the end of the wild card round (not WITHIN three days of the end of week 18). The Falcons were reported to have put in a request to interview Macdonald on January 11, four days after the end of week 18.
Reporting is the not the same as the initial request being made, me thinks. Smith was fired on the 9th.
Per TP: The #Commanders and #Falcons are both expected to send a contingent to Detroit next week to conduct second interviews with #Lions OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn, per sources.
No more interviews are permitted with coaches still in the playoffs until after Sunday’s games.
Why aren’t we doing this?!
Seattle is the hardest to predict at this point. Very little noise…
NE – Mayo
LV – Pierce
TEN- Callahan
LAC – Harbaugh
CAR – Canales
ATL – Belicheck
WAS – Johnson
SEA – ???
Quinn? Compete for Johnson? Wait for MacDonald? Slowik? Kakfa? Ejero? Graham? Morris? Vrabel?No clue….
To those outside Seattle, they would write this comment and say Quinn to Seahawks is obvious
Didn’t read all the comments, but read a ton of negative about Quinn.
He’s not my first choice, but he’s not Pete either. He was here during the LoB, he can lead a team with good coordinators and he seems a much better defensive mind than PC ever was.
Quinn + a good OC who can mold a young QB and it could be something good. Now keeping a good OC is another topic…
To me Quinn and Vrable is on the same level (different pros and cons but around the same value). Both proven decent floor good ceiling. They are not super high ceiling like Slowik or Johnson but probably a bit higher floor.
I hope Slowik is the guy, but if they appoint Quinn, I won’t fell on my sword…let’s wait and see how the offseason shakes up first
It will be an incredibly underwhelming hire and there’d be very little cause for optimism
IMO
Seconded.
Getting rid of Pete bought some hope that was all but gone. Bringing in Quinn really eats away at what they had earned back.
Quinn + oc to mold a young qb…..
Isn’t this exactly what John spoke of and referenced directly in regards to Alex Smith.
Quinn is Pete lite. He will spew the same narrative Pete has been saying and Seattle has gone stale with that. New voices are needed in the team after Pete not the same kind.
As Rob predicted…
Schwartz, Spagnuolo…..there’s quite a few coordinators I like who were bad to terrible HC’s.
Getting rid of Pete and 14 years of his mark means that you need to start fresh.
Not should, not maybe. You NEED too have a new identity after a previous coaching regime, especially one that’s been around for almost two decades. If not and you bring in some of the same staff and “culture” in some pathetic attempt to catch lightning in a bottle twice is lazy and desperate.
John said in that press conference, “Stagnant”. I would hope that bit of honesty is the biggest clue that Quinn isn’t the answer.
💯
It be ironic of JS to hire Quinn, who is stagnant lol
after getting past the depression of Rob’s DQ video, I realized something.
The good news of this ‘DQ inevitability’ is this: if they now hire ANYONE other than DQ, I’ll be excited. Vrabel, Kafka, Graham will all be more welcome hires.
There’s that.
We may be giving JS too much credit frankly. He’s spent the last 14 years being very good at being a yes-man and not ruffling feathers and I don’t see why that would suddenly change now. Plus, he’s learned from the expert (Pete) in saying what people want to hear and then not following through/doing the opposite.
And this is exactly what I am afraid of.
This is exactly what I aludded to yesterday. I think we maybe be vastly overrating JS as a GM. “Respected around the league” is meaningless when you make sub optimal moves and say 1 thing and do another.
What? Nobody rushing to give Clint Hurtt a job? But but, all these guys got families, you know… (can’t believe Pete actually tried to use that one on Jody)
I think Hurtt poisoned himself for another reason besides the on-field performance.
He was a fiery presence as a DL coach and Asst HC. He was interviewed a couple years back and there was an under-the-radar story going round of him destroying a projector or something at halftime of the Vikings game (the one where they got rolled for 200 rushing yards and RW pulled them out of the fire with that miraculous last drive).
This year he was asked more than once about his ambitions and (quite normally) said he’d like to be a head coach one day.
And when asked about his fiery personality, he said he’s had to dial that back significantly since he became the Defensive Coordinator. That he needs to be more balanced and more calm and in control. He also shrugged off terrible defensive performances, saying ‘we’re going to be working on fundamentals this week’ as if in Week 16 you can just flip a switch and change the whole vibe by spending an extra 30 minutes with a tackling sled.
I would have loved fiery Clint Hurtt addressing the defense this year. Not sure it would have made a big difference, but the alternative was dreadful.
It felt strongly like he was just parroting some coaching from Pete Carroll, and the results matched.
I’m afraid he’s sunk his ambitions by hitching himself to the wrong wagon.
(Continuing my anti-Quinn ranting)
Quinn did the same, admitting that he had to get away from the Pete-centric scheme in Atlanta. (Didn’t seem to matter much either way for his ATL D.)
The biggest difference between Quinn and Hurtts was that instead of Shane Norton Jr, he had Kyle Shanahan calling the offense. Once that was done…welcome to Hurttsville.
Quinn is likely better than Hurtts, but that’s a low bar.
I think a cheese sandwich is better than Hurtt
The cheese sandwich is jacked and pumped to get back out there and get this thing figured out.
DQ would be a huge letdown.
While a bit worried by reported second interview cycle, I am clinging to the fact that I think John loves surprises and takes great pride in them. I think there is very much a world where he’s targeting one of the preferred candidates and will do as much as possible to keep that under wraps until the big reveal.
I’m also clinging to the fact that JS talked about competing for top guys and why Seattle is a destination in his press conference. He’s a man with an ego that is aware of media (traditional and social). I think he’s aware that DQ would come off as a let down, while he looks like the man if he can real in the hot name in Johnson.
Acknowledging that Kyle Shanahan is a great offensive mind, I’m not sure there is a coach that gives off bigger D-bag vibes in the entire league (until Harbaugh returns). So glad to not have to cheer for Shanahan or Harbaugh.
If JS hires Dan Quinn then I dont think its make it or break it for his job..
He might be selling it as a bridge HC.. if he fails in 2 to 3 years. Then they can wait for a real candidate..
*see jim mora jr* for more info
Not sure if you can say you have a post Pete plan to Vulcan and the plan is to botch this hire bit in 3 years hire the great coach then.
With them moving from the most important qb the team ever had, then the most important coach with a winning season (!!) I don’t think John gets 3 years to get this right.
I’m not saying super bowl. But I am saying win the division, get to the conference championship game or nearly be there in short order.
If jody can delay the sale for a while and johns contract is til 2027.. im just saying that they might think of this hire as a possible bridge..
JS probably knows the dangers of hiring the wrong guy and many of the top candidates would be first time HCs. If they draft well and build a young core ontop of whats already here.. its not a long shot for another candidate to show himself in 2025 or 26 and then come out strong in 27..
I dont know if thats the plan, but how can you not think its in JS head if he goes with a ‘safer’ pick at head coach..
John has said he plans and scouts coaches every year and it did work for them hiring Pete..
https://x.com/shane_hoffmann/status/1749864092234547378?s=46
Please John , don’t do it !!
I don’t know this reporter. Is he reputable?
I’m not sure , never heard of him either. It’s been getting shared around Seahawks twitter, but hopefully it’s just some troll account like that bread guy .
As if we were trying our best to make the guys who miss Pete happy.
I want to see a young guy with ideas, not Dan Quinn. Still hoping the Cowboys make him head coach.
Rob, I’ve been kinda busy so less time to comment than I usually do. Very impressive coverage of the new HC search, I love the way you present pros and cons for the top candidates and how well written the articles are.
I’d probably stop watching. I wouldn’t be able to handle this.
If this is true, Seattle better get a dual threat QB like Jayden Daniels. That’s all Chip knows. Or perhaps go get DTR from Cleveland?
DTR would be like trading for Charlie Whitehurst.. JS clearly loves big arm QBs..
Smells like BS — a reporter with 600 followers?
If this has any truth to it, we know John Schneider isn’t long for being the Seahawks GM.
If they think Kelly and Quinn are the winning combo, he might be as delusional as Carroll at thinking this team us closer to be a contender than it is.
I really think that Johnson, Slowick or Kafka will be the choice and maybe Wright will come over as DCC/AHC.
Yikes, this combo would basically solidify the Seahawks as the destination of choice for washed up retreads looking for low-risk cushy jobs.
So much for Seattle being an “attractive” destination. I’ve always thought that’s a narrative that’s not in line with reality, if they were true why aren’t the top candidates jumping at the bit to come here?
How do we know they aren’t?
Nothing is suggesting they aren’t
That could change, but just the general lack of buzz with the top candidates linked to Seattle and the constant notion of DQ being the inevitable choice. I’d love to be wrong, but I don’t have much faith at this point.
But that’s not really the situation is it
People are connecting dots on Quinn, it’s typically just stuff like ‘he seems like the favourite’. I fear it and could see it but nobody’s putting their cards on the table. Nobody seems to know much of anything about Seattle’s search
You’re saying the top candidates don’t fancy it but there’s nothing at all to suggest that
If you were placing a gentleman’s bet Rob do you predict Fuaga goes before #16 or after #16?
Not Rob but I’ve seen quite a few mocks settling him at 10-12.
Mike Macdonald interviewed with Commanders it seems per PFT and will do a 2nd rd. Either seahawks is not interested or Macdonald is not.
You can’t have a clean break from the Caroll era as long as John Schneider is still gm. Maybe he should be the GM. But you can’t call it a clean break as long as he is calling all the shots.
Course you can
Whichever hire would ruin McVay’s vacation and distract Shanahan and get him talking about getting a SB win “while he can” – that’s the one I want.
However, I’m not sure that person is available. Maybe Bellichek? But that’s a thin maybe given the game seems to be evolving away from his coaching style. I’d kill to trade for Stefanski, but I suppose Johnson and Slowik are the best we can hope for, paired with a strong DC (really hope there’s a way to pry MacDonald away with an Asst HC title). This coaching cycle has me thinking in weird ways…