I’ve spent a lot of time since it was announced Pete Carroll was departing weighing up potential replacements. There are some strong candidates but one coach more than any other stands out.
I want the Seahawks to appoint Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
The man who replaces Carroll needs to tick several boxes. He needs to be a great communicator — a CEO type more than just an effective coordinator. He needs to be leading an offense or defense that is enjoying transferrable success. He needs to be able to build a strong staff. He needs to be able to set a new culture and have clarity on what his football team is going to be.
I believe Johnson is the man most likely to tick all of these boxes.
Firstly, let’s look at what he’s done in Detroit. He was initially tight ends coach when Dan Campbell took the Lions job. After a miserable 0-8-1 start in Campbell’s first year, he decided to demote offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn. Johnson was promoted to be Detroit’s new offensive coordinator the following February.
Here’s what has happened since then. Under Lynn, the Lions had the 29th ranked offense per DVOA. Johnson then took over and Detroit had the 7th ranked offense in 2022. This year, they had the 5th ranked offense. That’s what you call having an impact.
Quickly word was spreading that Detroit had one of the bright young coaching stars on their books. Bengals coach Zac Taylor, who had worked with Johnson in Miami, commented on his ability in the week of Cincinnati’s Super Bowl match-up against the Rams:
“I’ve tried to hire Ben many, many, many times. He always just gets promoted to where I can’t get him. [Lions coach] Dan [Campbell] knows that,” Taylor told reporters. “I’ve always tried to find a place for him on staff, whether it’s offense, defense, special [teams], it doesn’t matter. He’s one of those guys you want on your staff because he’s brilliant.”
Dan Campbell inherited Johnson and kept him on when he took over from Matt Patricia. Eric Woodyard at ESPN notes why the coach took a shine to his talented coordinator:
Campbell describes Johnson as a “chess player”. He says Johnson puts a lot of time and thought into getting certain players touches and when to call plays, which, according to Campbell, is key in building the gameplan for the week.
“He can identify quickly things that, ‘Man, I know I’ve got to be better here. I won’t ever do that again. Man, if we play these guys again, this is exactly what I would do,'” Campbell said.
“He’s got an answer for all of it in real time and the more he memory banks, he just keeps getting better and better and growing. And then even from the game-plan standpoint, putting players in the best position to have success.”
This is all very appealing. You have a 37-year-old coach viewed as a star in his field. He has produced at a high level for the Lions, transforming their offense. The results speak for themselves.
I think Johnson’s work in Detroit specifically speaks to what the Seahawks need. He has achieved great results with Jared Goff. Stylistically, Goff might be different to Geno Smith. Yet their PFF rankings for 2023 (Goff 11th, Smith 13th) suggests they are two players of a similar level. Let’s not forget that the Rams essentially palmed Goff off on the Lions in order to acquire Stafford. Johnson isn’t succeeding because he’s had the fortune to work with Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen. He’s succeeding because he’s helped Goff perform at a good level.
For me, it’s time for the Seahawks to embrace where their talent is on the roster. Currently they are not a power-running team who can play great defense, as Carroll desired. Their key components are their young skill players — DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet. They have a quarterback who is experienced and capable. They used a top-10 pick on a pass-protecting left tackle in Charles Cross.
These players should form the new identity and focal point for the team. Johnson is ideally placed to make this happen.
Let’s start with the running backs. The Seahawks have used two second round picks on Walker and Charbonnet, yet received minimal return from that investment in 2023. Detroit also spent big on the position — signing David Montgomery then using a high first round pick on Jahmyr Gibbs.
Montgomery had 1015 yards this year, Gibbs had 945. The pair combined for 23 rushing touchdowns and produced the NFL’s fifth best rushing attack. Three of the teams above them in the rankings feature running quarterbacks, so really the only team with the better pure ground game was the San Francisco 49ers.
That’s the kind of production you need if you spend high picks on running backs.
In the passing game, Johnson helped turn Amon-Ra St.Brown into a star. He had 1515 receiving yards this year (third in the league, only behind Tyreek Hill and Ceedee Lamb) and 10 touchdowns. They know how to feature him and feed him the ball — St.Brown had the fifth most targets in 2023 (164). The Seahawks badly need someone who can create a system to max-out Metcalf, Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett (if he remains on the roster).
Then there’s Sam LaPorta — second round rookie tight end. He was a revelation this year, catching 10 touchdowns and recording 889 receiving yards. When’s the last time the Seahawks featured a tight end in this way? It’s such a crucial position in the modern NFL and they need a big-time tight end target going forward.
Everything is set for Johnson to come in and emulate what he’s achieved in Detroit. He can take Seattle’s offense to new heights and with a complementary defense in tow, there’s no reason why as soon as next season the Seahawks couldn’t emulate the Lions and be a dangerous playoff team. How many other franchises can offer that?
Tyler Dunne had an excellent write-up on Johnson:
The Lions have transformed from 3-13-1 to 9-8 to 11-5 contenders with Johnson, the OC, building one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL. His play design is innovative. His playcalling, fearless. Production speaks for itself: Detroit ranks sixth in passing (4,286 yards), fourth in rushing (2,241 yards) and have scored the third-most touchdowns (54) in the NFL. Jared Goff revitalized his career. When this unit is synchronized, rushing lanes part like the sea. Receivers are wide open. There are flea-flickers… and third-down passes to Penei Sewell… and 2-point passes to Taylor Decker. The Lions turn Sundays into backyard football.
Most owners crave offensive minds at the edge of innovation. That’s why the coaching trees of Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan were pillaged. Those who are a step behind will resemble dinosaurs — fast. That was the problem in Carolina. Frank Reich’s playbook was suddenly collecting cobwebs and the Panthers had too much invested in Bryce Young. It’s no shock Carolina reportedly covets Johnson.
This is a good video detailing how Johnson succeeds on a schematic level. You’ll need to head to YouTube to watch it as the NFL has blocked the footage appearing on other sites but it’s well worth seeing:
Dunne also highlighted the culture Dan Campbell has created in Detroit and why it would be useful for the Seahawks, in their current form, to try and tap into this:
This Lions staff full of former pros — Campbell, Aaron Glenn, Antwaan Randle-El, Mark Brunell — is all business, he explained. There’s no showboating, no screwing around. The Lions are “not putting up with any bullshit,” he said. There’s maximum effort from guys up and down the roster. It’s nonstop. It’s relentless. Receivers block. Corners hit. “They don’t care about the score or nothing,” McGinn added. “Those coaches are on these people. I can just imagine what it’s like behind closed doors.”
I can’t imagine the Jamal Adams tweets, Tariq Woolen grabbing his crotch, cigars in the locker-room after missing the playoffs and players saying ‘the Rams wanted it more than us’ would cut it on Campbell’s watch and there’s a chance Johnson would bring that approach to Seattle.
At the start I mentioned you need to be a CEO type, not just a good play-caller or position coach. Johnson’s press conferences, which I’ve watched in the last 24 hours, show a charismatic, personable coach. He enjoys a good relationship with the Detroit media and speaks well. You can see why he graduated from North Carolina with a degree in mathematics and computer science — he’s clearly intelligent with the way he speaks. To me, he comes across in a very similar way to Sean McVay.
Dunne explains that Johnson has the necessary communication skills to be a Head Coach:
Johnson is described as an effective teacher. He’s able to transfer everything players see on film to the field.
“A gifted communicator,” Blough says. “His whole career has just been founded in hard work where he’s been the grinder just his whole time and he’s not afraid to be creative. So he maximizes his guys’ skill-sets and then allows them to go and play fast because of the way he communicates the details. His gift is definitely communicating details.”
The only question mark for me is his ability to build a great staff — but that’s a question for all candidates. I can’t say with any certainty that any of the candidates would be able to do that. Campbell did a good job building his staff in Detroit, so he can maybe pull from that group.
Clearly he would need a good defensive coordinator. I’d quite like to tap into Brandon Staley, who feels like a good personality match with Johnson and had success with the Rams as a defensive coordinator, even if he struggled as a Head Coach. Alternatively, the Seahawks could aim to appoint a very experienced ‘wise head’ to support Johnson. That worked between McVay and Wade Phillips in LA. Or perhaps Johnson has someone in mind from Campbell’s Detroit staff?
Regardless, he is my preferred candidate as of today. The NFL is an offensive-minded league. If the Seahawks draft a quarterback soon, it’d be beneficial to have an offensive-minded Head Coach to work with that player. John Schneider’s background is in Green Bay, where they have consistently had an offensive leader and a team built around the QB — Mike Holmgren, Mike McCarthy, Matt LaFleur, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and now Jordan Love.
I think this was would be a better bet than simply appointing Dan Quinn, who never produced more than an average defense in Atlanta where he didn’t have the Legion of Boom or Micah Parsons. His Falcons record without Kyle Shanahan was 24-29. Quinn has key qualities as a communicator, leader and he’s well respected in Seattle. I’m still not sold on his ability to elevate this team to where it wants to get to. I don’t think he’d have a chance to be the best coach in the NFC West and it was unnerving seeing the 49ers destroy Dallas during the regular season.
The aim has to be to appoint someone who can go toe-to-toe with Shanahan and McVay. Johnson, to me, feels like he’s cut from the same cloth. He is a hot candidate among the teams with vacancies and the Seahawks will be an appealing gig based on the talent on the roster, especially on offense, plus the chance to work with a proven GM, at a great facility with a supportive and ambitious ownership group.
Ben Johnson is the man I hope will be coaching the Seahawks in 2023.
I discussed the runners and riders in a new video below, check it out:
I would absolutely love Ben Johnson as HC. Not saying I want this to happen but my gut tells me they’ll hire Quinn outta familiarity.
Also wouldn’t mind Macdonald, Slowik Callahan or Bienemy. Johnson is my #1 though.
Forget it, Johnson will come to DC.
Rob, would you address please the Rooney rule? In your prior post you mentioned several names as potential hires, and I believe Brian Flores was the only minority hire on your list. Are there other names, perhaps on the offensive side of the ball, whom the Seahawks should consider, not merely as token gestures to satisfy their Rooney obligation, but as legitimate candidates worth considering? I would love to read your insights on this. Thanks for the great work….
I listed the candidates I think are best suited to the job or are being discussed the most. Race never came into my thought process and nobody else really springs to mind to be honest. Worth remembering that Mike McDaniel in Miami fulfilled that obligation for the Dolphins so it’s not always immediately obvious who does or doesn’t.
NFL network just announcing that Patriots and Belichick are parting ways….
A real changing of the old throughout football (Bill, Pete and Saban)
I would think the Seahawks could have interviews with Clint Hurtt or Andy Dickerson. It satisfies the rule and gives them some experience interviewing.
Isn’t that insulting to them if they aren’t really candidates?
I believe starting in 2022 that you need to interview 2 OUTSIDE minority coaches to satisfy the Rooney Rule.
I think Carolina is going to be all in on Johnson. They wanted him in the past. They have the money. Hopefully their owner is so tainted he won’t go there.
It’s probably the least attractive job of the lot
Yeah the only way Tepper gets anyone that isn’t desperate/lower on the totem pole of candidates is to promise to be nearly completely hands off which I doubt he’s willing or especially able to do.
Complete control? Harbaugh fits the bill. And it’s closer to Washington.
Money talks, and it’s an exclusive club of 32. Tepper booted Fitterer from the GM job, so there could be a good triad of Tepper-GM-HC that could work.
Even if it’s a miserable experience, you’ve set your great grandkids up with that kind of promotion.
They are going to have a HELL of a time finding someone to coach for them. It might be a generic no-name who wasn’t even been a coordinator.
We should be the best or second best destination, right there with the Chargers. Who also need to gut their roster for cap reasons.
I’d love to see Johnson because of his success in Detroit and because of the similarities of the 2 teams as you mentioned here and both you and Jeff mentioned yesterday on the stream. HOWVEVER, keep in mind he has a very good offensive line in Detroit so building that area of the Seahawks would need to be a priority #1 (as it should with whomever is hired imo).
I do hope everyone remembers that LouCity Hawk predicted Johnson was going to be the new guy for Seattle several MONTHS ago right here on this blog. Give him his props if it does happen folks.
It’s a very good point on the O-line — and that would be something they need to get right. If they don’t go QB in round one, it’s a prime place at #16 to go O-line. This is a great draft to fix your offensive front.
But the other job options also need good O-lines and don’t have Seattle’s weapons…
Agree and even Detroit doesn’t have a DK. His production would soar with Johnson and a good pass blocking o-line.
Surely DK could line up as tackle, he’s got that chippy RT disposition.
That really begs the question of whether Seattle lacks talent on the OL or if it is strictly down to scheme/coaching. They’ve spent a lot of capital on the OL the last few years (Cross, Lucas, Olu, Lewis, Bradford) so hopefully it is down to the new staff getting the best out of what is already on the roster.
I would love to see Seattle spend 2 of their first 3 picks in the draft on the Offensive line this year, the right player depending (and the Defensive line in free agency). It’s a good enough year in the draft for O linemen, that you can pick a blue-chipper early and a good player pushed down the board late on Day 2.
FWIW Johnson was on the offensive staff in Boston College when Anthony Costanzo parlayed great college success into being picked in the first round and then given a healthy extension in Indy.
Thanks for the memory. Here’s hoping that my digging is right and Johnson turns out the way so many think he will.
So there are what, 8 current hc slots? How more do we think there will be?
Johnson
Quinn (no thanks)
Macdonald
Slowick
Callahan
Van pelt
Flores
Bieniemy
Vrabel
Harbaugh
Belichick (wouldn’t want him but can’t be done, can he?)
Carroll (can’t believe someone would want to hire him but he doesn’t seem done)
Guess there enough quality candidates to go around.
I’m pretty sure that Carroll at least cross the minds of the Chargers brass. Even Sherman suggested that on Twitter.
Great stuff. I like the sound of Johnson from these snippets. I think the place any young HC is going to struggle (or any HC really) in filling Pete’s shoes in the building is charisma, soft skills, heartfelt one-to-one player coaching, wisdom… It’s good to hear Rob flag that BJ has some of that… some of it you just won’t have on Day One but he’ll need to develop and have the propensity to do that if he’s going to win over the locker room nice and early and hit the ground running.
I think it’s easier to win over the locker with competence and a sense of hope that the team can be really good. That players can be their best selves. They don’t need their necks nibbled with sweet nothings whispered in their ears. I’d be surprised if Pete’s style hasn’t grown extremely stale. It’s not like the young guys were listening to him. He needed veterans to show leadership because he didn’t, which puts a lot of pressure on the players. I think Johnson would be a great hire.
Sorry, second comment…
I think the other thing that is a bit underrated in the ‘offensive head coach’ argument is that fact that on Sea’s roster there’s just going to be more churn on the defensive side of the ball. How many locked in long-term players are there on D?
I’d sooner have an exciting young offensive HC come in and win over Geno (and/or a new QB), DK, JSN, K9, Zach, whatever you’re salvaging on the O-line… and as Rob says make that your identity.
Not everyone is going to like you on Day One of a new job, but winning those guys over with a vision that’s all about featuring them as weapons seems like a strategy that would buy you some time to win over the other side of the ball… and getting a great D coordinator clearly will be a big part of that.
But other than Witherspoon how many of those guys are you banking on being there in 2-3 seasons time… not a whole lot.
It would be a fantastic hire. Let’s hope they get it right and do what it takes, like with Carroll.
Question is, who’s doing the hiring? Is John running the ship now?
I personally dont think ownership will want Quinn, I think they want to move on from all things Carroll and Quinn is from that family. They seem to think outside the box and it sounds like Schneider will have a major role in it so I would expect a more offensive minded coach.
Do we all think Seattle is the top vacancy at the moment?
I’d argue the Chargers are more appealing, if only for Herbert already being in place.
Chargers ownership has no money, they have no fans in LA and they have major cap issues. It’s not an attractive job other than Herbert
I do beleive that the Seahawks would be a more desireable destination for a Head Coach than many of the current openings. They are ok at Quarterback, have weapons on offense and some young talent overall.
New England- Replacing one of the best coaches, ever. No skill players on offense. Solid Ownership and passionate fanbase.
Carolina- Nighmare owner. Bryce Young looked awful. Very poor roster.
Tennessee- Henry is old and probably leaving. Levis was up and down. Not a lot of talent on offense.
Las Vegas- Poorly run organization for several years. No Quarteback. Job may be filled internally with Pierce.
Chargers- See Rob’s comments. Very cheap.
Atlanta- No Quarterback. Seem to have a talented roster overall.
Commanders- #2 Pick so they are in position to draft a top QB if they don’t beleive in Howell. A lot of Cap Space to upgrade the roster.
Addendum:
New England is with their fans going to be a nightmare job. Also I hear from different places that Bill is the problem gm but there may be another person that’s the problem? House seems in disarray to me.
Tenn- has not since Bud adams passed been able to form a vision between GM and coach. Rudderless.
Chargers-seem like a mess to me. Herbert. Schmerbert, what is that team good at going on what feels like forever. Way too many cooks ( spanos’) in the kitchen
Herbert, to me, is a Range Rover. Beautiful and expensive but disappointing performance
Great comp
I don’t think Seatlle, specifically John Schneider will go back to something “old” from Pete Carroll’s coaching tree. I am sure John realizes he has to put his own stamp on this team and that means going to someone fresh, not going back to someone who has familiarity with the team and connections to Pete. John has knowledge from his time in Seattle , knows what worked and what does not work(continuing to shuffle internal coaches) but never really addressing the defense . That was Pete’s way and it didn’t work. John will be searching for fresh blood and will probably use the Green Bay “way” Rob mentioned. That tells me he will also go with someone younger, someone that sees the game for what it has transformed into not what it used to be. (Pete’s Vision of the game) which literally passed him by. Look for John to make a splash, look for it to be on the offensive side and someone that can grow with the organization , relate to the NFL , its younger players in the 21st century. Lastly, this will be John’s baby so it will be someone that has the same passion and love of the game he has. From his time in Seattle he has built good relationships with other organizations which gives him great oversight on what he wants to build and who he thinks is a fit for the organization “personality and vision” wise. This choice could be a shocker, but ultimately it is John’s choice and vision.
John’s vision
But not entirely John’s choice. This massive decision tells me Allen and Kolde are very much in the loop still in how this team is going.
I don’t know every coach and GM relationship but from great owners to train wrecks I’ve seen enough to say owners rarely say nothing about the coach hirings.
I think whoever we hire is gonna have a tough job. It’s not easy following Pete, and the expectations will be high. I think we should be prepared to miss with the first guy, we would be very lucky to nail the HC straight away and it would speak tons of John Schneider’s skills.
I really like Ben Johnson. I would be particularly interested to see what he can get out of DK. I believe the Seahawks job is the most attractive on the market, and hope the candidates will see it this way too, so if he is the best guy available we should have a good shot to get him. I expect a lot of interviews and a decision that will not be the fastest.
I’ve seen this comment too many times this morning already. It’s extremely annoying. Why are we being prepared to expect failure already? It’s just sad.
We have gotten out-coached for years and Pete was losing the team. Team was getting full of guys who were giving up on the team and were hard to root for. Is any of this changing not an upgrade? The defense literally was as bad as possible and the offense was meek, inconsistent, and underachieving.
This is more excited than I expected to be. Apathy was starting to set in. Why are we already preparing for failure?
I welcome the change and I’m looking forward to a new coach with the hope he brings us forward. That is not the issue here. But there’s plenty of teams who keep making changes and don’t find the right person, and just because you changed the HC you don’t have to do better than what you’ve done so far, no matter how bad that was, and there’s a lot of room for worse than what Pete delivered. My take is to be a bit realistic with my expectations.
My take is why even be thinking “odds are, it isn’t going to work” shouldn’t even be a current thought.
You are right, and my comment is more the fact that I’ve seen it…way too many times. You are at least hopeful and excited. Other comments have literally been “odds are, the new guy is going to fail. Be careful what you wish for.” They are people that didn’t get what they wanted, but are also the ones that call this page “negative.”
Like I said, my comment is really not directed at you moreso than the ones that are already saying the unknown will be a failure.
Seattle’s odds are pretty good if you’re inclined to put on your thinking cap, head over to Google and type in Seattle head coaches this century.
One miss for one year in nearly a quarter century.
Saw a comment about how this is the darkest day in hawks history because all you ‘fans’ wanted Pete gone.
Like John, Jody, et al are riding around youtube watching videos and reading comments and that’s how they came to this decision. Darkest day….tell me you don’t know jack all about this team since some time around 2012.
Yeah…that is definitely a new fan… Someone who knows nothing about this fanbase…hahaha.
As of right now, this regime/ownership has a 66% pass rate of not only having a great coach, but getting a Hall of Fame coach (clearly that might change, but it’s a fact).
Didn’t take it personal but felt the need to explain myself precisely so I’m not in the same bag as the people who make a catastrophe from letting Pete go. It was time, even he said it himself that what he was doing wasn’t working anymore. Am I going to miss the good old times? For sure. Am I going to miss the last years? Definitely not.
Exactly. For us that had moved on from the LOB years and knew the team and fans needed to move on, it is what is needed. For the team and fans.
I got pretty sad watching Pete’s presser and then realized that it was because of the good times, not what we were going to miss out on. Still couldn’t fully shake the glory days I guess.
I’m going to say it…..I’m grateful they let him go now.
Could you imagine running it back? This team had the feel of reid, mccarthy, holmgren when once great coaches were destined for true bottoming out.
Saw a Twitter post a while back that reported Ben Johnson’s agent was telling teams bidding starts at $10M/yr. I don’t know what all NFL coaches make, but if true, seems like some teams might see the price tag as risky for a first time HC. I trust Allen and JS to make the right call and pockets to do it.
So the Chargers are out… 😆
I am still elated that Coach Carroll got fired. The 2023 season was overall very boring. Both the offense and defense seemed very soft and lacking in discipline.
So if Ben Johnson is calling plays like it is a Chess Match, what was Shane Waldron doing this season? Calling plats like he is playing “Pull My Finger’?
(in my best Butthead voice) pull my finger dude huh uh uh huh
It’s one of those little playbooks that came with Madden from about 5 years ago.
Sure, that sound like me either running either a Dive Play or Four Verticals for an entire game.
Maybe he is running a scheme similar to the old Tecmo Bowl playbooks where you got to choose from either 2 Run Plays or 2 Pass Plays.
Considering what raven d had done to some of the new age offensive minds this season, I am very much inclined towards getting Mike McDonald. Lions, 49ers and Miami , those are some impressive scalps.
As far as Ben Johnson is concerned, I would like to see how they perform against 49ers, if they manage to go up against them. This year has been relatively a cup cake schedule for detroit.
Rob: You got me sold on Ben Johnson. If Johnson doesn’t isn’t interested another excellent choice would be Mike Macdonald from the Ravens.
Sign me up. Only question is does he want to come to a team with their salary tied up in all the wrong places, no real shot at a top QB in the draft, and another journeyman QB on the roster. You have to imagine he’s interviewing with at least two of the teams picking top 3. Atlanta already requested an interview. He’s also from NC it seems. Lets hope JS can work some magic.
It’s an interesting point. A lot is made about GM picks, in this case John, coaches and separation of roles. If I was Ben Johnson or other I’d expect some level of input on type of players or in this case the most important position in the league.
It’s one thing being the OC ( or DC) and doing more with what you have. It’s another being the big man and the selling point is “please try to turn Geno into Goff.”
I think Seattle is a very attractive place for coaches for a whole host of reasons. But I’d like to know what are the plans for things like the bloated contracts and upgrades.
I think having some salary cap issues to resolve is less concerning that inheriting a team with so little in the way of talent
“I think having some salary cap issues to resolve is less concerning that inheriting a team with so little in the way of talent”
100% true. But most of the teams that are looking for a head coach probably are in a situation where there is little in the way of talent. Personally I think Seattle is an idea place for a head coach.
A lot of people are talking about Dan Quinn. For some reason Dan Quinn doesn’t excite me that much. I think Quinn is a good defensive coordinator but head coach is an entirely different cat.
I also like the defensive coordinator for the Bengals. Lou Anarumo. I have been impressed by the way his Bengals play defense. Maybe not so much this year. However, in years past they have been fairly impressive against Patrick Mahomes. It seems like the Bengals defensive players are well coached, smart, and disciplined. But my first two choices would be Ben Johnson and Mike Macdonald.
My question: are we still looking at being competitive immediately next season? Are we going to scale it down when we gut the roster? Someone else commented that John must have sold a better long-term plan, maybe a 5 year plan.
Also, what would Ben Johnson do at quarterback? He might be the way that I can stomach a full year of Geno. No matter what, John is going to want a quarterback. And who he will probably want will take an early pick. Could be part of a longer plan: get your qb, build everything up through the trenches.
It’s exciting to not know what is coming, to not have an idea of what to expect. To actually have hope again.
I’d bet a dollar to a donut that we are going to be competing
I imagine that Johnson would get a bridge and a rookie, new HC equals new QB, usually. Might be Geno on a renegotiated deal.
Did Sam Howell show enough positives to be a consideration as a cheap gamble to compete with a 3rd round QB draft pick if JS decides Geno is too expensive? With new leadership the Moons likely draft a top QB and Howell may be available for 2025 draft capital.
I wouldn’t trade anything for Howell
Just don’t see much upside
When you say you want someone to go toe-to-toe w McVay and Shanahan – that resonates. I’ve felt the same way the past several years – tired of being consistently outschemed, outsmarted.
Johnson would be an exciting hire. Seems to me that OC or DC’s w no head coaching experience are sort of the high-ceiling, but also low-floor hires. The job (probably some of the CEO stuff you reference) ends up being too big for some of them and they flail – whereas bringing in a coach like Vrabel, you get a higher floor – but arguably a less exciting ceiling.
All of which is to say – after 14 yrs of stability, and ultimately, mid-table type play – I’m all for going for it w a young, exciting coach. Why not? At it’s best, it could be amazing, and will be interesting to watch it play out any way it goes.
Hate this timeline and unfortunately we are never going back.
First the russel fights. Then Adams fights. Then geno fights. Then Pete fights.
The sehawks internet is going to be nuclear levels of sludge if we don’t win a superbowl next year. Tho if we actually take a step back.
The incendiary nature of the fans with their “told ya so,” it’s going to be kind of grim I think.
I really don’t give a rip. People will say what they say. Let a few years pass before making judgments if we’re lucky enough to land Johnson.
Brock this morning said Dan Quinn was a “conventional” option for head coach. This makes it sound not as likely. Brock probably knows people within the org, this sounds like he’s hinting that Quinn could be the fall-back option if they’re not able to court someone else or if nobody knocks their socks off. He said that Rappaport’s reporting that John was searching for coaches in the 2nd half of the season was wrong, said he started in the last couple weeks of the season.
Second half and last few weeks feels very potato /po-tah-to to me.
8 weeks roughly vs. 3 (?) Weeks
It makes sense if it came after the game vs the cowboys. Especially since now the Leonard Williams trade is confirmed as a “throw Pete one last bone” type move.
This is a low key concern of mine with John. That the SDB crew could see 5-2 was a mirage against bs teams but he still thought “sure thing Pete here’s LW.”
Why do you assume he had authority to stop it at the time? After yesterday’s presser, there can be no doubt that until this decision to move on was made, it was Carroll’s team. For 14 years it’s been Carroll’s team.
I mean he looked straight at John several times yesterday and said “it’s your team now”.
Also, why assume that John doesn’t have his own plans for LW on the Seahawks post Carroll?
I guess what I’m driving at is all the questions we’ve had around who’s running the Seahawks and who’s making the personnel and roster decisions we criticize (or congratulate) have been answered conclusively. Until yesterday, it’s been Pete.
One may wonder why John would go along with a poor decision of Pete’s. Firstly, define a poor decision. I mean define it in a way an NFL FO would look at it. But there are 32 NFL FOs, so that gets tricky quick. But besides, what’s the alternative for John if he disagrees with Pete? Quit in protest? C’mon get real. This is a business and it was John’s job to support Pete in whatever Pete wanted to do. But those days are over so we don’t need to stress it anymore. Now we can stress over how good John is at making the decisions that drive the franchise, instead of supporting someone else.
Well bluntly his own bio says he controls the draft and personnel decisions.
I’m super excited for the future.
And yeah a gm’s job with the ear of the team president is actually stop moves and make moves.
Doesn’t matter now. John’s here and I hope he does great things. We’ll know as soon as Free agency starts what his plans are.
Johnson seems like a great option. Your comments about how he could likely work with Geno the way he’s worked with Goff gives me some pause, as retaining Geno seems antithetical to the potential reset that lays ahead, both due to cap cost and the general lack of talent on the defensive end. If we do hire an offensive-minded HC, I’d hope he’d insist on drafting a young QB to mold in his offensive scheme and not run back Geno, potentially only utilizing some of his play designs due to any of Geno’s limitations. A move away from Pete should also mean a move away from Geno, IMO.
Might just be me, but with John running things, I can’t see any other pick at 16. Or even earlier if they trade up. He’s been dying for this chance and finding HIS qb.
I still think a young qb, and early in the draft, is necessary.
may need to bite the bullet and trade up – if that’s even feasible. when you look at the # of teams drafting before #16, that need a QB, it’s at least 6-7 – – now they may not all have R1 grades on the QB’s, but we also could be looking at the 6th or 7th QB drafted.
Depending on who, they might have to. Or need to. I want John to have his guy and then do whatever is needed to get him.
Man, having a coach with the capabilities of developing a young kid is kind of exciting.
My Dream Combo:
Head Coach / OC – Ben Johnson
DC – Al Harris
In Johnson, as Rob has mentioned a number of times, the Hawks would bring in someone that would know how to take advantage of and utilize the strength of weapons on Offense.
In Harris, he would bring that same approach to the Defense. Right now, the strength of this Defense is built on the Secondary. He would understand how to fully utilize Witherspoon. He could fix Riq. He could develop Coby Bryant. He would know how to bring out the best in Julian Love. He would get Tre Brown back to the level he flashed in his rookie season. The foundation for an elite secondary is there. I doubt this would be LOB 2.0, but there is potential with the right DC in place. Dallas also couldn’t block the hire without promoting him.
Any thoughts on Todd Monken, Ravens OC? Finished 4th in offensive dvoa.
Isn’t the Ravens offense more about Lamar Jackson and what he can do than an OC? I’m not saying Monken isn’t responsible for a lot of it, but I feel you’d be better with someone who works with a normal QB.
Quick reminder, I’m on KJR at 11am PT with the great Puck & Jim.
Just one segment rather than the extended one, but tune in at 11 and I’ll post the pod embed later in the day
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/fmia/news/buffalo-josh-allen-green-bay-jordan-love-nfl-playoffs-peter-king-fmia-week-18
Peter King believes the Seahawks will move up to draft a QB
, Seattle at 16 (I bet Seattle tries to move up) in the derby for young quarterbacks.
If they are looking at doing this then I would think it also supports the notion of choosing and offensive minded head coach
And that was before Pete was fire, too.
Man is horrible with predictions and judging what teams will do, but that is him and Cowherd that have said something.
I just wrote a long comment on Field Gulls saying both that I believe the evidence suggests that Johnson will be the choice and why he should be.
Came over here and read your detailed endorsement…embarrassing for me.
I’m now curious to why some are reluctant to embrace Johnson, I’m guessing it has to be a lack of familiarity…this is an engaging coach who will endear himself to the fan base and region quickly.
Your comment was really detailed and full of a lot of connections that make it seem like Ben Johnson might have been the target all along.
Schneider has been working on this for months…wow.
The fans on Fieldgulls are not getting the kind of education one gets here. One reads all kinds of stuff that seems ridiculous. Half the posters there were advocating for Pete to get another chance. A bunch seem to think Geno is a high-quality QB.
For me it’s Johnson > Macdonald > Slownik on who I want to replace Carroll.
Barring Johnson, I want to combine my two favorite crazy ideas into one big, bold, even crazier idea:
CLE Receives:
LAC 2024 RD1
SEA 2024 RD1
LAC Receives:
Pete Carroll, HC
SEA Receives:
Kevin Stefanski, HC
Cleveland recoups 1st rounders lost in the Watson trade, Stefanski escapes terrible management, Pete brings his sunny disposition back to LA and the Seahawks get the best coach in the league. I know it’s a pipe dream, but it’s a dream nonetheless.
And I must say, this crazy idea warms me up to the idea of Brian Callahan as an alternate HC candidate if we can swipe Bill Callahan from Cleveland to put that emphasis up front on the Oline.
I had trouble falling asleep last night. Or more accurately, I had trouble trying to fall asleep. I couldn’t stop scrolling twitter for tributes to Carroll and his legacy with Seattle.
So many memories, wonderful, glorious, unexpected memories, crowding my mind and making me feel claustrophobic because I’m stuck in the flow of time and moving further and further away from them.
Rewatched highlights of many great games last night.
Hope we all get to feel those moments again.
Sad to see him go but right move for the time.
Would love to see John build a great team starting with a qb that inspires.
Honor him. But nothing last forever. Lol
Johnson would be ideal, but the competition is going to be intense. Give him what he wants and let’s go.
Ewers just announced he’s returning to Texas, so there’s one fewer option for QB.
I just wasn’t seeing enough in Ewers. I think another year of seasoning is a good idea. Some of his reads and throws were awesome but he could also seem like a deer in the headlights.
Would love Johnson if we can get him, think he’s exactly what we need right now!
In terms of Defensive Staff it’s worth looking back in time to his time with the Dolphins, he worked with some interesting names there:
Texans DC: Matt Burke
Bengals DC: Lou Anarumo
Broncos DC: Vance Joseph
49ers D-Line Coach: Kris Kocurek
Jets Cornerback Coach: Tony Oden
Dolphins Defensive Pass Game Coordinator: Renaldo Hill
Titans AHC/D-Line Coach: Terrell Williams
Vikings Defensive Pass Game Coordinator: Daronte Jones
Kacy Rodgers: Bucs Defensive Run Game Coorodinator
George Edwards: Bucs Outside Linebacker Coach
My personal hope would be Kocurek to tap into the 49ers defensive philosophies that seemed to have worked well the last few years but someone like George Edwards has long time DC experience too!
I could get behind a Johnson hire. I also like Frank Smith as a hire. Maybe not the offensive sauvant, but accomplished and well regarded.
Weird out of left field options for DC would be Jerod Mayo. Been groomed and promoted by BB with the pats, reportedly super intelligent. Pats D is always good. Seen him kicked around as a HC option some places, but I think jumping to DC would be ideal for him.
Phil Parker out of Iowa for DC as well, but he hasn’t made the NFL jump yet and doubt he does now.
Johnson and then watch Schneider pull an epic trade for Herbert somehow? It’s (extremely) unlikely. But there were rumblings, and LAC need a full teardown at this point. Geno has history with LAC… Talk about an instant injection of excitement for fanbase tired of the stale mediocrity.
Hope not on herbert. Would rather give a haul to move up and at least get a cheap three year contract. Herbert’s contract is pretty ugly after next year.
Also, as Rob has pointed out, Johnson is having success in Detroit with Goff… not exactly a cream of the crop QB much like Geno. Might be able to work his system with similar level talent here and allow John to pick his shots at drafting a QBOTF.
Goff was a number one overall 1st round pick.
Parker isn’t leaving Iowa. If he’s stuck it out through this, this long, he’s happy being a coordinator.
Cross Ewers off the wishlist. Staying at Texas.
https://x.com/espn/status/1745494716521513153?s=46&t=jJY5PzfRfqxlTnRLJklz5g
good he’s overrated
I would love for Johnson to be the next head coach. The negative I see is that I see is that him and his wife are from the Carolina area. Maybe not such a big deal for him but I’m sure the wife would want to be around family so I could see Carolina or Atlanta for him.
I’m sure she’d prefer a greater chance of success than just going back to Carolina
I tend to lean towards wanting Macdonald since I think he has succeeded in getting the best of his players wherever he goes. Of course, that will make a requirement to get an offensive coordinator that can help to develop the next QB.
For Schneider, it is pretty interesting in the sense that he spent a lot of time in Green Bay, but I wonder how his philosophy has changed since his greatest achievement involved building possibly the greatest defense of all time. He has worked with both defensive and offensive-minded coaches and has succeeded with both. It’s hard to say, but I think Schneider might not value an offensive coach or defensive coach too much on that basis and will more focus on getting someone that excels as a coordinator/possibly college coach and focus on the interviews/ his contacts to see if it will translate.
Well, were all going to find out a LOT more about John Schneider in the coming hours, days, weeks and months.
I find this to be exhilarating and exciting !!….I was in the doldrums 2 weeks ago and now this absolute GIFT of positive energy. A fresh start is needed…. a completely NEW direction and one that works with the young adults of the NFL these days.
Quinn would dissapoint me a little but I could easily live with it (like I have a choice..Hahahaha).
Don’t think he’d last this long but could you imagine hiring Ben Johnson and having our first pick be Brock Bowers? I feel like that would give you a huge opportunity to scheme for the best offense in the league.
QB: Geno/Bridge, Draft Pick
RB: Walker, Charbonnet, Mcintosh
WR: DK, Lockett, JSN, Bobo
TE: Bowers, Parkinson (resign?)
Like bowers a ton. If it’s not qb I’d rather the best oline or dline player.
If johnson I’d consider paying Fant. Throw him the ball for a change.
A lot of end of year thoughts have changed since yesterday. Two days ago I’d let Fant walk. Now all kinds of things are on the table.
Yeah, I’d say qb in the first and pass on Bowers.
And pay Fant. Johnson clearly knows what to do with Iowa tight ends, so give him the most athletic one to work with.
Love the idea of Johnson as head coach. Makes the Detroit-Rams game all the more appealing to watch. Will be fun to see how Johnson attacks the Rams defense and goes toe to toe with McVay. The game is set up to be the perfect coaching audition. That game has some great subplots as well…Goff-Stafford trade in particular.
Great write up. Thank you.
He’s got a great OL in Detroit but there’s no reason the Seahawks can’t invest there, too. Heck, we’ve already got the most important piece (LT). I think Bradford projects well moving forward.
Does anyone know what’s up with Abe Lucas and his knee? He’s either a fixture on the OL and gives the Seahawks a really good bookend due of tackles, or he’s going to be out of the league soon. That’s a big deal.
Maybe with this hire they can focus on the offense this offseason. They have the resources to do that because there’s so many pieces already in place. Then next year they can focus on the defense and 2025 could be a great year (and ’24 could be a fun year with a great offense).
It really sucks not having that 2nd round pick though.
Quinn blew a 24-14 4th quarter lead in one Super Bowl with the Seahawks and blew another Super Bowl after his team was up 28-3. And, yeah, Shanahan destroyed his Dallas defense with Parsons. Imagine what he’d have done against the 49ers without Parsons and with Brooks and Diggs whiffing on tackles. I see no value going there. I hope he’s not the choice.
I don’t think we can assign Quinn the majority blame in BOTH super bowls. Either Pete gets blame for the first or Kyle (at least shares) for the second. I personally think Kyle S is extremely overrated and nowhere near McVay when we say “Carroll was dominated by the two new coaches in the division. So I tend to blame Quinn (and of course the last play) for 49 and Kyle for 28-3.
Doesn’t matter and I don’t want Quinn either =. Just saying we can’t call him the goat and let Pete off the hook for 49 AND call him the goat and let Kyle off the hook for 51.
We lost Avril and Lane and Kam was playing hurt, this was more the reason for the comeback by the Patriots
I’m not really sure you can entirely blame Quinn for the SB loss to New England. The defense was dominating until Cliff Avril had to leave the game. And consider that Earl, Kam and Sherm were all held together by duct tape at that time and then Jeremy Lane got injured as well. That’s a lot of injured talent before and during the game. I’d give him more blame for the ATL loss though since he is the head coach and ultimate decider on what they did offensively in the second half.
Absolutely. Though if we are going to give him blame I think we should also give him some of the credit for the lead, Matt Ryan’s MVP season, and their NFC title in general.
Ben Johnson is the clear #1 in my mind. He can do wonders with our skill position pieces on offense. We won’t have to worry about a successful OC getting sniped after two years. He seemingly has the IQ and the leadership needed. As a young new HC, he’ll likely not be as likely to get into a power struggle with John. He fits the mold of so many of the most recent successful new coaches.
And I have to feel like Seattle would be a desirable fit for him, maybe more than any other.
He’s from Carolina, so maybe the Panthers are tempting. But removing any hometown feelings from it, Carolina also seems like the least appealing opening of any. Not sure if I’d want that ownership headache and questionable roster/draft stock.
Interesting to me that Russell was invited, and attended (flying in at the last minute) Pete’s goodbye dinner last night at Kam and Sherm’s restaurant in Seattle.
Very happy to see old wounds have healed, at least partially. I imagine Pete feels terrible for how badly it went for Russell the past two seasons, and that conversely, Russell, after playing for first a lesser coach and then a complete jerk (and a no better coach) in Denver realizes he didn’t have it too bad in Seattle.
I suspect the Seahawks and Wilson thought it was time to move on when they did
The problem for Denver, IMO, was botching the Hackett hire
seeing those photos made me happy too…
Yeah that was cool.
…..
The real loser is Ruchard Sherman who has half his podcast material cut for him.
Also, Johnson would benefit from having an experience and respected Schneider as GM, a hands off owner, friendly media and a great fan base . not sure how many clubs out there can offer this. no state tax to boot
The thing about bringing in a defensive coach is he’s only as good as his offensive coordinator. If they bought in a defensive guy like Quinn, you would need to bank on getting a hotshot up-and-coming OC as well. Which is actually probably more difficult than getting the head coach, right?
Screw it, just hire the hotshot up-and-coming OC to be the head coach and just get him the best DC you can. Hire Quinn to be DC.
💯💯💯
How much do we weigh one game samples. If McVeigh and Raheem Morris shut down and eliminate a reasonably healthy Lions offense, particularly given the Seahawks have obviously struggled with those two the past few seasons, do we chill on the love for Johnson?
Clearly teams in general don’t worry about this–see Quinn in 2014 with Atlanta and Gannon with the Cardinals this year–but I’d be very disappointed were we to jump on hiring this guy if he flops in his biggest game.
No, you can’t base things on one game
While the Seahawks job might be attractive, I think the biggest competitor for Ben Johnson will be the Lions themselves.
Looks like he could get just as much money to stay in Detroit as OC and take a few more years to transition to an HC job. I can’t see Detroit not putting up a big fight to retain Ben Johnson.
If he wants to be a Head Coach, he’s not going to stay at Detroit (not exactly the most glamorous gig) to be OC
Well.. the lions have botched 3 HoF players and this is their first playoff home game in over 25 years?..
They will botch something again in no time..
“Jim Harbaugh would start an argument with himself in an otherwise empty room” (paraphrasing). Good stuff Rob.
Excellent segment as usual my man.
I haven’t seen this speculation anywhere……….if it’s true that Schneider started looking for HC candidates several weeks ago as has been reported, that time frame would mean the Adams fiasco may well have been the last straw for Jody. I called for her to step up and not accept a HC that soft shoed treating a woman like that on X and it appears (if true) that maybe she felt like I thought she should.
Also Pete, you really should be ashamed that your desperation to save face on that trade was the final thing that got you fired if that was the case. I hope if you end up elsewhere, you learn from that.
That would synch with the end zone meditation photo after the Philly win. JA had played in SF the week before and it was a disaster after a rocky week of runup.
Things are starting to come together just like the RW trade.. it was an odd thing for Pete to chill out there soaking in the last prime time game of the season..
And it makes sense as one of 2 female owners, you wouldnt want to make fun of someones wife appearance and be making national news when you play for jody effin allen..
I would love to know the behind the scenes stuff, but we have to speculate..
Did Jody and whomever sit down with pete after that and said, make this your best run to the playoffs.. cuz its your last..
Or.. was it quieter (hush hush) kind of thing that became obvious to pete when he sat down with jody allen and co.
When he said “i competed like hell to remain the coach”.. that tells me he had to justify the trade, paying jamal, not holding him to a better standard.. also L williams trade this season.. sounds like he wanted to stick with geno, his bad defense. Wont hire real coordinators..
Hopefully they hire anyone but dan quinn..
Long time lurker, first time comment.
I want Ben Johnson too. He also has a connection with Joe Philbin and Mike Sherman. Both were in Green Bay when John Schneider was there. There’s an indirect connection to be made that hopefully will be bridged. He would be an inspired choice to help us to develop and identify a young QB to lead us for years to come. I much prefer this to the familar.
I think most would agree the Hawks job is the most desirable out there, but would there be any concern from Johnson, Slowik, MacDonald following a legendary coach? Was thinking the same for the New England job (probably worse of course).
I would think a person wired to be an HC doesn’t think that way.
With Seattle that is. New England is going to interesting. Winning one superbowl 25 years is hard. Winning 6x?
I think not, he isn’t Belichick and the Seahawks haven’t been that super competitive for a long while
I think that Washington would be the most desirable destination.
Good offensive pieces in place. The number 2 overall pick. A shit tonne of cap space
And not having to follow a legend. Washington has been so dysfunctional for so long that if a coach has success there they will be celebrated. In Seattle they will be constantly compared to Pete (not that I think that bothers most coaches) no matter how well they do
Mike Garofolo on KJR…
— Seems to think it’s going to be Dan Quinn in Seattle
— Seems convinced Ben Johnson will end up with the Commanders
I’m probably wish casting here but I was under the impression that Dan Quinn removed himself from coach consideration because Jerry Jones was going to retain him as HC if Mccarthy fails this year.
I don’t think anything has been decided as far as Dallas goes.
As for Quinn to Seattle, as several people have said I don’t see John hiring Pete 2.0. Plus with that Green Bay background where they lean offense I see him going offensive guy.
The quinn stuff is odd.
Yes he’s different. But is he so different that we shouldn’t just keep Pete?
The game has changed. I’d like to see a great DC turn HC and win just for the sake of pushback to the sameness of everything. Not here. Not 15 years of defensive headcoaches.
This is my feeling too. John would not go for a safe defensive bet after having seen what Sean and Shanahan are able to do in division.
I think he just didn’t see the right opening
The thing about Johnson to the Commies is that was on the table last year, what changed? The ownership finally being approved even though it was clear last January that Snyder would be out and Harris was the most likely beneficiary. It is closer to his Carolina home.
The 49ers’ Adam Peters and Bears’ Ian Cunningham are the reported GM finalists. Neither have a particular connection to Johnson. And every report is that Harris wants to make his decision on the GM, and then have the GM be the driver in selecting the HC.
I thought I heard that they blocked requests for a Bieniemy interview, and that Quinn had indicated he would accept the interview? Slowik is my suspected Head Coach for the Commies if Peters is indeed the hire.
My sense is media speculation is premature…the real news for the Seahawks will come after wild card weekend.
As an aside, did someone post about the new rules for 2024?
Garofolo said Ben Johnson has actually been communicating with Adam Peters for some time as a package deal and that the thought is they’ll be the duo in Washington.
Rich Eisen is almost framing it like they wanted Dan Quinn and knew he would be on the market this year so they booted Pete Carroll just to get Quinn. No evidence, just the way he is phrasing it.
I don’t know.
https://x.com/RichEisenShow/status/1745533674567930221?s=20
Come on Rich you’re usually better than this
Theres a lot of national media guys acting shocked this happened.. when its not at all shocking to us..
💯
Yeah, it has been interesting to observe the disparate reactions between neutral NFL observers and Seahawks fans.
Seahawks fans mostly saying that their head says it makes sense; while their heart is saying they will miss him. Understandable.
But the neutral objective observers, free of emotion, especially fans of the 31 other teams; be it on Twitter or NFL Reddit: shock, great coach, overachieved post-Russ, got to 9 wins twice with Geno Smith, surpassed the over/under win total projection both seasons post- Russ.
I think both things can be true. That it was time for a change here; but he would still be one of the 7-10 current best options in the sport to set up a culture and program somewhere from scratch that needed it (like the Chargers, for example).
So many of the national guys are saying this
It might be true 🤷♂️
*hands over my ears*
la la la la la
Please no
I don’t really see Eisen in the loop anymore. He’s too busy wanting to tell and hear stories.
Haven’t heard a single report mentioning anything from Seattle’s end to Quinn, just speculation and the easy choice. Articles like “Quinn is the strongest candidate.” With…no backbone behind it. Just a mention that he used to be here.
I just can’t see John Schneider waiting all of this time to bring in someone that is as close to who just left. He should already have an idea on Quinn. Wouldn’t necessarily need to be working on this forever then.
Not fair to Quinn at all, but it would be a very “ho-hum” hire. I don’t know who excited you can get over it.
Quinn would be alright, not amazing, not revolutionary.
Would feel very like Jim Mora, and that is concerning.
BINGO!
Ditto to your Bingo!
Retreads tend not to be exciting.
But I am definitely not totally “out” on retreads as a rule. Plenty of examples of guys who needed more than one HC opportunity in order to win the Super Bowl : Carroll, Belichick, Reid, Dungy, Arians, Coughlin, Vermeil.
I think with me, it is more that we’ve seen it, he learned from Pete, his tendencies are more or less Pete-like.
None oft those guys went back to where it started for them.
Not out on Quinn, just don’t know how exciting it will be or even how good an idea it would be. Especially with all of the due diligence going on.
Ownership has given the thinking fan hope, excitement and anticipation-interest by moving on from Carroll…hiring Quinn would snuff out all those positive feeling…as a thinking fan I want these positives feeling to last 2-3 years rather than 2 weeks.
“positive feelings” 🤦♂️
If Quinn is hired, it probably means they are going for a safe bet while ownership prepare to sell the franchise in the next 2-3 years. This will also buy them sometime with frustrated fans as they have seen the stadium fill up with opposing fans.
hope Quinn does not accept a temporary setting
Ben Johnson would be a great choice, but think he will have his pick of slew of team seeking a HC and there are better choices then Seattle. Seahawks are going to sold which isn’t appealing for candidates, no second round pick and a mid round position in the draft, not a lot of cap ( there are obvious ways to create more, but that involves having more positions to fill) and a aging Geno Smith isn’t exactly appealing IMO. Hopefully someone that fits the same mold as Johnson, but not as well known or pursued, can be found.
I think the angle of the sale should be laid to rest
For years they wouldn’t trade Wilson because the dead money makes no sense ahead of a sale
Then it was about they’ll never fire Pete because of the imminent sale
They did both. It’s possible they actually do intend to stick around for a while
This is a very attractive job
We are also the best team with a current opening. The cap casualties were no benefit to the success of the team.
The sale doesn’t matter. If he comes in and wins, even better for a new owner. Something they don’t have to worry about. Pieces are in place.
Geno will be replaced. Still the best option for the teams needing a new coach if they pass this year.
You mentioned the possibility of bringing a gray hair as DC, to balance the youth of Johnson. That’s a good point.
But right now, my favorite candidate for DC is Eric Henderson. Since he became the run game coordinator for the Rams, they’ve been quietly a top-10 to top-5 run defense, and that includes last year when Donald missed a ton of time. With the Chargers, Melvin Ingram had the 2 of the 3 best years of his career under Henderson.
And as an added bonus, we poach him from the Rams.
The Leonard Factor
Love to have Johnson as the next head coach. And agree that it’d be nice to have an offensive-minded HC, like Johnson or Slowik. However wondering if, among many factors for John to consider, is the Leonard factor?
John’s legacy is far from intact. Despite the many positives including great success in the past two and first couple of drafts, respect among his peers and players, and much more; there are also a number of question marks. 9 dismal drafts between 2013-2021, several failed trades and signings. The most recent potential failure is the trade for Leonard Williams. If Williams moves on, maybe it doesn’t ultimately matter with a successful new coach? Or maybe it does matter to John? Retaining Williams will likely be a sell job based on culture. Williams came to the Seahawks to get to the playoffs and land in a “good” place. Relatedly, Quinn is likely the easiest HC for John to sell as a coach that keep the good vibes going in Renton.
Of course, other HC will likely be able to sell their own version of positive culture among other attributes. However, Quinn is the only candidate that can say he knows the Seahawks culture and can speak to his own version of a culture similar to that of the current organization. Quinn as HC will make it easier for John to keep Williams in addition to many other positives beyond his past success and experience. He’s also the guy most familiar with John.
As for others with past Seahawks experience, I don’t see Canales as a strong possibility or any others emerging. So, with the likelihood of strong competition for Quinn, I can easily see John going after him to reunite with an old friend with the experience to help him keep Williams and get off to a strong GM start.
Not my personal preference, just trying to see things through Schneider’s eyes.
I like Leonard Williams but I really hope they aren’t in any way shape or form basing their next coaching decision on who is most likely going to persuade him to stay
They need someone who is going to lead this team moving forward, with or without LW
Agree. And like your CEO language to describe that “it” factor. There are many more important factors than retaining any one player.
Of course it’s about winning, ability to form a team and culture, and all the big picture attributes that will undoubtedly be on a very formalized list in a very rigorous process. And, when they go through the list of many very talented, experienced candidates with pros/cons, then they’ll get to splitting hairs and factors that won’t be on any lists. And unstated reasons for preferences that are more emotional than rational.
Just saying…
100% top dog coach first, then sort out the players. No other way it will go. John will just be setting the table for the new coach and selecting for the team. Out of Pete’s shadow, I’m excited to what his vision will be.
Schneider’s future won’t be determined by whether or not Leonard Williams stays, but whether or not the next HC is successful. I think Schneider will recognise this.
The Ben Johnson factor makes this weekends matchup between Detroit and the Rams a bit more intriguing?
I’m hoping for a Detroit win due to a dominent Offensive performance.
Again, John Sneider is NOT looking for FAMILIARITY (sorry Dan Quinn). Infact I wouldn’t rule out Deboer and his outstanding OC as a Big Swing at the bat by Sneider either.
How do you know what John is looking for?