Earlier today I was on KJR talking to the great Jason Puckett & Jim Moore, discussing the Pete Carroll news and what’s next. If you missed it, check out the spot below:
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Rob Staton
Hot topics
- My first 2025 NFL mock draft
- Curtis Allen’s third quarter report card for the Seahawks
- Video: Drew Allar to the Seahawks? The ever improving current-day team & more
- The big offensive topics: Would the Seahawks draft Drew Allar, why coaching changes might be inevitable, Sam Darnold vs Geno Smith & more
- Live stream (2pm PT) with Jeff Simmons
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Hot topics
- My first 2025 NFL mock draft
- Curtis Allen’s third quarter report card for the Seahawks
- Video: Drew Allar to the Seahawks? The ever improving current-day team & more
- The big offensive topics: Would the Seahawks draft Drew Allar, why coaching changes might be inevitable, Sam Darnold vs Geno Smith & more
- Live stream (2pm PT) with Jeff Simmons
So good!
Thank you — any feedback (even negative) is welcome
I sincerely appreciate your down to brass tacks approach to team construction/roster building and I’m glad to hear you on the radio again! One piece of feedback, have a little fun with the hosts and let the humor out now and again. They were trying to set up a callback for ya to riff off on your way out that was missed. Hard to do in the moment when you’re trying to make your points for sure (and possible communications delay). Keep it up! I want more Staton on Seattle Radio 🙂
I love that all our emails to the show paid off and they are getting Rob on there more often and obviously following the site now!
Awesome radio segment Rob!
Thank you Jeff
Heard it live all the way over here in Florida.
Great stuff!
Thanks man
Great job Rob! You are such a natural on the radio.
Thanks James, appreciate that
Good segment. Glad that you have swayed Jim over a bit.
Thank you
Enjoyed it! Curious to see where this is all headed. Seemed like they are giving you a little more space to talk through questions. Now you just got to get the draft stuff into bite sized radio bits…
Rob, I wanted to push back a bit on one thing you said about the roster. I do not beleive that this roster is all that close to being competitive. There is no cap space and a lot of free agents to deal with. I get that with Carroll gone, a lot of players will be cut now, and free up some money, but I do not beleive they can patch all the holes in one offseason. This seems like they are at least 2-3 years away.
You are going to need 2 Safeties if both Adams and Diggs are cut.
Wagner should not come back and Brooks might be too expensive. Probably need 2 Linebackers.
LW might be too expensive. You are going to need more Defensive Line help.
Need a few cheap Tight Ends
Need to do something in the interior offensive line. With Lucas’ kneee issue, they may be in desperate need for a new Tackle.
No clue what they are going to do at QB with Pete gone now. Pick #16 may not yield a quality rookie QB.
1. They will create cap space now by getting rid of some players who probably should’ve gone well before now
2. If we’re being honest, is anyone really going to care about any of the free agents moving on with the exception of Leonard Williams? Do we think it’ll be that hard to replace what they’ve been offering?
3. It’s not about patching every hole this off-season. And that won’t be necessary to be competitive. The Lions are hardly a flawless team. Look at the Browns, with all their injuries and holes. The 49ers might be loaded but everyone else has to manage their flaws and promote their strengths. It’s do-able.
I think maybe we’re mixing up ‘competitive’ with ‘legit contender’. I do not think Seattle’s roster is dissimilar to Detroit’s and I want Detroit’s OC to come and lead the new era. I believe with the offensive talent at his disposal, he would make this team competitive. Not flawless, not complete, but competitive.
I think that’s such an important distinction–competitive vs contender. We’ve obviously not been a contender for years, but some are stretching the definition of “competitive”. Competitive is a step along the way to contender with the legitimate threat that on any given Sunday, you may beat a true contender and you pose a legit threat to the league. John and Pete did an absurd amount of roster churn in the early days and there’s no reason to think that couldn’t happen again, as long as we keep the guys we think are true competitors and with the right coaching , could be contenders.
I should have said being competitive against the top teams like Baltimore and San Francisco this year and being able to beat the Rams on a consistent basis. There were some ugly blowouts this year that cannot be common place going forward.
We are a long ways from being a legit contender.
If the new DC is going to run a different defense, it’s actually better that some guys just don’t come back.
We all saw in 2022 when the Seahawks changed their defense but decided to keep players that do not fit what they wanted to do.
I think there should be push back to some degree.. However.. I think the young talent and the vets made up for a lack of coaching and scheme to be exactly what they were.
better coaching with the players they had, would have resulted in a better record at the end of the year. No doubt in my mind. Were they Superbowl caliber? No. They lost games they could have won and they won a few games they should not have. Hindsight is, they were a 10 win team with the players they have. Coaching was the main issue. That is why they moved on from Pete Carroll. They spent money and draft picks to be better than 9 wins.
Wish you would have had the full run but this great!!
Thanks Peter
Maybe now we can hear you much more predraft than last year.
🤞
Like I said in the last thread, I loved the Crack about Harbaugh arguing with himself in an empty room.
Excellent segment as always Rob.
Thank you Mike 👍
Good stuff as always Rob. It’s great to see you getting some real traction with the local media.
Thank you!
I thought you sounded like a confident and knowledgeable Seahawks fan who has done a lot of homework. I also like that you make strong counterpoints to the radio show hosts. Keep up the great work!
Thank you!
Great segment, again, Rob!
It sounds promising for more appearances to come, too… it’s obvious that Puck and Jim like what you bring to the table.
I’m excited for you and for the SDB community!
Thank you!
Great segment. I couldn’t listen live so I’m glad we have a link posted.
After they finished they said the fans love you because they hear about it. So their call and text line must be lit up for them to say that. They said it last time too. And Stacy would say it when you were on 710.
Speaks to your track record.
Thanks man, that’s nice to read
I waited too long into Ian Furness’ show and when they read texts to fire back. His take was to talk about you Rob and disagree why the Seahawks need an offensive coach. I texted in what another person on the blog said earlier today, “you are as good as your offensive coordinator”.
I do believe that is why every defensive coach becomes unsuccessful in the long run. Josh Mcdaniels was able to be a head coach twice because the Patriots success. Kyle Shanahan did wonders with an already stacked Falcons team. The titans have been spiraling down since Lafluer left. So on and on with many examples.
They had Luke Willson on and he raved about Dan Quinn, but if he hires a coach that excels. He too will leave for the next job because theres always 3 to 6 coaching vacancies a year…
Good interview btw. I caught it on Iheartradio app.. they didnt have puck and jims show in podcast, but they had your interview up.. Not sure why.
Cool, I’ll check out the counter argument. Do you know when he talked about this? Generally what time?
on the podcast they post, its 27 minutes into hour 2.
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/139-the-furness-show-25723929/
Thanks. In fairness, I merely said offense was my preference and then noted in another answer that if the best guy they interview is a defensive guy, they should go for that individual. I think that counter made it sound like I was demanding JS go for a particular type, which wasn’t the case. Also, they mentioned Dan Campbell was an offensive coach. Campbell’s first OC was Anthony Lynn and he produced the 29th best offense. Then they fired Lynn, appointed Johnson, and they have a top-five unit. So clearly there was some significance to the change.
Great spot. You packed a lot of good stuff into the segment, no mucking around.
Constant excellent content on this site is second to none. Cheers
Thanks Darrell!
You always do a great job when you get a chance to be a guest, but your spots with Puck & Jim are hands down my favorites. There is clearly a mutual respect there and it really shows. Look forward to more in the future!
Thank you!
Excellent spot there Rob. I miss KJR. Live in New Mexico now. Thanks for posting this. Puck and Moore make a good pairing. Love the updated website, and looking forward to your content in this new phase of Seahawks football.
Get the IHeartRadio app and you can listen to it anywhere. But when they have the Huskies on you need the GoHuskies App.
They are both free.
Thank you Shane!
Your reasoning and logic might be too good for radio. There aren’t any holes. You have every counter point when they try to play devils advocate or curveball.
Even when you’re sensational suggesting things like Wilson trade or Carroll firing, you end up being right so there’s little to contend.
I know there are varying opinions on the guy, but I really enjoy Joel Klatt radio spots. He’s not a big insider so he doesn’t bring the gossip, but makes clear, logical arguments. He can sound a little pretentious at times and opinions perhaps too firmly held, but overall solid brand.
NFL media should have you at the desk for those London games.
Thanks Denver
I’m excited for this new chapter in Seahawks football. Time for the team to do their due diligence and get the best guy for the job. Falcons already requesting to interview Johnson among a host of others. John better get on it.
I dont think it should be overlooked the amazing job Mike Macdonald has done with the Ravens, in todays NFL. It’s really impressive. Will he make a good head coach? I don’t know that, but I’d really love to get a look at what exactly he’s doing that’s making the Ravens defense so successful. The 49ers is more about top quality players and drafting. What is it abouts Mike’s scheme/coaching that’s working so well?
You’re always good on the radio, but of the times I’ve heard, I think that was the best. Always good to have some low key joking around in addition to the good content.
Thank you Chris
Really nice presentation, Rob. Best one I’ve heard so far. Was impressed with your pacing and your command, validating others before blending back into your perspectives. You gave the positive side of Harbaugh before explaining why it would be a bad idea. Toward the end, you set forth your thoughts on Johnson in a way that didn’t come on too strong but was very convincing. All those guys took it in and I imagine this listening audience did too.
I’m an attorney. I’ve tried cases and led presentations. I’m think, at my best, my presentation skills can be good. I was a impressed and even a bit envious as I listened to your lay out your thoughts. Given that it was extemporaneous, it was all the more impressive.
Thanks man, that’s really nice of you to say. Appreciate it.
Rob has spoken about the (uncanny frankly) parrallels between Arsene Wenger’s tenure at Arsenal in the UK and Pete in Seattle. As a life-long Arsenal fan and a since-2012 Seahawks fan, I have lived and breathed these parallel timelines!
Arsene Wenger was manager at Arsenal for 22 years. For me that meant – while I started supporting Arsenal before he arrived aged 5 or so, as you do over here – all my adult life until he left I didn’t know Arsenal without Arsene Wenger. I can see many fans in Seattle of my age and a bit younger going through that same feeling – big, gut-wrenching change… a life-altering moment in some respects.
Arsene Wenger similarly left an indelible imprint on the football club. He altered the ‘DNA’ of what the club stood for (always a club built on tradition and class and ‘doing things the right way’) – under Arsene Arsenal became known worldwide as a team that played attractive, passing football, with tidy, technical players (not what we had been known for previously!); was a club that was innovative and forward-thinking; and a club that was successful (he was our most ‘winningest’ coach; he led Arsenal to an unbeaten season – something very likely never to be repeated).
In another uncanny parallel with Pete, Arsene was a brilliant player coach – often getting remarkable results out of limited or inexperienced players. He was extremely loyal, never throwing players under the bus (sound familiar?). He was philosophical about the way he spoke about the game – in a different way to Pete, but with a similarly uplifting effect. All of this is to say that the fondness and emotion coming out now is very reminiscent for me of that moment.
The demise was similar too – protracted and painful for the fanbase. Arsene argued that he should stay (and like Pete seemingly wanted to go on for ever). Arsene had been remarkably consistent, qualifying for Champions League football a record streak of years. This has an effect similar to ‘having a winning season’ in the NFL. You are successful to a degree – but you can achieve it without really laying a glove on your rivals or joining a title race. Eventually a streak of seasons where Arsenal were further and further away from being a ‘true contender’ and were getting often heavily beaten by newly retooled rivals – teams like Manchester City and Liverpool, coached by bright young minds with innovative new approaches (all still sounding familiar right??). Arsene seemed to lose his magic touch in the transfer market too (mirroring Pete’s early success with trades that later suffered a reverse). In the end it was enough to reach it’s natural conclusion.
The new coach at Arsenal wasn’t a success (though he has since proved himself to be a good coach with Aston Villa) – just the wrong hire at the wrong time (he didn’t speak great English at the time for one thing). He lasted two seasons. Arsene continued to cast a long shadow over the club as it looked difficult to find someone up to the task of replacing him. There was a lot of apathy and empty seats. We then signed Mikel Arteta – a bright young innovator – and Arsenal are now competitive again and the fanbase has not been so refreshed, upbeat and hopeful as they are now in a decade or more (bar a couple of recent losses lol). So there were bumps, but the sunlit uplands can be reached!
Is there a case that whatever coach comes next will struggle? Do you go for a steady pair of hands to steward you through the first season (a Dan Quinn maybe) – before you take the leap to the bright young innovator? I would say running a football club in the UK that could be a useful thing to factor in. I think things like John Schneider’s contract putting him in something more like ‘win now’ mode would preclude that kind of long-termism a bit and they might skip that stage and go straight for a Ben Johnson. Rip off the bandaid and go for it!
I am sure a Man Utd fan could tell you a similar story about Alex Ferguson being replaced – but then his personality and success more mirrors Belicheck!
Go Hawks.
Great job Rob. I always enjoy your perspective of things with the Seahawks. 710 dropped the ball when they stopped inviting you on, you didn’t fit their rah-rah narrative.
Thanks Don, appreciate it
Probably because Salk came back to 710 maybe? I never really like their shows and when he came back with Brock Huard, its just bland.. ill listen to KJR..
I know he fired Jim Moore from Wyman, dave, and, moore.. he wrote an article in the Tacoma News Tribune about it.. But hes on KJR now 11 to 1 pst “Puck and Jim”
Ben Johnson is the prize. No question about it.
I have said it before. Dan Quinn really does not excite me.
Knowing John Schneider. My guess is that it will be someone not on anyone’s radar.
We will see what happens.
Heard a name today that would chime with this. Won’t share because not sure the person who sent it wants it doing the rounds
At least tell us how you’d react to said name being the coach you damn tease!
I’m doing research on him 😂
I strongly agree with the concept of “safe”. Quinn feels “safe”. He’s known. He will work. He can get along with Schneider.
It’s a safe, not risky choice that feels predestined to result in mediocrity.
I am hoping that Schneider is more focused on a break and on results. We’ve had years when the season’s results did not seem to matter. Years of trying to make something work when a blow up and full rebuild would have been better.
I’d rather have a young, riskier prospect than Quinn. Heck, I’d rather have Harbaugh than Quinn (and I HATE Harbaugh). Because it’s all about winning and going deep in the playoffs. You don’t get there by being “safe”.