holy heck. I just stopped by to read your thoughts if anything about the world cup on a lark and now I have a massive back log of awesome content to get through.
This is great. I love the podcasts and think you and Kenny are great foils for each other. honestly I expected the site to be dark until training camp and now my day off household chores just got a ton better.
This might be an unpopular opinion but I just want to put it out there. I was listening to a podcast series a while ago, and one of the participants is the owner of an insurance firm in Canada. He said that his greatest regret was not firing everyone from the old firm that he took over. The employees that he kept on from the old firm would complain to newer employees how things were better in the old days. This ended up becoming a virus that spread throughout the culture of that firm. New employees started to become resentful even though they had no knowledge or experience in that firm. Yeah, we had more smoke breaks back then, and could get away with charging more time for lunch breaks, etc.
Speaking from personal experience, I can see the difference between those guys who work for my same company who are there to make a few bucks for the summer and those guys who have gone above and beyond because they have found, not only a job, but a company they love.
You can just tell from their enthusiasm from day 1. Fast forward 6 months, and these guys are working incredibly hard, doing it with a great attitude. They have incredible enthusiasm, and they show up every day, tired, exhausted, and at the end of the day, they thank the other guy for helping them out.
This may sound like an off-topic post, but I think it directly relates to Earl. It’s time to bring in new talent. It’s time to move on. I think it’s dangerous to re-sign a player (in this instance) who has been openly saying that he doesn’t care whether he plays for you or someone else. If that is the case, then it’s time to go.
I fundamentally agree with Rob on this point. Earl is making a bad choice.
KD
This is painful to say, but I think that Earl is poisoning the next generation of Seahawks with what he is doing right now. The best option is to move one.
Hawk Eye
in a similar vein, I got advice years ago from someone who said “if you are not sure about an employee, and your gut says to let them go, then get rid of them. You will be right 99% of the time”. I later changed my business model to not have employees because I am not good at managing them, firing them, or dealing with their issues, etc. So I agree that it is probably best to move on from Earl.
BUT, how and when? Crazy to cut him and if no one is offering you anything for him, why trade him?
In this case, it is up to the coaches to decide if his attitude will be ok once he gets back, or if he will be a cancer. In most cases, guys will enjoy being in the locker room and playing the game, being competitive. Sherm and Bennett had to go because they are too outspoken. Every team has guys unhappy with their contract and you cannot get rid of everyone who wants more money.
The other issue is how you deal with him will send a message to everyone else.
so not a simple problem and probably no simple answers.
AlaskaHawk
Rob – I enjoyed the podcast, it puts things in perspective.
With the tough matchup in our division, I’m worried about 49ers getting better. They have a decent quarterback now = so anything is possible. Maybe they are a year or two off, right after the Rams peak and have to pay players higher salaries. Any thoughts on 49ers?
The Rams switch at wide receiver could also be a lot of money tied up in a player who doesn’t fit in. So there is that to hope for.
I think the 49ers are heading in the right direction. I like their coach and Jimmy G will be very interesting to watch this year. I also think, as noted in the podcast, that they’re a year or two away. They don’t have the weapons on offense or the pieces across the defense. And as they progress forward I think the defense has to be the focus for them. I imagine they’ll be competitive next year but how far they can take it is hard to predict.
Rams, I suspect, will be strong. Possibly the strength of the conference. But I have doubts about Goff and the ability of their young coach to handle so many big personalities. There aren’t many ‘all-star’ teams that win the SB. The ones that do are unique and usually self-developed through the draft.
AlaskaHawk
Yes = in the podcast you noted a lot of holes on the 49ers team. I don’t have the time to listen again. It does seem like they could be a contender in another year of two.
Still think the Rams will self destruct once the veterans want their second contracts. Arron Donald being the big question mark. Will they keep him on a 16-20 million/year salary, this is the year to negotiate? He is worth a lot, but those choices affect other parts of the team that you can’t pay for.
I was just reading that the Rams are saving money by removing 3 of 4 starting linebackers. That should make them vulnerable to the running backs coming out of the backfield.
hawkdawg
If he comes back, Earl will play his ass off. I have zero doubt about that.
Not only is it integral to his sense of self, it is essential to his financial success. He simply cannot play poorly and cash in the following year (if we don’t tag him, which is also a possibility if he plays well this year). In fact, he has to play GREAT, because the presumption next year that he’s too old to play big bucks will be even stronger than it is now.
Frankly, the Hawks have the upper hand here, and they are playing it.
Eburgz
very true.
and Earl is using the only leverage he has by holding out. I wish the situation was playing out differently but “it’s a business”. As a hawks fan really not liking his social media comments but he’s his own dude.
Earl only knows one style of play — all out. If he’s on the field next season he’ll give his all. It’s the only way he plays.
AlaskaHawk
I think we are making too much out of a few comments he has made in the off season. Once football starts, he will be there for the Seahawks. Maybe not totally happy, but he is still getting a decent pay day.
Well, we’ll find out soon. He’s never been this aggressive before. Might look like a storm in a tea cup in a few weeks. But for now, we don’t know if he’ll even be out there week one. I hope he realises two weeks into August he can’t win.
Hawktalker#1
Off-topic, but I love the player breakdowns this guy does, especially for the Seahawks. This one is for KJ Wright:
Great tape, thanks. Wright, despite the accolades he has been given is still vastly underrated. He never seems out of position, and he is so efficient in how he moves, and instincts beyond compare.
He has to be mentioned among the very best LB’s we’ve had. And to have him paired with Wagner is a real windfall.
Hawktalker#1
+12
HuggieHawk
Long time reader, first time poster. Just wanted to say thanks for the fantastic blog Rob, and also to all the contributors, thanks for keeping it classy and informative. This blog is a rare thing these days, what with all the hot takes on twitter. I’m looking forward to an improved run game this year, and a lot of new faces. Punter fever! I have no idea if Earl will be there, but if he is he will be Earl, ballin out. I like that he recently posted pics with Russ and the Griffin twins on insta. Oh and I am traveling across the pond for the Hawks game, first time in London, very excited. Kakaw!
Thanks for reading! Can’t wait for training camp to get this rocking again.
Frank
Love the podcast, and also listened to it while knocking out the chore list lol. I agree the 49ers are heading the right direction, and so are the Cardinals IMO. The Rams look a lot like paper champs to me, and not really expected them to win a super bowl, although the will play us tough as hell every time. Earl is gonna be Earl, and either someone pony’s up a legit trade, a second rounder next year from a bad team, throw them a fourth to sweeten the deal, or he plays this year for us, rides the franchise tag next year and resigns for a decent deal or retires 2 years from now. Don’t care and sick of hearing about it, no offense meant of course, and glad to hear your thoughts Rob, just hate seeing Earl get more attention than our Oline-Dline, back up QB, RB or even punter competition. Just to add to the ridiculousness, I’m more concerned about our situation at kicker, than if anyone really wants Earl bad enough to come get him. This is business and the market is clearly saying he isn’t worth what he thinks he’s worth, and no safety really is. Same story for RB being devalued, just it’s Safety’s, right when he’s looking at his last major cash grab. I’m wondering a lot about our Oline and why Fant is competing with Ifedi for right tackle when he should be studying Brown 24-7 and preparing to be the left tackle of the future, given Browns age it’s very likely the future is going to happen this year. Side note, Pioce isn’t a hedge against Britt missing time if he’s a starter already. I wish they’d let guys settle into mastering one position on the line instead of kinda being able to play all 5 spots.
(I too wish the Earl saga would just come to a conclusion one way or another so we can all move on)
Coleslaw
All I know for sure about the Earl situation is I hope we sign Tre Boston by preseason. Earlier the better, lock him into FS and McDougald at SS. The less questions left by Earl’s absence the better. Go get his replacement and tell him nothing has changed, we still dont wanna trade him. He’ll cave. Or exact revenge. Worth a shot
Rob,
I am going to listen to this in a few minutes. I don’t post much but check here daily and love your site!
Thanks Stuart 👍🏻
Rob!
holy heck. I just stopped by to read your thoughts if anything about the world cup on a lark and now I have a massive back log of awesome content to get through.
This is great. I love the podcasts and think you and Kenny are great foils for each other. honestly I expected the site to be dark until training camp and now my day off household chores just got a ton better.
Thanks
Thanks Peter!
This might be an unpopular opinion but I just want to put it out there. I was listening to a podcast series a while ago, and one of the participants is the owner of an insurance firm in Canada. He said that his greatest regret was not firing everyone from the old firm that he took over. The employees that he kept on from the old firm would complain to newer employees how things were better in the old days. This ended up becoming a virus that spread throughout the culture of that firm. New employees started to become resentful even though they had no knowledge or experience in that firm. Yeah, we had more smoke breaks back then, and could get away with charging more time for lunch breaks, etc.
Speaking from personal experience, I can see the difference between those guys who work for my same company who are there to make a few bucks for the summer and those guys who have gone above and beyond because they have found, not only a job, but a company they love.
You can just tell from their enthusiasm from day 1. Fast forward 6 months, and these guys are working incredibly hard, doing it with a great attitude. They have incredible enthusiasm, and they show up every day, tired, exhausted, and at the end of the day, they thank the other guy for helping them out.
This may sound like an off-topic post, but I think it directly relates to Earl. It’s time to bring in new talent. It’s time to move on. I think it’s dangerous to re-sign a player (in this instance) who has been openly saying that he doesn’t care whether he plays for you or someone else. If that is the case, then it’s time to go.
I fundamentally agree with Rob on this point. Earl is making a bad choice.
This is painful to say, but I think that Earl is poisoning the next generation of Seahawks with what he is doing right now. The best option is to move one.
in a similar vein, I got advice years ago from someone who said “if you are not sure about an employee, and your gut says to let them go, then get rid of them. You will be right 99% of the time”. I later changed my business model to not have employees because I am not good at managing them, firing them, or dealing with their issues, etc. So I agree that it is probably best to move on from Earl.
BUT, how and when? Crazy to cut him and if no one is offering you anything for him, why trade him?
In this case, it is up to the coaches to decide if his attitude will be ok once he gets back, or if he will be a cancer. In most cases, guys will enjoy being in the locker room and playing the game, being competitive. Sherm and Bennett had to go because they are too outspoken. Every team has guys unhappy with their contract and you cannot get rid of everyone who wants more money.
The other issue is how you deal with him will send a message to everyone else.
so not a simple problem and probably no simple answers.
Rob – I enjoyed the podcast, it puts things in perspective.
With the tough matchup in our division, I’m worried about 49ers getting better. They have a decent quarterback now = so anything is possible. Maybe they are a year or two off, right after the Rams peak and have to pay players higher salaries. Any thoughts on 49ers?
The Rams switch at wide receiver could also be a lot of money tied up in a player who doesn’t fit in. So there is that to hope for.
I think the 49ers are heading in the right direction. I like their coach and Jimmy G will be very interesting to watch this year. I also think, as noted in the podcast, that they’re a year or two away. They don’t have the weapons on offense or the pieces across the defense. And as they progress forward I think the defense has to be the focus for them. I imagine they’ll be competitive next year but how far they can take it is hard to predict.
Rams, I suspect, will be strong. Possibly the strength of the conference. But I have doubts about Goff and the ability of their young coach to handle so many big personalities. There aren’t many ‘all-star’ teams that win the SB. The ones that do are unique and usually self-developed through the draft.
Yes = in the podcast you noted a lot of holes on the 49ers team. I don’t have the time to listen again. It does seem like they could be a contender in another year of two.
Still think the Rams will self destruct once the veterans want their second contracts. Arron Donald being the big question mark. Will they keep him on a 16-20 million/year salary, this is the year to negotiate? He is worth a lot, but those choices affect other parts of the team that you can’t pay for.
I was just reading that the Rams are saving money by removing 3 of 4 starting linebackers. That should make them vulnerable to the running backs coming out of the backfield.
If he comes back, Earl will play his ass off. I have zero doubt about that.
Not only is it integral to his sense of self, it is essential to his financial success. He simply cannot play poorly and cash in the following year (if we don’t tag him, which is also a possibility if he plays well this year). In fact, he has to play GREAT, because the presumption next year that he’s too old to play big bucks will be even stronger than it is now.
Frankly, the Hawks have the upper hand here, and they are playing it.
very true.
and Earl is using the only leverage he has by holding out. I wish the situation was playing out differently but “it’s a business”. As a hawks fan really not liking his social media comments but he’s his own dude.
No doubt Earl balls out when he hits the field.
Earl only knows one style of play — all out. If he’s on the field next season he’ll give his all. It’s the only way he plays.
I think we are making too much out of a few comments he has made in the off season. Once football starts, he will be there for the Seahawks. Maybe not totally happy, but he is still getting a decent pay day.
Well, we’ll find out soon. He’s never been this aggressive before. Might look like a storm in a tea cup in a few weeks. But for now, we don’t know if he’ll even be out there week one. I hope he realises two weeks into August he can’t win.
Off-topic, but I love the player breakdowns this guy does, especially for the Seahawks. This one is for KJ Wright:
https://youtu.be/PlIGp4zh8dQ
Great tape, thanks. Wright, despite the accolades he has been given is still vastly underrated. He never seems out of position, and he is so efficient in how he moves, and instincts beyond compare.
He has to be mentioned among the very best LB’s we’ve had. And to have him paired with Wagner is a real windfall.
+12
Long time reader, first time poster. Just wanted to say thanks for the fantastic blog Rob, and also to all the contributors, thanks for keeping it classy and informative. This blog is a rare thing these days, what with all the hot takes on twitter. I’m looking forward to an improved run game this year, and a lot of new faces. Punter fever! I have no idea if Earl will be there, but if he is he will be Earl, ballin out. I like that he recently posted pics with Russ and the Griffin twins on insta. Oh and I am traveling across the pond for the Hawks game, first time in London, very excited. Kakaw!
Thanks for reading! Can’t wait for training camp to get this rocking again.
Love the podcast, and also listened to it while knocking out the chore list lol. I agree the 49ers are heading the right direction, and so are the Cardinals IMO. The Rams look a lot like paper champs to me, and not really expected them to win a super bowl, although the will play us tough as hell every time. Earl is gonna be Earl, and either someone pony’s up a legit trade, a second rounder next year from a bad team, throw them a fourth to sweeten the deal, or he plays this year for us, rides the franchise tag next year and resigns for a decent deal or retires 2 years from now. Don’t care and sick of hearing about it, no offense meant of course, and glad to hear your thoughts Rob, just hate seeing Earl get more attention than our Oline-Dline, back up QB, RB or even punter competition. Just to add to the ridiculousness, I’m more concerned about our situation at kicker, than if anyone really wants Earl bad enough to come get him. This is business and the market is clearly saying he isn’t worth what he thinks he’s worth, and no safety really is. Same story for RB being devalued, just it’s Safety’s, right when he’s looking at his last major cash grab. I’m wondering a lot about our Oline and why Fant is competing with Ifedi for right tackle when he should be studying Brown 24-7 and preparing to be the left tackle of the future, given Browns age it’s very likely the future is going to happen this year. Side note, Pioce isn’t a hedge against Britt missing time if he’s a starter already. I wish they’d let guys settle into mastering one position on the line instead of kinda being able to play all 5 spots.
No offense taken, thanks for listening.
(I too wish the Earl saga would just come to a conclusion one way or another so we can all move on)
All I know for sure about the Earl situation is I hope we sign Tre Boston by preseason. Earlier the better, lock him into FS and McDougald at SS. The less questions left by Earl’s absence the better. Go get his replacement and tell him nothing has changed, we still dont wanna trade him. He’ll cave. Or exact revenge. Worth a shot
If Earl leaves, it’s time for them to trust the young players they drafted. Delano Hill, Tedric Thompson — they need their shot.
I agree they need their shot. I may have jumped the gun a bit but if they look underwhelming in camp it could be a possibility
Apparently he’s told the owner of the Raiders to ‘come get me’ recently as well.
Ugh.