The Seahawks are in a position they’ve only really been in for one year since the turn of the century. Mike Holmgren was the ‘big show’ in Seattle. Pete Carroll, equally, defined everything about the team.
This hasn’t been a franchise where the GM wields the most influence, power and carries the identity. In recent history it’s only happened in 2009, when Tim Ruskell got his way and ran the operation with Jim Mora as his coach. It lasted a year, before both Ruskell and Mora were ousted.
When Carroll’s departure was announced it was revealed that John Schneider would be leading the search for a new coach. It stands to reason that the Seahawks won’t be big-game hunting, landing a name that almost becomes bigger than anything else to do with the team. Not unless they appoint Jim Harbaugh or Bill Belichick, which doesn’t seem likely.
This is the most interesting aspect of discovering who the new coach will be. It’ll tell us everything about Schneider and his vision. What are the Seahawks going to look like? Will it be similar to the previous 14 years? Will it be completely different?
Listening to the various NFL insiders, most are convinced Dan Quinn will be the next Head Coach. Mike Garafolo was on KJR yesterday and almost made it seem like a formality, suggesting he’d possibly been waiting for the gig all along. Ian Rapoport was on Pat McAfee and said the same thing: “I’ve always thought Dan Quinn was waiting for Seattle and he’s a really strong candidate.” He added there was mutual interest between team and coach.
Garofolo mentioned that the coaching candidate I wrote about yesterday, Ben Johnson, has been in talks with the 49ers’ assistant GM Adam Peters to be a double-act for next season. Peters has today been appointed as the Washington Commanders’ new GM and the feeling is he and Johnson — considered by many to be the main coaching prize in this cycle — will work together. Thus, Johnson could well be a non-starter.
I get the impression Quinn’s arrival is increasingly inevitable. It’s not just Garafolo and Rapoport. Adam Schefter made the connection between Quinn and the Seahawks immediately. So did Albert Breer. Ed Werder, who is well connected in Dallas, has repeatedly said Quinn to Seattle was a distinct possibility one day.
Having noted the ‘no smoke without fire’ angle as the basis for insisting we should talk about the Russell Wilson trade saga and Carroll’s potential departure this year, it would be hypocritical to not acknowledge that all signs point to Quinn. No other candidates are being touted. This tweet from Jeff Howe is the only resistance I’ve seen on the Quinn-to-Seattle talk.
Given it’s also since been revealed that Schneider had been tasked with reviewing potential Carroll replacements before the end of the season, it’s possible the Seahawks already know exactly who they want. If they’re focusing on one man, they don’t need to put in multiple interview requests like other teams. We’ve seen no reports of requests so far (although they will eventually come because the Seahawks have to speak to different candidates, even if it’s only to comply with the Rooney Rule).
Quinn is highly respected. I messaged an ex-Seahawk this week to ask about him. He was described as the most seamless option, a great communicator and someone with a phenomenal ability to connect to his players. He felt Quinn would really improve the defense and could work with some of the pieces Seattle has.
I’d read somewhere that Vulcan traditionally go by the ‘no first time CEO’ rule with appointments, although if that’s even true it might merely be a preference given they hired an inexperienced coach in Portland. Even so, hiring a rookie Head Coach might not be the plan. They might be pressing on Schneider, although I hope not, that they want some level of experience.
There’s a method to that thought process. As much as I want to see someone like Ben Johnson get a shot at this, there’s an element of the unknown. You could end up with a Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan. You could also end up with a Nathaniel Hackett or Brandon Staley. I personally don’t think you can allow fear to dictate any decision on your next Head Coach. If the next guy doesn’t work out, just move on like they did with Mora. Ownership may feel differently.
There is some evidence that second-time coaches benefit from past experience. Holmgren and Carroll are good examples. So too are Bill Belichick in New England and Andy Reid in Kansas City. Even Dan Campbell had 12 games as interim Head Coach in Miami prior to joining Detroit.
You can also point to plenty of second-timers who underwhelm and fail. At the moment, Dennis Allen doesn’t seem to be fairing that much better than he did with the Raiders. The point is though, you can well imagine a GM or ownership having a preference for someone with experience.
It would also make sense for Schneider to go with someone he knows very well. This has to work. He doesn’t know how many chances he’ll get to appoint a coach. If the new guy fails, will he be making the replacement hire? It’s critical that he appoints someone he knows he can work closely with.
Let’s say he goes with a coach he has no prior relationship with. They may not ‘clash’ but they also might not see eye to eye. I can imagine when a relationship becomes strained between a GM and coach, life can be pretty miserable.
If Schneider goes out and gives someone their chance, it might create a loyalty bond that prevents any issues down the line. Schneider would be ‘the boss’ and therefore, his say is final. You get the gist though. If you have to live in each other’s pockets, you want it to be with someone you know you won’t want to strangle.
Quinn would undoubtedly fit the bill as someone who could work with Schneider. His reputation has been enhanced in Dallas and he has the CEO qualities as a leader that you look for. They obviously know each other very well.
There are other angles to consider, though.
Firstly, while it’s important for Schneider to identify someone he knows he can work with, he also needs someone he truly believes will deliver top-end results. It’s no good being great friends with the coach if you aren’t winning. That’s another sure-fire way to ensure your own position is in jeopardy.
Quinn’s record in Atlanta was not impressive without Kyle Shanahan. He had a 24-29 record without him. His defensive units were consistently average. I’m sure if they appoint Quinn they’ll say he’s a coach who has taken a team to the Super Bowl and it’ll be promoted as a great positive. It feels deceptive. Shanahan’s offense was electric in 2016, turning Matt Ryan into the unexpected NFL MVP. We’ve since seen what a Shanahan offense can do in San Francisco.
With Steve Sarkisian and Dirk Koetter running the offense, things fell apart. If the Quinn appointment is so completely tied to getting the offensive coordinator right, is he actually the right person to appoint?
This is the issue with hiring a defensive coach. Frequently, they’re only as good as the offensive coordinator and quarterback.
Mike Tomlin had to fire his offensive coordinator this year and Kenny Pickett looks very average. Give him a great play-caller and a better quarterback and the Steelers might be as strong as the Ravens. Would Belichick still be the Patriots coach if he wasn’t floundering to replace Josh McDaniels and if Mac Jones had worked out?
Can Quinn be brilliant in Seattle without an all-star offensive play-caller and a great quarterback? How do you find those two things? If they don’t get either right, are we just going to see what happened in Atlanta? 24-29.
Admittedly an offensive Head Coach will need a long-term answer at quarterback too but if he’s scheming a great offense, that’s half the equation with no danger they’ll be poached by another team.
Does John Schneider truly believe that Quinn walking through the door gives the Seahawks the best chance to eventually contend again for Championships? Is he going to be able to go toe-to-toe with Shanahan and McVay in the division?
When the Cowboys played the Niners this season, they lost 42-10 and gave up 410 yards of offense and 170 rushing yards. They did, however, thrash the Rams 43-20 in a game where Matt Stafford injured his thumb in the first half. The Rams managed only 280 total yards.
The other thing that gives me pause on Quinn is Schneider’s background in Green Bay. Look at the Packers’ recent history. Holmgren, Mike McCarthy and Matt LaFleur. All offensive coaches.
Ron Wolf is often cited as a big influence on Schneider. He appointed three coaches — Holmgren, Ray Rhodes and Mike Sherman. Of the three, Rhodes is the only defensive minded coach.
I had a look at what happened around that appointment. Rhodes replaced Holmgren in 1999. Wolf was reportedly a big fan of his coaching style and nobody else was interviewed for the position. He only lasted one year though, going 8-8, before being fired amid accusations of underachieving. Sherman, an offensive coach, replaced him.
I don’t know if this will have any bearing on Schneider’s decision. On the one hand, Wolf was a fan of Rhodes and went with him. He also clearly felt he made a mistake and had to correct it 12 months later. Then he went back to an offensive guy.
Green Bay’s identity for a long time now has been an offensive coach and a legendary quarterback. That’s the glamour surrounding the Packers. I’ve always felt Schneider was very much part of that DNA. There’s always a bit of excitement in his voice when he talks about quarterbacks. He rightly takes a lot of pride in his evaluation of Russell Wilson. Who else was letting the national reporters know immediately after Patrick Mahomes was drafted by Kansas City that Seattle really rated him? I get the sense — although will never be able to confirm — that Schneider’s favourite part of the job is scouting quarterbacks.
Going with Quinn as Head Coach won’t undermine that but I just think there’s at least a possibility that Schneider will want to use what has worked for Green Bay for so long — getting an offensive Head Coach and pairing them with a great quarterback. I suspect his plan for the team will include drafting that QB either this year or next.
There’s a counter to that thought too. Garofolo, who I sense is well connected to Schneider based on his reporting over the years, also said on KJR yesterday that the offensive coaches have been well mined over the years and there aren’t many quality options left. If Johnson is destined to go to Washington and if Harbaugh isn’t a consideration, it may simply be that the Seahawks think their best bet is to go with a defensive guy because the ones available are more talented coaches.
That’s a tough pill to swallow though. For example, the top-10 offenses per DVOA are all playoff teams. The only two not coached by an offensive mind are Baltimore and Buffalo and those two teams have Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. Four of the top-10 defensive teams are not in the playoffs — the Jets, Jaguars, Patriots and Raiders. Those teams rank 32nd, 18th, 29th and 27th offensively. They all have great performing defenses and they’re all let down by the offense.
The Seahawks might need to fix their defense as a pressing concern but what is the best way to do that? Is it to try and make the defensive side of the ball your identity through your Head Coach? Or is it to get a base level of competence to complement an offense that could be highly explosive with DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Tyler Lockett, Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet?
What is the best way to achieve that highly explosive offense? Is it to appoint an offensive minded Head Coach? Or is to try and find an offensive coordinator acting as a QB coach somewhere attractive in a Shane Waldron-style experiment?
For the reasons I laid out yesterday, I think they should go all-in on Ben Johnson. I think there’s ample evidence within that article explaining why. I think he’d be an ideal fit to work with the tools in Seattle because they’re similar to what he has in Detroit. Sadly, it seems like he’s far more likely to be heading to Washington.
If he’s unavailable and if the Seahawks don’t want to roll the dice on someone like Bob Slowik, they don’t actually have that many obvious offensive options. They could speak to a Brian Callahan or an Alex Van Pelt. They might just feel that candidates like Quinn, Brian Flores, Mike Macdonald and Raheem Morris are superior Head Coaching options.
I’m not convinced any of those names are of the standard of Shanahan and McVay and that’s the concerning thing. It’s why I’m totally open to Harbaugh if he’s an option because love him or loathe him, the guy can coach. He would scare the NFC West to death. He’d love to play the Niners twice a year. I just think it’s about as likely as Darrell Bevell being the next Head Coach.
Thus, I’ll go full circle, this is perhaps why Quinn — to the national reporters at least — feels like a shoe-in. A safe bet.
Is that what the Seahawks need to restart after the Carroll era though? Something ‘safe’? And isn’t ‘safe’ another way of saying ‘unremarkable’?
Plus how much does Schneider want a continuity candidate, versus complete change? I think more than anything right now the franchise needs a jolt — not just a slightly different version of Carroll.
Two final points. Adam Schefter’s report at the weekend noting Jerry Jones doesn’t want to lose Quinn and could fire Mike McCarthy in order to keep him has to be noted. If McCarthy loses to the Packers this weekend, that could happen. It doesn’t mean Quinn would necessarily choose Dallas over Seattle. It’d be interesting to know which job he’d prefer. It does feel, however, like Jones is fretting about his coaching setup.
It’s interesting that Mike Sando made reference to McCarthy having strong connections to the Seahawks front office, namely Schneider. When McCarthy was still in Green Bay, a report surfaced that Schneider was his ‘preferred choice’ to replace Ted Thompson as GM.
If McCarthy is fired by Dallas in favour of Quinn, could he be an option for Schneider?
They have a connection. He’s not a first-time Head Coach. He’s offensive-minded. He’s from the Green Bay DNA. It won’t get the juices flowing among Seahawks fans but I guess you could maybe see it happening?
Finally, I think Jason Puckett made a good point on KJR yesterday. It could be someone left-field who nobody is talking about. That has often been the way in the draft with Schneider and it could be with the Head Coaching search.
That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. It’s not like Sean McVay was a household name before emerging as a candidate for the Rams. Ditto John Harbaugh when he got the Ravens job or Mike McDaniel in Miami. They were all in the league but people weren’t demanding their favourite team go and get them.
It’s going to be an interesting few weeks although, to go full circle, it does sound a lot like Quinn could be their guy.
Interesting to read, would really puke if Mccarthy was the hire, or Harbough for that matter, which thankfully is not realistic as Rob explained,
With regards to the first time CEO, Blazers appointed Chauncey Billups in 2021 as their HC, when he previously was only an assistant to HC at the Clippers organization. So there is that.
Interesting, it would probably help if I knew anything about the NBA 😂
You have to pretend you do, Rob, otherwise you become a fraud wearing that beautiful Supersonics hat :)))
😂
This is a very disappointing development. Hopefully he gets his coordinators right. But then they will leave for HC jobs.
Kudos on calling the ousting of PC. I never thought they would pull the trigger because I thought they were clueless.
I agree that this doesn’t seem like the evolution that will keep pace with the league. The best scheming coordinators can mimic Pete’s philosophy – leveraging a player focused atmosphere. But the philosophy guys can’t keep the best scheme coordinators around, because they leave for HC jobs. The current meta seems like you need the HC to be the schemer, because then they don’t get poached.
Is Quinn the schemer you need? I don’t know enough to answer that question. Seems to me like if you’re going to hire Pete’s protoge, just keep Pete.
Quinn is a clear and obvious upgrade over Pete because he has shown the willingness to let a talented OC have autonomy. I suspect that he got lucky to have KS rather than that he knows how to hire coordinators, but at the very least, if he does hire a good one, he will let he or she do work, which Pete was incapable of.
Quinn’s work without KS and without elite defensive talent suggests that he is not a guy that elevates which, as you suggest, is just another version of Pete in that respect.
Pete is making a fool of himself, and continuing to insult the intelligence of not only the fan base, but basically everyone who isn’t Pete, by insisting he has a precise and actionable plan to not only fix what is wrong but to make it perfect, but was not allowed to move forward because the decision makers aren’t ’football people’. If only the people who cover the game for a living or the fans who spend an inordinate amount of time paying attention to game had the intelligence and experience enough, then he could make us see what he sees, that his plan is the one right way.
I guess the last 7 years of consistently poor defensive performance just aren’t enough time to manifest that ‘perfection’ despite the resources thrown at that side of the ball. Or the career averageness of his record without Wilson, an NFL lifetime of consistent, vanilla mediocrity that was only interrupted for one shining, golden, but ultimately disappointingly short span following a series of drafts touched by the hand of god and proven to be pure luck because they have never come close to replicating them, and the emergence of a qb who has led the league since entering it in delivering at the end of games.
It doesn’t take a Pavarotti to know when the singer is off key and the appointment of Quinn would be a clear sign that Pete is right about one thing; the people making decisions aren’t football people with a clear vision of how to succeed in the modern NFL, but rather just plain intelligent enough folk to grow tired of the wool being pulled over their eyes.
Please let it be MacDonald if it’s gonna be a defensive guy.
+1
+2
+3
If Johnson lands in Washington, he’ll want to run his own style of offense. This means Bieniemy is out of there. Maybe we should roll a dice with him instead of depending on who we hire as OC if the current one works and levels up.
He has no interview offers currently. It seems pretty clear there’s a reason teams, en masse, are staying away from him as a Head Coach
I’ve noticed that too. I guess we’ll find out if Schneider is the one having his own way of looking at things and betting on an underdog.
There’s got to be something about him. To have his success and nothing? Players don’t like him, but the Chiefs are lamenting at losing him. And some of the best aren’t liked. Supposedly he doesn’t interview well.
I know he’s had a lot of personal problems, from clear back when he coached at Colorado. Not sure if it’s a fear teams are having or what. It’s just very, very odd.
His name gets dragged in the mud by people in the NFL. On his podcast, Mike Dugar mentions Bieniemy is not spoken highly and he has 0 buzz around the league. Dugar talked to some around the team and got the impression is Bieniemy is not likely a candidate.
If no one wants him as a HC, maybe Quinn (if he is selected) would bring him in as OC, since he seems pretty solid there.
Not excited by the idea of Dan Quinn being the Head Coach, but if he is and Bieniemy is superfluous in Washington and not hired as a Head Coach, perhaps he’d come and be our OC in Seattle?
I’ve thought about that too, Julian. Not sure how their personalities would mix, but you would have two proven coaches on both sides of the ball. I think most of us prefer Ben Johnson, but I don’t think the Quinn/Bieniemy combo would be a bad consolation prize.
Doesn’t it feel fairly predestined that Bieniemy is going back to the chiefs?
Good point, but on horizontal moves certainly money talks. If it includes a big voice in ghe next QB (which aint at thing in KC) then maybe SEA is just more exciting.
Maybe a good OC sees a lot more in the SEA OL than has been showing up on game day (cause we all know they kill it in practise on both sides of the ball) .
So, a voice in a new QB selection, a D minded HC who wont be in your hair, solid skill positions to work with, and a Vulcan outbid?
Quinn Biennemy. Hmmm
If Quinn still has a good relationship with Kellen Moore and brings him as his OC I would like to see that. Otherwise Dan “prevent defense” Quinn is of no interest to me as Seahawks HC.
Other than Moore was let go for not running the ball. Which was a problem that we had this last year.
Moore isn’t good he’ll just be Waldron 2.0 no thanks
Long time reader, first time posting. First let me say thank you for all your effort & hard work with the site Rob! It is the best Hawks site out there. Your knowledge & fair balance on looking at the Hawks is amazing. It’s pretty amazing how often you are right on with the Hawks & the draft!
I’m hopefully at this point that the front office will give John the authority to make his hire. I get that the national pundits are saying it will be Quinn, but almost all them have been saying how shocking it is that Pete is out which has been the conversation on this site for at least 2-3 years already. So hopefully the front office will continue to be bold. I would love to see any of the upcoming offensive minds you’ve listed & am just kind of ho hum on Quinn. But if it is Quinn my hope would be it’s because he is the best candidate that interviewed the best & had the best plan to bring a championship & not just because he’s familiar. Also, if it’s a defensive coach they need to have an eye for talent in coordinators with the idea they can bring in or promote quality coordinators to continue success. If there was a downfall to Pete’s coaching this was probably it as it sounded like he was probably loyal to a fault with his guys. I’m also bracing & trying to keep an open mind to the fact it could really be somebody out of left field because that kind of feels like a John possibility. Props to Pete for all he’s done, but what an exciting time to be a Hawks fan again. Once again thanks for all you do Rob!!
Thanks for reading! (and posting for the first time)
Great write up!
What about Harbaugh, with Bevell as OC?!
I have a lot of thoughts after reading, but wanted to tag something that is hugging me about the Quinn talk.
Dan Quinn doesn’t really make sense to me as an outsider.
Why fire Pete Carroll to hire Pirate Pete? Quinn is a more modern and creative defensive mind, he is younger, but the similarities are striking. I had envisioned Quinn as the eventual successor to Carroll in 2025, before so many of the shortcomings that lead to Carroll’s departure became apparent.
It doesn’t really make sense.
===
I still think the coincidences with Ben Johnson are many, and he isn’t married to the Commies until he is.
It is clear that the Seahawks had someone in mind already, but who?
In doing my own research I found that Bob Slowik (Bobby’s dad) worked on the same staff as Schneider.
Focusing on left field, former CEO, qualifications Brian Flores jumps to the front of the line, Todd Monken was a college Head Coach, Matt Campbell, Ryan Day,
He isn’t — but when someone as well sourced as Garofolo reveals he’s actively been chatting to Washington’s likely new GM for weeks about working as a double act, it’s heading one way at that stage
Perhaps this was the urgency behind the Pete announcement then? Had to make it official so that a preferred candidate doesn’t go making a commitment to another team without hearing the Seahawks out?
Can you clarify what you mean by “double act”? I haven’t heard that expression in this context before.
I think Quinn with a an up and comer as OC makes perfect sense to me. It’s the path that got the Falcons to the SB.
While Quinn brings many of the features of Carroll with him, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’d take a younger Pete Carroll any day. I think it was truly age that got to Pete. He lost the ability to fix problems and be ruthless. Having a younger mind in there working with the defense is all I can ask for. The key will be getting the OC and QB right. Hopefully Schneider could help with that.
With an offensive HC, you still need to get the DC right. You still need to get the QB right. Look at how the Rams foundered with Stafford out last year. Even the great McVay could coax a winning record with his scheme alone. And even Shanahan has struggled when the QB situation goes south despite a great scheme and defense.
To me it comes down to Ben Johnson (the best young talent), Quinn (Experience and familiarity), Harbaugh (Most competitive). Or in typical Schneiderian fashion it will be someone from left field no one has heard of.
Exciting times nonetheless.
Fantastic article, Rob. I don’t know when you sleep!
Also, the Pats just named Mayo their guy over Vrabel. Interesting….
https://x.com/nfl/status/1745802628179574899?s=46&t=jJY5PzfRfqxlTnRLJklz5g
I guess the next natural move is to trade for Will Levis.
I regret that I read this comment on two separate passes through before I got what you were going for. I feel deep shame.
This really surprises me. Vrabel to where now?
Pittsburgh?
If Tomlin does something weird like retire I see that.
I think Vrabel to Philly if they get bounced this weekend. Philly’s team is essentially what the titans should have been with a better GM.
I have had very little sleep this week! All fun though
fwiw, Daniel Jeremiah threw out the name Jim Schwartz as a possibility.
SB experience and a great record agains Shanahan.
Wouldn’t hate it. Assuming he could bring in a legit OC.
I would. Good grief are we just destined to always be pigeon-holed with “insert this old defensive coach who got fired?”
Belichick, Vrabel, Quinn, and now Schwartz?
Jeremiah has troubles with his drafting day job, I’m not worried about his opinions.
This is such a great comment.
Shouldn’t he be already working his job right now.
Yeah I was going to ask on this. Seams somewhat like Quinn in experience and maybe an immediate matchup improvement vs SF.
Still probably prefer offense but Schwartz seems to have the better defensive resume.
Rob – Your content has been off the hook the last week (and for years as well). This is such an exciting time, and it’s fantastic to have deep, thoughtful articles compared to the dreck in most other media.
What would be your take on a Quinn/Bieniemy combo? Dan could get the defense up to snuff while perhaps keeping Bieniemy from pissing off too many people?
I’m not sure to be honest on that one. I think 10 weeks ago I would’ve been down. But things spiralled out of control in Washington and the fact the league seems to be really put off by something to do with Bieniemy has to be noted. How good is he? I’m not sure.
Thanks for the kind words about the blog. It does mean a lot — all of the feedback. It’s been a very busy week and it’s nice to know people have enjoyed the content (and there’s more to come!)
I know it’s probably unfair to Quin, but it would feel like another Mora hiring to me. Just vanilla.
yes the goal is to ultimately win the Super Bowl, but in the short term, the goal has to be to turn the table on the 49rs and Rams. We have to get to a place where, at the very least, our matchups are viewed as a coin flip.
It’s hard to imagine us getting there by somehow turning this defense into the strength of the team. That feels like swimming against the current. At some point you just need to put the division on their heels and score points at a greater clip than them. I don’t see Quin as the guy that’s going to do that.
Not sure Quinn has even proven he can do that. Flip a defense around.
It’s very hard to imagine Quinn’s Seahawks standing above McVay and Shanahan
They have elite level coaches, we must find one
I’ll be so disappointed if it’s Quinn. He seems like a great guy, but he’s done nothing. He was part of the defensive staff for the LOB, but who wouldn’t have succeeded with a great defensive mind at HC and a bunch of hall of fame level players on rookie contracts? He coached the Falcons to extreme mediocrity when Shanahan wasn’t there. The Cowboys defense has been fine, but they’ve also got several superstar players on rookie contracts and they got the doors blown off by the 49ers.
I hated to see Pete go because he’s such a lovable person, but I understand the football necessity of it. Pete had a crazy high floor but the best chance at a Super Bowl is with a fresh innovative new voice. I grant that. But to see him fired only to bring in a mediocre defensive retread just because he used to work here would be a crime.
What a roller coaster week. I’m not trying to be harsh on Quinn, the man deserves another chance. But why fire Pete to hire the closest thing? The problem with hiring any defensive coach is, as Rob said, you are tied to whoever is running the offense. Do you only get one good year if it all works out? Like when Quinn had Shanahan?
This is just pretty underwhelming, the rumors and reporting so far. I really don’t know how Quinn makes the team any better long-term. The defense would probably pic up (after switching BACK to a 4-3), but the offense… Feels like more of what we just wanted to get rid of. Not taking into what John would do, but would Quinn want to stick with Geno? Hedge the offense and focus on defense?
What a week.
Bluntly I rarely pay attention to what the national media thinks Seattle is going to do. Watching a lot of coverage to me its pretty evident that Seattle is a brighter, shinier version of the team from South Alaska still.
Bill to Atlanta!? Oh my!! And on and on.
But old dopey Seattle is just going to get a guy who was once in the building. I mean this is the org that landed Holmgren to kick off a new era and then brought a failed NFL coach with his goofy sunny vibes from LA to the PNW to kick ass and take names for a few years.
“I’d read somewhere that Vulcan traditionally go by the ‘no first time CEO’ rule with appointments. Hiring a rookie Head Coach might not be the plan. They might be pressing on Schneider, although I hope not, that they want some level of experience.”
You’ve referenced what happened in Portland with the Blazers (moving on from a long-time coach who couldn’t get the over the hump). When replacing him they did bring in a very inexperienced coach (a former highly regarded player but one year of coaching experience I believe).
Schneider may be leading the search & is comfortable with Quinn but maybe ownership is ready to take a chance on a first-time CEO. We’ll see.
Is it a red flag that SEA hasn’t requested permission to interview other candidates though? Quinn very well may be the guy (handshake agreement?) but shouldn’t they be doing their due diligence?
I flip it around. Quinn to me feels very much like the Vulcan move other than the Schneider move.
For a guy who has his doubts about Schneider I’d like to think ( imagine?, pretend?) That with all his connections he’d have multiple ideas who he would want besides one guy with no clear guarantee that he’s available.
I mean, that got thrown out the window when that group hired Chauncey Billups.
Yep, others have pointed that out. I may have to edit that bit of the article
Billups also has a coaching record of 72-129 which may support their “no first time CEO” stance that you mentioned.
Quite possibly
Rob,
Billups’ lack of success for the TrailBlazers may reinforce the “no first time CEO” instincts. The Blazers got blown out by 62 points yesterday. They are a young team, but Billups is far from a clear winner as a selection.
What about schottenheimer?
I think we may have only just gotten his musk out of the carpet in his former office. Pass.
In all honesty, I’m ready for someone not connected to the team
Quinn, Schotty, Canalos
We wouldn’t be talking about them IMO if they hadn’t been here before
For sure. I wanted to move on from Pete to get to something completely new. Let’s leave the past in the past, please.
Hiring quinn means we will continue to hear about the LOB for time eternity
Keep up the pursuit on Johnson. If Belichick can take the Jets job and quit after a day to head to the Pats, no reason to think we couldn’t knock Ben’s socks off with an offer, no matter how much time he’s potentially put in with his preferred choice of GM to take with him to WSH.
Also, how is open collusion between the OC of one team in the playoffs and a front office employee from another playoff team (in the same Conference!) just casually announced without any push back from the league? Isn’t that burying the lede in that story?
As far as the Hawks’ options, I’d be ENORMOUSLY disappointed in Schneider if he waited patiently for 14 years to be the decision maker, finally got the title…. and then, crapped out Dan Quinn. If Quinn does get the HC job in Seattle, that smells more of ownership giving John full control of the roster but with the understanding that THEY would be picking their own HC.
Dan seems a good guy and a capable leader of defensive players but nothing about him screams innovative or capable of finding a “hidden gem” OC. Blah.
💯
You do know that Schneider knows Quinn better than any candidate out there and certainly better than you or I. If he picks Quinn it will be because he truly believes he can work with the man and the man can get it done.
I think many people get enamoured with the bird in the bush vs the bird in hand. Dan Quinn and Kyle Shanahan have both lost a SB as the pinnacle of their HC resume. But getting there is something none of these young guys have ever done.
I’m not saying Quinn should be the choice. I trust John to know whether Quinn is the kind of HC to get things done. But I don’t think there really is a lot of evidence to support an offensive vs defensive HC. They both need good QB’s and good coordinators to win. And of course all the other horses. That’s the real building project. Solidifying the lines and drafting the QBOTF.
“Schneider knows Quinn better than any candidate out there and certainly better than (SMYH) or I.” –Mad Dog
Keeping it more or less in-house and sticking with the familiar is the last thing a savvy Hawk fan should want. It’s not about which candidate provides the most familiarity; often, the more familiar choice is merely the one who’s most adept at preserving the status quo. No one could pragmatically suggest that Schneider should take Quinn over all comers because he knows Quinn best—nor because he knows Quinn better than a couple of SDB posters.
“If he picks Quinn it will be because he truly believes he can work with the man and the man can get it done.” –Mad Dog
Insert Captain Obvious .gif here.
If Ben Johnson is the guy, make him an offer he can’t refuse.
Still probably knowing more about Ass’ Football than American football, I’d refer to Sir Alex Ferguson who was a master of pinching players from under the noses of other clubs, he did it with Cantona and Keane, though the tables were turned on him unfortunately with Gascoigne going off to Spurs. I’m not a Man United fan (in the least), though I think Gascoigne would have had a more productive career at Man United.
I don’t think Quinn will match up well with Shanahan or McVey schematically, unfortunately. If Ben Johnson has the presence, an aura of a Head Coach and it shows during interviews, then I think he might have the schemes to compete with the 49ers and Rams. This weekends offensive matchup of the Lions and Rams is going to be fascinating in that regard. A division with Shanahan, McVey and Johnson, 6 confrontations a year, that would be salivating!
“If Ben Johnson is the guy, make him an offer he can’t refuse.” –Julian
Yeah, I suppose they could try that.
… However, committing equicide by decapitation and then slipping the blood-soaked head into Ben Johnson’s sheets while he sleeps does pose a clear question: Which is Johnson’s most prized horse? Does he even have horses?
I don’t know. Seems kinda risky.
This article has more meat and thoughtful reasoning than anything else out there right now.
Great writeup Rob.
💯
Thanks man, I appreciate you saying that
Rob, I’m not trying to go down the religious rabbit hole but thought it was worth mentioning because it’s been mentioned online.
Dan Quinn and John went to the same church services together every single week when they were in Seattle. They both speak equally about their religious beliefs and it likely is a strong bonding point. John has also mentioned having familiarity in the scouting community with certain college coaches and between this and faith it could make DQ the clear frontrunner.
Again, not climbing down the rabbit hole. Just wanted to provide some additional reasoning for why DQ is a stronger consideration outside of the fact that he coached here before.
If this is accurate, I don’t think bringing it up here is out of bounds. Rob has mentioned before that part of John’s perceived appeal towards Quinn Ewers was his religious leaning, if not only his QB skill. I can’t think of a less important qualification in a potential HC than his spiritual/dogmatic bent. His football success and his ability to help young players unlock their physical traits with applicable football knowledge should be traits A and B.
Playing devils advocate (is this ironic? man I struggle with what irony is haha) but seeing how many of not only the best, but just sheer amount, are very strong in their faiths, having a coach that shares that faith IS a really strong factor in helping young players unlock their physical traits. Maybe that is how JS sees it. Maybe he sees it as an undervalued and overlooked but massively important variable.
Counter: that seems like it would only apply if everyone flowed in the same direction.
I dont disagree, im just giving a perspective on it.
The only pushback to ewers/quinn I can give is seemingly 1/2 to 3/4’s of all North American athletes and coaches have fairly strong beliefs so I don’t think this is altogether that compelling of an argument.
It’s certainly a data point. But totally agree the most important metric is can we win not who the gm can go to Sunday services with.
Ewers is overrated
Hardly overrated. Nobody really talks about him.
As someone who has watched all his games I’d say he’s underrated. That UW performance was way better than people think
I think it’s a good point to bring up because it speaks to how close John and DQ are
Any possibility or options (besides DeBoer and Harbaugh) in CFB?
It would be funny or irony (maybe?) to replace Pete, who came to Seattle from CFB after a huge scandal, with another CFB coach that is immersed in a huge scandal in Harbaugh. lol
But maybe a CFB offensive mind could come in and pair with Vrabel as a DC? What about a Ryan Day or Dabo?
Speaking of CFB coaches, see that DeBoar skipped his UW radio show today, find that interesting. COuld he be looking at an NFL job? Or jsut the Bama job?
Bama sadly I’d guess
Why is it so difficult for us in the Northwest to have nice sports things?
Gonzaga twice in the national championship game, Huskies in the national championship game, Super Bowl 49, loss of the Sonics, Mariners the same manure for almost 50 years.
I treasure Super Bowl 48 and the Sonics one championship because that’s all we’ve had in my 67 years of rooting for Northwest teams and living here for 3/4 of that time.
I feel the same. 80% of the population lives in the east. With this comes attention and money. The Seahawks had problems attracting high profile FA for years. Same goes for the M’s.
It’s utterly clear that the Mariners are trying to follow the Astros and Rays trail by building through development. It’s the only way, but it takes patience.
That said, I would love to have an ownership in place, who keeps his financial nerves. It’s not the fandom failing in this regard.
Adam Peters hired by Washington Commanders to be Pres of FB Operations per Schefter
Damnit.
Ben Johnson, we hardly knew ye
SIGH
Well son of a…
Lincoln Riley?
Gene Hackman?
Denzel Washington?
Nick Saban?
Quinn/Kellen Moore?
Rob – great article as always. Can you also speak to a scenario where Dan Quinn or another defensive coach comes in, but Schneider then drafts a star quarterback (a La Russell Wilson) and that more or less takes care of the offensive side? Elite defense. Above average offense. This would be the Baltimore or Bills case studies. Perhaps an elite offensive minded HC isn’t so make or break in today’s NFL if the team’s quarterback is exceptional. Not saying it’ll be easy to draft that quarterback, but it’s a scenario worth considering, especially given Schneider’s perceived track record in evaluating QB talent.
That quarterback doesn’t exist. Especially in today’s college football. A lot of these guys aren’t ready for anything close to that.
And Russ definitely had to have his coaching. Also, it sucks, but you need that top offensive mind. We saw what happened this last year.
It’s plausible but I’d prefer that new QB to have a long-lasting working relationship with an offensive minded Head Coach. If for no other reason that if the QB succeeds, there’s a chance the OC leaves and everything is potentially disrupted.
Thanks for the kind words on the article
Yeah. If the offense and quarterback are good, you’ll be replacing O.C.s. I think continuity with the QB is an additional variable that puts offense over defense as far as a head coach goes.
Would you want a defensive coach with ever-changing O.C.s your QB has to work with or an offensive coach and stability for your QB and ever-changing D.C.s?
Both can work … look at Belichek, but all else equal I’d go for the latter like a Reid-Mahomes thing.
Been holding my tongue, but hiring Quinn feels closer to the mistake of hiring Mora than it does someone like Holmgren or Carroll. Not crazy about the idea. Cowbodys D consistently underperforms when it runs into a good offense, or collapses at the end of games. Definition of anti-clutch defense has been Quinn’s trademark, IMHO. And that includes two epic come from behind super bowl losses.
Would Ben Johnson really want to go to the mess that is the Commanders organization? If he had a plethora of other options to choose from? Not certain he’d take the job. The Seahawks FO do have their shit together and want to do what it takes to win. We should be at the top of the list for any coach looking for the same. It’s also hard to believe they were willing to move on from Carroll without having someone in mind or a solid plan. Of course I thought that after the Wilson trade too. Unless it was Pete’s influence monkeying things up. He certainly wasn’t good at picking coordinators.
get’s to draft his next QB w the 2nd pick though – – which also sort of guarantees a 3-yr window to get the team going…
Very true
I agree — a Quinn hire feels like Mora 2.0
I third this.
If Ben Johnson goes to the Commanders over the Seahawks, he’s someone I wouldn’t want here as he clearly doesn’t have a lick of sense.
I know it’s new ownership but the rot goes deep in that organization.
Well if it’s new ownership that’s not necessarily true any more. They just hit a home run with their GM hire
Rob,
Great post as always. You may be too young to recall but the Seahawks struggled after Chuck Knox, first with Tom Flores, then with Dennis Erickson. I think that you are correct that Schneider doesn’t want to take that chance and roll the dice on the unknown, but has to want to knock this hire out of the park. Will be fun to see how this goes for sure!
was having a pretty good morning, until I saw Mike McCarthy’s name mentioned…..
At least we can continue the tradition of bad end of half/game clock management
I’m more concerned that Schneider is leading the search.
The dude that brought us, Luke Joeckel, Ezekiel Ansah, Eddie Lacy, whiffed on 3 major trades, and overpays for free agents.
he’s had some major errors on people evaluation. Aside from there early and late drafts I always thought he kinda rode Pete’s coattails.
The dude that was also the GM that brought us Kam, Earl, Sherm, Marshawn trade, Russ, signed Bennett and Avril, Bobby, KJ, Tyler Lockett etc etc etc
If you only pick out errors in a 14 year tenure, you aren’t being fair
JS was the GM who built one of the best rosters in NFL history
I think he’s earned the time. It’s a long time to learn your strengths and flaws. What’s worked. What hasn’t.
And I think he’ll crush it. As a fan of course I hope.
And all that ignores the fact that Pete was probably the second most powerful coach in the league behind Belichick. Stuff like the Adams trade was almost certainly more Pete than John.
can’t pick and choose though. Yes Pete was probably head guy on Jamal and Len this year but probably also on Sherman, Lynch, etc etc.
I don’t think it’s cherry picking given that PC didn’t start out as the most powerful coach in the league.
You’re not being honest if you think he also didn’t drive the roster into ground after his masterclass drafts from 10-13.
14-19 was the fall to mediocrity as you have described many times. And our current cap situation is not that great.
Russell and Pete kept the team afloat.
The last 2 drafts have been a plus, but does that mean John can somehow pick a coach?
I liked the search they did for Pete. 3rd party research, unbiased, then go get the best candidate. If schneider just goes straight to Quinn it will prove my point.
To me it seems clear that John’s role was to deliver the roster that Pete wanted. We’ve heard evidence of this with examples like the scouts loving Nick Chubb but Pete wanting Penny, and so they drafted Penny.
I’ve always assumed that it was Pete who drove the direction and had final say on personnel decisions. Up until a couple years ago when we heard that there had been some changes in the offseason and it seemed like JS got more control over the draft.
Sure, mistakes have been made.
The difference is Joe, I am acknowledging that. You are not acknowledging all the amazing success he’s had too
I literally acknowledged his success in both my comments. My point was, in the last 10 years his talent evaluation in trades and FA’s is poor to horrible. I would never side step his foundational moves early on.
Your argument is that he’s qualified to pick a coach, which has no relevance to player evaluations, because he was brilliant 10 years ago and has restocked half the roster with 2 recent drafts, which was needed because all his prior moves were so poor.
My argument is that player evaluation is completely different than a HC/CEO evaluation. They are completely different and I don’t believe he’s qualified for it.
That said, I hope he knocks it out of the park.
No, you didn’t.
I am concerned about the scouting staff which would seem to be unchanged under JS. It is impossible for us to know if some of their major failures were due to PC’s influence. I would hope that as a part of their reset/rebuild that they –evaluate– the entire scouting department and perhaps make some positive changes there. Many other teams seem better at picking players that actually complement their schemes than the Seahawks and that is an important element of scouting.
Pete on Brock & Salk this morning completely validating the reasons the Seahawks chose to move on. Goodness gracious.
I’m guessing you don’t mean self validating though.
Ego is a good thing to a point but when it gets out of control it isn’t.
Can’t wait to listen…
That’s a terribly patronising and bitter line from Carroll
I read it as ownership regularly reads SDB
😜
Shout out to Bert & Jody!
God bless us “nonfootball people”.
He said “I’m not going to share it with you” to Mike Salk when asked “what would your plan have been to fix the run defense next year.” He thinks he had a plan and that he won’t be allowed to execute it.
Do you buy that or is he just sore with ownership?
Sounds like my 95 year old Dad telling everyone about his exercise plan for next year.
just about to start listening but what were the lowlights in your opinion?
Great write up Rob. I think I would be very disappointed if they went with Quinn. In the NFL, offense is king so I’d prefer a HC with a good offensive mind. We all saw what Quinn’s record was when he didn’t have his boy genius OC and for a guy that makes his name on defense, his were very middling as the head guy. He was in charge of a good one here, but how much of that was Pete and how much was Dan? If they are going to hire a defensive minded HC, I think it needs to be a great one, and I am not convinced that is an apt description for DQ. Keep up the great work!
Agree completely
And how much was that John building a great roster? We’ve seen Pete’s defense without those special players, and it ain’t been pretty. But of course you can also fault John for some of the shoddy drafting/moves since as well…and not having a plan post-Wilson.
Makes for a very interesting situation, doesn’t it? There’s so much we don’t really know about what went on behind the scenes. It will be very interesting to witness. Hopefully they don’t go with the vanilla choice (Quinn).
If Quinn is the hire I have a feeling we’ll be waiting around for the team to be sold while being endlessly bored or frustrated by a mediocre product on the field.
C’mon John, you’ve been in Pete’s shadow for 14 long years. You have to know better.
Excite us John!
No-one here talking about Frank Smith out of Miami? It’s a slightly more out there move, but Frank is putting together an impressive resume and is making things hum in Miami. A specialist on the OLine and Run game, we’re a team with a young OLine with potential and two good RB’s. He won’t demand control and probably be looking to get a ton of support from Schneider.
I’m struggling to get a feel for him
Not a Shanahan guy, came from the Chargers. How much is him, how much is McDaniel? Press conferences are unremarkable. Miami’s offense is a bit boom or bust, had some schematic issues this year they haven’t fixed
Hard to know whether he’s worth a look
When can we expect the first information about what candidates they want to interview?
Apparently next week
Is DeBoer to Alabama a rumor or is it true.
Looks to be true
Sadly
Didn’t Mike pretty publicly lose his GM title after 2002, putting Ruskell in charge of personnel? I blame Tim for Hutchinson for sure!
Oh that was Ruskell. He even made snarky comments afterward about having “he let a GUARD get away” on his headstone like Hutch was some average o-lineman. Pete did the snark as was mentioned above. These guys have huge egos and when things happen that point to failures on their part, they don’t accept it well and tend to try to deflect blame and/or minimize their responsibility.
I worry that the team’s commitment to having a competitive team every year gets in the way of us really trying to be special. It’s time for a step back. Eat some dead money. Let a new HC and QB take their lumps for a year. Be bad enough to get some nice draft capital.
Dan Quinn feels like part of that. I’m sure he would be solid. But does anyone really think he’s going to have a fresh enough perspective to get us over the hump?
I’d rather have 12+ wins and be a legit contender every few years than hover around 7-10 wins for an eternity.
Another fantastic article.
So disappointed about the Johnson-Peters connection. That franchise is a mess, but with new owners and the chance to turn it all around, I don’t see how Seattle could compete with that.
If Schneider and Quinn are as close as it seems, and it’s a fait accompli, I wonder if they don’t already have an OC picked out. Someone nobody’s looking at. Perhaps someone who excites us a little.
One thing about Quinn the HC that I think he would be better than Carroll is an ability to delegate authority well. Put competent coordinators under him like he had in Atlanta and he’s a capable leader.
Don’t mind me just looking for a silver lining
Sorry if this is a repeat post but this hits a little.
https://x.com/MRFootball604/status/1745604444530917848?s=20
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say there’s simply no way JS hires Quinn to be his head coach. After waiting 14 years to put his stamp on things, it seems absurd that he would hire Great Value Pete Carroll as the change this franchise needs. He, better than anyone left standing in Seattle, knows the realities of facing the Shanahan/McVay onslaught four times a year and, while an improved defense may clow those guys down, it ain’t going to slam the door shut. They’re too smart, too innovative, too loaded to be stymied by whatever Dan Quinn schemes up with whatever is left of this defense. He’s better than the Hurtts, KNJr, Whatshisname trifecta that followed him as the Seattle DC, but that can be said of a roomful of guys. Quinn’s only magic as head coach involved having Shanahan on staff. End of story. There are ways to fix the defense that don’t involve naming Dan Quinn head coach.
I don’t think it takes two months of reviewing coaches, as JS was reported to have done, to come up with Dan Quinn. I think there’s someone else. If Ben Johnson is slotted for the DC job, then I would wager there’s another offensive guy that’s been identified and vetted. I believe JS will display his Green Bay roots and select that guy, the offensive savant, and it will be a bit of a surprise nationally when it’s not Quinn. And, really, why would JS have any interest in continuing an era that has fallen flat in a league that has moved leaps and bounds beyond that style of football? It’s seems self-defeating. The real answer is in a mini-rebuild, not changing the drapes and calling it good. I think he wants a team that looks modern and, after 14 years, he has the trust and buy-in needed from the top of the franchise to allow any move the necessary time to grow.
I think it’s Bobby Slowik and a trade up for a QB.
Sincerely hope you’re correct. Just hope Jody and Kolde aren’t forcing him to make a choice.
I think Quinn could work. It would require companion hires: A really outstanding up and coming offensive mind as OC, and a good DC that will help install a defense that we can execute.
If I’ve waited fourteen years for my chance, I’m looking for more than a guy who “could work.” I don’t think anyone is saying anything about Quinn other than he knows the franchise and he’s got some friends in the building. He’s bang on the same guy when measure in career head coaching win/loss percentages as compared to Pete (when you subtract their offensive wunderkinds) and any offensive mind he hires will be poached if the offense clicks in any way. Why not give the offensive guy the reins and find a recently fired head coach/DC for the other side of the ball? You know, like the guys in LA and SF do?
I do hope John Schneider is a regular reader of SDB and Rob Staton.
What are the rules of JS contacting Ben Johnson right now? Can he do a full-court press yet?
you can request now, but teams still in the playoffs aren’t allowed to have the staff interviewed until after the second round. Thats what i’ve mostly thought to be the case, it’s a new rule this year.
GMs can reach out to candidates now and do zoom call interviews. they can’t meet in person until after the division games.
Presumably if Johnson is in the mix, John has spoken to him virtually.
I think that I’ve seen every other team have a list of who they have requested (even the playoff teams have lists of their staff that has been requested). Haven’t seen nor heard anything from Seattle.
This article breaks down all the timing. https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/heres-how-long-it-might-take-for-the-seahawks-to-replace-pete-carroll/
If we want an unforseen hire that could be the next McVay or McDaniels I think it would be worth throwing Joe Brady’s name out there.
Built an all time offense in LSU (and yeah they had ridiculous talent but they also weren’t shit without him) and worked with Ogeron while he was there so there’s a connection. Pete may know him and therefore John might.
Didn’t work out for him in Carolina but I think it’s clear now that job was an impossible task.
Then once he got made OC in Buffalo they became one of the hottest teams in the league heading into the playoffs. One thing that was especially impressive is how he started maximising their run game that had been underperformed and ignored.
It might be too early for him, and he might just prefer to keep working with Josh Allen for another year. But if Ben Johnson isn’t available and we want to get a jump on the next guy everyone will be clamouring to hire he could be it.
I guess it’s an unpopular opinion but I would be happy with Dan Quinn. I think he’s the best choice if neither Johnson or Harbaugh are options. That Dallas would be willing to fire McCarthy to retain him I think speaks volumes to how much he has grown since Atlanta. On the offensive side of the ball, you would have two really smart football people leading the offensive coordinator search. I would feel really good about anyone they selected.
I’m just glad JS is making the personnel decisions now. That in itself has me plenty excited no matter which way he goes.
I think the big difference is the division Dallas plays in vs Seattle.
Seattle has two powerhouse teams in the division so if you’re trying to make the playoffs, you have to do better than the Rams and 49rs.
That’s going to require a special coach who can be an X-factor.
The Cowboys play in a division where solid football can probably win you the division. Hold the team together, don’t rock the boat. Just execute and you’re in. I think Quin is a great candidate if that’s what you need to do. Nothing fancy, just stay solid. In many ways, Pete is the kind of coach that would probably have a good deal of success in Dallas.
The thought of Quinn as coach gives me zero hope for superbowl contention and smells of average. I hope Schneider gets to make his best call on the hire.
Interesting perspective. Seattle is a company town and Vulcan is led by company people. They will not take the risk of someone unknown; that will happen in Bay Area or LA but not here. Schneider might be a gambler but he has worked with Hawks for so long that you can argue he also understands their perspective. I see two scenarios – 1) They really do give Schneider the freedom and he swims or sinks with his choice. 2) Schneider hires Quinn based on ownership’s push and the mediocrity continues; ultimately they both get fired a couple of years down the line.
Also, if you are a hot young coach, why wouldn’t you go to a team with more control than what you would get in Seattle working under JS? Shanahan and Mcvay got way more control over decisions. If you are a young offensive coach and don’t have more control, how can you be sure that JS can build a roster to your needs?
I’m a fan who wasn’t at all happy with hiring PC 14 ago because of the way he ran out of the burning building at USC, so that shows you what I know about coaching hires. However I feel the national media rarely knows what’s going on in Seattle because of its location and the general disbelief PC was canned only reinforces that. While I respect many of the sources Rob quoted here, I have a feeling JS is ready to make his mark now that Pete isn’t meddling anymore and will hire someone with a different vision. I’d love for it to be Johnson but I think Slowik is the guy to watch…
One thing for sure with Dan Quinn, he need to deliver immediately to survive in Seattle. on the other hand Johnson will have a long leash.
Quinn is a solid DC, not even considered an elite like Sean or Kyle on the offensive side and these guys were able to get a good DC time and again. one must wonder…
I didn’t think it would happen (Carroll’s firing) but now it has I’m looking forward to the new era. I think Schneider must have a pretty good idea of who he can land as the next head coach, or why get even rid of Carroll?? I can’t see Quinn being the choice. Or McCarthy. Schneider is going to want to flip the script. I think a young hotshot is on the way.
I think it’s pretty clear why they got rid of Carroll. The performance wasn’t good enough and he wasn’t going to take them back to the top. It was time.
I think everyone is forgetting someone obvious….Coach Prime, baby! Let’s go!
(*Sarcasm, folks. Sarcasm.)
The same national writers who thought Schneider would pick Jalen Carter now think he’ll pick Dan Quinn. Do I have that right? I hope they’re wrong again. Fully agree in the advantages of an offensive-minded HC rather than trying to get it right with both a new defensive-minded HC who also has to get it right with an OC.
Thanks, Rob, your reporting is the best.
To be fair, maybe JS would have picked Carter, but PC overrid him to get Spoon.
From what we heard, John was in charge of the last two drafts. And Pete has been dying to get a guy with Carter’s skills (see he Leonard Williams trade).
Not saying your wrong. I hope its right and its JS that has been prioritizing character, my only thought is that Pete did say Spoon was closest thing to Polamalu that he has seen. Which makes me think PC is the one that chose him. Just giving an alternative thought on it. I hope I am wrong, because I really want JS go get someone thats not a “comfortable” and “familiar” hire, like Quinn is. I could use some excitement, so someone from left field would be awesome.
Both could be true scenarios. Maybe it was the predraft issues for Jalen Carter and they went with a good player that was still a need.
Isnt the reality that nobody had proven D coaching ability in SEA? The coaches themselves say the did (i.e. offered) nothibg special, they just did things better. In other words they had freak show good talent. Absent that talent PC sucked, ansent elite talent Quinn is pedestrain.
Maybe JS sees the LOB as entirely a fortune of on field talent and has no rose colored glasses for any of the SEA D coaching past or present.
DeBoer has accepted the job at Alabama so I guess he’s out of the running. Sucks for the Huskies.
Gotta get tired of the Northwest just being an afterthought
Screw you DeBoar
Reason 2 through 100 why folks love Pete. He made them relevant and this wasn’t just a stop for him.
I cant say anything bad about Deboer. The money plus conference realignment makes it a pretty weird place to coach.
That is something to appreciate about Pete. For so many people the PNW is just a temporary stop. A stop to show progress and help a program overachieve and then bail at the earliest opportunity to go to a “real team”.
Great article. Here’s why I don’t think national media guys are right on Quinn:
As good as Schefter, Rap, etc are—when is the last time any of the national “insiders” were ahead of a story when it comes to the Seahawks? They weren’t on Russ trade, or Pete’s retirement, or the Witherspoon pick. Even on Pete, Rapsheet speculated about retirement, not firing—which ended up being off base.
I don’t think any of them are super well-sourced inside the VMAC, because I think Schneider (and Vulcan) run a tight ship. Jody has literally
never done an interview. Schneider only speaks on record when obligated to.
I think the Quinn stuff is coming mostly from general league speculation, not from actual concrete info from inside the Seahawks.
Thanks for all the balanced articles on this subject and the well thought out arguments and counter arguments: really top notch!
Almost like you had been thinking of this eventuality for awhile!
Appreciate you Rob.
So does DeBoer to Alabama mean Saban replaces Pete?
C’mon, laugh or go crazy
Hopefully Pete wants to continue coaching in Seattle
I have long thought Dan Quinn might end up as HC at Florida, so…
This is sad. he could have made UW program like Alabama and be a legend like Saban. Now he has some big shoes to fill..
I like deBoer….and he could have made UW special but not like Saban at Alabama. Heck I don’t think he’ll make Alabama, Alabama
Now DeBoer only needs to take the team bus to away games, rather than rack up thousands of frequent flyer miles if at Washington.
It’s a shame to see DeBoer leave UW so soon, but it’s hard to blame him. Haven’t seen the numbers yet, but I can only imagine how much money Alabama put on the table. Life changing money is difficult for anyone to pass on, and we all know Bama has far more resources available than . I think he will do well there, his track record is incredible! Now Huskies need to make a great hire just like the Seahawks!
The Dawgman guys said it wasn’t about the money. UW could match. I think he just wanted to be in Alabama. It’s more than winning championships. I think he just wanted to live in Alabama. It’s similar to why Leach left WSU. Leach wanted to be in Florida most of the year.
Anyway, very sad. I don’t think UW will be able to win a championship now. No Pac 12, No Championship, No DeBoer….
I guess if I could get anyone for UW it would be Arizona’s coach, but I’m done with football for awhile…
Dawgman guys are not delusional. UW couldn’t match the money. They offered $8m. $12M is what AL is paying DeBoer.
As a Coug, I hope they hire Pete or Fisch at UW. Both will struggle.
Fisch hasn’t proven anything except he can write big checks to high school recruits.
Then I misspoke, but I can say they said they had information that money really wasn’t the issue. They were emphatic about that. He just felt like Alabama was a better “fit.” My guess is that he’d rather live there just like Leach wanted to be in the South.
Perhaps it’s easier for him in the SEC. It’s hard to tell, but if he didn’t think he could get d line guys, then it’s probably a hair easier. He’s better than Sark, Kelly, Heupel, Kiffin, Elkho, and Venables. He probably matches up with Smart if he gets the talent. He’ll win a championship there. UW is back to football purgatory and that’s probably that…
No one ever wants to admit “it was about the money”.
so any emphatic statement to that effect, needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
That said, there *are* numerous reasons that he might see Alabama as a more desirable spot than U.W.
Not everyone loves living in the Seattle area, either.
DeBoer has to pay back something like $12M to the UW. I’d say he already had life-changing money. I’d guess it was more about coaching in the SEC at Alabama.
I think thats what Alabama pays..
I don’t think it was about the $$$, or that that wasn’t the biggest reason.
And I don’t think DeBoer will do as well at Alabama, in fact I’m quite comfortable saying that in the next 5 years he will fail to match what UW did this year. And in Alabama that means he might not get those full 5 years. 🙂
Yep. Can a South Dakota guy fit into a Deep South football cult.
God, why are you making me puke? I trust JS knows his job is on the line and knows some retread isn’t the answer. We are dealing with 30ish old superior offensive coaches in our division so JS you want to actually be in charge? I will give some no greybeard failures need to apply or you and your Mora hire will be on your coach hopeing to get job in the NFL in say under 5 years.
You’re acting like I’m advocating for Quinn. Read it again…
I can’t imagine Quinn is a done deal by any means. You made a number of valid points why the Hawks will consider DQ, but JS knows he needs to get this selection right or he might not be around much longer.
Is there any deal breaker reasons why Harbaugh won’t end up in Seattle? I think you mentioned he may want/require more personnel control than the Hawks are willing to give, but is there any other reasons why he’s not a fit? Personally, I think he would be an excellent hire!
Definitely don’t think it’s a done deal — might be very much a firm plan for them though
Harbaugh it’s a number of things. He will argue with everyone in the building and not sure John will actively pursue that. JS has just wrestled control over football operations, Harbaugh will want to dictate everything. It’s an extreme short-term measure because he pisses everyone off after a while. Not sure PNW is for Harbaugh — he’s lived in California and his family are all on the west coast so will be more appealing. Can’t see the franchise opting for Carroll’s nemesis as a replacement. But I appreciate he’s also a winner — I’m not opposed, just don’t see it.
I know you aren’t but the possibility tells me no hope. I prefer take a risk so what we really suck for 2 years and come back as real contenders with a culture that isn’t Pete.
If Quinn is the pick I’d go with the Kansas City Chiefs. And hope Jody plans to be here long term and do a full rebuild as needed.
Wow, PC is challenging ownership’s and fans’ intelligence. Hilarious.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39295019/football-people-decided-fate
It’s such a bitter, unnecessary line. Poor
This interview shows exactly why canning him was the right move – hubris and/or delusion is strong with PC.
💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
You don’t have to be a “football guy” to look at the performance stats over several years, evaluate the trends over that time, watch a cut-up of the zillion times Pete said he was going to “fix it,” the absence of progress on really any front, at least defensively, the bad free agent decisions, etc…..and not feel very dubious about the same head coach saying that THIS time, he was going to fix it. If he thinks about it at ALL, Pete should be able to understand this.
He should’ve gone a while ago
Now I wonder the chances Pete Carroll considers interviewing for UW coaching job or if UW is interested. Remember, hes still “fired up” and has plenty of energy.
And Pete arguably had more success at the college level, well, if you consider championships that is! 🙂
I think he is going to end up coaching this year. The Chargers probably would be the most enticing, but I would not be surprised if he coaches college football for a year or two to be eligible for the CFB Hall of Fame. That being said, I think UW would be a bad fit since they lost a lot of talent and Pete should prefer a win now team.
The best head coach available is Jim Harbaugh.
The best up and comer available is Kalen DeBoer.
Neither of these options probably work.
But, please no Dan Quinn. I was so tired of watching his late prevent defenses giving up fast points which has carried over in Dallas (see the Detroit game). I also have heartburn about the Atlanta success being due to the offensive coordinators, and about the ability to land and keep an offensive coordinator with a defensive head coach.
Are the Hawks going to run a 4-3 or a 3-4? Pete said the 4-3 had become too predictable (where does that leave Quinn?). If we switch back to a 4-3 that’s just another reset (not that it’d be unwarranted). I would like to see more press man at the corner spots and less soft zone.
Finally, I’d like to see more discipline and individual accountability instilled in the organization. That starts at the top. But, we do need a Joe Nash type to keep the young divas in line. Say what you will about Mike Vrabel, but I’ve liked the Titans’ toughness (both mental and physical, especially in the trenches). I also like what Mike McDonald has done with the Ravens’ defense.
Can’t we have both an offensive genius at head coach who competes with McVay and Shanahan with creativity and innovation and a hard nosed defensive coordinator who has us dominating up front with tone-setting attitude?
The best up and comer available WAS Kalen DeBoer.
FTFY
Love you Rob but I have the right to be unhappy with your conclusions. Thank God you are months ahead of the national people for YEARS now.
I’d be a bit miffed myself at the conclusions
Let’s see how it plays out
I think the Texans OC who name escapes me should be our coach. From Shanahan McVay tree and has worked wonders with Stroud and its not like Tank Dell and Nico Collins were these big name WR. Personally think his better option then Johnson would you be happy with Texans OC Rob?
Bobby Slowik
He works for me although I prefer Johnson
I agree, I think based on rumors though, I don’t know if the Seahawks can get Johnson to come over.
Would you place Slowik over Macdonald or vice versa just due to how good Macdonald has been as the Raven’s DC? Or do you think Callahan is a better hire?
It’s hard to separate Slowik and Macdonald because they’re both young. I’d need to know their staffs, whether they have an established vision
Rob blocked me on YouTube over the JA controversy. I listened to him with Jim. Rob ur the best…we as seahawks fans are grateful
You probably deserved it. Let’s just be civil.
Was it a pancake block?
Evolve or Die
Curious to hear thoughts on Quinn’s evolution and/or ability to evolve? Seems that his defenses are much different in Dallas than they were in ATL or SEA. Think a big part of the interview/evaluation process will be the response to a question like: “what have you learned in your past ____ experiences and what would you do differently as a result going forward?” I think Quinn will potentially have a better answer to this type of question than any other candidate.
Apart from his obvious pros are the intangibles of the certainty of getting along with John and being able to speak to an evolution of current culture better than others. Think he’s gonna be the guy.
Not my first or second choice. But I think he’ll be John’s first choice.
My gut tells me Quinn isn’t Schneiders first choice. He’s waited a long time to take his shots and build the way he sees fit and I don’t think such a blah hire fits his style. This is the trailblazer who took a short qb that no one believed in and a bunch of misfits that ended up being the LOB. He likes to buck trends and surprise people. I think if Quinn ends up being the guy it will be because Schneider couldn’t get his first choice and at least Quinn should be able to field a competent and competitive team. I envision JS looking at teams like the Dolphins and Lions with envy and wanting a young hot coach like them. I have nothing to base this on other than my sense of JS and the organization over the years but it makes sense to me.
It’s not the end of the world to go 5-12 or 4-13 if you have a great coach and GM working in concert.
What is happening with Callahan from Cincinnati? I think he’s done a great job in tough situations. They almost made the playoffs without their qb in the toughest division in football, and beat us. He’s also proven to be able to work with young qbs.
Read the ESPN article and don’t feel like listening to Brock and Salk TBH..
It sounds more to me that the “non football people” didn’t want to hear his fixes and plan to continue with a bloated mediocre roster. Someone on here said it in another post. But maybe the jamal adams tweet, inappropriate behavior with players, bad roster decisions that have cost them lots of money has embarrassed Jody Allen and they held Pete responsible for it all.
There seems to be more and more drama coming out just like the RW trade. Curious what comes out next. I havn’t followed all of this as of yet.
Rob, are you going to put all of this into another article? The fallout with the Seahawks and Pete Carroll?
That might make for a good segment on Puck and Jim, lol.
I’m not. Listening to Carroll was part good for one last listen, part annoying and part a massive relief to know we wouldn’t have to listen to his excuses and harping on about his teaching methods again.
He spent so much time during that conversation talking to Brock & Salk like they were a pair of aliens who’d flopped down to earth and had never seen a game of football before. Then he did the same thing with ownership, blaming the media for them ‘not understanding’.
They probably understood just fine Pete. All they had to do was watch your defense, the way you played against Pittsburgh, look at how few NFC West titles and playoff wins we’ve had, look at the increasingly shoddy attention to detail, look at how we nearly had a 1-5 record in the division… etc etc
It was time. Not because Jody and Bert don’t know ball. Simply because it was.
Your comment about Brock and Salk is interesting. First, I agree 100%. He also mentioned the fans and ownership similarly. However, they both started tearing up knowing it was the last interview with him. I don’t think they realized he was insulting them.
Listeners felt the same way… but both Brock and Salk were adament that they didn’t thing that Pete was “talking down to them”.
At least that’s what they said on air.
I wouldn’t waste time writing about it, stooping to his level. No need to create scenes, it’s clear he was fired and is very hurt by it right now and understandably so. He’s only human and no way did he envision things ending this way and certainly we’d all love him to take us to the top again too, but it’s also been very clear for awhile he’s lost his mojo, has gotten too old for this shit, and needed to retire in 2017. Let’s appreciated that he helped bring us the greatest victory in Seattle Seahawks history and just move on.
I get it.. I just like knowing the drama behind the scenes sometimes. I think after today I won’t pay much attention to the buzz unless it comes up through the media. I have always genuinely believed that Paul Allen’s passing in 2018 was a huge reason they held onto Pete for so long.
When it seemed like he was gonna turn it around, they imploded. Doubled down on “re-tooling” and they just had it at the end. Getting embarrassed in the media and lackluster performance.
Oh I don’t mind discussing it and figuring out what really happened, I just don’t want things to devolve into emotional character assassination and other nonsense — which is apparently where Pete’s going right now. No thanks Pete, not going down with you. It’s over and it’s been awhile since there was a future to look forward to, and I’m excited to be facing that direction for a change. No more wheel spinning. I want a great coach again, I want a great QB, I want John to go out and find both. Hopefully he can do it.
I think he can.. listening to kjr again on my drive home tonight.. it was refreshing to hear mike holmgren talk about being in the facility yesterday or Wednesday.. (i dont think he specified)
He talked about wanting to talk to pete but he was gone already.. he said he talked to JS and always talks about him in high regard from his time in GreenBay..
They asked him about dan quinn and wishing he was an offensive coach.. what do they think they need.. offensive or defensive..
Mike holmgren said he was biased as a offensive coach.. he thinks offensive coaches are better.. he can focus on offense and trust the guy he picks for def coordinator and let them take care of the defense..
So.. hopefully, listening to holmgren.. who talked in person with JS recently and the greenbay mold.. goes offensive coach and has an idea and plan for a QB of the future..
I feel like he’s also insulted the fans (us) as well with this non-football bs.
I’m a huge PC fan. Agreed it was time for him to go. But this parting shot about non-football and media folks influencing this decision is quite pathetic. You don’t have to be a “football” person to understand what he’s been running out for multiple years, ain’t cutting it. Disappointed in PC for making this type of statement.
Absolutely correct
I honestly wasn’t too pleased with PCs interview this morning with Brock and Salk. He seemed to be saying what my teenager always yells at me when she slams the door, “You just don’t understand!” Not a great look and feels a little bitter. Pete does understand that his defense has gotten worse every year, right? And if not for the introduction of the seventh seed (and some help from Detroit), would have missed the playoffs three years in a row.
100% agree
And what’s worse he had a plan all in place to fix it but only “football people” would understand it.
He didn’t even say that only football people would understand it, but that “I’m not going to share” the plan. Like it was a trade secret since they fired him. Weird.
It was probably a plan for the future he wants.. to keep Jamal, geno, and other guys.. draft more defense.. run it back with “his guys”
Im guessing the leadership wants to draft a qb.. dump jamal adams and others that take too much money and dont produce..
Thats the only thing i can think if is when he says they wernt football people.. that his plans are better..
He doesnt want a young QB of the future and wants to fix his defense..
I think that’s exactly what ownership and JS are planning
It was a really petulant comment that I wouldn’t expect from Pete, so disappointing. Very Sherm-esque frankly. Like you need to be a football person to watch the team this year and think we’re going nowhere…
The worse part is all the fans online immediately jumping on the comment to say Pete’s warning us, ownership sucks, look at the Blazers, John is unhappy, etc. What’s wrong with taking a swing to be great? Maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t, but at least they’ll try!
One playoff win and horrible defense for how many years now? There has been little to be happy about. Kuddos for John and ownership for seeing what’s staring them in the face
I am listening to the Pete Carroll Shit Show right now. I like Pete a lot less after listening to this crap.
Anyone who watched the Seahawks multiple times this season saw a soft team in the trenches who could not stop the run or run the ball effectively most of the time. This Seahawks have been like this for too many years in a row. Not too hard to understand that Pete doesn’t know how to fix this issue.
any interest for orgeron?
Ed Orgeron? Who for???
My barbershop quartet.
I do not think Quinn is automatically the choice. He may ultimately end up being the hire but not until John talks to guys he is intrigued by. Quinn, as you and everyone else notes, is the safe hire. He probably works out fine, gets us to the playoffs year one, improves the D, etc. But John likes the big swings and his contract runs through 2027 so this is likely his one guaranteed shot to give the organization his imprint from top to bottom and select his guy. That is why I think he is either going with one of the hot young coordinators or someone under the radar that he really believes in.
I would be happy with Quinn. I think John would be too but who is the person that is going to give John that “we got our guy!” enthusiasm like he felt when he picked Russell in round 3? Percy, Graham, and Adams were all big swings that failed but he kept taking them. Does he do it here or hedge his bets? My money is on John Schneider swinging for the fences rather than playing it safe, either a grand slam home run or a pop fly out, rather than a solid single to drive in a few runs. Schneider has waited for a decade and a half for his shot, he’s gonna take it and live with the results.
For those of you upset about DeBoer going to Alabama, I know where the strip club is here in Pensacola that ruined Mike Price’s career. And the little sister of one of my aerial yoga friends works there.
I…could…make…things…happen.
If Pete had visions of another HC job coming this way, he sure dashed them with that Brock & Salk interview.
You think a billionaire is going to stand to be told “you don’t know ball like I do”?
As I have been saying for quite some time now, he’s fallen victim to his own ego. This is another of numerous examples
You guys are not football guys. Ignore.
Well, she inherited it, but that’s no judgement. Plenty who’ve worked for it are not all that bright or good and much of it is luck, but having worked for them when PA was alive, they’re good grounded people. It’s not her job to know football, it’s to know results and the results haven’t been good enough for awhile now. They gave Pete two resets to get it together. It’s refreshing to know she truly does, like Paul, aspire for something great. It’s her job to identify the people and experts who will take us there, not get into the locker room or figure out the X’s and O’s. I’m pleased they saw what many of us here saw and made the tough choice to do the right thing. Now go get us the next coach to bring us another super bowl.
I also find the condescending way he responds to Salk’s questions really off putting. I’ve been wanting him gone for a while but I’ll admit that I’ve fallen victim to nostalgia over the last two days and started to second guess myself. Not anymore, not after that.
Also, you have got to strongly assume JS was deeply involved in recommending to Jody that Pete needed to go. So, does JS not know football Pete? That would have been my follow up question if I was either Brock or Salk.
Man, I wish I had more time to read through the comments (don’t want to re-hash what has already been discussed).
Thank you for the great article and all of the coverage lately (always). Great work on the radio spot as well!
I can’t think of a better place to be a part of as we usher in this new era of Seahawk football.
Thanks Brodie!
Winter storm kept me from going to the IU game tonight…
So I’m watching the game at home and perusing Commie blogs.
Some interesting observations:
1. They almost universally want Harbaugh as the next HC.
2. They are very cool on Ben Johnson. Preferring Vrabel, Belichick, and MacDonald.
3. They are very nice to 9ers fans coming in to congratulate them on the GM choice, most wishing them the Bowl.
4. They like Penix as QB2, not Daniels.
Let’s go Hoosiers!
God how I wish those on their blog were running the team 😆
Noooo kidding.
Reading the comments (a lot of them!)…
there seems to be one segment of us here that thinks the JS will “play it safe” and just go for the easy choice of Quinn.
He can work with him, and Quinn won’t threaten John’s authority.
Another group thinks that JS is a risk-taker who want’s to swing big. He doesn’t like doing the “obvious” thing that everyone is expecting him to, so he will likely hire someone that isn’t being talked about.
I can honestly see the logic in both of those perspectives, and am wracking my brain trying to land on one or the other.
For me, I *don’t* want Quinn. So I hope that “swing big” John is the winner in this debate.
There is a wave of excitement brewing around this team and fanbase. i fear it will fizzle with a Quinn hiring.
QB situation looks grim. If Schneider trades up for one, it’s a complete shocker for me. Probably stuck in purgatory with an aging QB. Need to cut a bunch of guys to save some money.
Schneider wants to the big man now.
Probably won’t end up with Johnson or Harbaugh. Or Vrabel or Belichick. Looks like it might actually be Dan Quinn.
Pete Carroll actually surprised me and also upset me. He actually threw the fans and ownership under the bus. Totally shocker for Pete Carroll. Obviously he is quit bitter about being fired.
Carroll said that the decision to let him go was not made by football people. He said only football people can fix the problem. Well he is right about that. Only football people can fix the problem. Since losing the Super Bowl to the Patriots, Pete Carroll has had nine years to fix the problem. That he created. Over those nine years the defense has gotten steadily worse over the years. Pete you have had nine years to fix the problem. Time for a change.
Do we consider him a football person? Because we have had these problems for YEARS and they were not fixed. Or improved at all.
Maybe he was just bad enough that even “non-football people” knew it.
“You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain….”
Pete was the top person of the football people, there was no football person who could fire him. So yes Pete, the non-football people were the only people with the authority. Now if Pete is saying none of the people under him were telling him to fire himself … is that supposed to be a huge surprise?
I did not experience those comments that way at all.
Did you listen to the interview yourself?
Hire Ben Johnson, draft Spencer Rattler, what couldn’t go wrong? Hey, a man can dream.
If we’re both having the same dream, does that increase the odds?
If we will it, they will come.
Tom Peliserro saying Quinn in demand and Schneider will conduct a full search. Good to here from another guy with cred.
https://youtu.be/gDy6oV6aaow?si=krj8Vcglkgt36WA7
I really don’t want Quinn. I’m sure he’d be fine but I like the idea of fully closing the book on the Pete Carroll era. And why are so many people scared to do this? “Quinn is the safe choice”. “Seattle loves Quinn so it would be an easy transition”. I’m basically paraphrasing Sherm when on undisputed. Why are people coddling us like we’re 5 and our parents just got divorced? I guarantee Seattle will love Ben Johnson the minute he beats the Niners.
Great thoughtful article as always! Quinn does seem to be logical choice but I am hopeful for someone else because I am SO ready for a fresh start. If he got hired I would feel very meh.
I was going to listen to the final Pete interview with Brock & Salk, but after seeing the “not football people” comment I have no interest. It feels so petty and bitter and I was really disappointed when I read that.
You should absolutely listen to the interview, as that comment did not come off as bitter or petty when heard. Pete seemed to respect their perspective while giving context that not everything he knows can be translated to every audience.
The media is taking a sound outing context, as usual.
I would think Pete may have earned the benefit of the doubt on that by now, but hear it for yourself.
But that’s the problem
He was basically implying they couldn’t possibly understand like he could and therefore, they made the wrong choice
They made the right call
I’m not arguing they made the wrong call, I’m simply saying that Pete was representing his point of view and I think it’s overly sensitive to take that comment as offense to anyone, in context.
He bad-mouthed and blamed everyone except himself. In context. You can have whatever point of view that you want, but it isn’t being sensitive if it makes him look bad and is a horrible and wrong take.
It is literally the proof to back up him getting fired.
I listened to the entire interview. Pete came of as condesending to the ownership group and also Brock & Salk. Basically saying that none of them are smart enough to understand his actions to try to win games.
He implied that the Vulcans don’t understand football and couldn’t possibly judge whether he should be fired. He also told Brock & Salk that they didn’t understand football enough to comprehend what he was trying to do. Brock made it the NFL as a Quarterback, and Pete was saying he isn’t smart enough to see what Pete was trying to do.
The NFL , like any other business, is results oriented. The Seahawks have been underperforming for years, especially on defense. You do not need to understand what a Zone Defense is to know that Pete was doing a crappy job.
Dan Quinn must be quite a guy. Seems everyone likes him.
This is a bit of an outside the box idea, but would anyone be opposed to the Hawks going with Ted Lasso? The job he did with Richmond was really impressive and I believe he’s available. He strikes me as the kind of guy that JS would love.
The guy with the panic attacks and a predilection towards baking cookies for ownership? If Roy Kent is any example, he’d make Jamal defensive captain. Pass.
College coach. Turned Wichita State from nothing into a championship.
Jeez.. watching seahawks central with paul silvi and dave wyman.. they showed his backwards cap doing the raw raw.. can you win in the first quarter. Seconds quarter..
Well you all know the rest.. its cringe as a fan.. cant imagine the players that probably felt they shouldnt win barely against subpar teams..
Is Wyman stall trying desperately screaming into a vacuum that Jamal Adams is a great football player and that the trade was a winner for the Seahawks?
He wasn’t talking about jamal and he shouldn’t at this point.. i wonder if anyone will talk about this but.. my take is Id bet my last dollar jody allen was embarrassed by how that whole thing waa handled..
Why else would pete say “the media” played a factor and non football people made the decision…
It came down to empowering players to be themselves and what i think was jody didnt like that.. i dont think any woman in their right mind would tolerate that..
Quinn would be safe but uninspiring. His hiring would feel like going backwards for me.
One thing that surprised about the Cowboys pass rush. Even though the Cowboys have Marcus Lawrence, Micah Parsons, Sam Williams, Dorance Armstrong. Seattle actually had more sacks (47) than the cowboys (46). Seattle was also without their top pass rusher for most of the season, Uchenna Nwosu.
Give me a Tom Catlin type for DC. At least make it fun to watch.
I don’t want to say the game has passed him by, but Tom Catlin has been dead for 15 years.
I know Eric Bieniemy might either be bad at interviews but knowing what he did to what Washington had or the lack of on offense was very surprising and then seeing how poor the KC’s offense this year was made it more enticing to see him get a chance at being Seattle’s next HC. His style of coaching might rub people the wrong way but hearing what players speak about him is he tells you how it is and doesn’t sugar coat it at all(could be either good or bad). With his stint in both KC and Washington the knows how to evolve or tailor his offense from QB to QB look at how different Mahomes and Howell were.
This is a vastly different style from Pete but maybe this is what they really need. He might be the coach from left-field that no one is talking about or even considering for the job people might be saying he probably going back to KC but then becomes a hire for Seattle. I hope he gets a chance.
Rob I have a question for you, I was listening to a interview with Jim Nagy on Wednesday and he said he would like to have Pete Carroll coach in the senior Bowl.the coach’s haven’t been named yet.it could happen.it probably won’t happen but can’t completely rule it out.
I suspect Pete will be body boarding in Hawaii
No, he will be boogie boarding.
If it’s not Dan Quinn and if it’s not Ben Johnson then I think Dave Canales is a big dark horse candidate.
Dude is not shy when being interviewed. He’s pretty dynamic as a speaker. Certainly fits the CEO from the “face” standpoint. What sort of vision will he have? What connections and what sort of staff will he put in place? I have no idea.
Todd Bowles is known for his blitz happy defense. Will Canales be influenced by that? I’m over the passive zone approach. That’s just not how the game is played anymore.
I think he only gets mentioned because he used to be here
I want someone totally new. Fresh start
Not that I specifically want teams to lose, case in point I kind of like both Texans and Browns but I am intrigued to see with this weekend further pieces move on the coaching front.
That said I know the world is more dialed in than the late 2000’s with John Harbaugh and of Pete but part if me is hoping that there’s a name we haven’t considered yet. Not that I don’t like a good deal of the names for different reasons.
Watching various other seahawks heads it’s pretty clear to me a split between old ( quinn) and new ( other).
I know it’s all guessing and that’s the fun of it but I heard a fairly prominent hawks voice talk about Slowik and how with one year of OC duties it may not be there time. The best coach in the game that is still employed this weekend, Andy Reid , was a positional coach. I just don’t think there’s a timeline for coaches.
Tldr….some of this stems from a fairly delusional idea going about a half decade of Pete picking his successor.
I wonder why nobody is mentioning Eric Bienemy as an offensive mind. The evidence seems to be mounting that he’s the author of at least some of KC’s past successes, with Mahomes struggling this year and the Commanders doing more with less.
Personality has always been the chatter surrounding him, so it’s a big question if Schneider would work well with him, but if we’re talking offense, doesn’t his name need mentioning?
It would appear nobody is mentioning him in this hiring cycle. Not a single interview request has made its way to the press.
That is a pretty big statement about how the league views him as a HC candidate.
Fun, interesting article that Florio just posted, regarding which coach will land where according to the latest buzz.
Quinn to the Seahawks
“Who fucking knows” to the Panthers
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/an-early-look-at-where-the-coaching-carousel-could-land
Does anybody know if this audio of Lane Kiffin turning down the Alabama job is real? He’s saying the things that I wish Kalen DeBoer would have said.
https://x.com/4thAndTruth/status/1745891262689939730?s=20
After a quick search, I’m also reading that Jimmy Sexton represents Sarkasion and Norvell.
DeBoer didn’t believe that about Uw.
One of the most important parts of Allen deciding to hire JS and PC was his determination to implement a collaborative front office, with a management structure taken from Business.
I wonder how that structure has evolved at Vulcan, and the Seahawks, and whether it’s still in use. That could be a huge factor in determining the next coach.
What do you think, Rob?
I can’t remember what the management style was called, but it was spelled out in an article or two I read when they first hired PC and JS.
Personally, I’ve read some concerning comments from JS over the years, so I’m hoping he isn’t a lame duck or a czar, but something in between. I was pissed when JS talked about expecting to land Free Agents to below market contracts just because Seattle is a cool team, and he actually said like Bennet and Avril…as if that would ever happen again. And his habit of offering a price and then refusing to come up ended up costing us Zeitler and we gave up a fifth and a pretty large contract to settle for G Jackson, who wasn’t good. That kind of recurring fail worries me. But I guess time will tell if JS has learned from his mistakes and hubris, as Carrol did not.
Whether the new HC is offense or defense backgrounded, either way he is gonna love Devon Witherspoon. Absolutely love him. What a weapon.
https://youtu.be/F7pB_uCP_rc?si=trt8S16iJ4PzOOvI
I love the sacks, the toughness, the run game support. But that phantom deflection with his back to the ball against the Niners is insane.
I know it means nothing regarding his job performance, but sometimes when I see pictures of John Schneider, he looks rough for a 52 year old. Guessing the stress, travel, and time of it all doesn’t help.
Really? I think he looks well for the age
Just saw this tweet mentioned on Seahawks reddit
https://x.com/MikeDugar/status/1746238941458842090?s=20
Seahawks requesting interviews with Quinn and Mike McDonald. Take that as you will.
Let’s be careful here.
In the report Rap says “have not requested” any interviews yet. He’s just throwing out two names he has likely heard buzz about.
I get what you’re saying, but I think it’s safe to assume these r 2 guys they definitely have interest in and will interview. Would like to see Ben Johnson’s name mentioned though.
I’d rather wait until something definitive comes out. Otherwise we are playing with information that has been saying that Quinn will be the hire all week. With zero sources or facts.
Can’t assume anything with this team.
Rap sheet is pretty accurate about these things.
Amazing to me how all the drama with Russell Wilson leaving and Pete being the big boy in the room and now he’s leaving, creating his own drama. And he’s not the big boy in the room. Lesson to all Seattle fans who worshiped at his altar. You never want to meet your Heroes they may be more humanly fallible than you
What drama?
I’m sorry what? Russ asked for his coaches to be fired.
Pete, uhh wanted to keep coaching and got fired? And he’s had barely any sour grapes considering the circumstances?
Pete maybe took an unnecessary shot or two, but has been almost entirely a class act through what must be a very difficult week.
Does anyone remember how Jim Mora handled his firing?
For me it’s less about drama this week, and more about Pete 100% validating the reasons the team made the decision they did.
💯
For sure, seems oblivious to his shortcomings. I just take issue w the idea that he has handled this particularly poorly or in a way that should make us think less of him. Not sure hes handled it great, but im willing to give him a pass.
Thanks for the SB ring and great run pete.
I don’t think I could disagree more.
“I’m the only guy who can fix the mess I made” has been the song he’s sung for at least 3 years for sure, probably more like 4 or 5.
To say that the non-football people in the org don’t understand and aren’t qualified to make the decision is disingenuous at best, blind ego at worst. Why?
He literally has been scoffing at people in the press and public who question his results for years. Yet you don’t have to be a football savant to ask why they are in the bottom half the league in defense, and have abandoned their build the trenches and run the ball persona.
He has shown an astounding lack of humility and self-awareness, which 2010-2011 Pete Carroll would have kicked 2019-23 Pete Carroll’s tail over.
He had abandoned nearly every principle he built his success on, and the results are plainly obvious. Yet he is acting like it is somebody else’s fault that the results aren’t good enough, and if he just says “believe” enough and refuses to call out bad play or bad behavior enough, guys will play better and overall things will change.
He literally said ‘one thing here or there’ kept them from success, when clearly that is wrong. The poor performance this year and other recent years was systemic. Which Rob and I and others have been pointing out for years.
💯💯💯💯💯💯
He was upset because they had him doing pressers while looking at Pete and he pretended he didn’t know who Charlie
Whitehurst was but what else?
Saw this tweet mentioned on Seahawks reddit.
https://x.com/MikeDugar/status/1746238941458842090?s=20
DQ and Mike McDonald being requested for interviews.
Honestly, that makes me so happy. Quinn is not my first choice by any means but people comparing him to Mora 2.0 is a bit hyperbolic in my opinion. He could succeed for sure; I just think it’s less likely than some of the other options. I can stomach the hire much more if an actual search takes place and that is what Schneider ends up deciding. Quinn being anointed without any competition does not sit well with me.
So, if we do end up doing the right thing and bringing Mike McDonald aboard as HC, which of the following Michael McDonald songs should be the Hawks’ new home game entrance theme?
– I Keep Forgettin’
– I Gotta Try
– No Lookin’ Back
– Sweet Freedom
🤣 Personally, either of the last two would be welcome anthem, celebrating a new shift in culture.
Hopefully it’s NOT “What a Fool Believes”
Have to believe most Hawks fans would be like “Yah Mo B There” if McDonald is the choice. The guy who’s D held the 49ers to 19 points this year? Ah, yes, please.
It Keeps You Runnin’ (as a member of The Doobie Bros)?
*hopefully cuz Mike Mc has emphasized the o-line
It‘s still very early in the process but if Rap‘s report is correct, it could mean that they are trying to go the defensive HC route (or don‘t like any potential off. HC candidates…).
In that case, I think the best way to become competitive again quickly is to bring in McDonald. Let him pick an OC out of Ravens’ offensive staff and trade for Fields (if available), hoping to get some Lamar light production out of him.
Whispers are that they will speak to several offensive coaches too
I hope that is the case and they do an extensive search. Even if they end up hiring DQ in the end, I would feel more comfortable with it after they interviewed several candidates.
The whispered one? Is it Vecna?
In case you all don’t know Pittsburgh at Buffalo moved from 10 AM our time tomorrow to 1:30 PM our time on Monday
Blizzard city in Buffalo tomorrow
Kraken @ Penguins also moved to 10am PST
My work now observes MLK Jr Day as a paid holiday so I am looking forward to enjoying all of the games this long weekend.
👍
I’m retired so it’s good here too.
Do we have an-official-as-possible word on who in Carolina stumped for Young over Stroud? I seem to recall reading Reich wasn’t anti-Young but preferred Stroud.
I’ve always heard it was Tepper that pushed hard for him but as you said Reich was good too. No idea if that’s fully true tho.
Prolly owner. The old “can’t miss “ moniker
Well that meeting after the season probably went like this…
Jody: Pete, our defense was just horrible. How do want to fix this?
Pete: Gotta do better. But we were so close, just have to tweak some things.
Jody: That doesnt sound convincing.
Pete: You know nothing about football and just repeat the media.
Jody: Well I didnt ask how good Bobby is. We are done here
In his defense I’m sure most of us might have some spur grapes the day or 2 after your fired. I think fortunately for us however it was football minds who made or swayed that decision.
Did Pocic ever look like this in a Hawks uniform? He’s not taking over or anything but he looks very competent. Literally all we’ve ever asked for from the center position.
Fant for Houston too. Now LT cuz Tunsil is out. Starting RT all season.
One of my biggest hopes for a new HC and John in charge is a significantly better oline.
Most of our team right now I would say I believe we have the right guys they’re just not being schemed right. The front 7 on paper should be able to be between 15 and 20th vs the run.
That OK (not gonna attempt his name ), the mlb for Cleveland is exactly what Robs always banging on about when he talks about watching young lb’s. Just flys to the ball killing screens.
But wait a minute, Bobby Wagner first in NFL in tackles!
/sarcasm
Browns spent about $5-7m in cap this year for their safeties and int LBs.
#1 defense.
😩😪☹️🤮
What did the “football person” Pete Carroll spend on the same positions this year?
North of 40 iirc.
#30 defense
When you have a really good dline.. makes the back end look good..
They have invested a lot into cb btw..
One of the things that was a head scratchwr from pete and john was the investment at safety..
And a clearly past his prime Wagner for 8 mil
I know he showed it against Georgia last year that he can be big in the moment, but Stroud is looking cool as a cucumber in his first playoff game.
Really interesting first few minutes from Dave Canales on his experiences in Seattle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFkU6H40Wj8&ab_channel=TampaBayBuccaneers
Just released yesterday. As I’ve listened to a few of his interviews, I get serious charisma from the guy in a way that I don’t from Mike McDonald’s interviews. Anybody else think Canales satisfies a lot of what John will want? Full control. Someone who has to answer to him? Yep. Continuity of culture. Check.
Maybe get McDonald as HC and Canales as OC. That would be an interesting pairing. I am just not sure how creative Canales is compared to the other top OCs out there.
I don’t want Canales and I don’t even think he’ll get an interview
Time for a fresh start, no Carroll guys
Slowik doesn’t seem like such a bad choice despite his relative lack of experience. I watch the Texans quite a bit living in Texas and I have never seen so many big plays dialed up to start drives in my years of watching NFL football. That is a sign of great understanding and scheming of matchups.
Very impressive to see Slowik’s game plan against an excellent Cleveland defense. Have CJ Stroud as your QB certainly helps!
Slowik must be soaring up teams lists. Impressive first half.
Plus their slowik story that shanahan had him work on the defensive side dong quality control before coaching offense..
Might be a guy that can understand both sides, which you want in a head coach..
His age is a little concern with lack of experience..
QB Carter Bradley of South Alabama accepted the last of six spots for the Senior Bowl.
That makes the quarterbacks Michael Pratt, Spencer Rattler, Joe Milton III, Bo Nix, Sam Hartman, and a human jugs machine.
Dolly Parton?
Not those kind of jugs.
https://jugssports.com/other-team-sports/football/
And believe it or not, they have them for cricket.
You just won the internet for today sir
Hawks Finn that is
Just gonna say it. Some of us on this site are a tiny bit down on Caleb Williams not as a prospect per se but because his people and love the guy Florio with the ” you don’t get to control where you go,” nonsense which is true for….checks notes….everyone drafted.
Stroud went to Houston which has been an after run nearly every year they’ve been a franchise. Burrow to the bengals. Sometimes to be the man you’ve got to be the man.
I liked Mina Kimes’ breakdown of NFL coaching destinations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDxdiNfuW_o
Geno is no 4 and Commies are too unknown in terms of ownership for a 5 but otherwise pretty fair.
Yeah, well she wore a Seahawks helmet at her wedding.
And hopefully on her honeymoon.
That’s the Joe Flacco I know.
Pick six to Stingley.
Or, Nelson, my bad.
And another one…
And another one.
And another one
Yep it just turned to midnight on him.
How about follow your training and get a quarterback and an OL/DL with a bunch of rookie skill players because Jordan Love seems pretty decent. 0int
How about building front to back like every other contender in history?
If this is decision hopefully we go 3,-14 ,and he’s done in the NFL.