Olsen: Seahawks are at a ‘crossroads’

There seemingly are few people who have not picked a side in the Russell Wilson vs. Pete Carroll power play, but Greg Olsen apparently is one of them.

Olsen was with the Seahawks for just one year, but the longtime NFL vet saw the personalities of Wilson and Carroll up close in 2020. So his perspective – that of a guy who went to the postseason with three franchises and knows what it takes to win – is valuable.

In a podcast interview with Colin Cowherd, an anti-Carroll Wilson supporter, Olsen presented a very fair, unbiased look at the situation, pointing out there is more than one way to win and showing it is possible to respect both Wilson and Carroll, who we all know both have their strengths and weaknesses.

“Both guys know that they’re capable of being among the all-time best,” Olsen said. “They just have a little bit of a different philosophy on how it’s done.”

That jibes with everything we have heard over the past few weeks: Wilson wants more input and control of the offense, and Carroll apparently has balked at letting him have it.

Olsen said Wilson “wants that weight on his shoulders. … Are they willing to allow him to operate the Seattle Seahawks in that manner? I think that’s the crossroads they are at right now. After being there a year, I’m not exactly sure which path they take.”

Olsen said he saw firsthand how driven Wilson is to be among the very best quarterbacks ever. “His legacy matters to him. … He wants to win multiple Super Bowls and he wants it to be on his back. …

“Will the Seattle Seahawks ever just say: ‘Here are the keys. Go win us the Super Bowl offensively.’? I’m not sure.”

Olsen did not indicate he was rooting for that though.

As Herd started to rip Carroll (as he often does), Olsen interrupted and said, “He’s one of the most impressive people running an organization I’ve ever been around. … He runs a football team incredibly efficiently. … His team meeting is 35 minutes, and you sit there the entire time on the edge of your seat because it’s not just wasted fluff.”

As for how this power play ends, Olsen predicted, “If you’re taking the odds today, he’s back in Seattle. They fix the things they both agree on that need to get better to push the organization forward.”

3 thoughts on “Olsen: Seahawks are at a ‘crossroads’”

RW has earned the right to have input into the offense. By “input” I mean hearing him out and adopting anything that makes sense, as opposed to leaving him feel so dismissed that he walks out of a meeting. But control? Thing is, you can’t fire the QB. The head coach is the one accountable for the W-L record, so control resides with him.

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what if the crossroads is this? Does Pete think Russ can play a great playoff game, or 2-3 in a row, and take them to the Super Bowl? Or does Pete think he can win a SB with an average QB and a great D?
When is the last playoff game Russ played like a superstar? Has he ever? Did Pete throw the int at the end of SB 49?

do fans believe Russ can carry a team to the SB when he has never come close to doing it? Or do they think Pete and John can build a great D without a $35 million QB?

we have a record of one of these things being true, but it seems most fans believe the narrative of what has never happened.

And I am in the camp of Pete, John and Russ all share blame and need to do better, and all need to compromise. But if it is an either or scenario, one of the narratives has been proven and should be given more respect.

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