“We have an amazing number of draft choices: Three.” – John Schneider
“Our No. 1 pick is Jamal Adams, and that’s a heck of a pick.” – Pete Carroll
“We’re not going into the draft with great needs. … We’re in a really good place.” — Carroll
Those three quotes say everything you need to know about this draft for the Seahawks, who made a purposeful choice to bail on 2021 by using their picks on veteran players Jamal Adams, Carlos Dunlap and Gabe Jackson.
Pete Carroll’s No. 1 rule is “Protect the team.” While Russell Wilson “challenged” that rule earlier this offseason with his public complaints (which actually violated Carroll’s Rule No. 2), Carroll followed Rule No. 1 to the letter Wednesday as he spoke to reporters for the first time this offseason.
While Wilson and his camp clearly were the ones who drove the drama train, playing the victim card against Carroll himself, the coach stood up for his quarterback and blamed it all on media speculation that the coach declined to end.
Carroll made it clear he was not happy about the “uncomfortable” drama, especially the part Wilson’s agent played, but he has made peace with his quarterback and was not about to give it up in this press conference. So he shot the messengers while taking a credibility bullet himself.
Continue reading Carroll follows Rule No. 1 to keep the peace with his quarterback
In their first comments all offseason, Pete Carroll and John Schneider waved off the Russell Wilson drama, saying they never “actively negotiated” with other teams about trading him, he never asked for more personnel control, he doesn’t have any more than he ever did, and the coach and quarterback have been talking all offseason and their relationship is fine.
Carroll and Schneider chalked this one up to a long list of drama around their team over the years. “We’ve been through a lot of stuff,” Carroll said, and Schneider added, “from maple bars to Marshawn” – a reference to Golden Tate’s infamous donut caper in 2010 and of course the rebellious Marshawn Lynch. They also said they remained mum even amid all of the reports and rumors because “we knew the truth.”
Continue reading Carroll & Schneider say all is fine with WilsonTrent Kirchner has admitted what we already knew: The Seahawks basically bailed on this draft due to the pandemic.
They’re not totally out of it, obviously, and his scouts actually have been working on this draft since last May. But Kirchner and Matt Berry, John Schneider’s top personnel lieutenants, confirmed to Seahawks.com that the Jamal Adams trade was made with this unpredictable draft in mind, and they said it has been hard to get the information they need and that next year’s draft will be much deeper.
Continue reading Hawks ‘elated’ they already made their first pick
We will finally hear from John Schneider and Pete Carroll, at noon Wednesday, and you can bet they will be at their snarkiest – considering they (hopefully) are going to be asked about a lot of things they don’t really want to talk about.
A lot has happened since we last heard from Carroll in early January. And, because there was no Combine or in-person owners meetings, we haven’t heard from Schneider yet this offseason.
We put together 20 questions we would ask them about this offseason, starting with a couple of easy ones before hammering them with the tough stuff about Russell Wilson, Aldon Smith, Jarran Reed, etc.
Continue reading What we want to hear from team bossesWe’re a week away from what is likely to be one of the least consequential drafts in Seahawks history, but you know John Schneider will do everything he can to make it a lot more interesting than it has any right to be.
In the end, you know he will be a lot more involved than his three current picks, the smallest draft stock in the league, indicate he will be.
It’s usually pretty hard to predict what the Hawks will do in the first round – as we all know, they tend to overdraft players who struggle to contribute. But we can look at Schneider’s trends and the makeup of this draft and make an educated guess about what he might do April 30 and May 1. So here we go …
Continue reading What to expect from Seattle in this draft
All of the key figures on the Seattle offense have now weighed in, and Tyler Lockett hit the most important factor in the Seahawks rebounding from their dud finish in 2020: “You have to learn how to evolve; you have to learn how to adapt.”
Like Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson and DK Metcalf before him, Lockett admitted the Seahawks did not adjust well to defenses that took away their deep throws in the second half of last season. The question is whether they will all be on the same page under new OC Shane Waldron as they look to avoid a similar fate and advance deep into the postseason in 2021.
Continue reading Lockett: Hawks must learn and adaptDRAFT COUNTDOWN: 3 weeks. A weekly look at draft-related topics involving the Seahawks. Make sure to check out our draft page.
Plenty of people – especially amateur draftniks — are wringing their hands over Seattle having just three picks left for the NFL selection meeting at the end of the month.
The Seahawks have the least draft capital in the league, per Football Perspective, and apparently the third-lowest pick value in the past 21 drafts. So this could be the least important draft in John Schneider’s tenure.
But, as Schneider surely will remind everyone when he speaks later this month, he already has used five of his picks to draft four guys – and three of them are expected to be major contributing starters for at least the next couple of years.
Continue reading Seattle started this draft last yearThe draft is always an important roster tool, simply because it ideally brings cheap talent and helps create a core. But some drafts are more important than others. Here we rank John Schneider’s drafts, from most to least significant (based on draft capital and needs, not results):
Continue reading Which drafts mattered more?
For the past two months, people have been waiting for Pete Carroll or Russell Wilson to say something to end all of the trade innuendo. We’ll hear from Carroll later this month, but Carlos Dunlap says Wilson told him he is not going anywhere.
Before agreeing to return to Seattle, Dunlap said he talked to Wilson to make sure he would remain the Seahawks’ quarterback, and Wilson told Dunlap he’s “here to stay.” Wilson has been consistent in saying he wants to remain in Seattle, but the caveat this offseason has been “on the right terms.” And his agent’s backhanded trade request almost led to Wilson becoming a Chicago Bear.
But, it sounds like he has changed his mind about being open to a trade this year. Remember, Wilson has a no-trade clause, so if he says he is staying, that is what is happening.
Let’s take a quick ride back through the timeline of this saga:
Continue reading Dunlap: Wilson says he is ‘here to stay’