What does Carroll see in Schottenheimer?

SchottenheimerA lot of people are not happy about the Seahawks replacing an average offensive coordinator with an average offensive coordinator, but we’re going to have to look past the stats and project a bit to see why Pete Carroll and John Schneider reportedly are hiring Brian Schottenheimer to replace Darrell Bevell.

Schottenheimer is an underwhelming pick to a lot of fans because he has not had a lot of success. In nine seasons as OC of the Jets and Rams, he had only one top-10 scoring offense — Brett Favre led the Jets to ninth in 2008. His running game hasn’t been very good; outside of three straight top-10 years with the Jets (2008-10), it never ranked higher than 19th. And he has never orchestrated an offense that has ranked higher than 11th — seven of the nine ranked 20th or worse.

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Looks like Hawks are letting Shead become a free agent

DeShawn SheadThe Seahawks apparently have decided to allow DeShawn Shead to become a free agent, which means either they are just being nice (quite possible) or they prefer to keep Byron Maxwell instead.

In November, we wrote about Shead’s unusual case, pointing out the CBA empowered Seattle to toll his $1.2 million contract to 2018. After the season (and two games played), though, Shead told reporters he would soon know his free agency status and the team could forgo the toll if it chose.

On Friday, he posted a message indicating he is indeed going to be a free agent. (H/T to Field Gulls for spotting this.)

“Having a good time working out this offseason! It’s a blessing to be able to hit this grind healthy,” wrote Shead, who spent almost all of 2017 coming back from ACL surgery. “It’s surreal that I’m a free agent, but I’m excited to see what the future holds and where I will end up!”

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O-line expert: Cable & Bevell were passive, predictable

Cable and CarrollTom Cable’s offensive line failed because it was passive and predictable and did not use the players’ skills as well as it should have, and the lack of creativity by Cable and Darrell Bevell made it easy for defenses to beat Seattle — according to some great analysis by former Seattle first-round tackle Ray Roberts on 710 ESPN.

Roberts confirmed what we have said for a long time: Cable’s zone scheme has not worked partly because the Seahawks have not incorporated enough pre-snap motion. There has been almost no misdirection to make defenses wonder what is coming.

“There’s no other thing for linebackers or defenders to read,” Roberts said of the running game. “They know exactly where it’s going and they can come right downhill and defend it.”

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Hawks finally forced abroad; will NFL schedule properly?

Hawks in London 2The Seahawks put it off for as long as possible, but their time finally came: They have to play in London in 2018. At least it won’t come at the expense of a home game.

Way back in 2005, Tod Leiweke, then Seattle’s CEO, said the Seahawks were not interested in playing abroad during the season — especially if it cost them a home game.

Before the 49ers and Cardinals played the first regular-season game outside the U.S., in Mexico City in October 2005, Leiweke said, “They didn’t need to ask us because they knew what the answer would be. Our football guys wouldn’t have been crazy about it. I think it’s one of those things where the guys who aren’t playing in it think it’s a great idea.”

That Mexico game kicked off the NFL’s international foray. The league has played in London since 2007, and the Seahawks have staved off the trip for 11 seasons. Hopefully they can avoid it for another 11 after 2018.

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Firings prove Carroll is serious about fixing Seattle’s offense

Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson plan to be clapping about their offense a lot this season (Getty Images)The turnabout was a little surprising for the loyal-to-a-fault coach, but Pete Carroll’s actions made it clear he is serious about fixing an offense that has regressed from good enough to good for nothing over the past three years.

In one sweep of the ax, Carroll cut ties with longtime assistants Darrell Bevell and Tom Cable — and now Carroll will look for replacements who can be true to his three-star philosophy of running the ball, protecting the ball and making big plays.

Carroll obviously has replacements in mind, and the top guy for the offensive coordinator position appears to be John DeFilippo, the Eagles’ QB coach who helped turn Carson Wentz into an All-Pro in his second season.

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Carroll changes his mind about Bevell

Darrell Bevell speaks to reporters WednesdayAlmost exactly a year ago, Pete Carroll defended Darrell Bevell for the umpteenth time, saying the many fans who wanted him fired “don’t know what they’re talking about. Darrell does a great job.”

But, after the Seahawks missed the playoffs for the first time in six years and put together their worst offensive season in Russell Wilson’s six, Carroll finally agreed with fans who have been asking him to make a change ever since that ill-fated call in Super Bowl XLIX.

With Bevell reportedly fired Tuesday night, after seven years as Seattle’s offensive coordinator, Carroll signaled that he understood big changes need to occur — that it is time to fix an offense that has been sporadic for most of Wilson’s career and finally bottomed out in 2017.

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Will missing playoffs motivate Carroll to make changes?

Cable and CarrollIf one positive comes from Seattle’s playoff streak ending after five years, it appears it might be Pete Carroll finally figuring out that it’s time to change some of his coaching approach (and maybe coaches).

“Unfortunately, the truth came out that you do get what you emphasize,” he said last week, admitting he has preached so much about finishing strong that he has ignored starting well. He also lamented Seattle’s team-record penalty count and poor running game and made fixes for those issues his offseason priorities.

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Schneider’s staying, but other staff changes could be coming

Draft -- Schneider and CarrollThere was lots of scuttlebutt — real and perhaps imagined — around the Seahawks’ football staff over the weekend.

John Schneider is staying, Gus Bradley might be returning and the Seahawks also might be looking for a new offensive coordinator and/or assistant head coach.

The Seahawks rebuffed the Packers’ request to interview Schneider, leading to speculation that the Packers might try to trade for him. But that was quickly quashed when the Pack stayed in-house to replace Ted Thompson.

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Will Hawks & Pack trade another GM?

John Schneider draftingAre the Seahawks and Packers about to engage in another deal involving a football boss?

In 1999, the Seahawks sent the Packers a second-round pick for Mike Holmgren, who became Seattle’s coach and general manager. Among the former Packers personnel guys Holmgren hired early in his Seattle tenure was John Schneider, who then bounced back to Green Bay in 2002 and returned to Seattle to join Pete Carroll in 2010.

Now, 19 years after that Holmgren trade, the Packers reportedly are trying to get Schneider back for a third stint with the team.

The Seahawks reportedly turned down the Packers’ request to interview Schneider, so the story is over unless: (1) Schneider really wants to go back to Green Bay and (2) the Packers want to give up a draft pick or two for him.

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Report: Hawks are willing to pay Thomas

Salary cap logoSeattle is willing to pay Earl Thomas top of the market, Bradley McDougald is 70 percent to re-sign and Michael Bennett is 70 percent to be let go, according to “nuggets” from Davis Hsu, a reliable champion of Seahawks scuttlebutt on Twitter.

Also from Hsu’s source: Cliff Avril has a better chance to play again than Kam Chancellor, it looks like Byron Maxwell will return and Malik McDowell apparently has made some progress as he recovers from his ATV accident.

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