Michael Bennett and Richard Sherman both backed Russell Wilson in the wake of rift reports.
Bennett also shared more of his life philosophies (most of which make great sense).
Sherman came across as happy and ready to be a team player again.
Sherman’s attitude was one of several reasons Pete Carroll called it a “very successful offseason.”
Carroll said Jimmy Graham and Earl Thomas were the most impressive players this offseason.
Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor are back. The big question: For how long?
The Seahawks’ two defensive leaders returned to action Tuesday as the Seahawks started a short minicamp, and both were a sight for fans’ sore eyes — Thomas at a self-described 80 percent coming back from a broken leg and Chancellor back from double ankle surgery.
It’s a great sign for Seattle’s defense in 2017 — and potentially beyond. The futures of both safeties were hot topics after practice, with Thomas hinting he plans to play well beyond the last two years of his deal and Chancellor and Pete Carroll both addressing a possible extension for the strong safety this offseason.
Pete Carroll says Seattle’s “locker room is in great shape” and the Super Bowl XLIX debacle “isn’t an issue to us at all,” but there’s way too much smoke to think that fire has been entirely extinguished.
Warren Moon is among those who think the Hawks will never win another Super Bowl as long as they continue to have so much discord. But the Seahawks — Carroll, Russell Wilson, Doug Baldwin, et al. — say they can win even though Richard Sherman and some other defenders apparently have issues with Carroll and Wilson.
So which perspective is right? Can they overcome the dysfunction to win another title? Or do they need to get rid of Sherman and any other major malcontents to have a shot?
Call it the YCK bug. This whole Colin Kaepernick drama is as much a non-issue as Y2K was.
Kaepernick was never going to challenge Russell Wilson for the Seahawks’ starting quarterback job — he’s simply not good enough — and Pete Carroll decided the controversial former 49er was not a fit for Seattle even as a backup.
Whether Carroll didn’t think he fit Seattle’s offense or whether the coach simply didn’t feel like adding more potential drama to a locker room already teeming with it, he made the right choice.
Colin Kaepernick’s ongoing NFL unemployment has been the source of much consternation for some NFL watchers, and some Seahawks fans have even lobbied for Seattle to sign the former San Francisco quarterback.
Fortunately, it’s not going to happen.
The Seahawks were lauded by civil-rights cheerleaders everywhere for becoming the first team to express any interest in Kaepernick, but the Hawks don’t need to be the team that signs the QB just to satisfy critics who say he is being blackballed for his anthem antics.
Asked why Kaepernick is still unemployed, Pete Carroll had a perfect answer: “That’s not my issue.”
We returned from vacation to a lot of depressing Seahawks news. Here’s the latest on the team …
Hall of Famer Cortez Kennedy stunningly died at age 48. Many former teammates and coaches spoke glowingly of him as both person and player.
The Seahawks darkened their stadium, the only light the one shining on Kennedy’s No. 96 hanging from the rafters. Kennedy also had close ties to the Saints, who are honoring him during their offseason workouts.
Dave Boling gave a revealing look at former Seattle star Curt Warner’s difficult family challenges since he retired.
We learned further details on the reason Richard Sherman has become a team pariah: He reportedly still harbors a grudge over the Super Bowl XLIX debacle and is jealous of Russell Wilson. As expected, Sherman dismissed the story.
#SeahawksDraft jersey numbers have been assigned! pic.twitter.com/mJhHrx2NmP
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) May 11, 2017
Pete Carroll and his staff got to see the 11 draft picks and almost 60 other players Friday as Seattle’s rookie minicamp got under way.
We wrote separately about Carroll’s take on the four draft picks in the secondary. Here are his first impressions of other rookies:
Malik McDowell is everything the coaches thought he was — so far.
Seattle used four draft picks on defensive backs — an apparent attempt at setting up LOB 2.0 down the road — and Pete Carroll said they “made a really good first impression” as rookie minicamp began Friday.
“They all moved very well. They all caught the ball really well. They looked fast. They just looked the part and felt very comfortable,” Carroll said.
“There’s a lot of play time behind these two safeties in particular and you can just tell,” Carroll said of third-rounder Delano Hill and fourth-rounder Tedric Thompson, who both reportedly were rated as second-round talents by Seattle. “They’re very savvy, very comfortable, communicated really well right off the bat, made a really good first impression.”
Carroll said third-round cornerback Shaq Griffin “can fly.” Griffin, who ran a 4.38 40, said the coaches told him to forget everything he learned at Central Florida.
“(Ethan Pocic and Germain Ifedi) are going to compete and obviously what you hope is that they prove to us day in and day out that they are two of the best five. And then you’ve got to move one of them somewhere, and that’s a good problem to have.’’ — Tom Cable to KJR
This is so like the Seahawks.
With holes across their offensive line, they draft two guys with high picks in consecutive years — yet are so uncertain where to play them that they decide to pit them against each other at the same position.
In an interview with KJR, relayed by Bob Condotta, Tom Cable confirmed what Pete Carroll has been saying: The Seahawks basically have no clue where their linemen will start.
Cliff Avril said he understands why Marshawn Lynch wants to play in Oakland, is glad the Seahawks did not trade Richard Sherman, and also looks forward to mentoring Malik McDowell.
Those were the top takeaways from a good interview with Avril on NFL Network on Tuesday — as Avril returns from his Haiti work and a side trip to the NFL draft to announce some of Seattle’s picks.
CHAWK TALK: Everything being said about the Seahawks 