Tag Archives: Pete Carroll

Trades, Week 16: Chicago

As Bears arrive, time for more trade talk

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As the Chicago Bears come to town for the first of three meaningless games for Seattle, Russell Wilson trade talk is heating up again.

It’s an apropos topic considering the Bears did their best to try to pry Wilson from Seattle last offseason, offering a combination of players and picks that included three first-rounders. John Schneider seemingly was willing to take it, but Pete Carroll said no.

Now, as the Bears come to Seattle and Wilson comes off another terrible performance against the Rams, his future is again front and center. (And it will be until he is traded, which we assume will happen next March.)

Continue reading As Bears arrive, time for more trade talk →
State of the team, Week 14: At Houston

Adams & Wilson are still the focus of all of Seattle’s drama

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The dysfunction and discontent surrounding the Seahawks will remain the story for the rest of the season (unless they make a miracle run to the Super Bowl), and two pieces of news have fed it this week.

First was Jamal Adams’ season-ending surgery, which put the red spotlight back on Seattle’s desperate move to get Adams last year as Pete Carroll and John Schneider tried to find an impact defender. Then came a report that Russell Wilson may be amenable to expanding his trade options to include the New York Giants and Denver Broncos.

Continue reading Adams & Wilson are still the focus of all of Seattle’s drama →
Coaches, Franchise history, State of the team

What if Carroll does get fired or retire?

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Jody Allen fired the Portland Trail Blazers’ longtime general manager Friday, leading some to speculate she might do the same with the Seahawks’ coach and/or GM after this season.

But Neil Olshey was fired for violating the Blazers’ code of conduct, not because the team may miss the playoffs for the first time in nine years. So, it seems quite unlikely Allen would fire Pete Carroll and John Schneider after one losing season, especially when she just extended both of them and neither has any personal black clouds hanging over his head.

But let’s play “What If” anyway.  

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State of the team, Week 12: At Washington

Time to start shopping Wilson, who has hit his ceiling in Seattle

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The Seahawks’ season is over. With six games left.

We haven’t said that this early in a season since 2008, when Mike Holmgren’s final squad was stuck on two wins all the way until Week 14 and ended up 4-12. (Jim Mora’s pitiful 2009 band was 4-7 before collapsing to 5-11.)

The Hawks (3-8) have a minuscule shot at the playoffs if they could get to nine wins, but they certainly are not going to win six straight with this quarterback, who showed his ineptitude again Monday in a 17-15 loss at Washington.

So, it’s time to get ready for big change in the offseason.

Continue reading Time to start shopping Wilson, who has hit his ceiling in Seattle →
Week 12: At Washington, X's & O's

Pass rush: How did Hawks turn strength into weakness?

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Next to the offense’s total faceplant, the lackluster pass rush has been the biggest surprise of the Seahawks’ season.

Although the defense has improved markedly in key areas since Week 4, it has been somewhat stunning that Carlos Dunlap, Kerry Hyder and the rest have not been able to get to quarterbacks. This unit was easily the strength of the defense entering the season – yet has underperformed expectations.

But it is not simply a matter of those guys suddenly stinking. A lot of the blame lies with Pete Carroll and Ken Norton Jr. They have eschewed the pass rush at times and simply have not created any chemistry because they keep mixing and matching rotations.

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Week 11: Arizona, X's & O's

Lockett & Wilson see failure differently, which explains a lot

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In the wake of a familiar pathetic offensive performance in a 23-13 loss to Arizona, Tyler Lockett and Russell Wilson’s words illustrated exactly why the Seahawks are struggling.

Lockett spoke the truth: The Seahawks rely on big plays and are not good when those fail because they are bad at making in-game adjustments.

Lockett also told FOX 13 Seattle that defenses are playing the Seahawks differently than they play everyone else, based on the film the Hawks watch in preparing for each game. “They’re not giving us the same looks that they’re consistently giving every other team.” Lockett said the Hawks then do not adapt quickly enough.

Wilson, on the contrary, said he didn’t see the Cardinals do anything different, that it was all stuff he had seen before and adjustments were not the problem. “We just didn’t play clean,” he said.

The difference in viewpoints explains a lot about why the Seahawks are failing on offense.

Continue reading Lockett & Wilson see failure differently, which explains a lot →
State of the team, Week 11: Arizona, X's & O's

Last chance for Wilson to prove he has not hit his ceiling

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In the wake of Seattle’s embarrassing shutout loss in Green Bay, the topic of Russell Wilson’s future with the Seahawks came back to light – with numerous national media revisiting the prospect of a split after this season.

While plenty of fans and media still cling to the myth that Wilson has been failed by the franchise and is a victim of mismanagement and poor coaching and personnel, that’s the bass-ackwards way of looking at it. Wilson is a double-edged sword who always has been half the problem, and he needs to adjust his play if the Seahawks are going to flip things around over the final eight games.

We do agree with all of those people on one thing though: This should be the final test of whether Wilson should stay Seattle’s quarterback going forward.

If he can’t adjust – if he and Shane Waldron cannot agree on how to proceed, if he remains a one-dimensional passer, if it becomes clear he has hit his ceiling — it may indeed be time to trade him.

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Franchise history

Holmgren, Hasselbeck started this era of winning

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With the current Seahawks in a big hole and the playoffs looking slim for 2021, it’s good timing that the team is giving fans something to cheer about by honoring the two guys who took Seattle to its first Super Bowl.

Mike Holmgren will join his longtime QB, Matt Hasselbeck, in the Ring of Honor this Sunday. Hasselbeck was honored Monday night (see his speech).

These are the two guys most responsible for bringing the franchise out of its 1990s slump, getting it to its first Super Bowl and establishing a winning culture that has persisted for two decades.

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Week 7: New Orleans

Without Wilson, Hawks are losing the close ones — and the season

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We always knew the Seahawks could not make the playoffs if Russell Wilson missed many games.

They have never had a good enough backup QB, whether it was Tarvaris Jackson or Trevone Boykin or Brett Hundley or Geno Smith.

We did have hope this time, however, that Smith might be able to win a couple to keep the Hawks’ playoff hopes alive until Wilson returned from the first sidelining injury of his career.

Unfortunately, Smith has been what we knew him to be – inaccurate and turnover-prone – and has gone 0 for 3 in comeback opportunities in close games the past three weeks. He got no help from an overmatched offensive line in a 13-10 loss to New Orleans on Monday night, and he looked a lot like Wilson sometimes does as he took game-killing sacks.

Continue reading Without Wilson, Hawks are losing the close ones — and the season →
Week 6: At Pittsburgh

At 2-4, season is not over, but Hawks have no room for error now

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“Postponing judgment is a powerful tool.” – Pete Carroll

As much as some fans might want to put the nails in Seattle’s coffin after just six games, the simple fact is the Seahawks (2-4) are still breathing – the season is far from over.

But they are going to need to win their next two home games if they want to stay in the playoff hunt.

Continue reading At 2-4, season is not over, but Hawks have no room for error now →