Not all former Seahawks are dissing the team. Stop already.
Despite some headlines around the interwebs, not all former Seahawks are down on the team. Even some of those headlines are questionable.
I’ll admit it, I’m an optimist. I’m not a tenth Dan black belt optimist; we all know only Pete Carroll and Nelson Mandela have achieved that rank. But I’m working on it. In fact I expect this article will earn me my blue belt. So I have a positive outlook on all things concerning the Seahawks. I’m certainly okay with former players speaking their minds about the organization. It seems that because of the comments of a couple of guys, there’s this mindset that everyone that left is down on the Seahawks. That simply isn’t true.
Speaking of couple of guys, it shouldn’t surprise anyone they were two of the most outspoken players on the team. Richard Sherman made his views about the Seahawks abundantly clear. Micheal Bennett had his say, and that’s fine too. I don’t agree with their assessments of the team, but they have a right to voice their opinions. Just not on the field during certain songs.
Pete Carroll responded to their statements as only the eternal optimist could do. His key quote: “Sometimes, guys can’t hang with what’s expected…” He didn’t attack them as most coaches in his position would do. He didn’t call them cancers to the team – although as Lee points out in his article, that’s about as close as Carroll will ever come to uttering those words. Imagine Bill Belichik’s response to statements like Sherman’s and Bennett’s. Oh, right; it would be a nearly sub-lingual “no comment”. Most coaches would go off, but not Pete Carroll.
Surprise! Some former Seahawks actually liked it here
But not everyone who left Seattle has unkind words for the Seahawks. DeShawn Shead is one former player who made a point to thank the team. He should, too as Seattle could have tolled his contract – rolled it over in normal language – and kept him for 2018. But John Schneider promised Shead he’d be a free agent, and Shead signed with the Detroit Lions.
https://twitter.com/dshead24/status/974373770205921280
DeShawn, you have two “e”s, you can spare one for John. Anyway, on we go to the next point. Paul Richardson, who will now be flying down the sidelines for Washington, made a point to thank the Seahawks for all they did for him as well. Funny, no rancor, no bitter recriminations, no mention of reading during team meetings. Just heartfelt thanks for the opportunity.
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Tom Cable dinged the Seahawks…maybe?
So not everyone out there is badmouthing Seattle. In fact, some headlines that make you think that’s the case aren’t even backed up by the story. Case in point is this article about Tom Cable gearing up to get Marshawn Lynch back to Beastmode. It’s an excellent piece, and you really should read it. I did think the title was quite interesting: “Tom Cable dings Seahawks, ready to reunite with Marshawn Lynch.”
Of the nearly 800 words in the article, maybe 600 are about the reunion between Cable and Lynch. Exactly six words from a Cable quote tweeted by The Athletic’s Vic Tafur form the lead in the headline: “We had a blast in Seattle, should have won two Super Bowls.”
Did Cable ding the Seahawks, or is that a broad interpretation?
As I read it, that’s a statement of fact. Sure, we all know why the Seahawks didn’t win that game. We’ve written about it a few times. But if Cable really intended to ding the Seahawks, wouldn’t he have spelled it out? Wouldn’t he have trashed the play call, like millions of 12s did? Or would he have just talked about how his time in Seattle was “a really cool experience” the day after he was let go? Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett dinged the Seahawks. Tom Cable just stated a fact. This isn’t a dig at the author of the article or 247sports.com. Just an observation that there’s a tendency to view everything in a negative light.
Next: Did Seattle get what they needed in the offseason?
I want to reiterate, I’m not slamming Sherman and Bennett for speaking their mind. As Carroll said in his response, some guys just can’t hang. And that’s okay; it’s time to move on if you’re not part of the team. I have zero animosity for them. Other than when the Seahawks are on the field against them, that is. Can’t wait for Tyler Lockett to blow past Sherman for a touchdown, or Duane Brown to plant Michael Bennett into the turf. Nah, Bennett won’t ever shift to that side of the line. Yes, I know that could only happen in the playoffs. But didn’t I say I’m an optimist?