Notes from the Nest: Seahawks can’t overcome cold (streak) in Week 16
The questions about the Seahawks leadership will intensify
Whenever a team that was 6-3 loses five of their next six games to put their season on the brink, questions will naturally come about the future of the coach and GM, even for Pete Carroll and John Schneider.
Seahawks owner Jody Allen chose the leadership duo over Russell Wilson, a move that probably saved Seattle a half-decade of darkness. Still, the massive falloff we’ve seen from this team is concerning. A potentially spectacular draft in 2022 can’t overcome six to seven brutal drafts that left the roster thin on stars and depth.
The Kansas City Chiefs are a painful reminder to Seahawks fans about the consequences of drafting poorly. You never know how a player will develop in your system, but the Seahawks took Christine Michael one pick ahead of Travis Kelce in 2013. In 2021, the Seahawks took Dee Eskridge over pro bowl caliber players in Nick Bolton and Creed Humphrey. Those three players are a major reason why Kansas City is one of the classes of the NFL. Seattle can’t make those mistakes.
The defense being the worst part of this team for six straight seasons, having passed through numerous defensive coordinators, has to eventually fall on Pete Carroll, a defensive coach.
This week we saw a few rumors from a semi-credible reporter stating the possibility that Pete Carroll and Sean McVay could potentially retire at the end of this season. Where the road appears to have ended on the all-in run of McVay and the Rams, this would be quite shocking for Pete and the Seahawks. While he is getting up there in age, Carroll is signed on through the 2025 season. He finally has the type of draft capital he used in 2010 to kick off this run, and while he’s a Hall of Famer in my book, another conference championship or even Super Bowl could be his final goal.
At the same time, he may be realizing this team is farther away than he thought, and doesn’t think they can make a legitimate run in this on-the-fly rebuild. I personally don’t believe the rumors, but the question remains: Can leadership see this through, or is a new voice and vision needed? Make no mistake, this offseason will be the deciding factor on whether the Seahawks can jump into contender status, or need to tear it all down and start over.