Posted on May 25, 2017, by Travis Pulver
When Pete Carroll first landed in Seattle, there were many that wondered if his approach would work in the NFL as well as it worked in college. While he had resurrected the USC program, dealing with college kids is a lot different than dealing with guys in the NFL. He wasn’t bad his first time around in the NFL, but he wasn’t anything special either.
But then the craziest thing happened. He managed to gather a group of talented young players in Seattle that were willing to buy into his style. They went all in with the rah-rah, round-the-clock positivity Carroll preached. If they didn’t—they were gone.
Via @USN1337
Did it work? Well—the Seahawks won a Super Bowl in Carroll’s fourth season in charge of the team. But the question has shifted from will it work to is it still working.
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If you ask Richard Sherman, the answer is no. Actually—you don’t have to ask him. He’s made it apparent that he isn’t exactly happy in Seattle anymore.
Like many people, Sherman couldn’t believe that the Seahawks decided to pass on the goal line on that infamous playback during Super Bowl XLIX. While most fans have found a way to move on from the call and the end result, Sherman has not.
His antics the last couple of seasons have been well-documented in the media—his fights in practice, his rants against the media. An upcoming piece in ESPN the Magazine describes an incident where he intercepted Russell Wilson in practice and threw the ball back at him while yelling,” You f***in suck!”
A fight ensued but rather than put Sherman in his place, Carroll stopped practice to remind guys to build each other up rather than tearing them down (ESPN).
More positivity.
The ESPN piece goes on to talk about how Sherman is tired of the kid-gloves he feels Wilson gets treated with. Apparently, all the drama led to the trade rumors concerning Sherman during the off-season. It seems that Sherman wanted out and had hopes of possibly going to Dallas or New England. The asking price was more than anyone was willing to part with so he remains in Seattle for now.
Unlike other guys that were not buying in, he apparently plays well enough for the team to be willing to put up with his hijinks. But he isn’t the only one causing trouble. He causes the most, but Michael Bennett hasn’t been an angel either.
Bennett has been at the center of some practice fights as well, but his issues have been centered around complaining about his paycheck. However, it appears that he is taking a page out of Sherman’s book now as well.
Via @AzCaRRdinals
In response to a piece in the Seattle Times that wasn’t 100 percent positive about him, he announced he would never talk to the paper again and will encourage his teammates to boycott the Seattle Times as well.
Bennett, like Sherman and the rest of the world, has the right to be angry when he thinks he’s being unfairly treated. But to boycott a major local newspaper? If he just refuses to do interviews, that’s one thing, but how far will he take it? Will he not talk if a reporter is among the throng around his locker or in the press room? Will he make a scene if there is one? Or will he be a big boy—and a professional—and move on?
Bennett has not been nearly as big a distraction as Sherman, but he is proof that everything is not all sunshine and roses with the Seattle Seahawks. Which begs the question to be asked—who else isn’t happy with the kid-gloves and kumbaya mentality in Seattle? Who will speak out next?
When will it fall apart?