hawkfan68":i3aw793z said:
He couldn't beat out former Seahawk backup - Brock Coyle. That tells me that he's probably done. Pass.
The notion that Coyle "beat him out" is nonsense. Coyle played 33% of the snaps against the Colts. Bowman played 76%.
What was really going on is Bowman was throwing a tantrum because he was getting pulled out
at all. He actually was getting more snaps than any other linebacker. The issue was that the coaching staff wanted him rested and fresh for the duration of the season, so they limited him to a reasonable amount of snaps, and they wanted to see what the younger guys had. He took umbrage at the notion that he needed rest to stay effective- and he probably saw the writing on the wall with Foster next season likely taking his position.
In any event, when it was all said and done, Bowman said he would simply accept it and shut up if a suitable trade could not be found, but Lynch and Shanahan, especially Lynch, felt it had gone too far, and that him staying would only make him simmer inside (potentially hurting the locker room). Bowman didn't like any of the trades that were available, and Lynch and Shanahan, out of respect for Bowman, granted his release instead so he could choose where he was to go (as opposed to being traded to the Browns or Bears, or some shithole like that).
So that is what actually happened. No, Bowman was not beat out by anyone (except Reuben Foster, who would have stolen his reps anyway when he got back from injury).