Seahawks FO power structure still being confused

[trharder]

Pete was recently mic-ed up and had a conversation with Paul Allen that I thought was interesting. As much power as Pete has, he still has to placate Paul Allen. Paul Allen mentions it seems like Russell "is getting better", to which Pete alludes to previous conversations where RW had been discussed. Sucking up a little to Paul Allen is obviously well within Pete's wheelhouse, and he probably never gives it a second thought, but it made me as a fly on the wall, a little uncomfortable.http://www.seahawks.com/videos-photos/v ... e939370ab7

Paul noticed something that he thought was positive and commented on it and Pete responded. I had no sense Pete was having to placate or suck up to Paul. If anything, they both came across to me as just being excited about how Russell is progressing.

Progressing? RW started as a rookie. Took a 7-9 team to the playoffs in his first season. Won the Super Bowl in his second season while comparing very favorably to QBs like Peyton Manning at two years. Back in the playoffs in his third year etc.. Those are the sorts of things Pete would have brought up to a media member or a fan if they had mentioned RW somehow lacking.

You are right in that PA was making a positive comment, but the comment also implies previous conversations where Pete was having to explain, or defend, or whatever about RW. This conversation, caught on tape, is fundamentally different. Reasonable minds can differ on whether it's worth talking about or not, but I think it is different than how Pete would communicate with anyone other than his team or coaches.

 

[sc85sis]

Pete was recently mic-ed up and had a conversation with Paul Allen that I thought was interesting. As much power as Pete has, he still has to placate Paul Allen. Paul Allen mentions it seems like Russell "is getting better", to which Pete alludes to previous conversations where RW had been discussed. Sucking up a little to Paul Allen is obviously well within Pete's wheelhouse, and he probably never gives it a second thought, but it made me as a fly on the wall, a little uncomfortable.http://www.seahawks.com/videos-photos/v ... e939370ab7

Paul noticed something that he thought was positive and commented on it and Pete responded. I had no sense Pete was having to placate or suck up to Paul. If anything, they both came across to me as just being excited about how Russell is progressing.

Progressing? RW started as a rookie. Took a 7-9 team to the playoffs in his first season. Won the Super Bowl in his second season while comparing very favorably to QBs like Peyton Manning at two years. Back in the playoffs in his third year etc.. Those are the sorts of things Pete would have brought up to a media member or a fan if they had mentioned RW somehow lacking.

You are right in that PA was making a positive comment, but the comment also implies previous conversations where Pete was having to explain, or defend, or whatever about RW. This conversation, caught on tape, is fundamentally different. Reasonable minds can differ on whether it's worth talking about or not, but I think it is different than how Pete would communicate with anyone other than his team or coaches.

Yes, progressing. Just because he's been playing for three years doesn't mean he stops learning and improving. I saw no sign of "Pete having to explain, or defend" anything. Pete talks about his players like this all the time, even to the media. He knew he was on mic--if this were the type of conversation you are implying, it never would have been made where it could be recorded.

 

[kearly]

It is definitely Pete's rodeo, but JS might just be the hardest working GM in the business and that certainly helps. JS is also the guy who pounded the table for Russell Wilson, against the protests of his entire scouting department. Another important thing, JS is able to function at a high level without a shred of ego. That might make him the rarest GM of them all.

Imagine if Pete had to deal with some turd GM like Tim Ruskell. Having a GM and coach who get along fantastically is an important asset.

 

[hawksfansinceday1]

It is definitely Pete's rodeo, but JS might just be the hardest working GM in the business and that certainly helps. JS is also the guy who pounded the table for Russell Wilson, against the protests of his entire scouting department. Another important thing, JS is able to function at a high level without a shred of ego. That might make him the rarest GM of them all.

Imagine if Pete had to deal with some turd GM like Tim Ruskell. Having a GM and coach who get along fantastically is an important asset.

I disagree with your assessment of JS at least to the point of his insistence on drafting Russ. Think about that interview ESPN did with him in that feature on Wilson and how he reacted when asked what he had to say to the naysayers that said Russell was a "reach" or "waste of a draft pick". I think his reaction was "they can suck it". He's very proud of seeing what he saw in Wilson, and rightfully so.

But I do know what you mean. I think he has no problem playing "cabinet member" to Pete's presidency.

 

[false start]

Lmao I cant believe there are actually people whod rather have JS than carroll. Wow. Thats like, SF dumping harbaugh levels of stupid

 

[Hawks46]

It is definitely Pete's rodeo, but JS might just be the hardest working GM in the business and that certainly helps. JS is also the guy who pounded the table for Russell Wilson, against the protests of his entire scouting department. Another important thing, JS is able to function at a high level without a shred of ego. That might make him the rarest GM of them all.

Imagine if Pete had to deal with some turd GM like Tim Ruskell. Having a GM and coach who get along fantastically is an important asset.

When you hit a few home runs like this as a GM, I'm sure it becomes easier for Pete to cede personnel control to Schneider. I don't get the impression that Pete contradicts a lot of what Schneider does for drafts. I don't get any sort of indication that there are power struggles over players like we heard about with Harbaugh and Baalke.

Whatever they're doing it's working better than anywhere else in the NFL. I'm happy with it

 

[RolandDeschain]

John and Pete seem to have a great working relationship, which to me, means it's very likely that Pete rarely lays down his trump cards. Most likely, John does the vast majority of the GM decision-making on a daily basis. I don't have facts to base this on, but it just seems the most likely scenario to me.

 

[Rainger]

John and Pete seem to have a great working relationship, which to me, means it's very likely that Pete rarely lays down his trump cards. Most likely, John does the vast majority of the GM decision-making on a daily basis. I don't have facts to base this on, but it just seems the most likely scenario to me.

I think there is a lot of merit to this. Pete has no ego. He is not about I but about WE. He doesn't care if the public or media knows it is his show.

He works with John and together they compliment each other and Pete in being in "control" actually gets what he wants by not having to be "in control". This is a winning organization and will be for a long time as long as those 2 men remain together.

PS: this is special because it is very very rare for people at that level to not have huge egos and need the spot light.

 

[HawKnPeppa]

I wonder if some people have a secret desire for us to be winning as a result of a savant, money ball, type guy in Schneider rather than Pete, who can't quite completely shake the rah-rah players coach image, which some don't seem to like.

Pete was recently mic-ed up and had a conversation with Paul Allen that I thought was interesting. As much power as Pete has, he still has to placate Paul Allen. Paul Allen mentions it seems like Russell "is getting better", to which Pete alludes to previous conversations where RW had been discussed. Sucking up a little to Paul Allen is obviously well within Pete's wheelhouse, and he probably never gives it a second thought, but it made me as a fly on the wall, a little uncomfortable.

http://www.seahawks.com/videos-photos/v ... e939370ab7

Paul noticed something that he thought was positive and commented on it and Pete responded. I had no sense Pete was having to placate or suck up to Paul. If anything, they both came across to me as just being excited about how Russell is progressing.

That's how I saw it, and I'm qualified to judge because I've been around some world-champion 'suckups.'
I guess he's suppose to Play Paul Allen close to the vest like some tabloid reporter. Question asked by the man paying his check; question answered by Pete. I swear, you Mic up Pete and give fans some rare access, but all some can do is drop turds in that punch bowl.

 

[HawKnPeppa]

Pete was recently mic-ed up and had a conversation with Paul Allen that I thought was interesting. As much power as Pete has, he still has to placate Paul Allen. Paul Allen mentions it seems like Russell "is getting better", to which Pete alludes to previous conversations where RW had been discussed. Sucking up a little to Paul Allen is obviously well within Pete's wheelhouse, and he probably never gives it a second thought, but it made me as a fly on the wall, a little uncomfortable.http://www.seahawks.com/videos-photos/v ... e939370ab7

Paul noticed something that he thought was positive and commented on it and Pete responded. I had no sense Pete was having to placate or suck up to Paul. If anything, they both came across to me as just being excited about how Russell is progressing.

Progressing? RW started as a rookie. Took a 7-9 team to the playoffs in his first season. Won the Super Bowl in his second season while comparing very favorably to QBs like Peyton Manning at two years. Back in the playoffs in his third year etc.. Those are the sorts of things Pete would have brought up to a media member or a fan if they had mentioned RW somehow lacking.

You are right in that PA was making a positive comment, but the comment also implies previous conversations where Pete was having to explain, or defend, or whatever about RW. This conversation, caught on tape, is fundamentally different. Reasonable minds can differ on whether it's worth talking about or not, but I think it is different than how Pete would communicate with anyone other than his team or coaches.

Ever read into something too much? How about if they are dealing with what is here and now, like THIS SEASON, where players at most any position have had ups and downs.

I enjoyed hearing the coversation. I see now that maybe fans shouldn't get this treat because some peeps simply can't handle it and proceed on vectors to the moon using wild conjecture.

 

[lsheldon]

Looks like you found that wikipedia content on the Pete Carroll page. It is not a protected page, so anyone can edit it. There are literally hundreds of edits from anonymous users that go all the way back to 2004. I wouldn't use anything from wikipedia to support a conclusion, or feel that anonymous or any number of the other people who made changes to that page actually know what happens within that organization. Just saying.

 

[Pandion Haliaetus]

Our FO is elite not because of what John and Pete do at the top of the pyramid but they allow everyone in the organization to make decisions from the other coaches to the scouts. And allow those decisions to sink or swim.

Scouts sell their players, and the coaches decide whether those guys fit their style , and are players they can coach up.

This organization isn't just strong at the top, its built from the bottom up, and that's why it took a couple of years to get talent to fit the philosphy and then coach them up, but now that the Seahawks have its core and its lifestyle, the structure is built to last.

Its not an NFL dynasty yet but the Seahawks will be an NFL powerhouse for a long time. 10+ wins teams for the next 4-6 years.

They started to get talent the first draft they were in business together. Their first draft produced Okung, ET29, Tate, Thurmond, and Kam Bam. Thats a pretty darn good class right there. This FO we had their shit together from day 1. It didn't take them a couple of years to "find talent".

Nice! Way to nitpick your way into negative context and over think my post.

Obviously, the 2010 draft was great but did they not have to be coached up?

However, not what I was talking about PC/JS completely blew the 2009 team up and basically started over from scratch.

Then they started amassing young talent.

That young talent obviously didn't have success right away with the Seahawks going...

7-9 in 2010
7-9 in 2011

But after a "couple" of years of being "coached up", many of their young players became core players and with another great draft in 2012 Seahawks went...

12-6 in 2012.

By 2013, the great draft classes from '10-'12 were all experienced and with Seahawks able to grab key free agents to push them over the top helped them pave the way to a Superbowl.

Don't know why I had to explain the context of which I said that it took a couple of years for the Seahawks obtain talent and why that phrasing knocked you off kilter to question it. That wasn't at all the essence of my post nor what I want.you to take from it.

My point being that JS/PC both do a lot of great things that have put this team over the top as the best roster in NFL but they don't deserve all the credit as they also give a lot of power, respect, and responsibility to their scouting department and the other coaches to more or less work together and build a strong structure from the bottom up.

And that's what is so great about this organization, everyone in the Front Office/Coaching Department are constantly active,ever evolving, making contributions, competing for resources but still working together for the same cause.

Carroll is the man on top, and Schnieder close behind but unlike some other power hungry coaches and/or GMs with a hard-headed ego maniac approach Carroll tends delegate his power and allow everyone to bask in the sunshine of their own successes.

 

[jammerhawk]

Just a slight correction to the coments above, Todd Leiweke hasn't been part of the team since July 2010. He's now the GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning NHL franchise. The team President is Peter McLoughlin who was hired as team Pres in Sept 2010. Otherwise the structure separates the football and financial parts into separate organizational schemes, for football matters, then for all other matters. However they are not independent of each other and cooperate in any area where the team is involved.

Best part is it unqualifiedly works as a result of the earlier described synergy that comes from the cooperative nature of the FO relationship on the football side. The present Seahawks would not be themselves w/o Pete and John. They are both special and rare with exceptional individual abilities and energy levels that could power any organization individually. Undoubtedly it's Pete and John's show. The football side benefits from adherence to Pete's philosophies and John's stated desire to do things better than they have ever been done before. Clearly they are doing things better than ever has been done before here. I believe in a few seasons it will become clear they are doing things better than anyone has ever done the football side before anywhere.

As Hawks fans we have seen how John works the roster with Pete his coaches and the player personnel and scouting staff. A scorecard is needed to keep up with the many roster tweaks and massaging. John is constantly rolling over every rock looking for diamonds in the rough or gems cast off from other teams. The team has had some exceptional successes drafting as well. It's fun to watch, they seem quick to acknowledge and chop misses; but are not afraid to swing for the fence. Clearly they are not perfect and have had a few misses but continue to constantly strive for incremental improvement and are succeeding. This FO is setting a new gold standard for the best way to build and keep a winning team together.

As a lifetime Hawks fan since '76 they are making it a joy to watch this team.

I also believe none of this would be possible w/o the quiet hands off ownership direction from Paul Allen who sets the table to allow the organization to roll. In the end it comes back to him picking the right guys to run things and then letting them do it.

 

[Cartire]

Looks like you found that wikipedia content on the Pete Carroll page. It is not a protected page, so anyone can edit it. There are literally hundreds of edits from anonymous users that go all the way back to 2004. I wouldn't use anything from wikipedia to support a conclusion, or feel that anonymous or any number of the other people who made changes to that page actually know what happens within that organization. Just saying.

Or you could just read the hundreds of articles when Pete was hired talking about him getting full control. And how the media thought it was a horrible idea.

And just so you are aware of how wiki works, yes anyone can edit it. But the content can constantly be scrutinized and reported, which it is. There are over 400,000 people that volunteer their time correcting and following source material on everything reported.

Wiki gets a bad rap, and yet it is extremely accurate. It also requires citations for everything and if stuff is just randomly inputted, it will have a huge banner on the top saying "citation needed".

I need to find the article I was reading, so this isn't fact till I find it, but I remeber it saying that wiki is more accurate then encyclopedia Britanica. But somehow, the stigma of "anybody can edit it" has held a cloud over it when there a ton of checks and balances.

Sure, you might see some incorrect information, or a kid playing a joke that hasn't been corrected yet. But it's rare. And you can usually trust wiki. If anything you can follow the sources listed down at the bottom if you have issue trusting the page.

 

[Scottemojo]

How far up in the front office is your position? It must be cool to work for the team and know exactly what happensat the GM/president level. Can you share some cool stories of what's it's like to be on the inside of the Seahawks franchise????

Why post something like this? Trying to take the OP down a peg?

John wanted Russ in the 2nd. Pete made him wait a round. No one needs a masters degree or a job in the front office to know how the power structure works.

 

[kearly]

I disagree with your assessment of JS at least to the point of his insistence on drafting Russ. Think about that interview ESPN did with him in that feature on Wilson and how he reacted when asked what he had to say to the naysayers that said Russell was a "reach" or "waste of a draft pick". I think his reaction was "they can suck it". He's very proud of seeing what he saw in Wilson, and rightfully so.

But I do know what you mean. I think he has no problem playing "cabinet member" to Pete's presidency.

I think there has been some confusion. We are 100% in agreement on JS, at least based on what you said in the quotes.

 

[chris98251]

I think if you polled and used Hawk fans that were around prior to Pete, and then another Poll Hawk fans after the Super Bowl you would see two completely different results. Prior fans know what the bumps were to get to the Super Bowl, many after don't know the intangibles that John and Pete dealt with to get the roster into the present shape it is now.

Not a knock on any of the fans, but given the influx of new members even here that Poll could be skewed just by the sheer popularity our team has garnered and little background on how it arrived in it's present state.

 

[hawksfansinceday1]

I disagree with your assessment of JS at least to the point of his insistence on drafting Russ. Think about that interview ESPN did with him in that feature on Wilson and how he reacted when asked what he had to say to the naysayers that said Russell was a "reach" or "waste of a draft pick". I think his reaction was "they can suck it". He's very proud of seeing what he saw in Wilson, and rightfully so.

But I do know what you mean. I think he has no problem playing "cabinet member" to Pete's presidency.

I think there has been some confusion. We are 100% in agreement on JS, at least based on what you said in the quotes.

Cool. Just pointing out that JS does indeed have some ego.