Elemas":15hmktm3 said:
If I’m ownership, I’m telling everyone that Russ is our priority. I’m soliciting his feedback and guidance. Russ has stated he’d like to be in Seattle his entire career and has even expressed interest in ownership.
Regardless if you disagree with his latest comments (which were blown up), his desire to win and be the best he can be are unparalleled.
Reports of management being upset with him are ludicrous. There has to be a point where Pete says “You know what? Let’s try it his way.” Unfortunately, no one sees PC doing this. You’re hearing about more and more players wanting to be involved in things such as the hiring/selection process for players, coaches, etc...I don’t see that being a bad thing. Guys like that WANT to win. It gets frowned. Fans think they need to “stay in their lane”. I disagree.
I hope Pete sees the light. If Russ is traded or doesn’t resign because things haven’t changed, you can go ahead and mark it as one of the biggest organizational fails in history.
I feel the same about Watson in Houston.
No. That's not how you run a successful organization. You don't want players to be involved due to the incentive structure of being a player. Players don't have the time or ability to project, scout, or make long-term plans. On top of that, they have an incentive to make moves for short term gain because their careers are finite.
What this really comes down to is people who blindly support Russell and people who acknowledge that reality does, in fact, exist. In other words, being a great player does not mean you know anything about running, managing, or coaching a team. Russell's desire to win is unquantifiable and meaningless. His platitudes are meaningless. It's marketing jargon and irrelevant to the discussion. For example, Terrell Owens really wanted to win, he had a great desire for being the best, and he really cared what was best for the franchise. Do the platitudes change the impact of his words? No. He was selfish and ultimately cared more about himself, his brand, his legacy, than winning.
The front office is looking out for the best interests of the franchise. Russell is looking out for himself. What you are advocating for is what bad organizations do. So in the hypothetical scenario where Russ is truly upset and wants to leave, you move on from him. Because you want people who put the team first, not people who put some vague expression of their "legacy" first.