Why not Walt??

[Hawkscanner]

I don't know about Walt. Yes Walt had great work ethic, but he was also one of the physically gifted athletes in history. It might be hard to be able to teach things when they came to him so easy and naturally.

I don't know about Big Walt specifically, but THAT is a very valid point. Now that Spring Training has started (and I know a lot of us are Mariners fans), let me put it a different way. Why is it that guys like Scott Servais and Edgar Martinez make good coaches ... but not former superstars like Ken Griffey, Jr.? The answer of course is exactly what you're saying -- with the Griffeys of the world (and that may the case with Walter Jones too), everything just came so darned natural. Holmgren himself has said of Walt that he had the feet of a dancer -- very naturally talented athlete. With guys who aren't as naturally gifted and have to work incredibly hard just to stay in the game, they really had to focus on doing all the little things like proper technique, conditioning, and endless hours of film study (both examining their own game and that of their opponent). They had to constantly break down what they do and to think about it -- step by step -- piece by piece. And that's what makes those guys great coaches because they can then analyze their players in the same way and communicate to them where they see the mistakes and how they can improve.

Sure Big Walt worked hard, but he had a lot of natural talent -- but I'm not sure he ever truly had to put in THAT much work of having to really intentionally break things down step by step and do tons of film study just to survive. I could be completely, totally wrong here (and will fully admit it if I am), but that was always my sense of Walt during those years he was here and I followed him. As far as him becoming the Offensive Line coach -- I'm not so sure about that.

Now bring him in as a consultant during mini-camps and training camp? Absolutely. I think that would potentially be a great idea. One thing's for sure, improving the Offensive Line is absolute Priority #1 this offseason. I think you explore every possible option in looking to make that happen. I think all options should be on the table, including bringing in Big Walt in a consultant's role in working with Fant. I don't see how it could hurt.

 

[RiverDog]

I don't know about Walt. Yes Walt had great work ethic, but he was also one of the physically gifted athletes in history. It might be hard to be able to teach things when they came to him so easy and naturally.

Bingo!
Naturally gifted athletes don't often make for naturally-gifted coaches. Walt was more of an introvert...not the engaging sort of personality that it usually takes to become a coach. Would love to have him come in as an assistant for a trial run to learn the ropes; however, I think that bringing him in to replace Cable while 'learning on the fly' is completely ridiculous. In fact, I'd be pissed at the organization for setting the best player to ever wear the Seahawks uni up for jeopardy. Good thing the FO and Carroll would never do that.

Good players don't always make good coaches, and poor players sometimes make great coaches.

There are HOF players that were complete disasters as coaches, such as Mike Singletary and Bart Starr, and coaches that never played a snap in the NFL that turned out to be HOF-quality coaches, Belichick and our own Pete Carroll being two modern day examples. Walt's playing resume should rank well down the list of desirable attributes for coaching candidates. The only thing his HOF status gives him that other candidates don't have is that in the player's eyes, anything Walt says has a certain credibility to it.

 

[scutterhawk]

I don't know about Walt. Yes Walt had great work ethic, but he was also one of the physically gifted athletes in history. It might be hard to be able to teach things when they came to him so easy and naturally.

Bingo!
Naturally gifted athletes don't often make for naturally-gifted coaches. Walt was more of an introvert...not the engaging sort of personality that it usually takes to become a coach. Would love to have him come in as an assistant for a trial run to learn the ropes; however, I think that bringing him in to replace Cable while 'learning on the fly' is completely ridiculous. In fact, I'd be pissed at the organization for setting the best player to ever wear the Seahawks uni up for jeopardy. Good thing the FO and Carroll would never do that.

Good players don't always make good coaches, and poor players sometimes make great coaches.

There are HOF players that were complete disasters as coaches, such as Mike Singletary and Bart Starr, and coaches that never played a snap in the NFL that turned out to be HOF-quality coaches, Belichick and our own Pete Carroll being two modern day examples. Walt's playing resume should rank well down the list of desirable attributes for coaching candidates. The only thing his HOF status gives him that other candidates don't have is that in the player's eyes, anything Walt says has a certain credibility to it.

That's a broad brush analysis; Singletary & Starr were Head Coaches, that were out of their expertise element, whereas Walt was aiming to be Position Specific Coach, HUGE DIFFERENCE.
I believe Big Walt would be able to RELATE to the O-LINE.
As far as him being an "Introvert", I really doubt that they'd be asking him to sing on stage, or anything or anything of the like, eh? :lol: he WASN'T asking to take over Cable's job.
What I don't understand, is why is it that some of y'all believe that he would fail?, until he's been given the chance, I don't believe that any of US can really know the answer.

 

[kf3339]

I don't know about Walt. Yes Walt had great work ethic, but he was also one of the physically gifted athletes in history. It might be hard to be able to teach things when they came to him so easy and naturally.

Bingo!
Naturally gifted athletes don't often make for naturally-gifted coaches. Walt was more of an introvert...not the engaging sort of personality that it usually takes to become a coach. Would love to have him come in as an assistant for a trial run to learn the ropes; however, I think that bringing him in to replace Cable while 'learning on the fly' is completely ridiculous. In fact, I'd be pissed at the organization for setting the best player to ever wear the Seahawks uni up for jeopardy. Good thing the FO and Carroll would never do that.

Good players don't always make good coaches, and poor players sometimes make great coaches.

There are HOF players that were complete disasters as coaches, such as Mike Singletary and Bart Starr, and coaches that never played a snap in the NFL that turned out to be HOF-quality coaches, Belichick and our own Pete Carroll being two modern day examples. Walt's playing resume should rank well down the list of desirable attributes for coaching candidates. The only thing his HOF status gives him that other candidates don't have is that in the player's eyes, anything Walt says has a certain credibility to it.

That's a broad brush analysis; Singletary & Starr were Head Coaches, that were out of their expertise element, whereas Walt was aiming to be Position Specific Coach, HUGE DIFFERENCE.
I believe Big Walt would be able to RELATE to the O-LINE.
As far as him being an "Introvert", I really doubt that they'd be asking him to sing on stage, or anything or anything of the like, eh? :lol: he WASN'T asking to take over Cable's job.
What I don't understand, is why is it that some of y'all believe that he would fail?, until he's been given the chance, I don't believe that any of US can really know the answer.

^This. There is no reason not to give him the chance to see if he can relate and teach up our OT's. To not use his experience and passion to me is a major problem with our current coaching staff.

 

[Seanhawk]

I don't know about Walt. Yes Walt had great work ethic, but he was also one of the physically gifted athletes in history. It might be hard to be able to teach things when they came to him so easy and naturally.

Bingo!
Naturally gifted athletes don't often make for naturally-gifted coaches. Walt was more of an introvert...not the engaging sort of personality that it usually takes to become a coach. Would love to have him come in as an assistant for a trial run to learn the ropes; however, I think that bringing him in to replace Cable while 'learning on the fly' is completely ridiculous. In fact, I'd be pissed at the organization for setting the best player to ever wear the Seahawks uni up for jeopardy. Good thing the FO and Carroll would never do that.

Good players don't always make good coaches, and poor players sometimes make great coaches.

There are HOF players that were complete disasters as coaches, such as Mike Singletary and Bart Starr, and coaches that never played a snap in the NFL that turned out to be HOF-quality coaches, Belichick and our own Pete Carroll being two modern day examples. Walt's playing resume should rank well down the list of desirable attributes for coaching candidates. The only thing his HOF status gives him that other candidates don't have is that in the player's eyes, anything Walt says has a certain credibility to it.

Singletary also worked his way up as a position coach and excelled enough to get head coaching interviews. Getting interviews could possibly be due to the Rooney rule, but the point is no one is suggesting Walt be the head coach.

 

[RiverDog]

That's a broad brush analysis; Singletary & Starr were Head Coaches, that were out of their expertise element, whereas Walt was aiming to be Position Specific Coach, HUGE DIFFERENCE.
I believe Big Walt would be able to RELATE to the O-LINE.
As far as him being an "Introvert", I really doubt that they'd be asking him to sing on stage, or anything or anything of the like, eh? :lol: he WASN'T asking to take over Cable's job.
What I don't understand, is why is it that some of y'all believe that he would fail?, until he's been given the chance, I don't believe that any of US can really know the answer.

I agree, which is why I qualified my statement as saying "doesn't always". I never said that he would fail, either. My point was that playing experience ranks down a ways on the checklist of desirable coaching attributes.

Singletary and Jim Zorn are good examples of coaches that almost certainly got advanced due to their status as former players. Neither was a coordinator or a college HC before being given the head coaching reins, which almost never happens. IMO Zorn got put in the worst possible situation and never really had a chance with that flaky owner he had to work for, so perhaps he isn't the greatest example, but for him, it pretty much ruined his chances of getting another head coaching job. Singletary gave me the impression that he just wasn't very smart. He'd get asked a fairly complicated question, would find it difficult to give an articulate response, then get frustrated and take it out on some poor reporter.

As far as Walt specifically goes, none of us know him well enough to tell whether or not he'd make a good coach. Some people just aren't cut out to be teachers and some are. I'm positive that we'd give him serious consideration if he expressed interest and I trust in Pete's judgment as to his coaching ability.

 

[scutterhawk]

That's a broad brush analysis; Singletary & Starr were Head Coaches, that were out of their expertise element, whereas Walt was aiming to be Position Specific Coach, HUGE DIFFERENCE.
I believe Big Walt would be able to RELATE to the O-LINE.
As far as him being an "Introvert", I really doubt that they'd be asking him to sing on stage, or anything or anything of the like, eh? :lol: he WASN'T asking to take over Cable's job.
What I don't understand, is why is it that some of y'all believe that he would fail?, until he's been given the chance, I don't believe that any of US can really know the answer.

I agree, which is why I qualified my statement as saying "doesn't always". I never said that he would fail, either. My point was that playing experience ranks down a ways on the checklist of desirable coaching attributes.

Singletary and Jim Zorn are good examples of coaches that almost certainly got advanced due to their status as former players. Neither was a coordinator or a college HC before being given the head coaching reins, which almost never happens. IMO Zorn got put in the worst possible situation and never really had a chance with that flaky owner he had to work for, so perhaps he isn't the greatest example, but for him, it pretty much ruined his chances of getting another head coaching job. Singletary gave me the impression that he just wasn't very smart. He'd get asked a fairly complicated question, would find it difficult to give an articulate response, then get frustrated and take it out on some poor reporter.

As far as Walt specifically goes, none of us know him well enough to tell whether or not he'd make a good coach. Some people just aren't cut out to be teachers and some are. I'm positive that we'd give him serious consideration if he expressed interest and I trust in Pete's judgment as to his coaching ability.

I for one would love to see Big Walt have a go at it, as at this juncture, some of the young guns on the O-Line could maybe use some inside info from a 'Been There Done That' expert, heck, maybe just a couple of insider tips would help them realize their potential.
As it stands right now, I don't see the Seahawks Coaching staff getting the most out of these greenhorns.
Sometimes the "Trial By Fire" gig can do more harm than good.

 

[theincrediblesok]

Why not, they gave Lofa a chance to coach, Pete should give Walt a chance, I mean we couldn't do worse.

 

[PlinytheCenter]

I don't know about Walt. Yes Walt had great work ethic, but he was also one of the physically gifted athletes in history. It might be hard to be able to teach things when they came to him so easy and naturally.

Easy and naturally? He worked his ass off. Yes he was gifted with outstanding physical traits, but he kept himself motivated and in shape during the off-season. Pushing Escalades? This tenacity is what he could bring to the team. I'm all for bringing him aboard.

 

[scutterhawk]

I don't know about Walt. Yes Walt had great work ethic, but he was also one of the physically gifted athletes in history. It might be hard to be able to teach things when they came to him so easy and naturally.

Easy and naturally? He worked his ass off. Yes he was gifted with outstanding physical traits, but he kept himself motivated and in shape during the off-season. Pushing Escalades? This tenacity is what he could bring to the team. I'm all for bringing him aboard.

^^Exactly^^
I'm having difficulties with understanding where some of the negativities from some folks in here have sprouted from.
IF there's a down side to bringing him on board, I'm not seeing it.

 

[Largent80]

If this were an idea of the Hawks AI would be excited but it isn't so........ MEH.

 

[RiverDog]

Easy and naturally? He worked his ass off. Yes he was gifted with outstanding physical traits, but he kept himself motivated and in shape during the off-season. Pushing Escalades? This tenacity is what he could bring to the team. I'm all for bringing him aboard.

I'm not dissing Walt's work ethic, but there's no denying that he had pure natural athletic ability. How many times was he able to miss the entire training camp due to a holdout then come in without any practice at all and right from the first whistle of the first game of the regular season, play at an HOF level? I don't care how good your work ethic is, that kind of performance can't be taught and can't be acquired by endless days at Gold's Gym. His physical traits were perfectly aligned to play left tackle in the NFL.

I'm not against bringing him in and if Pete thinks he can bring something to the table, then I'll applaud the hire. But the concerns others have expressed about HOF athletes like Walt expecting others to perform at the same level they were accustomed to is a legitimate concern. If Walt were ever to express serious interest....and to this point all we're doing is engaging in pure speculation about his desires....the number one question to be answered is can he coach?

 

[Seymour]

.... But the concerns others have expressed about HOF athletes like Walt expecting others to perform at the same level they were accustomed to is a legitimate concern....

Legitimate to you maybe. I think Walt knows he is a hall of famer, and most people will never achieve that level of play. But maybe you are right, and Walt is just a completely out of touch idiot and thinks anyone can do it. :roll:

 

[Year of The Hawk]

Easy and naturally? He worked his ass off. Yes he was gifted with outstanding physical traits, but he kept himself motivated and in shape during the off-season. Pushing Escalades? This tenacity is what he could bring to the team. I'm all for bringing him aboard.

I'm not against bringing him in and if Pete thinks he can bring something to the table, then I'll applaud the hire. But the concerns others have expressed about HOF athletes like Walt expecting others to perform at the same level they were accustomed to is a legitimate concern. If Walt were ever to express serious interest....and to this point all we're doing is engaging in pure speculation about his desires....the number one question to be answered is can he coach?

If that is our biggest concern about hiring a potential coach then we are in good shape. Ask yourself this of almost any position. Would you want Steve Largent a receivers coach? Would you want Kenny Easley to be a safeties coach? Yes to all of the above. They have at minimum EARNED the right to be given a chance. Unless they have done something egregiously bad then like others have said what is the downside?

 

[Seymour]

..... If Walt were ever to express serious interest....and to this point all we're doing is engaging in pure speculation about his desires....

Sorry wrong again. Did you read my initial post? Maybe this will help you "see the light".

http://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/walter-jones-tweets-interest-in-seahawks-ol-job/

For now, Jones will have to admire from the sideline and give the occasional tip. He confirmed an early story that he'd been working with undrafted rookie starter at left tackle, George Fant and he also said center Justin Britt and right guard Germain Ifedi impressed him.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/colbydub12/status/814680266169909249[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/BigWalt71/status/814682048770097153[/tweet]

 

[scutterhawk]

If this were an idea of the Hawks AI would be excited but it isn't so........ MEH.

Been waiting all week for your well thought out opinion of what Walter Jones had SAID........MEH is your best?

 

[RiverDog]

If that is our biggest concern about hiring a potential coach then we are in good shape. Ask yourself this of almost any position. Would you want Steve Largent a receivers coach? Would you want Kenny Easley to be a safeties coach? Yes to all of the above. They have at minimum EARNED the right to be given a chance. Unless they have done something egregiously bad then like others have said what is the downside?

Maybe, maybe not.

Largent and Easley have an immense amount of knowledge about the game and their specific positions, at least as the game and their positions were played 25-30 years ago. Perhaps they've stayed in touch or could get up to speed quite quickly, but that's a pretty big assumption and something that should be vetted out in an interview. You don't ask a doctor to jump back into the profession after 30 years w/o practicing.

My point is that knowledge is only part of the equation. The other is a natural ability to teach. A case in point is Peyton Manning, perhaps one of the smartest, knowledgeable, and talented players to have ever played the game. But my understanding is that he doesn't have a lot of patience when it comes to mentoring younger players, and if that's true, he probably wouldn't make a very good coach.

My understanding about Largent from when he played is that he was always willing to help younger players, so my instincts tell me that he'd probably make a pretty good coach if he chose to get into that field, but that wasn't his calling.

 

[chris98251]

I think a player that was a freak physically such as Jones has a harder time teaching, his natural abilities made him elite, he also studied a lot which is a professional habit that can be taught, but technique and the ability to just be faster and stronger you can't teach.

Largent was a over achiever that practiced and executed his route running to where he was as sharp as a razor, having the work ethic to rise above physical limitations with technique and setting up an opponent and reading them is something he would be able to bring to the table others can learn from.

I think Easley would also fall into the Walt category.

I also think it's why fringe players end up being such good coaches, they get to a level of success and push the limitations of what gifts they had physically, once in the NFL if on a team that has a great physically gifted and smart or multiples of that type the smarts don't over come the physical limitations anymore. They get cut and may come back to the league as a coach of some type.

 

[ChiefHawk]

All of this talk of Walters superhuman physical ability ignores the near perfection he displayed technically in the position.

THAT is what he can teach.

Yes, he had as good or better physical traits than anyone ever to play the position, but physical traits do not give you the technical correctness he displayed, the focus on mission (in fact, many with high physical talents had LOWER drive because they didn't need it...)

"Starting in each of his 180 games in Seattle, the Seahawks attempted more than 5,500 passes with Jones on the field, while Jones gave up a total of only 23 quarterback sacks, and was penalized for holding just nine times."

That does not come from only physically beating his opposition, it comes from timing, drive, concentration, foot work, balance, hand work, AND physical domination.

Walter Jones beat opponents before he ever took the field with preparedness, determination, and confidence.

Walter Jones with his technical drive and skill with only average physical skills would still have been a dominating force on the O line for years.

Walter Jones with only his physical skills would have been ok for three or four years, and would not be in the Hall on the first ballot.

 

[RiverDog]

All of this talk of Walters superhuman physical ability ignores the near perfection he displayed technically in the position.

THAT is what he can teach.

Yes, he had as good or better physical traits than anyone ever to play the position, but physical traits do not give you the technical correctness he displayed, the focus on mission (in fact, many with high physical talents had LOWER drive because they didn't need it...)

"Starting in each of his 180 games in Seattle, the Seahawks attempted more than 5,500 passes with Jones on the field, while Jones gave up a total of only 23 quarterback sacks, and was penalized for holding just nine times."

That does not come from only physically beating his opposition, it comes from timing, drive, concentration, foot work, balance, hand work, AND physical domination.

Walter Jones beat opponents before he ever took the field with preparedness, determination, and confidence.

Walter Jones with his technical drive and skill with only average physical skills would still have been a dominating force on the O line for years.

Walter Jones with only his physical skills would have been ok for three or four years, and would not be in the Hall on the first ballot.

No one has suggested that he doesn't have a very good knowledge base. What has been debated is whether or not he can teach that knowledge to other players. Speaking for myself, I don't know whether he can or can't.