Spin Doctor":tyvkl0w1 said:
Perhaps I have not made myself clear. I'm not talking about the merits of Wilson himself, I'm talking about Pete's offensive philosophy, and whether or not he'd be willing to change it. I'm talking about both iterations of his offense, the one where Russell Wilson only touches the ball 23 times in a game, and the one that abandons the run, and throws nothing but long developing plays. If the Seahawks are going to shell out 30 million dollars for Russell Pete needs to commit to surrounding Russell with the offensive minds, and talent for him to succeed, and carry the team. I have seen no such commitment from Carroll. All we've gotten is yes men retreads under Carroll in this regard.
That 30 million dollars is going to severely hamstring our ability to acquire and keep talent on this roster. That likely means that the offense needs to shoulder a heavier burden than in years past. We can have an effective offense with all of the things Pete loves, as well as setting our QB up for success. A good example of this is the Pittsburgh Steelers offense.
If Carroll keeps running this style of offense, then perhaps we should let Wilson go if he comes at an Aaron Rodgers premium. What I'm saying is more a statement against Carroll than it is Wilson.
Oh, you've been plenty clear. But people simply disagree with you.
It's perfectly feasible, and maybe even desirable to pay Russ 30mil/year (speculation, of course, at this point) in a system where he doesn't
need to "carry the team," as you put it. Why put that on any one player's shoulders? Russ
can do it, but why should he have to if the entire team including RBs can shoulder the load? You lose your star QB to injury and the season's over. If you say it's that way now, then you're seriously underestimating Russ's contribution to our success in the current philosophy.
If this team is running the ball 35 times/game, that doesn't make the QB position any less valuable. In fact, I'd argue it's much
more valuable since every drop back is that much more expensive and important to win likelihood.
You are more than welcome to create some kind of fantasy team around Alex Smith or, cough, cough, Sam Bradford (of old, I guess). But I'd take Russ at 30 mil and a strong running game be the focal point. Russ's sexy deep ball and occasional scramble magic thrown in to ensure the win make's him worth the $.
It's a philosophy you don't like. We get it. But you won't change anything by not liking it, so why not sit back and enjoy the ride? Why live through these years complaining? Your plan most definitely offers much less certainty of long-term success unless the stars absolutely aligned, and that's something neither you, nor anyone else here can create or guarantee. Few teams with the best strategists ever create it.
Pete should
not be fired, and Russ
should absolutelystay to compete in his offensive philosophy. And I expect he will.
