ESPN 710 Sherman Smith Interview Recap by Sheil Kapadia

Good read about rationale for his departure and more importantly the hangover from SB49 and the lack of hunger in the players.

http://www.espn.com/blog/seattle-seahaw ... ain-hunger

Very poignant insight from Smith. To sum the highlights:

1) He was in fact fired.
2) The players aren't as hungry as they were before.
3) They badly miss Lynch and essentially the run game hasn't worked since.
4) SB 49 had a very large impact-still frustrates him and likely other players.

Great read and share, one thing that bothers is how he said the hunger is missing. They reached elite level and now are just coasting through in a way.

Hopefully bring some guys in to light a fire under this team.

Interesting that Smith says he was offered another position but turned it down. Maybe Seto's role?

Regarding the hangover from the SB loss, I get it but it's really disappointing to me that it's still lingering. Anyone think that NE would have fallen apart if Seattle would have won that game right at the end? I do think it was a bigger issue in 2015 than last year but Sherman's crying helped resurrect it all over again.

As for hunger, I do think it brings up a great point with how to motivate the veterans who are 6-7 years into Carroll's program. The message has to change to challenge them and sadly the players need to own some of this too. Legacy wise, this core needs another championship to be in the discussion of great teams. Rather than wallow in how SB 49 ended, worry about the here and now. Make the legacy.

Smith basically confirmed a lot of fearful speculation from most of us fans. The hunger and fire is gone.

The challenge for coach Carroll will be how to re ignite that fire and desire in these guys to win?

Jerhawk":q0f0f2np said:

Smith basically confirmed a lot of fearful speculation from most of us fans. The hunger and fire is gone.

The challenge for coach Carroll will be how to re ignite that fire and desire in these guys to win?

Click to expand...

That's going to be quite a challenge. Most of these guys were brought in because of the chips on their shoulders. They were self-motivated. If Pete wasn't the one to ignite the fire in the first place, the task of re-igniting it is going to be difficult. We basically need more talented players that haven't won a Super Bowl and/or haven't been paid.

Seahawks4life":2gpwva1e said:

Great read and share, one thing that bothers is how he said the hunger is missing. They reached elite level and now are just coasting through in a way.

Hopefully bring some guys in to light a fire under this team.

Click to expand...

This^ I still think that we should look at moving one or two vets out for picks, or guys that have something to prove.

Jerhawk":7anfts37 said:

Smith basically confirmed a lot of fearful speculation from most of us fans. The hunger and fire is gone.

The challenge for coach Carroll will be how to re ignite that fire and desire in these guys to win?

Click to expand...

This might be Carroll's weakness as a head coach. His system only works because players at USC are gone in 4 to 5 years. Now that the core is starting to get in year 5 and beyond his message is no longer reaching them.

Look at it this way, 5 years on they know the coaching staff is not healed to the Always compete mantra.

sdog1981":3nq6tfgt said:

Jerhawk":3nq6tfgt said:

Smith basically confirmed a lot of fearful speculation from most of us fans. The hunger and fire is gone.

The challenge for coach Carroll will be how to re ignite that fire and desire in these guys to win?

Click to expand...

This might be Carroll's weakness as a head coach. His system only works because players at USC are gone in 4 to 5 years. Now that the core is starting to get in year 5 and beyond his message is no longer reaching them.

Look at it this way, 5 years on they know the coaching staff is not healed to the Always compete mantra.

Click to expand...

Good point.

I don't think its problem with the system but a problem with the player. Sounds like some house cleaning might be in order

Honestly it sounds like he's projecting a little bit. I'm sure for some on the team he's spot on, however, it sounds like he's the one who lost the fire a bit, who gave up a little bit after the patriots loss, said he wanted to leave when Marshawn left. I'm glad there is now one less individual with that mentality - especially a leader with that mentality - on this team. Thanks for your service coach Smith, respect buddy, but there's the door.

This is disappointing about the hunger thing.

Thought we were doing the right thing about securing the "core" but if all that meant
was they will be satisfied with getting paid, promoting their "brand" and with a one and done superbowl, then we have bigger problems ahead.

Sherman himself said in the interview with the local tv guys that the fans "were getting fat" or something to
that effect. I believe he was referring to our high expectations. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I was extremely
disappointed to hear that from a leader on the team.

I don't think its a problem with Pete at all, if anything its puts more onus on the "core" for earning that "Re$pect" that Sherman says defines an organizations appreciation for a player. Big money. If they are now making excuses or not hungry enough, that is on the players.

Same thing for moving on and letting it go (SB49). Where is the sports psychologist when you need them? Move on please. Be the highly paid professional you are supposed to be.

As fans, are we not supposed to want to win forever, like dare I say, the Pats? :shock:

gonzhawk":3hqn8i27 said:

This is disappointing about the hunger thing.

Thought we were doing the right thing about securing the "core" but if all that meant
was they will be satisfied with getting paid, promoting their "brand" and with a one and done superbowl, then we have bigger problems ahead.

Sherman himself said in the interview with the local tv guys that the fans "were getting fat" or something to
that effect. I believe he was referring to our high expectations. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I was extremely
disappointed to hear that from a leader on the team.

I don't think its a problem with Pete at all, if anything its puts more onus on the "core" for earning that "Re$pect" that Sherman says defines an organizations appreciation for a player. Big money. If they are now making excuses or not hungry enough, that is on the players.

Same thing for moving on and letting it go (SB49). Where is the sports psychologist when you need them? Move on please. Be the highly paid professional you are supposed to be.

As fans, are we not supposed to want to win forever, like dare I say, the Pats? :shock:

Click to expand...

Richard Sherman or Smith?

SNDavidson":1rksybcr said:

Honestly it sounds like he's projecting a little bit. I'm sure for some on the team he's spot on, however, it sounds like he's the one who lost the fire a bit, who gave up a little bit after the patriots loss, said he wanted to leave when Marshawn left. I'm glad there is now one less individual with that mentality - especially a leader with that mentality - on this team. Thanks for your service coach Smith, respect buddy, but there's the door.

Click to expand...

While the team may need some turnover and roster cleansing but it sounded like it was more about his own issues than the team.

Sorry, #25.
and GO HAWKS!

I bet he feels they shoulda given the Beast the ball. That is what the team isn't over. It would be tough to get over. Anyone who can't get over it and use it for motivation needs to go. I can understand why there would be a feeling on the team that the person responsible for the call needs to go before they can get over it.

I think the Hunger and SB49 bitterness go hand in hand. Its hard for players to be psyched and excited to play when they are so dejected from the outcome of that Super Bowl and the fact that nobody was ever held accountable. An example needed to be made after that play and nothing happened. To think there wasn't going to be any fallout afterwards is pretty shortsighted. The coaches need to be held to the same standards as the players.

Marshawn was probably the most beloved player in the locker room. I think time is kind of showing that. I think the way he affected this organization cannot properly be measured. When he didn't get the ball on the 1 and then disaster and heart break ensues, it's going to have a lasting effect. And I believe it has.

But it's time to move on.


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I hate to bring this up but it makes you wonder, what are the Patriots doing so ridiculously right, year after year where we seem to be missing the mark? We could have been the "New Patriots" for lack of a better term...Destroying the NFL's most prolific offense in history on the biggest sports stage on the planet only to return back to said stage a year later for what we all know SHOULD have been back-to-back world championships...A modern day dynasty surely in the making...

But...

The last two years saw us exit stage left in the divisional round of the playoffs on the road.

(Cue Debbie Downer meme here)

No question has our collective team's hunger waned. Most men tend to become complacent (even if subconsciously so) once they earn the highest prize there is in all sports. Imagine a man who spent years going after a seemingly unattainable Super Model and finally, inexplicably starts to date her. Eventually the dream becomes the reality, and the reality is that the chase was the motivation, not so much the destination as much as he thought it was.

Desire feeds the fire. Now that he sees that Super Model is just another human being who farts and nags like anyone else, well...You get my point.

What's motivating our players right NOW? Collectively? Of course you could single out exceptional players like our top players who are freakishly built mentally and physically to A L W A Y S C O M P E T E but as a collective team? Where's the motivation?

And this brings me back to my original question. What are the Patriots doing so ridiculously right, year after year, that keeps them so damn competitive...9 Super Bowls in the Brady/Belichick Era? Crazy. Sure it's easy to point to Brady and Belichick as the sole reason but that's nowhere near the full answer. Look at the roster from top to bottom over the years...These are comprised of JAGS left and right.

My refined question then becomes, why can't we get a roster - top to bottom - that is considered on paper to be one of the most talented in the league for the past five years to demonstrate the same kind of consistency that the Patriots show year after year (besides the obvious fact they sold their souls to the Devil)?

There's a red herring hanging there when Coach Smith says Pete wanted a rah-rah, highly energetic type and he couldn't give it to him because he didn't have the energy he had 30 years ago. I always liked Coach Smith, but perhaps it's that type of lethargic attitude that Pete is trying to reverse, so he went in a different direction with the run game. As was mentioned earlier, it sounds like he was offered another position on staff, so Pete still valued his contributions, but he turned it down.

And I hope Pete and John take a hard look at the roster, determine if a player has a lack of hunger and if so, trade or cut. This team is a strong contender for another Super Bowl crown and you have to weed out the malcontents, if any. This is where the big boys play, so it's time to man up and get with the program.