Hola 12s!
Well, what we thought was a "what if" scenario in the NFL has now sprouted into a "choose your side" debate within our franchise and fanbase (much like countless other subjects in our society..). But more importantly, it's become more about which champion of this franchise do we send down the road, instead of how we get this team beyond the first round of the playoffs. And to get back to that conversation, we have to sort out this one.
#1. The truth is, Russell is right. Only excluding the season that he was drafted (in which he was the #6), Russell has been among the Top 5 most-sacked QBs season after season, most of which he was in the Top 3. This. Is. Not. OK. Accountability where it's due, there's plenty on him as well. Due to the play-call structure, he's resorted to the scramble quicker than most quarterbacks which opens him up to sacks more easily. But the point remains that we never can get an O-line to give him any kind of time in the backfield.
#2. The answer to our problem is not to get rid of Pete. The answer is to reign him in. Carroll took this team that was a joke in the NFL, and made them Super Bowl Champions. This doesn't relinquish him of responsibility for where we are now, but it means he knows what he's doing. I think the problem is one of 2 things. A. His focus is pointed too sharply at any given area of our game and doesn't allow for a well-rounded game plan, or B. his eyes are bigger than his mind. I think he's got a vision for what can be a dominating team, but he can never bring it to fruition. So instead of working with the team that he has and doing what he does in turning into an unstoppable force, he tries to force what he wants out of it, not using the tools he has to our advantage.
KEEPING IN MIND, all this is ticky tacky observation. Our boys put up a 12-4 season that ended too early against a foe that always has our number. We're all frustrated. We're all disappointed. None of us are looking at the great team foundation that we have to build on. This conversation is not "Who needs to go?". This conversation is "How do we work together to carry home that trophy next year?". And if I know my team, that conversation is being had amongst all these trade talks, and they're going to blow the doors off of Lumen next season. With that....Mike Hawk is OUT!