We are on the outside looking in, and can only guess what happened.
With that said it was pretty obvious that CMike was regressing:
Michael improvised too many times, and despite the talent to make things out of nothing, he was his own enemy.
I think the release has a lot to do with Cable, who basically came out and said Michael is lacking in the mental capacity department to run in Cable's system.
You could see a little annoyance from Wilson as well in terms of Michael being ready and getting on the same page as everyone else.
Michael's emotions also ran much like Cam Newtons in that CMike was arrogant in making a play and seem to be defeated and sulk when he didnt.
With all that said the writing was clearly on the wall, I didn't think the Seahawks would cut him outright. Only because I thought he was effectively what he was in his last year in college this season ... a decent Red Zone back with a knack of putting it in the End Zone.
That was until after reading/hearing players comments on Prosise's toughness and mental aptitude to run the right plays and trust the blocking after the NE game. It seemed to me all the praise for Prosise was in comparison to Michael.
To me those comments led me to think the team, coaches and all, had very little trust in Michael to carry the load.
That should never get a player as talented as Michael to be cut. However, behind the scenes is a different story in that I imagine Michael did not respond the right way in terms of what was going on. Perhaps responding negatively, sulking, and possibly blaming others than himself for his own failure. The guy who is always making excuses rather than owning up to them.Which isn't as far fetched as Michael at times has come off as a player that is pretty self-absorbed, one who probably thinks his shit doesnt stink in other words.
So it could have been that his release came in response in how he handled himself after the Pats game in terms of the heaping praise of Prosise and his own demotion on top of all his other short-comings and continued failures despite his talent.
And it's also possible as well, that Michael himself lost in the Always Compete mantra. I definately get the feeling Michael just might have gotten out competed in practice by a healthy Prosise and by Pope the last few weeks. Something that seems feasible by Prosise earning more touches and Pope being promoted in Michael's departure.
With Rawls on the verge of returning, and everything seemingly going against Michael the last few weeks... Michael just became expendable.
You can ask yourself... Why not Collins?... because obviously Michael has been the more talented of the two.
But we've seen it before in Cary Williams, whose was cut 1) for his poor performance, 2) not trusting the system, 3) his teammates in return not trusting him to do is job.
We've seen it before in a Percy Harvin, 1) who was self-absorbed, 2) was a negative influence, 3) who just gave up instead of putting in the work to be what the team effectively wanted him to be.
I see Michael falling somewhere between the two. And the Seahawks cut those guys despite eating some money for one reason, the betterment of the team. Michael's contract was likely minimal to his league service and while he did not seem as bad as those two were. If they felt Michael responded in regression instead of progression to his own short-comings. And he was possibly being outplayed in practice by Prosise and Pope in mental aptitude as well as attitude. And all that stuff carried over to Michael in live games where he didn't respond the right way in doing the right things that was being asked of him...
I definately could see that as being the final straw with him. And why he was cut over Collins.
