KiwiHawk
New member
Just some points of order here, and I am not going to comment on the quality of Holmgren as a GM - this is merely to clarify some things and correct some points raised in this thread.
When Holmgren took over, he had Fritz Shurmur as his defensive guru. Unfortunately, Fritz was diagnosed with late-stage cancer so Holmgren had to change plans in mid-stream, from building the defense first to building the offense first. He didn't have someone he trusted like Shurmur to make the calls on defensive players.
Holmgren did, however, assemble possibly the best offensive line the league has ever seen, and placed behind it a running back who had the tools to cash in on the OLs performance. I think that gets under-appreciated quite a bit with respect to Holmgren-as-GM.
The other factor that Holmgren had to deal with was sabotage through the person of Bob Whitsitt. The Jerry Rice fiasco was all Whitsitt's doing - he even asked Largent about the number 80 *after* telling Rice that Largent said it was OK.
The Galloway fiasco was less fiasco than I thin many recognize. Galloway was a naturally gifted athlete who worked hard, but not like Shaquem Grifin hard. After Galloway was injured, he lost a step, and with it most of his difference-making ability as a receiver. He didn't have the self-discipline and work ethic to push during rehab, so when he held out, he simply wasn't the same guy who caught all the amazing touchdowns. We traded him to Dallas for two first-rounds if I recall correctly, and it took him a few years to realize that missing a portion of his natural ability meant he actually had to learn how to play receiver.
Jerramy Stevens. I blame this one less on Holmgren than I do on Itula Mili. Mili was supposed to be the superstar tight end, but was injured most of the time. Then he had one decent season, so he held out the next year for more money. With Mili unreliable and a gaping hole at tight end, Holmgren pulled the trigger on Stevens, who was either going to be a super star or a head case, and turned out to be the latter. Had Mili not been such a flake or had Shurmur been there to advise, we would have drafted Ed Reed, and possibly launched a dynasty.
Most egregiously, however, in this thread is blaming Holmgren for Hutchinson and the poison pill. That was entirely the doing of Tim Ruskell, who was new to the Seahawks and didn't consult with Holmgren regarding Hutchinson before offering the transition tag. He was apparently unaware of conversations where Homlmgren had assured Hutchinson he would go down the Walter Jones route and get the franchise tag while they worked out a long-term deal. Hutchinson took the snub as a serious betrayal, hence the poison pill.
When Holmgren took over, he had Fritz Shurmur as his defensive guru. Unfortunately, Fritz was diagnosed with late-stage cancer so Holmgren had to change plans in mid-stream, from building the defense first to building the offense first. He didn't have someone he trusted like Shurmur to make the calls on defensive players.
Holmgren did, however, assemble possibly the best offensive line the league has ever seen, and placed behind it a running back who had the tools to cash in on the OLs performance. I think that gets under-appreciated quite a bit with respect to Holmgren-as-GM.
The other factor that Holmgren had to deal with was sabotage through the person of Bob Whitsitt. The Jerry Rice fiasco was all Whitsitt's doing - he even asked Largent about the number 80 *after* telling Rice that Largent said it was OK.
The Galloway fiasco was less fiasco than I thin many recognize. Galloway was a naturally gifted athlete who worked hard, but not like Shaquem Grifin hard. After Galloway was injured, he lost a step, and with it most of his difference-making ability as a receiver. He didn't have the self-discipline and work ethic to push during rehab, so when he held out, he simply wasn't the same guy who caught all the amazing touchdowns. We traded him to Dallas for two first-rounds if I recall correctly, and it took him a few years to realize that missing a portion of his natural ability meant he actually had to learn how to play receiver.
Jerramy Stevens. I blame this one less on Holmgren than I do on Itula Mili. Mili was supposed to be the superstar tight end, but was injured most of the time. Then he had one decent season, so he held out the next year for more money. With Mili unreliable and a gaping hole at tight end, Holmgren pulled the trigger on Stevens, who was either going to be a super star or a head case, and turned out to be the latter. Had Mili not been such a flake or had Shurmur been there to advise, we would have drafted Ed Reed, and possibly launched a dynasty.
Most egregiously, however, in this thread is blaming Holmgren for Hutchinson and the poison pill. That was entirely the doing of Tim Ruskell, who was new to the Seahawks and didn't consult with Holmgren regarding Hutchinson before offering the transition tag. He was apparently unaware of conversations where Homlmgren had assured Hutchinson he would go down the Walter Jones route and get the franchise tag while they worked out a long-term deal. Hutchinson took the snub as a serious betrayal, hence the poison pill.