kearly
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A while back there was a thread that talked about how JS was initially dead set against trading for Harvin, mainly over the price, specifically the contract extension part.
Reflecting back on that fact just now, it donned on me: If John Schneider reacted so negatively to the idea of trading for Harvin initially, then it's very likely that the trade for Harvin was not his idea in the first place. And if it wasn't JS's idea, who's was it? Does Darrell Bevell have that kind of pull? I really doubt it. That just leaves Carroll, and of course PC had called Harvin "the best football player in America coming out of high school" in an interview from October of last year. Carroll had fought hard to recruit Harvin but just missed.
I can't prove it, but the evidence strongly suggests that the driver behind the Harvin trade was Carroll, not Schneider. In fact, it sounds like it might have been a source of friction for a short time given how emphatic Schneider's disinterest in handing out a (feared) Megatron type contract was. More on this in a moment.
The more we learned about the Whitehurst trade, the more it appeared to be a John Schneider move that Pete Carroll signed off on. John Schneider had a powerful memory of scouting Whitehurst going back to his time in Green Bay. The more we learned about the Russell Wilson pick, the more it appeared to be a John Schneider move that Pete Carroll signed off on. John Schneider was going to Wilson games in person and then raving about him to Pete.
Pete's had his victories too. I'm sure Mike Williams was his idea, as was Richard Sherman and, most likely, Brandon Browner. And now, in my opinion, you can probably add Percy Harvin to that list.
Point being, you have to really marvel at the working relationship these two guys have. Pete handpicked John Schneider and wouldn't be outside his rights to throw his weight around, but he doesn't. I get the impression that when they disagree, they listen to each other and leave the door open for persuasion, and often actually become persuaded. In the case of Harvin, the difference between a 1st, 3rd, 7th and $11 million a year isn't much different from a 1st, 3rd, 7th, and $13/$14 million a year, but it was enough to get John on board, probably because he saw the enthusiasm in Pete's eyes.
In the previous administration, we saw the team flush talents down the drain because Tim Ruskell and Mike Holmgren had a terrible working relationship. Other than a fishy rumor about Pete yelling at John over a fullback a few years ago, these guys never seem to clash over anything. And I don't care how similar two people are, they will always have a disagreement here and there. The way that they are able to come to a mutual understanding is very impressive. I have little doubt it's this ability to listen and compromise is one of the biggest reasons for their success.
Reflecting back on that fact just now, it donned on me: If John Schneider reacted so negatively to the idea of trading for Harvin initially, then it's very likely that the trade for Harvin was not his idea in the first place. And if it wasn't JS's idea, who's was it? Does Darrell Bevell have that kind of pull? I really doubt it. That just leaves Carroll, and of course PC had called Harvin "the best football player in America coming out of high school" in an interview from October of last year. Carroll had fought hard to recruit Harvin but just missed.
I can't prove it, but the evidence strongly suggests that the driver behind the Harvin trade was Carroll, not Schneider. In fact, it sounds like it might have been a source of friction for a short time given how emphatic Schneider's disinterest in handing out a (feared) Megatron type contract was. More on this in a moment.
The more we learned about the Whitehurst trade, the more it appeared to be a John Schneider move that Pete Carroll signed off on. John Schneider had a powerful memory of scouting Whitehurst going back to his time in Green Bay. The more we learned about the Russell Wilson pick, the more it appeared to be a John Schneider move that Pete Carroll signed off on. John Schneider was going to Wilson games in person and then raving about him to Pete.
Pete's had his victories too. I'm sure Mike Williams was his idea, as was Richard Sherman and, most likely, Brandon Browner. And now, in my opinion, you can probably add Percy Harvin to that list.
Point being, you have to really marvel at the working relationship these two guys have. Pete handpicked John Schneider and wouldn't be outside his rights to throw his weight around, but he doesn't. I get the impression that when they disagree, they listen to each other and leave the door open for persuasion, and often actually become persuaded. In the case of Harvin, the difference between a 1st, 3rd, 7th and $11 million a year isn't much different from a 1st, 3rd, 7th, and $13/$14 million a year, but it was enough to get John on board, probably because he saw the enthusiasm in Pete's eyes.
In the previous administration, we saw the team flush talents down the drain because Tim Ruskell and Mike Holmgren had a terrible working relationship. Other than a fishy rumor about Pete yelling at John over a fullback a few years ago, these guys never seem to clash over anything. And I don't care how similar two people are, they will always have a disagreement here and there. The way that they are able to come to a mutual understanding is very impressive. I have little doubt it's this ability to listen and compromise is one of the biggest reasons for their success.
