Brian Schottenheimer has been fired

[Appyhawk]

I approve of this move, pending who the replacement is.

 

[chris98251]

Rick Neuheisel, Jim Zorn, Tom Cable.

 

[hawks85]

Citing "philosophical differences." Interesting.

Another words, Pete wants a "yes Man" Bevell was let go for the same reason almost. Having a Vanilla offense. I don't know, but sounds to me that Petey boy is the problem. Schotty and Bevell couldn't adjust if their life depended on it, but I am not blaming Schotty for all of this.

 

[hawks85]

I'm shocked they didn't let Norton go, Oh wait that's Petey boy's friend and he HAS to be loyal. Norton as DC has been HORRIBLE ever since he's been here, except the last 7-8 weeks which I believe Pete was telling Norton the plays to call. Norton should have been fired as well.

 

[Maelstrom787]

Citing "philosophical differences." Interesting.

Another words, Pete wants a "yes Man" Bevell was let go for the same reason almost. Having a Vanilla offense. I don't know, but sounds to me that Petey boy is the problem. Schotty and Bevell couldn't adjust if their life depended on it, but I am not blaming Schotty for all of this.

Last time Pete fired an OC, he brought in a new one that immediately crafted the leagues best rushing attack and saw Russell have his most efficient season to date in 2018. 2019 was good too. 2020 saw a complete philosophical change to a pass-heavy offense that continued being relatively pass-heavy throughout the season, and then it all fell apart.

Lets not act like nothing changes when the OC is changed, it just isn't true.

 

[Scorpion05]

Creative rushing attacks are the wave. You've seen the Niners get to the Super Bowl based on it despite Jimmy G being awful, you saw the Browns blow the doors off the Steelers with it, and I don't even need to mention the Titans. It works, and it could be what Pete's after here.

Yes this style can work. Just hope Pete sees it too. He can't be that stubborn, can he?

After all, we tried Let Russ Cook, and we saw the good with the bad... Sacked 55+ times, most the league? Many due to holding the ball too long? Turnover machine?

Bottom line is Russ needs run game support, and PC is trying to put him in the best position to succeed.

Russ doesn't absolutely need run game support. What he needs, is a pass protecting O-line. One that allows him to hold the ball. You can't drop 50 yard bombs and roll out of the pocket like Allen, Rodgers, Mahomes without holding the ball.

Wanna know what my biggest gripe with Schotty was?

He constantly put the offensive line in a position to fail. It's not a terrible collection of players, but they were asked to do more than any other offensive line in the league last year, I'd contend. This tweet articulates the point well:

[tweet]https://twitter.com/carlmarchphoto/status/1349157546175578112[/tweet]

Sounds to me like a drafting problem. The O-line still struggled even on run plays, so I don't buy it. The O-line is just average. And in a division with the Rams, Cardinals, and Niners you can't have an Average O-line

Citing "philosophical differences." Interesting.

Another words, Pete wants a "yes Man" Bevell was let go for the same reason almost. Having a Vanilla offense. I don't know, but sounds to me that Petey boy is the problem. Schotty and Bevell couldn't adjust if their life depended on it, but I am not blaming Schotty for all of this.

Last time Pete fired an OC, he brought in a new one that immediately crafted the leagues best rushing attack and saw Russell have his most efficient season to date in 2018. 2019 was good too. 2020 saw a complete philosophical change to a pass-heavy offense that continued being relatively pass-heavy throughout the season, and then it all fell apart.

Lets not act like nothing changes when the OC is changed, it just isn't true.

2018 and 2019 were complete wastes. Way too many close games, too many needed Wilson heroics in the end. That didn't work in the playoffs.

2020 we had an explosive offense. Russell had 2 bad games, and Pete ADMITTED to overreacting. He meddled, and reigned in the playcalling. That's the point, Pete couldn't accept change even for just 2 games. The moment he had a chance to confirm his bias, he took it

 

[Seahawk_Dan]

I wish Schotty the best of luck. Honestly I didn't think he was a terrible OC, but I do think he wasn't gonna work in Pete's system. If the beginning of the year was any indication of what Schotty wanted to do, it was amazing but then a bad game or two, resulted back to Peteball and his eventual firing.

With some of the new vacancies around the league I don't doubt he'll bounce back as someone else's OC.

 

[Tusc2000]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Softykjr/status/1349152734142889984[/tweet]

I think I support this. Future head coach?

Doug Pederson? Good lord, NO! NO! NO!

Did you not watch Pederson intentionally tank by pulling Jalen Hurts in the 4th quarter of the SNF against the Redskins? A meaningless game perhaps -- EXCEPT to all the players who were busting their butts to win. Only to see their HC throw them under the bus. Talk about losing the locker room. And don't think every NFL player isn't aware of this.

I have never seen a HC perform so blatantly irresponsibly as Pederson did last week. I hope that worm Pederson never coaches another game -- and certainly not in Seattle.

 

[HawksSoc]

As frustrating as the second half of the season was, seeing the Seahawks with an exciting, progressive Offense and good RZ playcalling in the first few weeks was so exciting. I really don't want to go back to watching Run/Run/Pass, it's like watching someone run uphill. I have no idea what this move means for that, guess I'm just feeling glum.

 

[xray]

Politics in football ? Say it ain't so . BS is fired and JS gets extension immediately after . Carroll just said that he expects all the coordinators back . I expect that JS wanted BS gone not Carroll . JS was in demand elsewhere . See how this works ?

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Schneider got his extension BEFORE Shotty was fired.

 

[xray]

Schneider got his extension BEFORE Shotty was fired.

My bad if wrong but it all happened in the same 24 hour period and still football politics IMO .

 

[BASF]

It is amazing how many posters here have an axe to grind. Just amazing.

In regards to Schottenheimer being fired, it is pretty simple. He did not adjust in the second half of the season when it was obvious that defenses had figured out our schemes and route trees. The fact is that our formations and releases off the ball are too easily identified because our OC does not put in enough variations on them. It is the reason why our receivers are usually well covered at the end of the year. The defenses can literally tell where our receivers are going before the snap of the ball because the routes are not changed enough. One of the pundits who follow our team closely pointed out that we ran a lot of the same plays against the Rams in both the second and third game. You can not do that against good defenses.

The other aspect of this is the blocking scheme that is required is not being executed well enough. If we have a pass to the middle of the field called our line needs to open that passing window for Wilson to complete the pass and that simply does not happen. It was Schottenheimer's responsibility to get the offensive line on the same page and get those passing lanes open so Wilson can succeed.

The third thing that needs to be addressed here is that it was ultimately Schottenheimer's responsibility to keep Wilson from going to the well too often. The truth is that Wilson was not looking to use the check downs and intermediate routes enough. It is almost as though he was looking to put up more and more numbers down the field after the short and intermediate interceptions he threw in the middle part of the year.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

They needed some major change, this is a start. And maybe if Pete would actually allow the coordinator to do his job and not try to Neuter Russ, they would be even more successful. It's 2021 Pete, enough of the old school stubborn crap.

 

[Appyhawk]

Maelstrom: "Well, let's back up and think about it.

2018 saw Seattle lead the league in rushing. Last year, they averaged nearly 5 a carry.

Its clear that the short passing game was broken, and its never been Russell's strength. Couple an inefficient short passing attack with a pass-heavy split, and you get precisely what we saw - a team that can't convert third downs.

If the team maintains rush efficiency and does it a bit more often, it stands to reason that a lot of the crippling third down woes vanish. Furthermore, teams won't be able to just park their safeties high to take away the chunk plays without Seattle rushing up the field into weak boxes.

Creative rushing attacks are the wave. You've seen the Niners get to the Super Bowl based on it despite Jimmy G being awful, you saw the Browns blow the doors off the Steelers with it, and I don't even need to mention the Titans. It works, and it could be what Pete's after here."

I like that post. I was never all in on the Schotty hire, but willing to give it the chance. He did some good stuff and worked well with Russ, but seemed to me to be limited beyond his initial burst. Pete was willing to play along, more than was good for our interests.
A good example is our calls on third and long. So often it became predictable our call on third and long was to go long. That is a low percentage call, and our result was early success that ended up with a poor conversion rate.
The last Rams game possession calls went something like:
Rams on 1st +5-7 yds
SHawks on 1st +2-3yds

Rams 2nd dwn =1st down or 3rd and short
SHawks 2nd dwn= penalty -10 to 3rd and forever

A stronger running game will benefit everything we want to do on offense. But we must have an offensive line that can provide for a strong running game. Lose in the trenches and you lose the game.

 

[hox]

In regards to Schottenheimer being fired, it is pretty simple. He did not adjust in the second half of the season when it was obvious that defenses had figured out our schemes and route trees. The fact is that our formations and releases off the ball are too easily identified because our OC does not put in enough variations on them. It is the reason why our receivers are usually well covered at the end of the year. The defenses can literally tell where our receivers are going before the snap of the ball because the routes are not changed enough. One of the pundits who follow our team closely pointed out that we ran a lot of the same plays against the Rams in both the second and third game. You can not do that against good defenses.

Yup. The Rams CB that had the pick-six said he saw on film exactly what was coming. And that is when they motion DK away from Ramsey, they are likely going to DK... he was ready for it.

 

[HawkRiderFan]

Couldn't agree with BASF's post above more. Michael Robinson was on GMF on Monday and he said the same thing....when the Hawks went to that formation they go with the quick throw to DK. He saw it coming. No surprised that a well coached Rams D did too.

 

[AgentDib]

My bad if wrong but it all happened in the same 24 hour period and still football politics IMO .

Pete was asked in the press conference about upcoming hiring/firings, and replied that wasn't the sort of thing it was appropriate to discuss publicly with the media. Only when he was pressed on Schottenheimer specifically did he say he was staying with his full support, because that's the only decent thing to do when you haven't yet fired somebody.

Look at the thread and notice how the reactions were all about Pete supporting Schotty, and consider that any other response by Pete would have had much different reactions. Similarly, citing philosophical differences while praising their work is the decent way to fire a coordinator and I'm sure Pete would love to see Schotty get another job somewhere.

Something was just not working the second half of the season in the short passing game between Schotty's scheme and Russ's execution of that scheme, and changes needed to be made as a result.

 

[TwistedHusky]

Except Pete had already publicly proclaimed he was keeping Brian.

Wasn't that what was reported based on his own statement?

So a day or so later, he does a 180 after that meeting.

Pete is methodical and a planner. He isn't prone to just flipping decisions like that, if anything he clings to a plan or opinion despite the circumstance.

So it makes no sense that Pete would publicly make a statement like that and then immediately contradict himself.

Two possibilities are:

1) As another poster pointed out, it could have been JS that demanded the change.

2) Pete started to see the way the winds were blowing and how this was going to impact him. Someone had to go, if nothing else but to take the fall. Brian was the best option given how the offense performed.

 

[hox]

Russ doesn't absolutely need run game support. What he needs, is a pass protecting O-line. One that allows him to hold the ball. You can't drop 50 yard bombs and roll out of the pocket like Allen, Rodgers, Mahomes without holding the ball.

Yeah the line was only average and can definitely be upgraded. But on too many snaps this season did I see Russ hold on to the ball after 3 seconds, after 5 seconds, to ultimately take a sack. Even Rodgers and Mahomes lines can only protect for so long. Difference is they pull the trigger in a timely manner. Whereas, Russ is a freelancer by nature.

Since good pass-blocking Oline are hard to acquire, an easier solution: pull the trigger, throw it away, or call a run play. That will help prevent sacks, as well as 3rd and long situations.

Shotty's latest game plan called for no roll outs - just drop backs if I recall correctly. The firing was a good move.