MMQB SI - Sherman's perspective on MRob's release

[drdiags]

Nice article

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/09/04/richard-sherman-michael-robinson/

 

[kidhawk]

Agreed, nice piece and good to hear the perspective while it's still so fresh on the mind, and not years down the road looking back on it.

 

[12th_Bob]

Great article, as much as I'll miss Robinson I'm also really excited to watch Coleman and Ware get a 4 game extension before Bruce comes back, along with Lotuleilei and Mayowa.

 

[keatonisballin]

Great article by Sherm.

 

[hawksnfcsbest]

This article shows what I was most worried about with the cutting of MRob, the players reactions and feelings after his release were going to be negative. MRob was the leader of this team for a couple years, I know that Pete wants Russell to be the main leader but having a true solid veteran around that cares more about the team than himself is priceless. I still feel we should have cut one of the 8 linebackers on the 53 and kept MRob to help mentor our 2 FB's.

I just pray that this move won't hurt our team in the long run, but I have a feeling that it will. Sherman shows great insight into the minds of the players on the team and it seems that they are now questioning the organizations moves which is not a good thing for a team that wants to make a run at the SuperBowl.....just my thoughts

 

[FlyingGreg]

One of the second-order effects of Sherman doing this column is all the Neanderthal idiot fans of other teams who can't stand Sherman (mostly because they are exceptionally jealous of his talent and wish they had him) can at least appreciate his intelligence, depth of thought and perspective.

 

[Rooster854]

Love me some Sherm
Keep it coming lockdown!!!

 

[DavidSeven]

This article didn't make me feel any better about the release. No mention of "serious illness" that affected Robinson's ability to play. I really hope the team considered the effect this would have on the locker room. I think you can throw out any notion that these guys are going to offer "home team discounts" when it's time to re-up. If they didn't realize this was purely a business before, they do now.

 

[muxpux]

love this line:

"Anybody who needed a kick in the ass already got it on the way out the door."

 

[Stephen SeaHawking]

GREAT article by Sherman. But man it just reminds me of how much I really really really hate losing Mike Rob. I hope there's some way he can come back, maybe even in a trainer/coaching capacity. He's just a guy you want around.

 

[-The Glove-]

Wow. Sherman is a very "affluent" writer. I disagree about the whole questioning the FO post. This article, to me, shows that at least Sherman understands no one man is more important than the team and that they can't worry about being cut. They have to just go out and work hard every day

 

[Blitzer88]

Man...I'm gonna miss Mike Rob. Great article by Sherm.

 

[hawksnfcsbest]

Wow. Sherman is a very "affluent" writer. I disagree about the whole questioning the FO post. This article, to me, shows that at least Sherman understands no one man is more important than the team and that they can't worry about being cut. They have to just go out and work hard every day

Good perspective, I may have overreacted a bit. It is very true that MRob's release shows the players that they need to work hard everyday and compete, compete, compete!

 

[MysterMatt]

This article didn't make me feel any better about the release. No mention of "serious illness" that affected Robinson's ability to play. I really hope the team considered the effect this would have on the locker room. I think you can throw out any notion that these guys are going to offer "home team discounts" when it's time to re-up. If they didn't realize this was purely a business before, they do now.

I agree with you, David. I understand Sherman's perspective, I really do, but I learned a similar lesson years ago in the corporate environment...and I hate it. I'll refer you all to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (a bit outdated, but this one is still a good reference). It demonstrates that, as human beings, we need understanding, to be witnessed, and to be valued within our "group". When the message to a person is "your value to us is nothing more than what you can do on the field NOW and only for so long as we can't replace you with someone cheaper", you are inadvertently saying "I don't give a crap about you off the field and outside the context of a salary cap. I value you only for what you can do for me now". It's brutal, and its the same message common folks like you and I get just about every day in the workplace. It can be dehumanizing, being given the message that the group you value so much sees no value in you.

On the other hand, yes, I get it, "it's a business" and for the sake of the team no single person is indispensable.

Unless you're a franchise quarterback.

Of course, I don't have all the details into the decision process, but I think JS and PC made a bad decision. It undermines their "ra ra we love you" shtick. It undermines their credibility over time. It makes concepts like "loyalty" mean nothing.

 

[DavidSeven]

It is very true that MRob's release shows the players that they need to work hard everyday and compete, compete, compete!

IMO it doesn't show that. It shows that you can compete until your face turns blue, but if the numbers don't make sense, your butt will be shown the door. This undermines Pete's philosophy, if anything.

Nice post, MysterMatt.

 

[Trenchbroom]

Wow. Sherman is a very "affluent" writer. I disagree about the whole questioning the FO post. This article, to me, shows that at least Sherman understands no one man is more important than the team and that they can't worry about being cut. They have to just go out and work hard every day

He's a very smart guy, nothing gets by him.

I think he also understands that with all of the great players we have on this team that are due to make big $$$$, some guys are going to lose their jobs on this team because of it. It really is a situation where if you excel at an important position (and FB ain't one of those), you are going to get paid by taking money away from another player.

That's the reality of the salary cap, and with Sherm being a prime example of someone who deserves to break the bank at his next contract, I'm sure any pain in losing Robinson or Trufant is less than it would be if this was the 80s and teams could buy championships.

 

[Lanakila]

I am curious about this virus. How much did it affect his being cut? Or did it? Apparently he hasn't been picked up.

 

[iigakusei]

You can't keep players just because they are "nice guys and good leaders". He was released and it sucks, which is why I will never begrudge a player for getting as much guaranteed money as he can with any said contract. He was the highest paid fullback in the league (maybe he was worth is, maybe not) and we don't know the full reason behind the release (how many games was he going to miss etc.)

 

[scutterhawk]

This article shows what I was most worried about with the cutting of MRob, the players reactions and feelings after his release were going to be negative. MRob was the leader of this team for a couple years, I know that Pete wants Russell to be the main leader but having a true solid veteran around that cares more about the team than himself is priceless. I still feel we should have cut one of the 8 linebackers on the 53 and kept MRob to help mentor our 2 FB's.

I just pray that this move won't hurt our team in the long run, but I have a feeling that it will. Sherman shows great insight into the minds of the players on the team and it seems that they are now questioning the organizations moves which is not a good thing for a team that wants to make a run at the SuperBowl.....just my thoughts

Not to be abrasive here, but this is a team full of grown athletic warriors, who feed off each other at game time, and should understand, that they are a part of the machine that fits, or they're replaced with a piece that fits better (just like Trufant, just like Alexander, just like Hasselbeck, just like Matt Flynn, Etc.
It's nothing personal, it's a job that has to be done, and bettering the team is an ongoing gig, and that's what Sherman has alluded too with this article.

 

[TwistedHusky]

Maybe.

What it shows is that the organization has no obligation to its players, which is fine. You are "family" so long as you are part of the group but not the moment you are removed.

The problem is that is a two way street.

We aren't going to be able to pay Revis type of money to Sherman at a time we are going to have to pay near Flacco money to Wilson shortly thereafter. Now the issue will be whether anyone else will?

Clearly, while Sherman loves being a Seahawk we probably aren't going to be able to ask for a home town discount. All of that goodwill that we built up about family, and team, and the value of fighting together to jointly achieve a common goal is probably lost now.

I don't know if that is a good trade but it is a philosophy of the organization and it seems to be working for it. It just flies in the face of the player-centric and pro-player energy/atmosphere that this organization has spent a great deal of time (and PR effort) cultivating.

Hopefully they have treated Mike Rob fairly, because he clearly was beloved not just by the fans, but from the sound of this article and others - by the players.