When offensive line coach Alex Gibbs suddenly announced his retirement shortly before the season, there was a collective "huh?" let out by everyone that had been following the Seattle Seahawks. Gibbs was brought in as the architect of the Seahawks; blocking scheme, but had reportedly burnt-out and needed to get away from the job. None of it added up, especially considering the timing of it all.
At the time, one of the reasons floated for Gibbs' retirement involved his unhappiness with roster moves, specifically regarding Ben Hamilton. The two were familiar with each other, and Hamilton admitted Gibbs' presence in Seattle was a factor in him signing with the team this offseason. Months later, Hamilton gave some insight into Gibbs' retirement on his always-entertaining Twitter account.
Personnel disputes and butting heads RT @Ben_VM: @benhamilton50 You have any insight into why Gibbs left Seattle the way he did?
Ben Hamilton
benhamilton50
It fits with everything we've seen thus far. Jeremy Bates was fired because of philosophical differences with head coach Pete Carroll and an enormous amount players have been shuttled off in a "my way or the highway" situation. It says a lot about Carroll's conviction and belief in his ways.
At the same time, it's also discouraging in a way. If he's running a dictatorship, where his word is gold, it also means he's minimizing the role of his assistants. While Carroll apparently has the final word on roster moves -- even over general manager John Schneider -- the assistants who are working with each individual unit should have some kind of input.
Either way, we've learning a lot about the coaching and management style of Carroll over the last few days. It doesn't mean it's good or bad, but it's interesting nonetheless.