Pro Football Weekly published a video segment this morning that alleged a rift between Seahawks General Manager and Head Coach Pete Carroll. PFW's Hub Arkush and Eric Edholm 'report' that according to what 'they're hearing,' the 'marriage of convenience' between Schneider and Carroll 'could be on rocky ground.' (And yes, I like using sarcastic quotation marks).
PFW's Hub Arkush starts off by explaining that idea, then adds, "As a matter of fact, Pete Carroll is unhappy with A LOT of the moves John Schneider has made this offseason."
It seems funny to me that he uses the figure of speech, "as a matter of fact," when starting that sentence, because from all indications -- including this very report -- it's not a fact at all, just a rumor based on what some unnamed agent sources (the most trustworthy of sources ever.. cough) have said.
Nevertheless, Edholm adds:
"I can tell you that these two are not on the same page. And it often happens, a personnel guy and a coach are going to have differing views on things. But I talked to one agent who said he he had one of his free agents shipped into Seattle, but when he got there, Pete Carroll said, ‘What is this guy doing here? We don't need him for our football team.' So it led to an uncomfortable situation for all parties."
The two then allude to the idea that it wasn't Carroll's decision to bring in Robert Gallery, Sidney Rice, and Tarvaris Jackson, and the lack of success these players have had thus far has put Schneider on Carroll's sh*tlist, so to speak.
This video created a bit of an uproar in Seattle, mostly because it was news to everyone. From what I gather from Seahawks beat reporters and writers, and from what they understand, the consensus is that Pete Carroll and John Schneider benefit from a great working and personal relationship. Scott Enyeart aptly characterized their relationship as a "two-man wolfpack."
PFW's Edholm appeared on The Brock and Salk show shortly after running this video, and essentially backtracked from the report, citing unnamed agent sources and rumors, and downplaying the significance of their so-called disagreements. Probably smart of him, considering there doesn't seem to be credible evidence that there's truth to it.
After practice today, Carroll addressed the report, saying: "That's so far from true. John and I are as close as you can get. I've never been any closer with anybody I've ever worked with," adding that publishing the report was, "...Extraordinarily irresponsible. It's inaccurate, it's lazy, and I wouldn't believe a word they said."
He then walked off the practice field with his arm around John Schneider, a joking response to the PFW report.