JOSH Moffitt, BYRON Browner. Ever hear of them? No? Well, I haven't either. But according to some national media they are cornerstone players on the Seattle Seahawks. The guys I know are John Moffitt, a rookie who started at RG before going on the IR, and starting CB Brandon Browner. That Browner guy, happened to be a Pro Bowler in 2011.
Did you know SIdney Rice will be returning from a hip injury in 2012? Don't worry, neither did I. That's because it happened in 2010. He is, however, coming off of shoulder surgeries.
All that misinformation is from ONE SEGMENT on NFL Network.
Another example: Omar Kelly, NFL writer for South Florida's Sun-Sentinel, says the Seahawks have a "toothless defense".
The stats, however, tell a different story. The Seahawks were 9th in the NFL in total defense and 7th in the league in points per game, all despite being on the field 1,049 plays - good for 9th most in the league. Oh yeah, and that "toothless" defense was 4th in the NFL in takeaways. Sounds like someone didn't do their homework.
Does anyone outside of Seattle actually have a clue what's going on the in the Pacific Northwest?
Heck, national media can't even criticize Pete Carroll's side-ventures properly.
When Carroll took the Seahawks job in 2010 it coincided with the release of his book "Win Forever" and a subsequent book tour. Many local media were critical of Carroll for the book signings, claiming he should be focused on his new job not his new autobiography. A valid point.
Two weeks ago, Yahoo! NFL columnist Jason Cole had a series of twitter rants claiming Carroll should be focused on his team and "new QB", instead of heading to Dallas with his organization Win Forever.
Good to see Pete focused on 'Hawks, new QB RT @PeteCarroll: Our @winforever workshop tour begins Sat. in Dallas at @CowboysStadium! FREE
— Jason Cole (@JasonColeYahoo) March 21, 2012
This complaint begs so many questions, foremost of which - did Cole forget that the CBA restricts types of contact between players and staff during the offseason? After that, there are some logical question to ask - does he know whether Flynn was even in Seattle after his announced signing? Does he know what offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, the one who really would be spending time with a new QB anyway, is doing with Flynn in preparation? Part of the problem with this hollow-complaint, is that Carroll was holding a coaches workshop in Dallas at Cowboys Stadium with Cowboys' head coach Jason Garrett. Once this was pointed out to Cole, he backtracked and began rambling about draft prep and other things.
@darinpike he's trying to sell books
— Jason Cole (@JasonColeYahoo) March 21, 2012
Yeah, draft prep is meaningless RT @sanjayvmenghani: I thought players, coaches have right to relax, promote personal ventures in off-season
— Jason Cole (@JasonColeYahoo) March 21, 2012
Wrong again, Jason.
It seems guys like Jason Cole want Carroll and GM John Schneider to lock themselves inside the VMAC and not come out until fall. Wonder if he has a problem with Carroll and Schneider attending draft prospect Pro Days in College Station and Tempe this past week?
Truthfully, though, is this really anything new?
We all know the jokes about Southern Alaska and the weather. Seattle lacks respect as a sports-city, and therefore, the media members outside of it don't even bother to do research, it seems.
At the end of the day, the only way to make people pay attention to you, is to win. We all know there is a buzz and excitement around the players on the Seahawks' roster. The squad is full of potential superstars. But potential is nothing without results in the win-coulmn.
If the Seahawks want respect, if they want national media to get the facts straight, then they need to take matters into their own hands.
Pete Carroll will be the first to tell you that he, or his team, isn't worried about what outsiders think, and that they are only focused on that which they can control.
Well, they can control results on the field, and those wins will force the hand of skeptics and those media members outside of Seattle who refuse to do their homework on the 'Hawks to start paying attention.