Is Pete's Shelf life almost over?

[obiken]

Frank Deford, of the few great journalist of sports in America, once made the astute observation, that most NFL coaches have a shelf life of 10 years. Like Shula and others they may go beyond that, but the prime time is 10 years. Lombardi 59-69, Shula, 68-78, Noll 74-84, Madden 69-79. Ect ect. IF you count the winning years at USC Pete maybe done. I am not trying to start a debate, to run him out, but after watching 30 for 30, and seeing some of his press conferences lately, it just got me to thinking. I like Pete, I think he is a glorified version of a used car salesman, but for winning us a title, he gets to stay as long as he wants. Therefore I am not trying to run him outta dodge. Its just food for thought that it might be over.

[burrrton]

Obi, you are the Eeyore-est poster we have.

I guess it's part of your charm at this point.

[NorthHawk]

He is 64, so maybe his personal time table includes some other adventures, but with a few tweaks in the plan, this team could contend for another 5 or 6 years.

[Hawk Sista]

I half way get the questions on Bevel, Graham and even Beast Mode, but now Pete? The last three years represent the winning-est stretch in FRANCHISE HOISTORY and includes two trips to the SB with our one and only Lombardi. Now is the time to quit with the panic and stop questioning the shelf life of the man who has brought a winning culture to Seattle. We may not win the Super Bowl this year (I think we still may) but I seriously doubt we have a losing record, or even miss the playoffs.

Before you answer your own question, answer this one...do you remember the 90s? Look at the historic win-loss records for the Hawks and ask that again.

[NorthHawk]

In a way the question is valid - if taken as a question of how long do coaches last at the top. I didn't read the OP as an attempt to push him out, rather as a question of how long a HC can last at the top.
We've had some good years and it seems to me that when Pete signed on here he wanted to prove his system and beliefs in his programme would work at the top levels.
He has proven that it can, so does he want to move on to different challenges any time soon?
Only he can answer that.

[obiken]

I half way get the questions on Bevel, Graham and even Beast Mode, but now Pete? The last three years represent the winning-est stretch in FRANCHISE HOISTORY and includes two trips to the SB with our one and only Lombardi. Now is the time to quit with the panic and stop questioning the shelf life of the man who has brought a winning culture to Seattle. We may not win the Super Bowl this year (I think we still may) but I seriously doubt we have a losing record, or even miss the playoffs.

Before you answer your own question, answer this one...do you remember the 90s? Look at the historic win-loss records for the Hawks and ask that again.

Wow almighty then!

[c_hawkbob]

I half way get the questions on Bevel, Graham and even Beast Mode, but now Pete? The last three years represent the winning-est stretch in FRANCHISE HOISTORY and includes two trips to the SB with our one and only Lombardi. Now is the time to quit with the panic and stop questioning the shelf life of the man who has brought a winning culture to Seattle. We may not win the Super Bowl this year (I think we still may) but I seriously doubt we have a losing record, or even miss the playoffs.

Before you answer your own question, answer this one...do you remember the 90s? Look at the historic win-loss records for the Hawks and ask that again.

Gotta love this girl!

[savvyman]

I nominate this thread title as the dumbest topic yet here at the shack.

[Hawk Sista]

Thank you, Bob. A hug and a kiss headed your way.

And to Obi and North - If we are to have a discussion about coaching longevity, then title the thread "coaching longevity" and not "is the guy who made us successful almost done" - particularly after our guy's team just blew a 17 point lead and started the season 2&3. And while I appreciate Obi and what he brings, he's not known for being glass half full, so forgive the pouncing. I've been listening to the media, local or otherwise, and watching their "whose fault is it this week" philosophy adopted by fans and it has really gotten on my nerves - hence the rapid response. It "felt" like we were going to put Pete's head on the chopping block which is something I would NOT propose even if we didn't win another game all year.

Building and maintaining a culture of excellence takes some measure of time and consistency. One cannot argue the success of the Blob from New England, and you also cannot argue that the revolving door in DC has made for a winning franchise. If the Bengals win one, will their 12 year marriage to Marv Lewis be worth it? I would maintain it has and is far better than the upsetting the apple cart at the first sign of struggle.

[NorthHawk]

He said that he thinks Pete's run might be over if you consider the other coaches who reached the top.
It might be, but it might be that this challenge of righting the ship is something that will drive him to stay and get another Super Bowl.
None of us can really know his motivations, but we do know he has varied interests and is getting close to retirement age.
Didn't he sell his house last year? Food for the grassy knoll crew, I suspect.

[kalibane]

When you posit something like this you need to have something to back up your query.

What are you seeing that would suggest Pete's shelf life has expired other than the fact that the Seahawks are 2-3 right now?

[Uppercut]

Doesn't Pete have only a contract through 2016? With all the FA stuff coming with probably more holdouts and dissension he may not want to invest 3-4 more years shaking out another SB team from scratch! On the other hand Tomsula may not last and Pete may want to finish his career in the Bay Area where he started.

Or maybe he will go back to USC next week

[Hawktawk]

I think when Pete said yes to Paul Allen he decided to come here to cement his legacy as one of the best winningest coaches in the history of football at both the collegiate and pro level. IMO he has already achieved that goal now. He is in his 60's but hes still a kid, throwing footballs around and playing one one one hoops during breaks in practice. As long as Seattle is a playoff team I dont see him leaving unless he and JS have a falling out. I do not see him sitting through another rebuild either though. I think his window and this core group of players window is very similar.

I do wince a little seeing Quinn with the Falcons at 5-0, a record Seattle has never had in their history. We lost a very good one and it could be really interesting if we meet in the postseason.

[The POPE]

umm---one never knows. Maybe Pete will get a urge to go back to the college ranks, nobody knows.
Heres controversial twist. Maybe he follows the Patriot way and tries to unload a long in the tooth player with a lot of mileage that has some tread left on the tires. Marshawn anyone? Trade him to Oakland for a high draft pick and let him go back home before he ends up like that car you kept too long and is now worth nothing. Ok, so maybe Marshawn just retires and it all backfires. At best Marshawn will make it through this year, but I think he may have hit that wall. Get what you can and move on, Its business nothing personal. By the trade deadline on 11/3 we will all know if the Hawks have a chance to go back to the playoffs. If they are 4-4 or possibly worse, time to move on. currently 2-3 with 3 very winnable games before the trade date. If they don't catch fire by that time its probably too late and the hawks will be left empty handed. Can't think of anywhere else Marshawn might agree to go to without retiring. Jerrah would probably give up the most, but I cant picture Marshawn with a cowboy hat.Same with some of the players bitching about more money. If the hawks don't intend on paying them or cant fit the increases in the salary cap then get as much as they can, before they are in the last year a contract and free agency.
Got to think ahead, don't get caught with your pants down. Not a patriots fan, but one has to admire the consistency of the business model.


Just the Pope thinking out loud, and taking on a controversial issue

Pope out.

ps I am not serious about this, know its a extreme longshot, but what the hell

[Zorn76]

It's an interesting question, if for no other reason than trying to speculate on the thought of Pete leaving sooner than expected, because he's already won a SB.

I also believe there's a chance he may stay longer than he originally planned (whatever that may be), because of the way last year's SB ended.

I doubt very much he goes back to college.
Been there, done that, and hoisted at least one trophy at that level that was legit:)

There aren't much better situations than the one in Seattle, either. He has a solid working relationship with a smart G.M. whom he trusts, and he's got one of the best owners in the league who also maintains one of the lowest (public) profiles in professional sports.

IMO, too, there's a clear distinction between his NCAA coaching life and the one he has now. I don't think his years at USC can be added to his current tenure in Seattle, in terms of him being near the end of his shelf life overall. It's anybody's guess how much longer he chooses to stay, but I think a safe bet is that he remains for another 3 seasons after this one.

[RiverDog]

I don't think it's an outrageous proposition at all. if obi were talking about pete getting fired, then yes, he'd be over the top. but that's not what he's saying.

pete has sold his house in seattle, and I haven't heard of him buying another. there is a good possibility of one or more teams moving to LA. is it possible that one of them might try to lure a former usc coach that succeeded in building a sb winning nfl franchise from scratch? He's 64 and extremely high energy, which imo is a recipe for a burn out. does he have plan to retire? he must have a timeline. if he does, it's unlikely he'd share it with anyone outside of his immediate family.

obi's post is not only possible, it's plausible, and worthy of discussion.

[c_hawkbob]

Problem is you're adapting the OP to fit your 'plausible' box. The way I read the OP Obi was positing that adding Pete's years at USC together with his years here put him at or near his expiration date as a viable head coach, not that he may chose to leave.

[RiverDog]

Problem is you're adapting the OP to fit your 'plausible' box. The way I read the OP Obi was positing that adding Pete's years at USC together with his years here put him at or near his expiration date as a viable head coach, not that he may chose to leave.

I'll agree to a point that the shelf life hypothesis may not be on solid ground, but the overall generalization that for what ever reason Pete's career may have peaked or that he may be ready for a change/retirement is most definitely plausible and worth a discussion rather than being dismissed as the harebrained rant of a drunken sailor it was being made out to be.

Besides, obi is a Duck fan, and needs someone to stick up for him this week.

[obiken]

I nominate this thread title as the dumbest topic yet here at the shack.

Sorry you feel that way. This is not what I was trying to say. I am not trying to force Pete out at all. I was throwing out a theoretical discussion, with a practicum example. Just forget it.

[Seahawks4Ever]

Bum Phillips said there are two types of coaches; Thems that have been fired and thems that are going to be fired". I pointed out two in another thread, Brian Billick and Mike Shanahan. Both had great success and won championships yet eventually wore out their welcome.

Then we have Mike Holmgren, when he left Green Bay he said that after awhile the players have heard everything he had to say and were not listening anymore.

Do I believe that Pete is any where near either being fired or moving on because he doesn't feel he is effective here anymore?? Not on your life! We may be a few plays from being 1-4 but we are also a few plays from being 5-0!

Now is NOT the time to panic. The O-Line was much better last week and they ARE starting to gel.

Did anyone watch the Fox pre-game show last week? At the end of the show Jimmy Johnson said he had talked to the Seahawk coaching staff and told them that Jimmy Graham is a WR and not a TE and they should stop trying to make him into one. I don't know if he really said that to Pete and/or Bevell but what he said is probably true. Jimmy Graham fought being called a TE when he went to arbitration over he being named a Franchise player, he lost, but he is NOT a TE by what we all call a TE. He says he was never asked to block like he is being asked to block here. We all know WR's have to block but what they are asking Graham to do is way different than he has been asked to do in N.O.

One area we have noticed is Graham just standing around when Russell Wilson is scrambling trying to find a target. Graham says that at New Orleans that never had to participate in a "scramble drill". I find that very hard to believe and to be a very poor excuse for not hustling. So, why is Graham to busting his arse? maybe Graham just doesn't want to be here and wants to force us to trade him. That would be a disaster because when other teams know a ream has to trade a player they low ball their offer until the team caves in. If that is what Graham is doing then this trade will go down as a really bad one. I hope that is not going to happen.

Kam Chancellor used to shut Graham down when ever we played against him, especially in the play offs a few years ago. I am sure other teams are doing to Graham what we used to do to shut him down. That does beg to question, why is Kam now having trouble covering TE's? Maybe it was his hold out? Kam and Pete said it was a miscommunication between him and the new CB. I can understand a miscommunication on a play or two but the Bengal's TE had a 4th.qtr. to die for.

[Hawk Sista]

Sorry you feel that way. This is not what I was trying to say. I am not trying to force Pete out at all. I was throwing out a theoretical discussion, with a practicum example. Just forget it.

I'm sorry Obi...................... I should have taken another few minutes to process what you were throwing out before I came so ready to fight. Don't shy away from the controversy, man. We love you and this is what makes us interesting. How much fun would it be if we agreed on everything all day long? C'mon back in here and speak you mind.