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Amidst the chaos of free agency, two 'Seahawks' nearing the end of their contracts have gone criminally under-noticed. It's not Russell Okung. It's not Bruce Irvin. It's not Jeremy Lane. It's not the best quarterback in the NFL, Tavaris Jackson. And it's not their punter, whiter than snow.
While others are in the spotlight, these two are constantly working behind the scenes evaluating and acquiring talent, designating resource allocation, and making decisions no one else has the balls to make.
The two go hand in hand, compliment each other perfectly, and together they create one of the NFL's most respected, acclaimed, and feared duos. Other teams would sacrifice many treasures to acquire these two minds. Their names? Pete Carroll and John Schneider.
Rewind to January of 2010. The Seahawks had just experienced a disappointing season under recently fired head coach Jim Mora -- and Seattle was in the market for a new head coach and general manager. On January 8th, reports surfaced that Pete Carroll was being linked to the Seattle Seahawks head coaching position. Three days later, Pete was officially hired. One week after signing Pete, the Seahawks signed John Schneider to aide Pete in oversight of all football operations. The duo had been established, and the stage had been set. No one in Seattle had any clue to the level of success that was to follow.
Their resume, as a unit, speaks for itself. Drafting one of the best classes in NFL history, developing multiple All-Pros, finding a legendary quarterback, securing multiple playoffs berths, winning two NFC championships, winning one Super Bowl, and establishing one of the best defenses in NFL history are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Pete and John's accomplishments.
They go together like husband and wife -- and the Seahawks would be wise to never tear them apart. One of our own, John Fraley, put it beautifully:
@EvanonFG Each improves the other. Pete makes the tastiest meals out of John's groceries; John buys exactly the right ingredients & spices.
— John Fraley (@johndavidfraley) March 7, 2016
Both their contracts are set to expire in 2016. Hey Seahawks, let's not screw this up. Please extend them both.
Sincerely, everyone.