Getty Russell Wilson wants the Seahawks to use more tempo in 2021.
Russell Wilson’s relationship with the Seattle Seahawks continues to be at the center of the NFL conversation and now former players are chiming in with their experience. During a recent episode of FS1’s First Things First, former Seahawks receiver Brandon Marshall described what he experienced as a lack of trust from Seattle in their quarterback.
“But at the end of the day, you need to decide if you believe in Russ to drop back and throw it 30, 40 times, and I don’t think they believe in Russ,” Marshall explained. “Well, actually, I know they don’t believe in Russ because I was there. Every day before practice I would sit there with the quarterbacks with Coach Schotty [Brian Schottenheimer] and Russell Wilson, and we would talk shop and we would also do quarterback drills. I would actually be in the quarterback drills dropping back, three-step drops, five-step drops, seven-step drop, so I heard a lot of stuff.”
Here is a look at Marshall’s full comments about his experience in Seattle.
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Marshall on Tension Within the Seahawks: ‘There Is a Huge Philosophical Difference in Seattle’
Marshall played in seven games for the Seahawks in 2018 before being released mid-season. The former Pro Bowl receiver’s opinion is still valuable given he was on the inside of the franchise, but it is also important to note that it happened more than two seasons ago.
“‘Well, this week Pete wants us to run a little bit more,'” Marshall continued describing the conversations with former Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and Wilson. “‘Oh, well, what about this? Can we get into this a little bit sooner or what about our no-huddle offense?’ It was like, no this is what Pete wants. So, there is a huge philosophical difference in Seattle.”
Marshall praised Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll but described him as “stubborn” when it comes to his gameplan. The receiver believes Wilson is frustrated with the offensive direction and continued insistence on a more conservative approach.
“Pete Carroll is a stubborn man,” Marshall added. “Pete Carroll’s awesome, I love Pete Carroll. I can pick up the phone and probably call Pete Carroll and he probably [would] answer. But at the end of the day I got a job to do and we know that Pete Carroll’s stubborn. So, when we look at the defensive side, same thing. Offensively, he’s looking at what did we do to get to those Super Bowls? And that’s what they did, they played good defense and they ran the ball. But you got a once-in-a-lifetime talent in Russell Wilson, a once-in-a-lifetime leader in Russell Wilson. You got to let him cook.
Carroll Admitted to Intervening with the Seahawks’ Offensive Gameplan in 2020
Even before the Seahawks parted ways with former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, there were signs of different philosophies within the organization. Carroll admitted to intervening in the offensive game-planning during a stretch where the Seahawks became particularly prone to turnovers.
“I’m concerned in general,” Carroll noted in November 2020, per Sports Illustrated. “We can’t play football and win games like that. Philosophically, that’s so far against the grain for what we believe and how we prepare for the last 10, 20 years that it couldn’t rub against the grain anymore. I’m worried about the fact that it’s so loose in this game and the last game. One or two sometimes, but seven, that’s too many.”
During their end-of-the-year press conferences, Carroll and Wilson painted different solutions for the Seahawks’ offensive struggles heading into next season. Carroll emphasized the need to run the ball more, while Wilson focused on his desire to use more tempo during games.
New offensive coordinator Shane Waldron is going to earn his paycheck as he steps into a potentially contentious situation with a difference in philosophies between a star quarterback and future hall-of-fame coach. Not only does Waldron need to revive a sputtering offense, but he has to delicately balance input from both Wilson and Carroll.
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