It is just flat out cool to root for a team that respects their profession and ARE contributing members of society rather than just talking like they are. What has inspired this post?
Well, if you want to see the rest of my rant....
Dan Rooney felt the need to explain the release of Cedric Wilson today.
If you don't know the story, Wilson walked into a Mexican restaurant last night, saw his ex, and punched her in the face. Previously, Wilson's ex had an incident in which she held police at bay in a hostage situation for several hours. Clearly, the two didn't have an amicable split.
So whats the big deal? The released him right. Well, James Harrison, stud OLB, who just went to the pro bowl also punched his wife/girlfriend this offseason, and he is still on the team.
Here is what Rooney said....
"I know many are asking the question of [why] we released Wilson and Harrison we kept,'' Rooney said. "The circumstances -- I know of the incidents, they are completely different. In fact, when I say we don't condone these things, we don't, but we do have to look at the circumstances that are involved with other players and things like that, so they're not all the same."..."What Jimmy Harrison was doing and how the incident occurred, what he was trying to do was really well worth it," Rooney said of Harrison's initial intent. "He was doing something that was good, wanted to take his son to get baptized where he lived and things like that. She said she didn't want to do it."So, I am pretty confused here, how about you? We don't condone that behavior, unless your wife/girlfriend doesn't agree with your point of view, then it is ok to level her. Horseshit!!! Sorry about the language, I know it bothers some, but that is what this is.
I am sick and tired of this crap. It is a lot like the Husky team that was disgraced by the Seattle Times recently. If you let people get away with stuff because of their athletic ability, it only gets worse. When is one of these teams gonna stop talking the talk and start walking the walk.
JUST FREAKIN' SAY IT IS BECAUSE HE IS A PRO BOWLER!!!
Either that or don't say a thing. It makes you look pathetically sorry when you make statements like that. There is no reason ever that this type of behavior should be allowed.
Many of you may try to tell me about Sean Locklear, and i don't know what happened there, but I am pretty sure nobody in Kirkland came out and said Sean was just trying to do the right thing. They gave him the opportunity to prove that was atypical of his behavior and then rewarded him (kinda) for proving he was better than that.
As far as I am concerned I don't see how the team can allow Warren Moon back. I detest drunk driving equally as much as domestic abuse. Imagine if Warren had killed one of those 20 something girls he was doing god knows what with, it wouldn't be a joke, i can assure you of that.
I am just glad that this no longer happens in Seattle. I work hard and spend a lot of my money for my tickets. I would rather lose in the playoffs every year than root for someone who fails to recognize the unbelievable blessings they have been given.
I know we think it is ridiculous the lengths this FO takes as far as character, but when it is one of the most talented guys on the team engaging in behavior like this, it undermines everything the character guys do. Nobody is talking about the 49 guys on the roster who don't beat their wives.
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Well said. Sometimes it's hard to realize but it isn't always about winning and losing. I really appreciate Ruskell's stance on players and how much he values strong character. It's similar to my beloved Blazers. We had the league's worst group of knuckleheads and fans stopped showing up. Replace them with young, talented, and quality individuals and all the sudden we sellout almost every game
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more, Michael. I greatly appreciate the care Ruskell takes in getting high character guys with integrity that have respect for the game.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it nice to open up the paper, or go on a sports site, and not worry about if one of our players is going to be in trouble?
--JRuss
Wow! I didn't realize it was okay to punch anyone!! That guys brilliant!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post. It's hard to watch us pass up these stud players for character issues sometimes, but i agree in the long run. I feel way more proud to be a Hawk knowing we have good guys on the team who do more than just play the game and collect the paychecks.
Way to stand for what is right. This is the exact reason I have stuck with this team. I will be a fan forever if this standard stays.
ReplyDeleteTis is one of the reason I respect coaches like Dungy. I once heard him stay that if his kids can't look up to his players, then he doesn't want them on the team. I love the high moral stance of the Hawks.
ReplyDeleteFirst off I would have to say that a man is not a man for hitting a woman. It should only be done if a woman hits a man with a closed fist. If a woman slaps a man no big deal, we've all been slapped by a woman at some point or will be, but when a woman hits a man with a closed fist she is attempting to fight a man at a mans level. I still think it is weak of a man to do so but that is the only scenario I can come up with that gives a reasonable explanation for hitting a woman. I would have to agree with you though on the whole situation Mike. Why in the hell would any GM release one player and not the other for basically the exact same behavior. I know that we don't know the exact circumstances of both incidents but that is no excuse. It is two faced and hypocritical of a GM to make a statement like that about why they didn't release Harrison. I am glad that TR is a man of morals and like to make sure he picks players that are stand up individuals that actually contribute to society rather than bask in their own glory and cause trouble. I.E. Pacman Jones, Mike Vick, etc.... Total Horseshit is the exact word for it Mike. Good Post.
ReplyDeleteplease don't get me wrong peeps for my last post. I don't cudone hitting anyone. I was just trying to come to some explanation as to why someone would do that. Just to clarify ok guys...so don't go bashing me or labeling me as a wifebeater.
ReplyDeleteAmen up and down.
ReplyDeletethe thing about football is-- arguably, it costs you nothing in performance to put character first. sure, lots of championship teams have had thugs on their roster, but the character-first teams do very well. We get the best of both worlds. That's why I love the NFL.
now, in a sport like basketball, that's where your values really get tested. I think the Spurs are the exception. Individual players make so much more difference in hoops that it's really gotta give you ulcers when you have those guys on your team. Most fans won't forgive you for cutting loose a game-changer.
Thanks, Tim Ruskell.
You're absolutely right we'll mention locklear. Didn't he assault his girlfriend outside of a nightclub? Wasn't the next game the superbowl? Could that have had anything to do with the fact that he was allowed to play?
ReplyDeleteRuskell may be more saintly than most, but winning always clouds morals in some capacity.
Ironically, it was Locklear's questionable (ie B$) holding penalty that may have lost that game for us. Karma anyone?
wes, there is assault and then there is assault. I don't condone what Locklear did but he didn't strike her. From what I hear he grabbed her neck in a controlling way, enough to leave a mark. Yeah, totally unacceptable I agree. Still, I'm sure he had long conversations about it and the FO thought that he could redeem himself as a person.
ReplyDeleteEvery third thread is a Yay! Timmay! thread...jeez. Enough with the man-crush already.
ReplyDeleteHow about Ruskells one-way loyalty?! He may not beat his significant other, but he is ruthless with players while expecting the same players to show loyalty to the team. And the ruthlessness has not always served the Hawks well.
Not that Ruskell isnt a very good GM--he is. But lets not annoint him Pope or anything...
-SlaveToTheBusinessman
Michael, I'm with you, and I'm a female who's tired of reading about NFL stars who believe that their on-field skills cancel out a criminal record.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to know I'm watching (the vast majority of) guys on Sunday afternoon that didn't spend Saturday night beating the crap out of their significant other.
I might also mention that the last time Warren Moon was presented at Husky Stadium for recognition, I turned my back on the field and wouldn't applaud, and I'd do it again.
-S
ooops -- I should have said "the vast majority of Seahawks".
ReplyDeleteMy bad.
-S
SlaveToTheBusinessman
ReplyDelete[Ruskell] may not beat his significant other, but he is ruthless with players while expecting the same players to show loyalty to the team.
I don't understand this at all. GMs have to be ruthless when it comes to making the decisions that impact the strength of the team-- which is nearly all of their decisions. As for expecting loyalty, what are you talking about? When has he badmouthed a player who left to seek greener pastures? It's a business on both sides.
All bow to the Reverend Pope Timmy the Furst!
ReplyDeleteShams is right. I don't remember Ruskell slamming a player who's left...not even Josh "Get me out of town" Brown.
ReplyDeleteAnd Warren Moon has entered "tool" territory.
If my wife tried to stop me from baptizing my son, I wouldn't touch her. I'd just wait and watch until hell swallowed her whole. Then I's go get my kid baptized
ReplyDeleteanonymous @ 3:45 I'm not Christian (Catholic?) but that's pretty funny. :)
ReplyDeleteRuskell never says much in the public. He certainly never slams players. What GM does? That dont make him GM jesus.
ReplyDeleteThe way he has treated players (Urban, Fisher, etc) and his total ruthlessness over age and injuries is what bothers me. To the detriment of the team, he is gun-shy over injuries and age. He has dumped several key contributors in fear without finding equally talented replacements.
Thats why we continue to be a team that loses in the playoffs. Timmay dumps a player, and then takes 2-3 years to find a suitable replacement. So we always have a team with 2-3 holes/weak links between us and Super Bowl victories.
And he continues to expect "team players" to take voluntary pay cuts, when he takes full advantage of players who sign cheap, and then play WAY beyond thier salary. Babs is the only player I can think of where Ruskell extended thier contract before it was up and gave him a huge raise.
He waits too long to extend contracts, and by the end of the cheap contract, the player is money hungry and worth MUCH more. Like Tru--if he'd signed Tru a year or two ago to an extension, we woulndt have to pay him 9 mill.
If he's matched Carolina's offer for Lucas, we wouldnt have had to switch Tru to the wrong side and try to make smurf Herndon a starter. We also wouldnt have had to rely on rookie smurf Jennings, who while insanely fast is just too damn small to get physical with wr over 6 feet tall.
Lucas played awesome for us for two years, and would have given us at least one more year of top-notch play. I think he fit better here.
Ruskell is still trying to put the pieces together for a team that can win it all. He hasnt managed it yet, and his tinkering has not always been the right thing.
Paul Allen deserves a lot of credit too. Paul allows us to max out the cap every year if need be to field a winner. While money isnt everything, have you ever tried to build a champion without it?
Cheers
ReplyDeleteTo the detriment of the team, he is gun-shy over injuries and age.
ReplyDeletedude, what NFL GM isn't?? this makes no sense to me. you want a GM who doesn't care if his players are beat up or old?
Thats why we continue to be a team that loses in the playoffs.
HUH? Remember when we went, what, 20 years without a playoff victory? Now we've been to the second round of the playoffs three years running.
And he continues to expect "team players" to take voluntary pay cuts, when he takes full advantage of players who sign cheap, and then play WAY beyond their salary.
It's. A. Business. Asking a player to take a pay cut is a GM's way of saying, "we don't think you're worth your contract, but we'd love to have you stick around for this amount instead. Otherwise, feel free to test the market."
As for "taking full advantage of players who sign cheap," what would you have him do instead, bench them for playing well? Cut out a million in cash as a way of saying thanks? Players sign cheap so they can have the opportunity to prove themselves worthy of a larger payday in the future.
Respectfully, your position is untenable.
Everybody take a look at what Shams just did...
ReplyDeleteThat is an excellent example of how to debate points amongst each other. It is insightful, respectful and very well thought out. It focuses on the other posters argument, not criticizing them personally.
Great work Shams!!!!!!!!!
It's great to know that we can depend on high-character guys like shams on this board.
ReplyDeleteMichael's post hits on exactly why I like Ruskell so much. He's always drafting and signing the kind of guys that are very easy to root for, the guys that work hard and put team first. It's just hard not to like everyone of the guys he's brought in (with the possible exception of David Greene who just didn't seem to fit in for a number of reasons).
lol erik!
ReplyDeletenow I feel like I have to act out in class, to forestall the cries of "teacher's pet!"
Shams, making a good argument without taking shots doesn't make you a "teacher's pet." It does, however, make you a "Ruskell" guy. ;)
ReplyDeleteI nominate shams for class president...all in favor say, "aye"
ReplyDeleteWarren Moon will be brought back. Unfortunately people like him are supported to no end.
ReplyDeleteIf you have any doubts look to MA and the beloved Teddy Kennedy....
Hopefully we keep with the high character folk and buck the trend.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt boggles my mind how people can talk about what a horrible job ruskell is doing. his amazing draft in 2005 changed the defense dramatically and allowed us to make the superbowl. And how short is your memory anon? we continue to lose in the playoffs? we made the superbowl 2 years ago and have won a playoff game each of the last 2 seasons. how easily people forget we were a joke for 20 years before ruskell came to town.
ReplyDelete