The Seattle Seahawks' duo of coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider met with reporters Monday to discuss the team's master strategy heading into this week's NFL draft.
Here's what we heard:
- An initial observation: Carroll and Schneider are highly comfortable around each other. We've seen our share of prickly coach-GM pairings, but not here. More than once, they veered off topic into inside-joke territory, much like two friends at the bar, with Schneider at one point doing his Homer Simpson impression.
- Carroll reiterated that Seattle will not shy away from drafting a quarterback. It's no surprise, seeing as Schneider grew up in a Green Bay Packers system that habitually grabbed arms even with a starter cemented in place. Carroll called it a "challenging science," saying a passer's success isn't always up to him -- or his fault if he fails. "If you look at the numbers historically, very, very few guys make it ... and very few guys even wind up with their clubs" after a few years.
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- On Ryan Tannehill, Carroll praised the Texas A&M quarterback's workout last month. "He did a great job," Carroll said, calling him a "tough, strong kid." As for Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden, his age (28) is "a factor," according to Schneider, and Carroll called it "a unique factor."
- Carroll said his storied run at USC doesn't make it easier to select college prospects, especially those with whom he has worked. "It doesn't always help," Carroll said. "I've been particularly hard on those guys." Schneider credited that experience as invaluable when it comes to understanding a prospect's high school career and beyond.
- After an active free-agent period and two seasons together, Carroll and Schneider believe the Seahawks can do more this draft than in 2009, when they were forced to address "gaping holes" on the roster. "We've done a number of things that put us at ease (to) let the draft come to us," Schneider said.
