Divorce is never pretty, and the separation between the Seahawks and their former stars is just getting flat-out messy. To no one's surprise, Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett have been quite vocal about their departure from Seattle. Sherman, who signed quickly with the rival 49ers after being cut by the Seahawks, had plenty to say about his exit. Bennett, who was traded from Seattle to Philadelphia, had also been complaining about the coaching setup in Seattle.
Now it's Pete Carroll's turn to fire back at the duo. The Seahawks coach, who was asked specifically about Bennett reading during meetings and Sherman complaining about Carroll's coaching getting stale, said that "sometimes guys can't hang with what's expected."
"The thing I would tell you about that is that we've been through a lot around here, we've grown tremendously together and all of that, and changes are inevitable," Carroll said, via Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News-Tribune. "Sometimes, guys can't hang with what's expected, for one reason or another -- their growth, their development and all of that.
"And the best thing I can tell you is, that they're not here."
Wooooooooooooooo. Man that is not going to sit well with either guy.
Look, there's a good case to be made that all parties are better off here. Carroll thrived in college by churning guys in and out of his program, as college football programs do, at USC. When he took over Seattle, they built things from the ground up, and the team was dominant for the first half decade of their run. Things can get stale. It happens in life all the time, and certainly happens when you have a lot of veterans being coached by a guy who is heavy on enthusiasm.
Bennett and Sherman were probably tired of it, and Carroll was probably tired of them being tired. It was a good time for a divorce.
Carroll has already responded to this once this offseason, pointing out that "Sherm has been saying stuff his whole career," so he's not a surprise to see the cornerback running his mouth. And he's not wrong either.
Maybe it really all does stem back to that Super Bowl loss against the Patriots. When Russell Wilson threw an interception from the one-yard line that gave New England a win, Sherman seemed to step right off the enthusiasm bus. He was subject to trade rumors last offseason -- possibly because HE wanted out of Seattle -- and now he's on a division rival, the location of which definitely played a part in his free agency choice.
The two 49ers-Seahawks games are going to be must-see television, if only for the fireworks that could ensue between Carroll and Sherman or just Sherman and anyone on the other side of the ball. If he picks off Wilson in those games, get your popcorn ready.