Does anyone think Holmgren’s decision is really about whether he wants to coach again? I certainly don’t. It has much more to do with whether he wants to *only* be a coach. The guy came out here to be a GM, and had that title stripped. He wants to hold that position again.
Everyone assumes that will have to happen elsewhere, but I’ve got crazy idea:
Why not let Holmgren own all personnel decisions on the offensive side of the ball for the Seahawks?
Before you flip out telling me I’m nuts, think about it:
- Holmgren did a terrific job as GM when it came to building the offense. He added Hasselbeck, drafted Hutch and Alexander, and signed Bobby Engram.
- Ruskell has excelled on defense, but has stumbled on offense. He traded a 1st round pick for Deion Branch, he failed to franchise Hutch and he spent another 1st rounder on Chris Spencer. Let’s not even mention David Greene as a 3rd round pick.
I realize this would require some creative thinking and cause issues around who has final say (e.g., who wins if Holmgren wants to use the franchise tag on an offensive player and Ruskell wants to use it on a defensive player?, how do they manage the draft?). However, I think these are grown man who have shown an ability to work together collaboratively thus far, and this could be worked out.
Even if this did get offered to Holmgren, I’m not sure it would have a big impact, but I think he deserves the offer and I think the team would actually be better for it, especially if it kept him on as coach for a while longer.