Great article Dave; I like the references to misfit toys; and I see the brilliance in what the staff is doing to improve this team, go 'Hawks. Carroll and Schneider are proving their ability not only to evaluate football talent, but to be creative in the process.

Seeing how the defense played in the preseason and seeing how they look on paper, it looks to be a fantastic unit! maybe there's a method to Carroll's madness.

Great article, Dave. Great work on the radio today, too. You always provide thoughtful insights into our beloved world of the NFL. We need more Wyman in this town!!

...is adjusting the college spread offense to work at the pro level. Just a matter of time, and good odds say it will start in the NFC West.

I'm 100% on board with the Carroll/Schneider bandwagon. I do like the direction of the team, and huge 'kudos' to both of them for having a different philosophy and sticking with it. The one thing I will say is that when you consistently buck conventional wisdom, i.e. "the safe choice", you open yourself up for much 'louder' and 'quicker' criticism. For example, if they would've drafted say Quinton Coples, Chandler Jones or one of any other pass rushers projected to go in the 1st round of the most recent draft, and after a couple of years those players were a bust, no one (or very few) would be up in arms as they were perceived by all to be the 'conventional' choice. Now when you go out on a limb (drafting Irvin) and you do things differently, and then you are wrong... well, that's a whole different ball game. At that point the question is, do these guys have any clue what they are doing? When you go against the grain and things don't pan out, the fall-out is typically much louder and the 'boot' that much swifter. Again, I am a big fan of the Carroll/Schneider duo. I just hope for their sake that they are right on these guys. Go Hawks!

90% of the NFL teams go total chalk: Keep the core first and second round picks until they get too old and fill in the blanks with free agent fodder and the draft. The 'Hawks have done an awesome job with guys no one wanted and without the huge price tags. Yes it's tough to be a veteran on this team --- if you are pushing or over 30 and aren't a star you're not here, you cost too much and don't deliver enough bang for the buck. The last team to use this approach and win was the Patriots. Wilson isn't Tom Brady but I argue the rest of the 2012 Seahawks team is more talented than the 2001 Pats team that surprised everyone.

Great book,great approach. I like the duo,and respect the ownership. Pete Carroll's energy on the sidelines is motivating,and encouraging, Our GM sticking with drafting o-linemen, and pass rushers will get himself a lifetime of free car washes and lawn mowing, and only Paul Allen answered the bell when Ball Bearing tried to :"Load up the trucks and move to Beverly" As far as player moves, Team chemistry is the common denominator. I love the Seahawks since their inception, but now it is a business, not a sport, so I am priced out.

Love your articles and wit! Good stuff.

You can see the difference between a Stanford education and a UW education. Maybe you could teach the Husky how to write.

I am not really a Dave Wyman fan, but man enough to give him an ok on the article. As a basketball coach, I tell a lot of coach's that I run into at seminar's etc.., that it's easier to coach player's that are expected to be great, than to find players, move them out of there position, convince them that they have a better chance to get on the field and help the team and then teach them the position and make them successful players at these position. NOW THAT'S A REAL COACH