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Brady HendersonESPN
SEATTLE – Russell Wilson didn’t want the Seattle Seahawks to move on from Brian Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator.
He wants some to say in the next.
Wilson made this last point known to coach Pete Carroll and reporters during a video conference Thursday.
“I think it’s vital, it’s critical, super significant, obviously that I’m part of that process,” Wilson said. “Definitely the coach and I have been talking about this, [general manager John Schneider] too. We had a … fantastic dialogue about the thought process of who we want, the leader … the innovator, all that different kind of stuff you want. I think this is the super critic, obviously at this point in my career because you spend every day with this person … As many hours as Schotty and I spend together, I will miss the guy because we spend so much time together and work so hard.
“The next person, whoever it is, it’s very important that we’re on the same page at all times and we always talk and vibrate and, really, on the same page.”
The Seahawks announced Tuesday that Schottenheimer was out after three seasons, citing philosophical differences. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Carroll and Schottenheimer met Monday evening and decided to separate from each other in the best interests of the two parties.
“If you ask me if I was a supporter of it, no,” Wilson said, choosing his words carefully. “It was not my decision to change [from] Schotty. But I think Coach Carroll made that decision. I trust your decision. “
Schottenheimer’s departure came after the end of a strange season in which the Seahawks earned most points in franchise history, but retreated sharply during the second half of the season. His struggles continued last weekend in his wildcard loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Wilson led the NFL in touchdown passes with 28 during the first nine weeks of the season, while Seattle led the league by scoring 34 points per game during that stretch. But Wilson threw just 12 touchdown passes in the final eight weeks of the regular season, while the Seattle score dropped to 22.6 points per game.
Wilson praised Schottenheimer as a coach, leader and friend, saying he was related to the Schottenheimer family.
“I think he’s going to be an amazing coach for someone else, for some other team here, hopefully,” Wilson said. “I think he will be a head coach. I think he has that kind of leadership ability. Unfortunately for us, I think in the eyes of the coach it was time to see if we could make a change. We were the best offense in football during the first half of the season. It was an important part of that. “
If Wilson has a specific name in mind that he expects the Seahawks to hire, he didn’t offer many clues. When asked what he was looking for in his next advisor, Wilson mentioned leadership, a passion for football, teaching and the ability to find the strengths of the 11 players.