Ranking the remaining Seahawks head coaching possibilities

 The Seahawks head coach search is winding down, and we should be hearing an announcement in the next few days.  As I'm writing this on Tuesday the 30th, I wouldn't be surprised if I heard an announcement made before I finish this post.  But I thought I'd rank the head coaching options from my most desired to the least desired, and talk about each.  I am only considering actual possibilities, so anyone that's been ruled out (Ben Johnson... sadface) or is just a virtual impossibility (Bill Belichick) will not be considered.  

1. Mike Macdonald (Ravens DC)
He's been called the "defensive Sean McVay", so getting him would be huge, since McVay is in our division.  With Johnson bowing out, Macdonald becomes the hot commodity between the Hawks and Commanders.  Unfortunately for us, he's got East Coast roots, so I think he's more likely to be the Commander's head coach.  But, you never know.  I've seen players/coaches choose teams that were further away from their roots because it suited them better.

Edit: We got our guy!  I'm stoked.  Glad to see he was okay with relocating to the west coast.  If anyone is going to figure out how to stop McVay and Shanahan's offenses, it's him.  His defenses beat both of their teams this year, and I wonder if that factored into the decision to hire him.  Good job JS!  Look out for my further thoughts in my other post where I grade the head coach hires.

2. Mike Vrabel (Former Titans HC)
The more I think about it, the more I like Vrabel.  But... we haven't apparently interviewed him yet.  Would we if we lose out on Macdonald?  Possibly.  JS has to explore all options.  Vrabel won in Tennessee, and I would really fault an aging core and lack of talent as to why the last couple years didn't go well for them.  He's a player's coach, being a former long time player himself.  Hope JS gives him a shot if we miss out on McDonald.

3. Ejiro Evero (Panthers DC)
I guess?  He's got a good defensive mind and his Panther's defense kept them in a lot of games this year.  Their offense just stunk.  The Seahawks haven't had a black head coach, so I would applaud that aspect of it.  I know if he became our head coach I'd call him EE.  I looked him up and all I see are other teams that want to hire him--as their DC.  Not head coach.  So he might not be it.  

4. Mike Kafka (Giants OC)
I remember when he was a backup QB in the NFL.  He was not particularly good.  Why is he being considered?  I have no idea.  His Giants' offenses weren't particularly great.  But I would love to have a younger offensive mind.  If he wins the job, it must be because he has the right plan and will do things the right way.  I worry about his leadership skills, but we wouldn't know until we saw it.

5. Patrick Graham (Raiders DC)
This is who I have felt for over a week now who the Seahawks will hire.  Just a gut feeling.  Again, would applaud the hire of a black head coach.  I just wouldn't be over the moon about this, and it would be a very ho-hum kind of hire.  But I'd be willing to give him a shot.

6. Dan Quinn (Cowboys DC)
Yes, he was our DC as well, but here's what I don't like: His only real success with the Falcons came when Kyle Shanahan was his OC, and he blew a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl.  What I do like is that he may be able to get some of his Cowboys players to come over, either after they become free agents or getting JS to trade for them.  

7. Anyone else
Depends, obviously.  The above (outside of Vrabel) are the only ones who have been reported to have had an interview.  You think about the best units in the NFL, and a lot of them are headed by a failed head coach.  If I had to pick one not on this list I'd love to see get a shot, I'd say Frank Smith, Dolphins OC.  Or if I had to go on the defensive side of the ball, I'd say Jeff Ulbrich, Jets DC, who used to be an assistant coach under Pete Carroll.  He'd be a lot like Vrabel, but unproven.  Unfortunately, he wasn't granted any interviews, which is puzzling.  

I'm excited to see how this pans out, and I trust in JS.  I'll give whoever he chooses a fair shot (and not be calling for his firing too soon, lol).  I might even update this with my thoughts if the guy we choose is someone I talked about on here.

Casting Survivor, New Era All-Stars

As the new era seasons go on, more and more the fans clamor for an All-Stars type season.  It's got to be inevitable.  Perhaps Season 50?  But with that in mind, I thought I'd cast for that season.  

For now, I'm going to stick with the same 18-player, three-tribe format.  I thought about changing it to two tribes of ten, or upping the tribes to seven players, but it just gets too messy then.  I'll be doing my best to keep players on separate tribes if they were on the same season, but especially if they were on the same starting tribe on that season.  I'll also try to keep the tribes equal in terms of entertainment value but also in terms of challenge strength, and try to keep the diversity mandate which states half the cast needs to be a minority race.  And for this, I'm not going to include any winners.  They just clog it up too much, anyway. 

Also, I may update in this in the future when new seasons come out, but for now, here are my All-Star teams through Season 45:

BLUE TRIBE:
Ricard Foye, 41
Jonathan Young, 42
Jake O'Kane, 45
Emily Flippen, 45
Lauren Harpe, 44
Karla Cruz Godoy, 43

RED TRIBE:
Jesse Lopez, 43
Kaleb Gebrewold, 45
Matt Blankinship, 44
Carolyn Wiger, 44
Liana Wallace, 41
Lindsay Dolashewich, 42

GREEN TRIBE:
Cody Assenmacher, 43
Austin Li Coon, 45
Omar Zaheer, 42
Sydney Segal, 41
Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt, 44
Jenny Kim, 42

46 Candidates: Q, Hunter, Kenzie, Tiffany, Charlie
They could replace: Jake, Emily, Matt, Liana, Heidi, Jenny

These tribes may seem lopsided.  But I think they are strong in their own ways.  Blue clearly has physical strength.  Red tribe has savviness and some all-around players.  Green tribe has some good puzzle solvers and thinkers.  I'd like to think with this cast, we'd see the Blue tribe jump out to an early lead but have the Green tribe catch up and possibly win thanks to the puzzle.

My thoughts about working at an Amazon XL Warehouse

 In August of last year, I started working at an Amazon XL Warehouse to earn some extra income.  I wanted to go over it, what the job entails, what I like about it, and what I don't like, etc.  

First off, the hours kinda suck no matter how you look at it.  It's 3am to 8am where we work.  We have to work so early because the truck drivers have to be out by noon or so.  It takes approximately five hours for us to sort the packages and another two for the loadout shift to load the trucks.  

Also, I wanted to clarify that, as an XL Warehouse, we deal with XL packages only.  That means packages are oversized, overlong, or overweight.  We routinely deal with packages over 50 pounds, such as televisions, mattresses, bookshelves, generators, and gym equipment.  It's a good workout to say the least.

What I have primarily done is sort the XL packages.  Sorting involves taking packages off of the Amazon semi-trucks and sorting them onto routes.  I, and I'm sure you reading this, perhaps assumed that happened when it got loaded in the truck, but nope.  I'm not sure in what order the trucks are loaded, but our job is to take what they have loaded on the truck and organize it better for the drivers so they can deliver the packages efficiently.  

There are three primary responsibilities for people that sort.  The one you start out with is stowing.  Stowers use a hand truck or dolly and take the packages either from the truck or from the floor after they've been "downstacked".  That's where the 2nd job comes in.  There are usually 1 or 2 downstackers who take pallets off of the truck and downstack them, removing the shrink wrap and moving the packages into an area for stowers to grab.  The third job is the inductor, who there is only typically one of but it can be two on busier days.  They scan each package's QR code to enter it in our system as received and print out a sticker label showing its route which they then apply onto the package.  The scanning and printing of the sticker is all done with the same device.  Perhaps you've ever gotten an Amazon package with a colored sticker, about an inch and a half wide?  Those are the induction stickers that help Amazon employees know where that package is headed.  

I've been trained for all three now, and I enjoy each one differently.  Stowing is definitely the easiest, so if I'm very tired that is what I prefer.  Although, it can get tedious and boring.  But it is the job that makes me take the most steps, sometimes as much as 25,000 in one shift!  Downstacking is probably the hardest physically.  If anyone downstacks, the first few times doing it are always the toughest.  But then you get used to it.  Inducting can be tricky if the device is acting up, but the hardest part is when there are a lot of "fluid" trucks.  Fluid trucks are when the packages are loosely stored (not shrink-wrapped on a pallet).  It's the inductor's responsibility to induct all of the packages on fluid trucks, which involves moving each package so you can get to the ones behind them.  The frustrating thing is when the package's shipping label is on the floor, so you have to essentially rotate the package 180 degrees, which can be tough for the heavier packages.  

I enjoy the responsibility given to me when I am the inductor, but it can be stressful when there are a lot of fluid trucks or you have stowers waiting on you to induct because you fell behind for whatever reason (for me it's usually the device failing for some reason).  It's the absolute worst when there's a ton of fluid, because you have to keep going back and forth between the trucks and the floor, because there will always be stowers who primarily stow what's on the floor and will avoid the trucks at all costs.  It's especially annoying when the only packages left are what's on the trucks, which makes you want to yell at the stowers, "Well, if you stowed more from the trucks earlier, there wouldn't be so many left on the trucks now, would there?"

Fortunately, we have a great management team.  I've seen them help out whenever there's a lot to do, we're short-staffed, or both.  Because they are always willing to help out, I've yet to work a shift where we didn't get done in time.  They're also very chill and laid back and easy to talk to.  They offered me great support when I first started, showing me how to do things, answering my questions, etc.  We usually have a quick team meeting at the start of our shift where they go over how many packages they expect, the number of trucks and routes, and any workplace and safety tips.  After we finish stowing all packages, we do a quick check of the packages.  Also, we primarily have two types of routes: CP and XL, although there are a couple less common others.  CP packages go on hand carts and are up to 70 lbs. in weight.  XL packages are typically heavier than 70 lbs. (but not always) and just go on the floor in the designated route area.  

We often finish early, giving us time to do some training in the break room or just chillax there.  We've got an arcade machine, vending machines, a ping pong table, and even a Nintendo Switch and Xbox.  I've played a little of each.  I work with some great people, too.  Some I can tell that have been there a while, and some I have seniority on.  We also have vending machines, a coffee machine (which dispenses coffee in seconds flat with no need for K-Cup or grounds), and even a slushie machine, but the only time I ever saw that used was on my first day, funnily enough.  But we often are given snacks on our breaks, we can help ourselves to a water bottle whenever we need, and they occasionally have food like baked goods out for people.

One thing I haven't mentioned is that at least with me, I get to pick what shifts I work.  So if there's a particular day I don't want to work, I don't have to.  However, shifts can be hard to come by.  They fill very fast, so if you don't want one, it doesn't mean you'll get another.  You literally have to refresh the schedule page in the A to Z app at the second it turns to 9:30 to snag the shift before other people do.  So sometimes, I don't get as many shifts as I'd like, but at least I'm not overworked outside of my control.

All in all, I enjoy this job.  It's a good way to make a little extra money at a time when pretty much everyone is available.  Yeah, I have to go to bed early and often take a nap after my shifts, but it's also a good workout and I have lost a bit of weight since starting there.  I would recommend this job to anyone looking for a good workout, some extra cash, and people okay with operating on about 4 hours of sleep (or people that can go to bed at like 6).  

My Thoughts on the Seahawks moving on from Pete Carroll

 When the Seahawks announced on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, that they were moving off of Pete Carroll as their head coach, I was, to say the least, surprised.  I knew Pete had built something in this organization that had never been seen before: A culture that kept players like Sherm, Kam, Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Marshawn Lynch, and others coming back and visiting and lending their expertise to the current Hawks.  Therefore, I really felt that when it was time, Pete would leave on his own terms.  Instead, he was essentially removed as head coach.  Yes, it came across as more mutual, but I'd be willing to bet that had Pete not accepted it, they would have been forced to fire him, and he would not have left on as good of terms.  Instead, he will stay on in an advisory role.  (Supposedly)

I understand why it was done.  I think the main sticking point, the main reason it happened was due to Pete not being able to keep up with the modern game and compete against the younger coaches in the league.  If you listen to his press conferences or interviews, you hear that he wanted so badly for the team to do better in certain areas (like stopping the run), but they couldn't.  And it was not due to lack of talent.  They weren't picking guys off the street or relying upon undrafted free agents.  Also, Pete continued to struggle to come out on top against Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay's teams.  He had way more experience and was twice their age, but more often than not, the Hawks would come off looking worse in the divisional matchups with their teams.  

The next hire could not be more important.  The Hawks have a lot of young pieces and could easily make a Super Bowl run next season under the right leadership.  Alternatively, the wrong hire could lead to disastrous results where we could see this team head to a larger rebuild, a possible sale of the team, and a very uncertain future.  The wrong hire could set off a chain of events that spell doom for this organization.  But it could also continue the winning culture set forth not only by Pete Carroll but one of his predecessors, Mike Holmgren.  We cannot forget the impact coach Holmgren had, taking a perpetually mediocre team and elevating them to occasional contenders.

Whoever they hire has to be able to enter and immediately command the locker room and garner respect.  I don't think he can be too different from Pete Carroll, but he can't be too similar, either.  If he's too similar, the players will simply think this guy is trying to be the next Pete Carroll and won't respond as well.  However, a coach who is too different will be a bit of a culture shock to players like Geno, Tyler, DK, and Bobby (if he's here) and they won't respond well in that regard, either.  

I don't want to get into the specific candidates out there.  That's either for another post or maybe I'll evaluate each coaching hire once they are all done.  

Honestly, I'm excited.  The Hawks haven't had to actually search for a coach really in my NFL-viewing life.  Jim Mora Jr. was the heir apparent to Mike Holmgren, and Pete Carroll was hired to replace Mora after he became available.  There was never a real thorough process of bringing in multiple coaching candidates for interviews at that time.  I'll be excited to hear who flies in for an interview.  I'm sure some I'll be wishing they don't get the job and some I'll be wishing they do get the job, and some I'll be in-between on.  

Time will tell.  I'll definitely detail my thoughts once the hire is made.  Whoever it is, the 12s will give their full support and hopefully he can keep the Seahawks as consistent contenders.  GO HAWKS.