NFL Coaching Hirings Grades and Thoughts

 With my Seahawks in the process of hiring a new head coach, I'm more invested in the NFL teams hiring head coaches than ever.  So, I thought I'd react and grade each head coach hiring, including the Seahawks', which I will go more in-depth on than other teams.  In order, chronologically:

Patriots hire Jerod Mayo: B-
NFL Linebackers have done well as NFL coaches in recent history.  Vrabel was good in Tennessee up until his last few seasons.  Demeco Ryans did fantastic in his first year in Houston.  Antonio Pierce did well as an interim coach (see below).  This is what you call a very safe move.  Mayo will keep the team from chaos, futility, and disorder, but I definitely think he may be a bridge coach.  The roster is one of the worst in the NFL and one offseason won't fix it.  Mayo learned from Belichick as a player and a coach, so for the players that remain it will be a fairly easy transition.  Maybe, if they make the right moves in the next couple of offseasons, they can return to contention around 2025-2026, but that is my optimistic view for them.

Raiders hire Antonio Pierce: B+
Could they have done better?  Maybe.  But you had their best player, Maxx Crosby, publicly state if they didn't stick with Pierce that he'd likely request a trade.  That speaks volumes.  Pierce definitely seems like an excellent motivator, but we haven't seen too much of him as an in-game strategist or decision-maker.  It'll be interesting to see.  I could certainly see the Raiders as a potential wild card next year under Pierce.  He's certainly better than McDaniels, and it's good to see Mark Davis learned his lesson.  

Titans hire Brian Callahan: B
I'm always lukewarm on coaches who have never been head coaches before unless they have an amazing pedigree, but Brian Callahan has a few things going for him.  One, he is the son of a coach and obviously learned a bit from him.  Two, he coordinated one of the league's best offenses in Cincinnati, and even made Jake Browning look decent.  But again, I am skeptical on new coaches, but as far as new coaches go, Callahan is a pretty darn good one.

Chargers hire Jim Harbaugh: A
Harbaugh has had success wherever he has gone as a head coach.  He went from bowl success with Stanford, to making the Super Bowl with the 49ers, to winning a national title with Michigan.  Next, Super Bowl win with the Chargers?  Hard to be upset with this hire unless you're a Chiefs, Raiders, or Broncos fan.  I can't give it an A+ because Harbaugh has been away from the NFL for a few years, and it has changed in that time.  We've seen coaches away from the NFL game struggle on a return *cough* Jon Gruden *cough*.  I doubt it'll be Harbaugh, but that is a possibility.  

Panthers hire Dave Canales: C
I don't know why this hire doesn't sit particularly well with me.  You have to give Canales some credit for helping revive the careers of Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield.  Can he do the same for Bryce Young?  We will see.  Here's the thing: The Seahawks' offense in 2022 and the Buccaneers' offense in 2023 weren't exactly lighting up scoreboards, and had great receiver talent already in place that helped, and both teams barely snuck into the playoffs.  Does Canales get this job if one thing goes wrong for the Hawks in 2022 or the Bucs in 2023 to prevent them from reaching the playoffs?  And he was an OC for only 1 season.  This is a boom or bust hire, so either Canales will join the ranks of McVay, Shanahan, and LeFleur, or he will get fired in a few seasons.  Good luck.  

Falcons hire Raheem Morris: D+
I can't wrap my mind around this.  This is a guy who was in the Falcons' organization a bit over 3 years ago, and he was even their interim head coach after they fired Dan Quinn, and they easily could've shed the interim tag and made him full-time.  Instead, they went out and got Arthur Smith, which turned out to be a mistake.  Now they've gone full circle and re-hired Morris.  I just don't get it.  I think Arthur Blank, the Falcons' owner, panicked and hired the guy he was most familiar with.  This is an incredibly safe and low-risk hire.  But I can almost guarantee the Falcons won't do any better than a borderline playoff team under Morris, and possibly a weak division winner if the division sucks (like Tampa Bay this year).  There's no way they'll do better than that.  And more realistically, they'll likely hover around 6-8 wins, just like they did with Smith.

Seahawks hire Mike Macdonald: A+
A young coach being installed in a place with a support system and decent owners?  That usually works out.  The only time it really hasn't was with Brandon Staley and the Chargers, although you could argue the "decent owner" front.  Let's hope we don't have another Brandon Staley, but something tells me we don't.  I love John Schneider's willingness to go young, and I wonder (we will never likely know) who his plan B would've been.  Macdonald had some amazing defenses in Baltimore, and he made stars out of Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey.  I think he fits in very well in Seattle, and I, as well as many fans, will be willing to give him time.  I'm betting we'll see a quick turnaround on our defense, but the offense might be a work in progress, depending on who he picks for offensive coordinator.  I fully believe he was chosen due to the success his defense had against the NFC West last season, and JS is hoping he replicates that with the Hawks.

Commanders hire Dan Quinn: C-
His defenses have done very well in recent years, and I'll say this: we have seen coaches have success when given a 2nd or 3rd shot.  Look at Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick (although, to be fair, DQ is no Carroll or Belichick).  I can see why Commanders' fans would not be too happy.  But hey, they poached him from a division rival, so DQ is certainly familiar with the opposing offenses in the division.  The key to his success will be the OC hire and if they can get a star quarterback.  Sam Howell is a fairly capable starter, but defensive-minded coaches need star QBs, which Howell is not.  This hiring can end up being a success, but so can all of these.  DQ will need to prove he can win without Kyle Shanahan as his OC.

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
Q Burdette, 46
Omar Zaheer, 42
Sydney Segal, 41
Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt, 44
Jenny Kim, 42


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.

Top 10 Personal Favorite/Underrated Survivor Winners

 Not long ago, YouTuber Peridiam did a Top 10 Survivor winners list, and I wanted to do the same.  Just like him, these are not who I consider the 10 greatest winners or winning games, but 10 personal favorites.  These are 10 winning games that I really enjoy watching, and I think that most of them are underrated.  This will include the new era and I'll do my best to explain why each person is on this list.  Keep in mind, there are winners like Kim, Yul, Earl, JT, and Boston Rob, who are generally considered some of the greatest winners of all time, so they are not here.  Here's my Top 10 Personal Favorite Winners:

10. Chris Daugherty, Vanuatu
I would love to play a game similar to Chris if I were to ever go on Survivor.  Although, would his game work in the modern era?  Hard to say.  I love Chris's game, and the fact that Jeff has hated on it so much makes me like it even more.  He was the last man standing at Final 7, and weaseled his way to to the title of Sole Survivor.  

9. Natalie White, Samoa
One potential strategy for a winning game is to latch onto a dominant strategic force that isn't playing a great social game.  This is the perfect example of that.  Natalie smartly did not play too aggressive at first, because otherwise, she'd be a pre-merge boot.  Then, she warmed up to the former Galu tribe members after the merge, earning their respect.  Unfortunately, her game is vastly overshadowed by Russell's massive edit, still the largest ever for one player in one season. 

8. Erika Casupanan, 41
Not a fan of this season, although I'll need to rewatch it someday.  Erika's game was a lot like Gabler's two seasons later, but she had a much better pre-merge and she didn't have to rely upon the threats turning on each other--she took care of it herself.  She also convinced Xander to take her to the end.  She kept her threat level low and struck when the time was right, and sat at the end against two guys that weren't as likable as her.  That's all it takes.

7. Mike Holloway, Worlds Apart
I love Mike's game.  He made one fatal flaw, but he did what he had to do to overcome it.  He was still a good social player, just made one huge social mistake, trying to go back on paying for the letter from home at the auction so he could get the advantage.  But from that point on, he did what he needed to survive.  That's the name of the game.  I don't fault a player for immunity streaks, because there's still no guarantee they get voted out if they lose immunity.  Crazy things can happen. 

6. Dee Valladares, 45
Yes, the most recent winner (as of the time of writing this) is on this list.  Dee played such a great game, and I think it's going to be viewed even more positively over time.  She insulated herself with two #1's, both of whom were aware she had a second #1, and neither of whom was willing to vote her out.  She controlled many votes, getting out who she wanted, such as Kendra and Kaleb.  Her winning move of telling Julie about her being the target is one of the most underrated moves, maybe ever.  Dee's a top 5 female winner of all time.  

5. Amber Brkich, All Stars
It sucks for Amber how people view All Stars as "Rob and Amber's season" rather than just her season.  Similar to Natalie White, she latched onto a strategic mastermind (although in a different way) and banked on playing a good enough social game to beat him at the end.  My one fault in her game is Rob basically saving her after the swap with his empty promise to Lex, but I also look at that as rotten luck in her getting swap-screwed, but playing a good enough social game to have someone vouch for her.  Amber was still looked a bit down upon for being Rob's right hand, but she managed to get less blood on her hands, which was enough.

4. Sophie Clarke, South Pacific
Yet another instance of a female latching on to a male who doesn't play the best social game--this time being Coach.  Sophie did what she needed to survive, whether it was appeasing Coach and the cult-like alliance, or that final clutch immunity win.  I need to rewatch this season to get the specifics, but Sophie is an incredibly intelligent player who employed the Natalie/Amber strategy and won, just like them.

3. Todd Herzog, China
Just like Peridiam, I have to give some respect to Todd.  A lot of Survivor fans do regard Todd's game highly, but I believe they don't regard it highly enough.  He expertly navigated the game, at times employing two meat shields in Jean-Robert and James.  He got two girls under his wing in Amanda and Courtney, neither of whom were willing to turn on him.  And then he ends up having one of the best final tribal council performances of all time.  He didn't win individual challenges or use idols, but Todd's social and strategic game makes his game one of the best ever.

2. Aras Baskauskas, Panama Exile Island
My guy, Aras!  I just love this season, and Aras plays a very underrated game.  His tribe easily could've lost numbers or collapsed post-merge, but Aras helped keep them together (along with Cirie and Danielle).  He went toe to toe with Terry and built a solid bond with Cirie that I think was the best thing he did in the game.  And with the fire-making at 4, he had no blood on his hands regarding Cirie's boot.  I just wish Aras had flashier moves, but if he had, others would regard him higher and he might not even be on this list for me.

1. Tina Wesson, Australian Outback
I remember when I first watched AO, I so wanted Colby to win.  But after watching it as a more intelligent adult, I realized how great Tina's game was.  So many moms and older women have tried to replicate her game and have failed.  She was someone who no one wanted to vote out, not even Colby at Final 3 when it was the obvious move.  It's unfortunate her pre-merge game was largely absent from the televised broadcast, but I still believe she played one of, if not the best social games of all time.  She got Colby to take her to the end and then at Final Tribal, not even fight hard to beat her.  You can tell by his reaction to Tina winning that he wanted her to win.  

Mariners Off-Season Outlook after Two Payroll-Shedding Trades

Two big trades have been made so far this off-season for the Mariners; two trades that their fans have ridiculed the front office for making.  First was Eugenio Suarez to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a backup catcher and a reliever.  Then Jarred Kelenic, Marco Gonzales, and Evan White were sent to the Atlanta Braves for a AAAA-type pitcher (good in minors, bad in majors) and a solid relief pitching prospect.  Both moves have been seen as ways of shedding payroll.  Why would they do this?  Let me explain.

First off, there is no salary cap in MLB like there is in the NFL.  Owners are free to let their GMs spend as much as they want.  They'll just have to foot the bill for any salaries/bonuses they hand out.  It seems in the Mariners case that ownership has restricted the front office of Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander, who definitely would like to spend on a few big bats, but may have needed to shed some payroll first in order to be under a certain budget.  This isn't what fans of a team want to hear.  You should want your owner to allow your GM to spend as much as they need to in order to field the best team possible.  Limiting them only limits their chances of building a successful team.

But let's look at the good.  We haven't lost a ton.  Eugenio Suarez regressed in 2023 after a very solid 2022.  His OPS was down from .791 to .714, and his league-leading strikeout totals rose further.  He did play gold glove-caliber defense, but his offensive numbers still dropped, especially his power.  Jerry Dipoto made the comment that they wanted to be a more contact-focused offense, but my question is this: Why acquire high strikeout guys in the first place?  Jerry chose to trade for Suarez and Teoscar Hernandez, known high-strikeout guys.  Perhaps his focus has changed, but that's not altogether encouraging.  

And of the three players we sent to the Braves, none were really huge impact players.  Yes, Kelenic still has a bit of potential, but he had two and a half seasons to realize it with us and just couldn't.  He had one hot stretch in early 2023, but that's it.  He's been largely a bust offensively.  He also strikes out a lot, like Suarez.  Marco was a back-of-the-rotation starter, who was hurt a huge chunk of 2023.  He was the longest-tenured Mariner, but he had reached his ceiling, and his ceiling quite frankly wasn't good enough for our rotation anymore.  And Evan White battled injuries and offensive inconsistency and lost his job to Ty France.  He wasn't going to regain his spot.  

So, we shed some dead weight, honestly.  Suarez and Hernandez (who left in Free Agency) were occasional good middle-of-the-order hitters, but just struck out too much.  That led to too many times where all we needed was a ball put in play and they struck out.  Marco was a lot of money for little return, and Evan White and Kelenic could never fully figure out hitting with us.  

But now let's look at the bad.  There are a ton of holes on this team.  Both corner outfield spots, DH, third base, and second base all need to be addressed.  There's also the fact we could use another starter with Robbie Ray hurt (*cough cough* Blake Snell! *cough*).  We should not be going into 2024 with our middle-of-the-lineup players being France and Raleigh.  This team, as it stands now, would certainly regress in 2024 if no major additions were made.  

So we can only hope and pray as Mariners fans that Jerry and Justin have a plan.  I'm hoping that they were given the luxury of increasing payroll at least a bit.  Perhaps they did the math and realized the guys they wanted to sign or extend after a trade would require more financial room than they already had.  But just because they have their eyes on a few players, doesn't mean they'll get them.  I worry they may have made this room unnecessarily, and they might strike out on acquiring some big names.  This off-season, simply saying "We tried" is not good enough.  

Our dream, of course, is to see big name after big name acquired by the Mariners.  We want to see the social media posts of "Welcome to Seattle, ____!" for a lot of household names.  We do not want to see it for players along the likes of Tommy LaStella, Kolten Wong, and AJ Pollock.  Of course, not every good player is available in free agency, and some will require a trade to acquire.  I just hope we don't mortgage our future in the hopes of getting back to the post-season.  That was attempted and failed at too many times from 2002-2021.  

The rest of this off-season will be hugely telling for this team and its future.  Jerry and Justin have their work cut out for them.  I think this is the single most important off-season of their Mariners' careers because a failure this off-season will likely eventually cost them their jobs.  I'm sure they're aware of the magnitude of this off-season.  Simply put, an abysmal showing this off-season, and they should not be surprised if ticket and merch sales drop.  At that point, none of us should spend any extra money on this team.  But a good showing will bring this fanbase back around and instill hope for 2024.