TERRY MOSHER
TOF OF THE TOWN – I can be naïve at times. I tend to believe what a person says to me, although over 50 years of writing sports has shattered that belief to a large degree. So I have to be careful. I believe it was Ronald Reagan who said of the Russians “Trust, but verify.” That is what I should have done with Pete Carroll and John Schneider when they said they weren’t shopping Russell Wilson because as it turned out they were shopping him. The trade of Wilson to the Denver Broncos that occurred Tuesday (Feb. 8) had apparently been in the works for some time, and Wilson had to know it, too, because he had a no-trade clause in his contract that allowed him to reject any trade. The fact he didn’t shows me that he was ready to move on from the Seahawks if the right deal came along even though he all but said he wanted to finish his football career in Seattle. In hindsight, this trade was going to happen all along. The price for franchise quarterbacks is skyrocketing (Aaron Rodgers, according to reports, just signed a contract worth $50 million a year, although he has said it’s not so ‑ trust but verify). Wilson had two more years left on a four-year $140 million contract he signed in 2019. The salary hit for this coming season is $37 million and one can wisely predict Wilson will ask for much more in his next contract. So Carroll and Schneider could see what was coming and I’m guessing decided to uncouple themselves from facing a decision they didn’t want to face by ridding themselves of the problem and trading Wilson. If Wilson was younger (he will be 34 this year) I’m guessing they would not have made the trade. But because we all can see (we can, can’t we?) that Wilson’s skills are declining (he’s a bit heavier and doesn’t escape onrushing defenders like he once did) the timing was right to avoid a higher salary increase and salary cap hit that would limit what Carroll and Schneider could do to fix other problems. They helped themselves by ridding themselves of their all-pro linebacker and popular team leader Bobby Wagner by releasing him on Wednesday (Feb. 9) instead of having to pay more for his services. You and I both realize that the world revolves around money. And it’s unfortunate the NFL is constructed to force teams to make unpopular decisions and release or trade guys who make too much money. Bottom line is why Wilson and Wagner are no longer Seahawks. It’s not that Wagner or Wilson can’t play at a high level anymore. They can. Wilson’s skills are declining, but he’s still a franchise quarterback. Wagner doesn’t attack the line of scrimmage like he once did, but he’s still worthily of a high salary because he will get you 100 plus tackles a year and can still cover pass routes. And like Wilson, he is popular and a team leader. But there comes a point the risk is not worth the reward because of, drum roll, money. So the question now is what does Carroll and Schneider do now. They have to have a quarterback, and it’s not Drew Lock, who they got in the trade from the Broncos. Lock is a solid backup. That’s it. I’m hoping, along with all the women in the region, that the Seahawks aren’t eying Deshaun Watson as Wilson’s replacement. Twenty-two women have accused Watson of assault (two for sexual assault) in civil lawsuits in Texas. Some of the women will appear before a grand jury Friday (Feb. 11) to give testimony for a possible criminal case against Watson. There is no question Watson is a talented quarterback and rumors indicate he has plenty of suitors in the NFL. In this country you are supposed to be innocent until proved guilty, but 22 women have filed complaints and even if Watson is proven innocent, that seems to me a trend that is unwelcomed. There are at least 10 NFL teams looking for a good starting quarterback and Watson will land with one of them, I just hope it’s not with the Seahawks. … Okay, the other thing I’m looking at today is the Pac-12 basketball tournament for men and what chances does a gritty Washington Husky team that finished a surprising tied for 5th in the final regular season standings (11-9, 16-14) have to win the tournament? I say, slim, nil and none. This Husky team is the worse shooting team I have seen. They often can’t hit the broadside of a barn. They also don’t rebound well. Their first-round opponent is Utah tonight (Feb.9) at 8:30 and they should win it. They beat the Utes twice during the regular season, but both games were close. One of them was in double overtime. The Huskies were given an unexpected life in their last two games – wins over Oregon State and Oregon – by 6-11, 265-pound Nate Roberts waking up. Roberts, until those last two games, was remarkable for being unremarkable. He could not even make layups. His shooting touch was horrible. But in those last two games he had double-doubles in points and rebounds. He was making layups and even hit a couple 12-footers along the baseline. I broke up laughing. It was amazing to watch. He had 32 rebounds and 31 points in the two games. Whenever something unexpected happens me and my youngest son, Michael, break out a familiar refrain – “He needs to be drug tested.” So if Roberts produces plays to the level he did against the two Oregon schools, hey, maybe the remarkable will be remarkable and maybe the Huskies have a chance. I just wouldn’t bet on it. Hey, that’s it for now. Stay safe.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day.
You are loved.
