I do believe that leadership makes all the difference, so much credit for the Seahawk's success must go to Coach Pete Carroll and the other coaches. In team sports it takes more than one person being good at what they do to be successful. I'm not so sure how Tiger Woods would do in a team sport since he has lived his life in an individual talent bubble.
What I do know is that it takes more than the coach, talented players and a good game plan to win on the field. It takes a certain chemistry by the players on the field and in the locker room. In the last 12 months there were two big receiver moves made by the Seahawks: one being Golden Tate and the other Percy Harvin. The issue was not their performance on the field, but it was what they did off the field that significantly tainted the chemistry of the team.
Tate was not traded, but his contract renewal offer was so low from the Seahawks that he went to Detroit to play there. I can't say definitely why they made such a low-ball offer, but save it to say they wanted him gone.
I read one report where Harvin refused to go out on the field for the second half of the Dallas game this season. He was traded shortly thereafter. I can imagine what Carroll told the general manager, "Trade him and I don't care what you get for him; he is poison in the locker room and for this team."
Which then leads us to today and your emergency management team. You may not have all stars up and down your roster, but it is what you do with the people you have, how you employ them in projects and then how they interact as members of the team that count. Unfortunately we can't trade away problems on our staff or just not renew their contract. We have other rules to follow and we as coaches have to play within those rules.
Hopefully the Seahawks will win today, but win or lose they are playing together with better teamwork than they were at the start of the season. The chemistry has changed for the better. Remember chemistry and its role for your own team.
