Brando19
07-18-2009, 08:53 PM
Interesting article from PFT:
Did Holmgren mail it in?
Posted by Aaron Wilson on July 18, 2009 9:45 PM ET
In the wake of Mike Holmgren stepping down as the Seattle Seahawks' coach following last season, he has become the subject of accusations that he didn't give a supreme effort.
According to Colin Cowherd of ESPN Radio, Holmgren "mailed it in" as the Seahawks skidded to a 4-12 season.
Citing a source, Cowherd said Friday that Holmgren didn't work very hard during the final weeks of the season.
Per Mike Sando of ESPN.com, here's what Cowherd had to say about Holmgren's work habits.
"A source told me late, like Week 13 or Week 14 in the NFL season, a source that does not want to be identified on this network, that Mike Holmgren had essentially mailed it in," Cowherd said on his syndicated radio show. "Very little energy, looking forward to retirement. Putting in 9-5 hours. Bill Belichick is going 5-9 p.m. There was very little cohesiveness.
"He was on his way out before Jim Mora took the job over. And it was sort of a un-energized last year in Seattle. Not that he mailed it in by your standards or my standards, but by NFL standards, 17 hours a day, Holmgren wasn't there emotionally."
Interesting.
While it's not exactly a shock that a coach or a short-timer in any profession might not exactly put in the overtime during their last couple of weeks on the job, it might not be out of character in Holmgren's case.
According to Sando, who covers the NFC West and has covered the Seahawks for several years, Holmgren typically worked short hours compared to his NFL brethren.
Sando noted that Holmgren traditionally would arrive around 9 in the morning and would work until 6:30 to 8 in the evening. That was reportedly how he conducted business, though, when the Seahawks were winning, too.
"Some people in the Seahawks organization were naturally pointing to the post-Holmgren era as their chance to shape the franchise," Sando wrote. "This did not make them anti-Holmgren; this made them human.
"Relative newcomers to the organization probably had a skewed view of the relatively short hours Holmgren worked because they weren't around when the team went 13-3 with Holmgren working a very similar schedule."
So, did Holmgren mail it in?
Not in Sando's estimation. However, he he did acknowledge that last season did take a major toll on the former Super Bowl winning coach.
"By the end, he didn't have a whole lot left," Sando wrote. "It was probably the most draining year of his career from a football standpoint. I'm sure that affected his energy levels during the season.
"Throw in his lame-duck status and I'm sure he wasn't as effective as he'd been in the past. I would not necessarily call that mailing it in."
Only Holmgren could honestly say for sure what his mindset was at that point.
However, it's something that a future prospective NFL employer will certainly be curious about down the road when/if Holmgren throws his hat in the ring for job openings.
Did Holmgren mail it in?
Posted by Aaron Wilson on July 18, 2009 9:45 PM ET
In the wake of Mike Holmgren stepping down as the Seattle Seahawks' coach following last season, he has become the subject of accusations that he didn't give a supreme effort.
According to Colin Cowherd of ESPN Radio, Holmgren "mailed it in" as the Seahawks skidded to a 4-12 season.
Citing a source, Cowherd said Friday that Holmgren didn't work very hard during the final weeks of the season.
Per Mike Sando of ESPN.com, here's what Cowherd had to say about Holmgren's work habits.
"A source told me late, like Week 13 or Week 14 in the NFL season, a source that does not want to be identified on this network, that Mike Holmgren had essentially mailed it in," Cowherd said on his syndicated radio show. "Very little energy, looking forward to retirement. Putting in 9-5 hours. Bill Belichick is going 5-9 p.m. There was very little cohesiveness.
"He was on his way out before Jim Mora took the job over. And it was sort of a un-energized last year in Seattle. Not that he mailed it in by your standards or my standards, but by NFL standards, 17 hours a day, Holmgren wasn't there emotionally."
Interesting.
While it's not exactly a shock that a coach or a short-timer in any profession might not exactly put in the overtime during their last couple of weeks on the job, it might not be out of character in Holmgren's case.
According to Sando, who covers the NFC West and has covered the Seahawks for several years, Holmgren typically worked short hours compared to his NFL brethren.
Sando noted that Holmgren traditionally would arrive around 9 in the morning and would work until 6:30 to 8 in the evening. That was reportedly how he conducted business, though, when the Seahawks were winning, too.
"Some people in the Seahawks organization were naturally pointing to the post-Holmgren era as their chance to shape the franchise," Sando wrote. "This did not make them anti-Holmgren; this made them human.
"Relative newcomers to the organization probably had a skewed view of the relatively short hours Holmgren worked because they weren't around when the team went 13-3 with Holmgren working a very similar schedule."
So, did Holmgren mail it in?
Not in Sando's estimation. However, he he did acknowledge that last season did take a major toll on the former Super Bowl winning coach.
"By the end, he didn't have a whole lot left," Sando wrote. "It was probably the most draining year of his career from a football standpoint. I'm sure that affected his energy levels during the season.
"Throw in his lame-duck status and I'm sure he wasn't as effective as he'd been in the past. I would not necessarily call that mailing it in."
Only Holmgren could honestly say for sure what his mindset was at that point.
However, it's something that a future prospective NFL employer will certainly be curious about down the road when/if Holmgren throws his hat in the ring for job openings.