Is Golden on the money?

[Judge Fudge]

Seattle Seahawks receiver Golden Tate said cornerbacks Walter Thurmond and Brandon Browner were "selfish" by forcing the NFL to suspend them for substance abuse.

"Everyone should realize where this team is," Tate said Tuesday on 710 ESPN radio in Seattle. "You are affecting way more than yourself. I feel like that was kind of a selfish move on both those guys' part.

"But it is what it is. The show must go on and that's what we're gonna do."

The Seahawks, who have the NFL's best record at 10-1, host the New Orleans Saints (9-2) on Monday night in a game that could decide home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. Seattle is 13-0 at home over the past two seasons.

As expected, the Seahawks announced Tuesday afternoon that Thurmond had been suspended without pay for the next four games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Thurmond will be eligible to return to the active roster Monday, Dec. 23, following the team's home game the day before against the Arizona Cardinals.

Browner is expected to receive a one-year suspension for substance abuse, but no official announcement has come on his status. The Seahawks signed former San Francisco 49ers cornerback Perrish Cox on Monday and added him to the active roster in place of Thurmond.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said he talked to the team about the situation Tuesday morning.

"We dealt with it today,'' Carroll said after practice. "We talked about it in meetings and made sure we owned up to it. We'll take care of business. This team is very strong about where we're going and what we're doing. Just because someone slips doesn't mean we're not on track.

"We're very disappointed those guys will not be able to play with us. It's kind of how it goes at times. I don't know that we can expect to be perfect. We'd like to be, but that isn't the case. You want guys to be on point, but sometimes you're going to be disappointed. It's not about what pops up, it's about how you deal with it and overcome it."

Even though the suspensions could lead some to view the Seahawks as a team out of control, Carroll doesn't believe in giving up on a player who may have a problem.

"We'll always look to give guys a second chance around here," he said. "The fact that the league has adjusted the rules, allowing a guy who is suspended under these circumstances to be with us, we're going to take care of them and look after them until we get them back."

Tate said he was disappointed by the vitriol over the suspensions he read on Twitter from some fans, something he felt didn't represent the team's 12th-man tradition.

"They talk like Tarzan, but they really look like Jane," Tate said of the Twitter commenters. "They write things they would never say to your face. But without these two guys [Thurmond and Browner], we still need the 12s to show Monday night, and we need to show up.''

Seattle linebacker K.J. Wright doesn't think that will be a problem.

"We are the guys who will be out there," Wright said on 710 ESPN. "When we're on the field, none of this stuff is going to matter."

source

 

[WizardHawk]

I had heard all of the carroll comments and it is about what you expect from him. The whole idea of supporting the players who fall off the wagon is exactly why he has so many that do IMO.

As for Tate, I'm happy to see one of them come out and say they are disappointed and that those two idiots were selfish.

Not sure I agree about his comments regarding the 12's and their comments online. This team is doing something it has never done before and fans are more fully vested in it than they ever have been. We are along for the ride and when 2/3 of your starting CB's go and get popped for something they have been busted for before and fully warned about the consequences how are fans supposed to react?

If WT3 wants to use their reactions as an excuse to turn on Seattle then so be it. He is a public figure and is now hurting our team because of his selfish acts. We didn't turn on him, he turned on us. Period.

To my seattle brothers who don't believe this is a major setback, did you hear any of the conversations this week about how they are changing up the defense because of it? Looks like they are going to be spending a LOT more time in cover 3 zones because they will not have the guys they need for press man looks. Don't think that is going to be a problem?

That's what your selfish asshat corners did to your team.

 

[Cloud]

Tate is 100% correct.

 

[SonnyCID]

Tate is on the money.

But I dont think he should have said it. It can be emphasized behind closed doors. It makes us feel better to hear him say it publicly, but it doesn't make a difference in the locker room. He said that, then Baldwin sort of called him out. Who knows if there are other players that feel like Baldwin does and things shouldn't be aired out publicly like this?.....

Everyone just get back to work.

 

[dkmightyhammer]

I think we'll see Sherman doing man to man on Colston mainly. They'll use Wright on Graham because of Grahams size, and have Kam back up Wright on those plays. Then Lane and Maxwell will take turns covering the other side of the field with a healthy dose of Earl Thomas backing them up.

Even though Brees and the Saints have a great passing attack they are surprisingly not that deep for receivers. Their big threat is obviously Graham, then next is Colston who is currently ranked 42nd for receivers in yards and only has two TDs. Beyond that they have Moore and Stills who most people would need to google to see who they are. Of course Sproles is sorta like a receiver with his dump off and screen passes. He can be extremely dangerous but he's also a little banged up. So it will be up the front 7 to keep an eye on him and the rest of the RB's.

I'd prefer to have Browner and Thurmond but I don't think this is the end of the world. We also signed Cox who is a question mark to us. He might turn out to be OK.

This should be a fun game and it will be a game where we need the absolute best out of Sherman, Thomas, and Chancellor in order to win.

 

[JDM]

Yes, and saying so publicly is even better. If you don't want to be called out, don't do it.

This isn't the same as a teammate dropping a pass or even getting angry in the heat of the moment and saying something fucked up. This is a deliberate violation of the rules with no regard for how it affects your team.

 

[SonnyCID]

It should be a "professional" environment. I agree with Tate, just think it was unnecessary. The media sucks and are only looking to make bigger deals out of things than they really are. Why feed them at all? I would think a Pats fan would understand that, they keep everything under wraps.

Fans aren't entitled to what goes on in the locker room, only what happens on the field.

 

[Cloud]

I agree that Tate shouldn't have said anything while he is correct in throwing Thurmond and Browner the bus. This is why I hate the media because they bait the players into getting stories they want.

Also looked like he got his sayings in and moved on, so it they should just focus on football and not let this become a locker room distraction.

 

[JDM]

It should be a "professional" environment. I agree with Tate, just think it was unnecessary. The media sucks and are only looking to make bigger deals out of things than they really are. Why feed them at all? I would think a Pats fan would understand that, they keep everything under wraps.

Fans aren't entitled to what goes on in the locker room, only what happens on the field.

A professional environment means you don't call people out for mistakes, or heat of the moment things, etc. Things that are said in privacy stay there. It doesn't mean that you can't express disappointment in someone who knowingly and willfully hurt his team. I don't care enough to find a press conference, but I believe Belichick has made comments about players hurting the team with PED suspensions before.

Either way, you keep things under wraps, yes, but this isn't under wraps. The suspension is public, and statements that he was selfish should also be able to be public, IMO. That isn't unprofessional in my mind.

 

[Uhsplit]

I had heard all of the carroll comments and it is about what you expect from him. The whole idea of supporting the players who fall off the wagon is exactly why he has so many that do IMO.

As for Tate, I'm happy to see one of them come out and say they are disappointed and that those two idiots were selfish.

Not sure I agree about his comments regarding the 12's and their comments online. This team is doing something it has never done before and fans are more fully vested in it than they ever have been. We are along for the ride and when 2/3 of your starting CB's go and get popped for something they have been busted for before and fully warned about the consequences how are fans supposed to react?

If WT3 wants to use their reactions as an excuse to turn on Seattle then so be it. He is a public figure and is now hurting our team because of his selfish acts. We didn't turn on him, he turned on us. Period.

To my seattle brothers who don't believe this is a major setback, did you hear any of the conversations this week about how they are changing up the defense because of it? Looks like they are going to be spending a LOT more time in cover 3 zones because they will not have the guys they need for press man looks. Don't think that is going to be a problem?

That's what your selfish asshat corners did to your team.

I bet this is all disinformation. I still expect a lot of press coverage.

 

[dkmightyhammer]

A professional environment means you don't call people out for mistakes, or heat of the moment things, etc. Things that are said in privacy stay there. It doesn't mean that you can't express disappointment in someone who knowingly and willfully hurt his team. I don't care enough to find a press conference, but I believe Belichick has made comments about players hurting the team with PED suspensions before.

Either way, you keep things under wraps, yes, but this isn't under wraps. The suspension is public, and statements that he was selfish should also be able to be public, IMO. That isn't unprofessional in my mind.

Tate is consistent at least. He even called himself out when acted like an idiot.

"That was immature of me. Hurt my team. I've gotta stay composed. ... Act like I've been there before," Tate said. "I gotta apologize to our special teams. I put them in an awkward situation, but more happy to get up and learn from it and move forward."

That was after he took that ridiculously stupid taunting penalty for showboating when he wagged the ball at the cornerback 15 yards from the endzone before he scored.

 

[JDM]

Taunting is fucking retarded. That's not a penalty.

 

[gohusk]

Tate is consistent at least. He even called himself out when acted like an idiot.

"That was immature of me. Hurt my team. I've gotta stay composed. ... Act like I've been there before," Tate said. "I gotta apologize to our special teams. I put them in an awkward situation, but more happy to get up and learn from it and move forward."

That was after he took that ridiculously stupid taunting penalty for showboating when he wagged the ball at the cornerback 15 yards from the endzone before he scored.

Who knows what kind of talking was going on before he pulled that. And I saw quite a few celebrations over a laid out Russell Wilson after he got creamed yet again. What's the difference there? He's a sharp guy but sometimes he lets his emotions get the better of him.

 

[Screamin12th]

Love the fact that Tate said it and love it even more that he said it publicly. Tate want's to win so do many others on this team. They have talked about being great and when you do this stuff then you do not care about the team or the players around you. Tate is now one of my fav players.

Had Wilson said it then i believe more people would have taken notice and the comment would have carried more weight. I wish Wilson would have said it :P.

 

[SonnyCID]

Love the fact that Tate said it and love it even more that he said it publicly. Tate want's to win so do many others on this team. They have talked about being great and when you do this stuff then you do not care about the team or the players around you. Tate is now one of my fav players.

Had Wilson said it then i believe more people would have taken notice and the comment would have carried more weight. I wish Wilson would have said it :P.

I'm sure he did, to his teammates in the locker room.

 

[JDM]

Him and Pete should both have called them out publicly.

 

[gohusk]

Him and Pete should both have called them out publicly.

Why? To make you happy? The goal is to get guys to stay away from that crap, not to amuse the fans. Browner's never playing in a Seahawks uniform again and Thurmond cost himself some big bucks. Hopefully everyone's gotten the point that there's certain rules you need to follow if you're going to play in the league then you have to follow them. Flippin Aaron Hernandez should have been called out many times over the years but the Pats rewarded his shady act with a massive contract.

 

[dude82]

I bet this is all disinformation. I still expect a lot of press coverage.

Agreed. Why would they publicly come out and tell the Saints exactly how they're going to defend them? What would be the point of that? Besides, when we were without these same two guys for several weeks last year, I don't remember them changing their entire defensive philosophy. Maybe they did and I just didn't notice because the offense was putting up 40 a game and the defense was still holding opposing offenses to an average of about 10 points a game over the final month. I doubt they hold New Orleans to 10 points, but I also don't think they're just gonna sit back in a zone and let Brees and co. march up and down the field either.

We won't find out for sure until the game is played, obviously, but I can't imagine what Carroll and the Seahawks would seek to gain by telling the Saints what kinds of coverages they're going to use in Monday's game. I don't think the Saints are buying it anyway. I bet they come out prepared for our usual style of defense because their brain-trust is too smart to fall for the old "We're gonna tell you what we're planning to do, but we're really just gonna do what we usually do" trick. I would be very surprised if the Seahawks actually use a lot of cover 3 zone.

 

[dude82]

The quote posted in the OP isn't all of what Tate said. Here's the link to the whole thing... Golden Tate says Seahawks teammates Brandon Browner, Walter Thurmond showed 'poor judgment' - 710sports.com

He's also not wrong about the people posting on Twitter about it. People do write things online that they would never say to someone else's face, let alone a pro athlete's face. Yeah, Browner and Thurmond messed up and we're all pissed about it, but if the people who deserve to be angry about it (their teammates) think other people are taking the vitriol too far, it's probably being taken too far.

Let's also not approach this like it hasn't already been said and hashed out in the locker room. I don't think Tate is saying anything that hasn't already been said to Browner and Thurmond's faces.

 

[SonnyCID]

The quote posted in the OP isn't all of what Tate said. Here's the link to the whole thing... Golden Tate says Seahawks teammates Brandon Browner, Walter Thurmond showed 'poor judgment' - 710sports.com

He's also not wrong about the people posting on Twitter about it. People do write things online that they would never say to someone else's face, let alone a pro athlete's face. Yeah, Browner and Thurmond messed up and we're all pissed about it, but if the people who deserve to be angry about it (their teammates) think other people are taking the vitriol too far, it's probably being taken too far.

Let's also not approach this like it hasn't already been said and hashed out in the locker room. I don't think Tate is saying anything that hasn't already been said to Browner and Thurmond's faces.

I think it's certainly been said to their faces. I'm not worried about their sensibilities at all. I just dont see what to gain by making public statements. How many other businesses air out their dirty laundry? Part of being a strong unit is communication and trust. And IMO this is a strong enough unit to not need anyone to undermine that. Yes, this has become a reoccurring issue with this team, BUT it has not effected the win loss column. And until it does I have to believe that they are handling the locker room well.