Is there friction between the Seattle Seahawks offense and defense? Michael Bennett and Richard Sherman would say no. ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, however, wrote something quite different.
Wickersham detailed issues between Seattle’s offense and defense that started even before the controversial play call at the end of Super Bowl XLIX.
Not surprisingly, Sherman and Bennett didn’t think much of it. Per Michael David Smith, Pro Football Talk, Sherman went on SiriusXM NFL Radio and called it “just a bunch of nonsense.” Bennett took to Twitter and was even more harsh.
https://t.co/oyFZxuSLHx @espn @ESPNNFL this article is trash and should be on tmz it's all gossip I'm Surprised this came from you
— Michael Bennett (@mosesbread72) May 25, 2017
Wickersham, however, did not back down.
'@SethWickersham's response with us just now:
"I'd like him to see my phone and see all the people in the building who say I nailed it." https://t.co/cKRQrKCOpj
— Carlin vs. Joe (@CarlinvsJoe) May 25, 2017
We’d love to see his phone, too.
Sherman and Bennett could have done a little more to challenge the premise of the article.
Sherman was the subject of off-season trade talks. Those were not rumors. That was confirmed by team general manager John Schnieder in April.
As recently as December, Sherman challenged coach Pete Carroll on a play call. When challenged on it, he hearkened back to a loss in Super Bowl XLIX. Again, these are not rumors. These are words from the man himself.
It’s not exactly a leap to hear those quotes and think that the offense and defense has an issue, and that’s before we even get into the validity of Wickersham’s sources.
It’s possible that Sherman and Bennett are right. But generally speaking, when there’s smoke, there’s fire. A lot of smoke suggests that the offense and defense don’t get along. It’s not exactly a reach to think that a fire is nearby.
Sherman and Bennett obviously have insights into the Seattle locker room. But their words come off as damage control and don’t really do much to debunk any reports.