Finally, a Sense of Direction

Here is one of the better things I've seen come out of the Seahawk's front office. Out of the mouth of new PFO Tim Ruskell:

"I believe one of the keys that doesn't get talked about enough is unifying. People working together where there are no walls, where there are no agendas, where everybody has a common focus on the goal, and that's winning."

I realize that this is all PR, but it's at least a veiled acknowledgement of what kind of condition the front office was in, under the facade of Bob Whitsitt, and also a confession of where it needs to be.

I'm also very encouraged by the track record of Ruskell for judging talent. His former boss, Rich Mckay, said, "If there are 50 great evaluators of talent in the NFL, I believe Tim is in the top five. We had great success in the draft while we were in Tampa, due in large part to Tim and the players who he would put up on the draft board and that he believes in."

But the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. The following is from the Atlanta Falcons web site:

"As director of player personnel in Tampa Bay, Ruskell oversaw the team's pro and college scouting departments, which were instrumental in providing the Buccaneers with a roster which sent seven players to the Pro Bowl in 2002, the year they won the Super Bowl. During Ruskell's tenure in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers had at least one player named to the Pro Bowl in each of the last eight seasons from 1996 though 2003. In 2000, the Buccaneers sent a league-high nine players to the Pro Bowl, including a league-best six starters. In the last eight years, Tampa Bay had 21 different players go to at least one Pro Bowl and had at least four Pro Bowl nods in each of the last seven seasons.

"Before being promoted to director of player of personnel in 2001, Ruskell served as the Buccaneers' director of college scouting for nine seasons (1992-2000). In that role, Ruskell coordinated a staff of five regional scouts and oversaw the compilation of information on college players. The evaluations of Ruskell and his staff enabled the Buccaneers to draft perennial All-Pro players such as John Lynch (1993), Warren Sapp (1995), Derrick Brooks (1995), Donnie Abraham (1996), Mike Alstott (1996), Ronde Barber (1997), Warrick Dunn (1997) and Martin Gramatica (1999). What made Ruskell's track record for identifying talent even more impressive is the fact that Lynch, Barber, and Pro Bowl performers Tony Mayberry and Donnie Abraham were all drafted in the third or fourth round."

You know what ELSE? It was announced officially that while Ruskell has been named Seahawks President of Football Operations, he plans on filling the General Manager role himself. This means we will use his penchant for picking talent to the full, and he will have the last word, not Holmgren or anyone else.

'Cuz he's the boss man too.

FYI, he's currently in Indianapolis for the NFL College Scouting Combine. The word is that he will be looking for a new College Scouting Director while he is checking out the draft prospects. Next week, he will be pursuing free agents.

I guess Paul Allen was doing it right all along. He said, "It's great to have one person to lead the football side of the organization. These are very, very important decisions that can affect your franchise for many years to come and you want to make the right decision. As we conducted our search, it became clear that our primary objective was to find someone with an eye for talent. It's safe to say that Tim has a strong and successful background in recognizing and securing talent, and communicating and motivating as a football executive."

Time will tell. Pick us a good one, boss.

Here are some MUST READS for Seahawks fans:

Allen says now’s time for results

Ruskell seems ready to take one for team

Paul Allen's involvement is key

Ruskell arrives to "unify" Hawks

Ruskell answers 'golden gut' call

Spring returns to Holmgren's step with rush of recent events