John Schneider talks Matt Flynn, draft, new jerseys
Apr 2, 2012, 1:13 PM | Updated: 2:20 pm
By Brady Henderson
Seahawks general manager John Schneider joined “Brock and Salk” in-studio on Monday for a 15-minute discussion that touched on new quarterback Matt Flynn, the upcoming draft, the team’s new uniforms and a special cause.
Here is the audio.
Below are some notes.
• Schneider said he “felt good” when Matt Flynn left Seattle without a contract following his free-agent visit with the Seahawks. With time to kill before his flight to Miami to meet with the Dolphins, Flynn joined members of the organization at a bar across the street from Seahawks headquarters. A long-time team employee, Thom Fermstad, was celebrating his retirement.
“He [Flynn] came over there with us and had a Budweiser with us and he was able to kind of see the inside, the whole building and the kind of family atmosphere,” Schneider said. “It was just a great way to end it. He congratulated Thom on his 36 years of service with the Seahawks and everything. And then he got on a plane and, quite honestly, I was very much at peace with it because we had a great visit and we knew what our situation was. In any situation like that all you can do is lay out all your cards and then that person is going to evaluate it and we were going to do the same.”
Schneider said he felt it was important to not pressure Flynn into signing a contract.
• Schneider suggested that Flynn’s addition won’t preclude the team from drafting another quarterback. Schneider: “If the right person comes to you at the right spot, and it’s an appropriate thing to do, we’ll do it. This is something where we’re going to be cautious. We’re not going to step out of bounds on it.”
• In a lighter moment, Schneider referenced the film “Dumb & Dumber” while talking about driving in a storm with Pete Carroll from Houston to College Station, Texas for Ryan Tannehill’s pro day workout last week. Schneider: “Harry Dunne and Lloyd Christmas out there traveling around the country.”
• While he wouldn’t offer any details of the Seahawks’ new uniforms, Schneider said he had a role in the design. Nike, which is replacing Reebok as the NFL’s supplier of on-field apparel, will unveil new uniforms for all 32 teams this week. Schneider: “The 12th Man is going to be really proud. It’s a really neat deal.”
• Schneider and his wife are partnering with Families for Effective Autism Treatment (FEAT) of Washington to launch “Ben’s Fund,” which will provide financial assistance to local families with autistic children. Schneider’s oldest son, Ben, has autism. Schneider will be joined by several current and former Seahawks for a celebrity waiter even later this month. More information on that fundraiser can be found here.
