INDIANAPOLIS—The Seahawks and the entire Pacific Northwest region lost an icon last fall when team owner Paul Allen passed away at the age of 65. But while Allen is certainly missed both inside and out of the organization, his passing did not leave the Seahawks without strong leadership.

With the team now owned by the Paul G. Allen Trust, Jody Allen, Paul's sister, has taken on the role of trustee of the Paul G. Allen Trust, and she is the Chair of both the Seahawks and Vulcan Inc. Bert Kolde, Paul Allen's longtime trusted friend, now holds the title of Vice Chair for the Seahawks and Trail Blazers, as well as executive vice president of sports strategy and operations for Vulcan Inc.

While talking to the media at the NFL Scouting Combine this week, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider both raved about Jody Allen's leadership.

"We've had great meetings with Jody," Carroll said Thursday. "I've been so impressed, and her ability to put things in motion in similar fashion. The structure is very similar. We've had really clear sense for that. She will surprise the heck out of you. She is on it. She is aggressive in her approach. She is so mindful of the 12s and the area—it's so dear to her heart that we do a good job to represent and give them everything that they deserve. In time, as you guys get to know her, you are going to see that we are very fortunate that she's taken on the leadership."

Carroll said not much has changed in terms of how things operate for him and Schneider since Jody Allen took over.

"The formula is the same, basically, so we are clear on the decision-making and the process and what we expect, what we can expect to work under," Carroll said. "I just don't see it as being anything but positive at this point. She cares tremendously about carrying on Paul's legacy, and she is going to do that."

A day earlier, Schneider said, "We lost Paul, we all miss Paul a ton. We've been working with Jody now, his sister, and she has been amazing… It has been hard (losing Paul), but she has been amazing. She's real responsive, she is into it. She's aligned, she wants to win, it has been great in that regard."