Pete Carroll – Three Great Reasons To Believe In Him For The 2022 Season
Though a large portion of the Seahawk fanbase wanted to move on from Pete Carroll after the 2021 season, team ownership elected to keep him on as head coach. There are positives to having him at the helm.
After the 2021 season ended, Seahawk fans knew that change was coming. A 7-10, last place in the NFC West finish was the worst since 2010, and many believed that Pete Carroll and John Schneider would make their exit after 12 seasons together. However, the real change came on March 8, when the Seahawks traded franchise quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos in exchange for several draft picks, Drew Lock, and two more veterans.
There are advantages that Wilson provided in each game that 12s will miss. With Russ at the helm, there was a feeling that any game was winnable, even when the team was down in the fourth quarter. Seahawk fans will forever miss the ability to escape pressure (however bad it was in 2021 aside) that Russell Wilson had, and the skill displayed in the precision of 50+ yard passes that had the ability to change games. There are hidden advantages, though, that are provided by Pete Carroll in his role as head coach. These advantages are not always easy to see, but they are valuable, nonetheless.
Player Morale
Whether you like the fact that Pete Carroll is still the coach of the Seahawks, one thing must be admitted: players (in general) love to play for him. It would be difficult to find a time when there was a negative attitude in the Seahawk locker room, even in the adversity of the 2021 season. Because of the aura Carroll brings into the room, players will play hard until the whistle blows even in bad situations. While the quarterback is the leader on the field, the head coach answers all questions for his players, and there’s no doubt that Pete Carroll is a leader willing to stand up for every player on the roster.
Defensive Minded
While having an offensive-minded head coach is the way to go in today’s NFL, something can be said for zigging when others zag. If other teams are all focused on building up their offenses and putting as many points on the board as possible, maybe it would be a good idea to stack up elite defensive players to shut said offenses down. The Seahawks did this in the early 2010s, when they won a Super Bowl using the top-ranked defense in the league to dismantle the top-ranked Denver offense. If Carroll is going to stick around and coach this team, it’s a good thing he looks to be shooting for another top-five defensive unit. The 2021 draft got the ball rolling with picks like Boye Mafe and Tariq Woolen, and Pete Carroll should keep this trend going into next season.
More Control For Waldron
Since Pete Carroll is a defensive guru, I expect more control over the offense to be handed to Shane Waldron in the coming year. This is an especially good thing since Russell Wilson was traded. Russ is a great player and wouldn’t have been as likely to try to soak up knowledge from the talented Waldron. Drew Lock and Geno Smith, on the other hand, are looking to gain any leg up on the competition that they can. This is a perfect opportunity for a Shane Waldron coming out party, in which he gets to control the quarterback and mold whomever it may be into the perfect passer to run his scheme.
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