When Pete Carroll bolted from Southern California to coach the Seattle Seahawks back in 2010, there were a lot of skeptics. How would this be any different than his previous trek to the NFL with the New York Jets and New England Patriots? That’s a question many asked at the time. Now that Carroll is expected to sign an extension this morning, all of those questions are thrown out the window.
They were thrown out the window when he led Seattle to an upset victory as a 7-9 team over the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints in the playoffs during his first season. They were thrown out the window the next season when Carroll’s Seahawks finished with an 11-5 record with first-year starter Russell Wilson. Heck, they were stomped on, lit on fire and then thrown out the window after Seattle defeated the Washington Redskins in the playoffs that year.
Then Seattle pulled off the improbable last season. Taking on the defending conference champions in the NFC West and just a couple years removed from finishing under .500, it got over the hump and won the NFC.
As you already know, the rest is history. Seattle dominated the Denver Broncos to the tune of 43-8 in the Super Bowl this past February, winning its first ever championship in the process.
Courtesy of Pro Football Reference
In the matter of a few short years, Carroll and his front office partner (general manager John Schneider) turned around a fledgling franchise that had struggled through a tough stretch following the departure of Mike Holmgren, among others.
We have now moved from questioning Carroll’s ability to succeed in the NFL to comparing him to some of the best coaches in the league. By virtue of the Super Bowl win, he surpassed counterpart Jim Harbaugh in the minds of many and is now being compared to all those coaches, Harbaugh included, who stand right behind Bill Belichick on the coaching totem pole.
How exactly has Carroll gone from questionable NFL head coach to an upper-echelon leader in such a short period of time?
A player’s coach by every definition of the term, Carroll continues to get the most of his team. They react to what he does in the sideline and in the locker room, maybe more than any coach in the league. It’s a philosophy that he took with him to the Pacific Northwest from USC after having success at the college level. Some figured it wouldn’t work. Players needed an enforcer on the sideline, they said. Players needed a stronger leader on the sideline, they said. Carroll has turned that on its head, as his players continue to respond to his personality. An attractive and outgoing personality.
Joe Camporeale, USA Today
Now on top of the football world, Carroll is on the verge of announcing an extension with a franchise that he has helped build into one of the true powerhouses in the NFL. It now remains to be seen exactly what the finances of said contract will be and whether his nemesis in San Francisco will look to one up it when he signs his new deal.
At the very least, Carroll has already gotten the best of Harbaugh on the field and in the pocket book. That could very well change in the coming years, but it’s still something. After all, nothing better than showing up your hated rival.
Oh wait there is, winning the Super Bowl. Check, check and checkmate.
Photo: Rob Foldy, USA Today