Pete Carroll brought a new philosophy to Seattle
By Isaac Moore – 1-28-14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKfylLJSseo
NEWARK, NJ – The third one’s always a charm. For Pete Carroll, his first two NFL head coaching jobs were a failure. But in the fourth season, Carroll is now one win away from standing atop the football world.
In 1999, Carroll was cast out of the NFL. After four years as a head coach, he had posted a 33-31 record. Certainly not up to the standards of the NFL. But that wasn’t the end for Carroll. Just a year later, he became the USC Trojans’ head coach and quickly elevated the collegiate team to new levels. Carroll was perfect for the college game – he was loud, energetic, and was known as a players’ coach – but most believed he would never have success on the professional level. But all he needed was a chance. That chance finally came in 2010 when he was offered the head coaching job for the Seattle Seahawks.
Four years later, Carroll is in the Super Bowl. His team has won 21 of its last 26 games and has the best defense in the NFL. Though many people believed it wouldn’t work, Carroll’s high-energy personality and competition-driven philosophy has proved successful in Seattle.
“It’s everything, we compete in everything we do,” said Seahawks linebacker, Bobby Wagner. “When you come out onto the field, you know that you have to work. That man next to you wants it just as bad as everybody else. So when you play for a coach like that, it definitely steps your game up to another level.”
Pete Carroll brought competition to Seattle and it has since weaved its way into every crevice of the Seahawks team. Whether it is on the practice field, in the weight room, or shooting hoops before team meetings, the players are constantly competing with one another. But it’s always friendly competition. In fact, if you ask Kam Chancellor, it’s all about making each other better.
“When you compete, it makes the next person better. It’s not just getting yourself better, but you’re making the next person better too,” said the Seahawks safety.
In football, a head coach is a father figure to his players. And as the old saying goes, ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.’ Pete Carroll is the second oldest coach in the NFL, but he doesn’t seem like it. That’s because he’s full of energy and competitive fire, just like his players.
“For Pete to have the ability to raise them and get them believing that this is the only way, he’s teaching them from a blank canvas,” said Tedy Bruschi who played under Carroll in New England.
Bruschi says that he learned a lot from Carroll throughout his time coaching in New England. The former linebacker said that he enjoyed playing under Carroll, but that he came at the wrong time. When the team started to lose games, the players began to doubt Carroll’s philosophy. After getting to the Super Bowl under Bill Parcells in 1996, the team believed that Carroll’s energetic style wouldn’t lead to success. He lost the locker room.
“His philosophy is one that I probably wouldn’t have if I were a coach because I was raised differently under Parcells and Belichick. But there’s still a little bit of Pete still in me,” says Bruschi. “Sometimes when you play under Coach Belichick, if you don’t know any better, you can become suppressed. Pete taught me about the energy and the enthusiasm that a game needed and I kept that with me.”
Carroll and his team are just one win away from becoming World Champions. Standing in their way is Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos high powered offense. But if the Broncos want to win on Sunday, the players must be ready to match the competitive level and the energy that the Seahawks will surely bring.