Pete Carroll is the greatest head coach in Seahawks history, bar none, hands-down, no questions asked. No other coach approaches his longevity and record of winning consistently over a long period of time.
All that being said, it was time for the organization to find a new head coach. If that wasn’t already clear, the team’s home loss two weeks ago against the Steelers should have convinced any fans who were still skeptical about a major change at the top. Carroll’s refusal to be aggressive on fourth down against an inferior team – he punted twice on fourth and one while the Steelers converted two QB sneaks – is the kind of thing that gives away points in the modern NFL. Carroll also routinely wasted timeouts on frivolous challenges, was too slow to adjust to circumstances on the ground and too wedded to old school ideas about running the ball and stopping it.
While run defense will have to be high on whoever replaces Carroll’s list of things to do, the hope is that the team will be hiring a forward-thinking coach who understands that it’s passing the ball and rushing the passer that wins in the modern NFL – and that maximizing every down is an absolutely indispensable necessity in a game where so many wins and losses come down to one possession.
While we are happy for the change to come, it would have been foolish for Seattle to send Carroll packing somewhere else.
Carroll’s tenure since the breakup of the Legion of Boom has been frustrating at times, but his ability to field a competitive team from year to year despite turning the roster over a lot is something that they needed to keep – which is why it was the right move to retain Carroll in an advisory role. Carroll still has a sensational eye for DB talent, a nose for gems at linebacker and is better than any other defense-first coach at developing quarterbacks.
Hopefully that’s all stuff that the Seahawks will be able to carry over – no matter who their next coach is.
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