Is Pete Carroll Killing the 49ers with kindness?
A strategy or sportsmanship?
It’s unclear what Pete Carroll’s approach was when he complimented the 49ers so thoroughly on Monday. He calls the opposing team “juggernaut,” says “they’re frickin’ on fire,” calls McCaffrey a “gem,” and says Kyle Shanahan has done an “incredible job with his QBs this season.”
Coach Carroll is a unique guy. He’s the oldest coach in the league, but he has a higher level of energy than many coaches half his age. His stress level can be gaged by the intensity he is chewing his gum during a game, he jogs the sidelines more than his players during warm-up, throws more laundry than a laundromat, and eats a plant-based diet exclusively that allegedly reversed his arthritis. Carroll has been looking out for himself a bit more – he wore a hat for the 2nd time in his entire coaching career in Seattle. Pete knows that the most heat escapes your body through your head. Smart.
From the intricacies we see in Pete Carroll’s life, I would absolutely not put Jedi mind trucks beyond him. A reverse psychology approach to encountering the 49ers. Compliment them into complacency. We also know that Carroll is a nice guy (usually) and might just be exhibiting an admirable level of sportsmanship. Or maybe even both.
We’ve seen this approach before – Belichick heaped compliments on the Seahawks before the 2014 season Super bowl – and then won. Perhaps, Carroll has saved this in his back pocket with packs of gum and decided to bring it out against a strong contender.
Either way, as a Seahawks fan I trust Carroll and the team. If Pete has something up his sleeve besides a substitute challenge flag, he believes in this approach. Positivity is never a bad thing, either way. The 49ers are probably suspicious because they’re not likely to be kind unless there is an ulterior motive.
Seahawks outswim the 49ers?
As a native Washingtonian, I thought I would be an evolutionary missing link when I grew flippers from always having wet feet in the constant rain. They say your body is mostly comprised of water – this is 100% true for people in Washington – it takes the place of things like vitamin D and sufficient serotonin in the body. One summer had less than a week of sunny days. I will stand by the fact that I saw a man in a kayak boating around during the great flood of 2007 – I easily could have swam if I wasn’t pretending to keep my backpack from getting soaked on the way home.
I say this to say that anyone who spent any period of time in the Evergreen state gets used to rain all day, most days. Swimming through the day is a regular occurrence. This underutilized skill will give the Seahawks a leg up on Saturday’s game. Santa Clara has been experiencing unprecedented amounts of storms and rain. The forecast indicates a 92-100% chance of precipitation, an inch of water, and wind. This is far more familiar for a Seahawk than it is for a 49er. Pete Carroll and the team do not view themselves as underdogs, despite the odds, and so the fans can and should carry this attitude as well – through the rain.
An interesting note? The 49ers blow dry their field between storms. Will they blow dry the field during the game? Will it be the “Snow plow” game in 2023?
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