There’s been plenty of opinions about the Seattle Seahawks trading away nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson. Many believe the clear decline in QB play will result a much more negative results than Seattle is accustomed. However, head coach Pete Carroll disagrees with with pessimism.
“I don’t feel like that at all,” Carroll said Monday. “I don’t feel like any part of any of that is what’s true other than the fact that that’s what people think. I’m not in that business now. I’m in the business of helping these guys get ready to play with all of the work that we do and all of the mentality and the culture and the environment that we’re in.”
Positivity is great. However, this is a pretty bold statement considering 50 unnamed NFL coaches, executives and scouts ranked Geno Smith and Drew Lock as the bottom two quarterbacks (of 35) in the league.
QB play matters more than ever in today’s game. That idea does not compute with Carroll though. It doesn’t matter for him. He cited his past coaching resume as reasoning behind his confidence.
“We’ve been averaging 10 wins a year for the last 20-something years [dating back to 2001-2009 run at USC]. You think I could think anything different than that? I don’t. I don’t see any reason my expectations should change at all.”
Look, no head coach is going to openly discuss how bad his team is in front of media. He should be doing everything he possibly can to instill confidence into his players. However, Carroll’s positive attitude is going to get the Seahawks back to the level of playoff contention their used to.
Teams still need premium talent. The Seahawks still have some in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Quandre Diggs and Jordyn Brooks. However, a lot of the roster is unproven, and that doesn’t mix well with bottom end quarterbacks.
Ultimately, until Smith or Lock do something significant, Carroll will continue to come across as delusional to many around the league.