Tip your cap to Pete Carroll, and hope the next Seahawks coach is a proven winner
It doesn’t make sense to feel good and bad at the same time, but that was the case at Pete Carroll’s news conference Wednesday when the best coach in Seahawks history was relieved of his duties.
So many saw this coming yet it was unsettling when it actually happened to a man who had put everything he had into his job only to be told he wasn’t good enough to be the head coach anymore.
And it’s especially jarring to think that this could be the end of his coaching career. He’s 72 and even though he appears to be much younger and acts as if he’s 32, bouncing around the sideline, endlessly energized.
The Seahawks weren’t what they used to be, and after 14 years, they decided to part ways with Carroll and see if a new coach could turn things around.
So that was the feel good part of Wednesday’s announcement, understanding a move like this needed to be made. And the feel bad part? Watching Carroll cry at the podium when he talked about his wife and kids and what they meant to him, thanking them for their sacrifices, and conveying how sorry he was for his coaching staff, knowing their jobs no longer exist, adversely impacting their lives too. The human element of it all stood out the most to me.
It’s rare when you see a coaching dismissal like this. Frequently, you don’t hear from the dusted man, but there he was at the VMAC podium, speaking from his heart, remaining upbeat on one of the worst days in his career.
From what I could tell, those who wanted him to keep his job were in the minority. Even his biggest supporters could see that the Seahawks had become a middle-of-the-pack team, lacking toughness at the line of scrimmage, still existing as a potential playoff team year in, year out, just not a Super Bowl contender.
Everyone saluted Carroll for a job well done, for bringing the first Super Bowl trophy to Seattle while turning the Seahawks into a consistent NFL force during the first half of his tenure here. No one was heard to say “thank God he’s gone.” It was more like “thank God he was here.”
And I sincerely hope he goes somewhere else to be a head coach again, maybe to New England to replace Bill Belichick, another 72-year-old who is moving on. I think Carroll should rocket to the top of coaching candidate wish lists, and there are plenty of NFL jobs available, seven at last count, not including the Seahawks.
In Seattle, general manager John Schneider will call the shots for the first time. When it comes to the next coach, I have all kinds of confidence that he’ll get the right man.
Should it be a defensive coach like Carroll? An offensive coach? One who is more disciplined than Carroll? That doesn’t chew gum? A big name? Or someone we’ve hardly heard of before?
I have no business offering advice to anyone on anything, but on the really off chance Schneider cared for my opinion, I’d tell him to make his first call to Jim Harbaugh’s agent to see if he’s truly interested in returning to the NFL.
If he is, I’d make it happen. Harbaugh’s been a winner at every stop in his NFL and college career. Every 12 that disliked him when he was in San Francisco would learn to love him here as the wins and awkward public appearances pile up one on top of each other.
No one’s going to be excited about Dan Quinn or any of the other highly successful coordinators that are among the Seahawks’ possible candidates. They may or may not be great hires, but with Harbaugh, we already know he’d be a grand slam.
For the time being, probably because he’s under contract for another year, Carroll will remain with the Seahawks in an advisory role. It’s undefined and it’s a nice gesture, but to be honest, the Seahawks need to completely cut ties with Carroll. The new coach doesn’t need Pete in the background, casting his legendary shadow. Nor does Schneider.
Tip your cap to Carroll on his way out of town, cram a pack of gum in your mouth, try to be as optimistic as possible, all in his honor, and pray to the football gods for Harbaugh to come to Seattle.
Jim Moore has covered Washington’s sports scene from every angle for multiple news outlets. You can find him on Twitter @cougsgo, and on KJR-FM 93.3, where he co-hosts a sports talk show from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays.
This story was originally published January 11, 2024 at 9:16 AM.