Seahawks wasting Russell Wilson’s prime? Pete Carroll doesn’t feel the urgency you do
If this is the prime of Russell Wilson’s career, if the time to win the Super Bowl again with him is indeed RIGHT NOW, Pete Carroll isn’t feeling it.
He was asked at the NFL combine about the growing idea Seattle is squarely in the middle of the 31-year-old Wilson’s prime playing year—and thus need to maximize their chance at a championship before he’s third contract ends after 2023.
“We’re so deep into Russ, we’ve been together so long, that I don’t even think like that,” Carroll said, incredulously, off the podium in a corner of the Indiana Convention Center. “I can’t even put that thought anywhere, because I don’t see the end of it.
“It’s just a strength that we have, a benefit that we have in our program. And our fans get to watch a great football player putting together an all-time career.”
Sorry, those of you who believe the Seahawks are squandering Wilson’s prime with habitual exits in the divisional round of the playoffs, or worse.
Carroll’s contract runs out before Wilson’s. The 68-year-old coach’s deal ends after the 2021 season.
So maybe the question should be: Does Carroll feel the need to win it all now, for himself?
Nope.
He says he feels no particular urgency to win the franchise’s second Super Bowl, and first since the end of the 2013 season, now instead of later. He believes his post-Legion of Boom Seahawks remake with WIlson and All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner as centerpieces is firmly on track. He cited all the injuries during the 2019 season, the season-ending ones to center Justin Britt, the top three running backs Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny and C.J. Proise, as reasons why the Seahawks fell a yard short of the NFC West title and a home game in the playoffs.
“So we stay steady and keep growing and we finished the year where we were kind of scrambling a little bit. We should be better,” Carroll said.Tuesday. “And there’s no question that everybody feels like that.
“So we are looking forward to it.”
Wilson likens to Brees, Brady, Manning
Wilson said the day after the Seahawks’ season-ending playoff loss at Green Bay last month, months after he signed the richest contract at league history at $140 million: “The reality is that I think of some of the best players in the world—I was thinking about it on the way home (from Green Bay), honestly—I was thinking about guys like Drew Brees. I think about guys like Tom Brady, the Peyton Mannings of the world. Where I’m at in my career right now, I’m just finishing year eight. Where those guys were, I want to be the best in the world. That’s the reality.
“And so, I know this offseason, for me, it’s: What are the next five years going to look like? What’s it going to look like for this organization, and what are we going to do to make sure that happens? Because those guys in years eight through 13 or so, that’s where they really, really cemented themselves and their legacy.”
The Seahawks’ loss to the Packers Jan. 13 was their fifth consecutive loss on the road in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs in as many tries. History says if Seattle doesn’t win the NFC West and get the first seed with home-field advantage of the NFC playoffs, it isn’t going to the Super Bowl. The only three times the Seahawks have reached the Super Bowl, at the end of the 2005, ‘13 and ‘14 seasons, they’ve had the conference’s top seed.
So, history says, if the Seahawks don’t win the division and get home field in the playoffs, they are dooming their real chance at returning to the Super Bowl with the record-setting Wilson.
Carroll on Tuesday stated the same thing Wilson did Jan. 14. Carroll said the success and longevity of Brees and Brady past their 30th birthdays convinces him that Wilson—and, thus, perhaps the Seahawks—have yet to peak.
“Precisely,” Carroll said. “He’s not thinking any different, with good fortune and good luck to stay healthy and all of that.
“When you guys used to ask us, ‘Well, is he as good as Peyton (Manning), or is he as good as Aaron (Rodgers)?’ (Shoot), he had played about two or three years, three or four years, and they had been playing 11 and 12 and 14 and 18. Give us a chance. Let him just grow up.
“He’s only eight years (in) now. This is his ninth year coming up. He’s just right in the middle of it, and he’s well aware of that.
“One of the things we’ve noticed is that a lot of the great quarterbacks had their best years after they turned 30. So we’re just thinking it’s going to get better and better.”
Wilson and the no-huddle
At the Super Bowl early this month, Wilson said he was looking forward to him and the Seahawks going more no-huddle more on offense in 2020. Wilson and the offense have often been at their best in hurry-up mode, mostly at the end of the first half and at the end of the games when Seattle is in playground, scramble mode, mostly because it has had to be.
The no-huddle offense is Wilson at his creative, improvisational best. It’s also when the Seahawks’ often leaky offensive line tends to pass protect better against more harried, winded defensive fronts.
“I mean we’ve always been really good at 2-minute,” Wilson told NBC Sports earlier this month. “We’ve always been really good in those end of the half, those not always hurry-up situations, but those up-tempo situations, moments. And the reality is this: I think the defense gets tired, first thing. And I think the second thing is that, you know, I really know kind of what I want to get after them, how we want to get after them, especially in those moments. And guys just make plays in those moments. I think the freedom of just going after it and just scoring as many points, you know?
“That’s kind of what the (Super Bowl-champion) Chiefs do to be honest with you. They do a really good job, Andy Reid and (Patrick) Mahomes. They do a really good job of getting up to the ball, playing with their play-makers and finding a way to make plays and, you know, they score more points than everybody else. And I think that’s the name of the game is; can you score one more point than they do?”
None of this is new to Carroll. He and Wilson have been discussing the merits of going more hurry up for a while now.
“He mentioned that to me, too. Yeah, we’ve been talking about for years.,” Carroll said Tuesday.
“We’ve been in and out of tempo throughout. So, you’ll see what happens.”
That’s not exactly a promise Carroll’s run-based offense is suddenly going hurry-up all over in 2020.
“But I think Russ is clearly--I don’t think, I know--he is the best he’s ever been,” Carroll said. “He came out of the season healthy. He goes into this offseason with a real opportunity to work really hard again. And all this stuff will develop to take advantage of another year under his belt, where he just gets the game, sees the game better.
“He did so much stuff this (past) year. Run game. Pass game. Protection-wise. Concept-wise in the throwing game. And he just continues to grow. And he’s not through. He’s going to keep getting better.
“So we want to take advantage of that as we get through this next season. We can kind of feel the guys he has to go to, at this point, without even adding through the draft and the rest in free agency.”
Olsen now one of Wilson’s ‘more weapons’
Wilson has also said since the 2019 season ended he was looking forward to the Seahawks adding through free agency more weapons for his offense.
Monday, three-time Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen signed his one-year contract to come from Carolina to Seattle for 2020.
“Really excited about Greg,” Carroll said. “Thought that was a really important get for us, to be solid at the tight-end spot.
“Lovin’ Will Dissly (recovering from a torn Achilles in October). I’m loving what Jacob Hollister did. But that’s, I think, another step in solidifying, a big, 6-5 target (in Olsen) to get the ball. (He) knows routes, understands the game, which really complements Russ’ mentality. It’s going to be a great duo, I think.
“So, there are a lot of great things that’s happening on offense.”
We’ll find out if that means more no-huddle for Wilson in 2020.
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 6:06 AM.
