Pete Carroll is leaving the Seattle Seahawks after 14 seasons as head coach, throughout which he led the workforce to 2 NFC titles and the franchise’s lone Tremendous Bowl triumph.
In line with a press release launched by proprietor Jody Allen on Wednesday, the 72-year-old coach will tackle an advising place with the enterprise. But it surely’s evident that Carroll needed to remain within the place he’d held for greater than a decade.
“I competed fairly laborious to be the coach, simply so you recognize,” Carroll remarked at an emotional goodbye press convention. “I simply needed to verify I spoke up for all of our coaches, gamers, and the accomplishments that we had made. Not simply so we may proceed to be the coach, but additionally so we may have an opportunity to succeed and preserve the group working. That is what I fought for.
Carroll talked for greater than half-hour in entrance of a packed auditorium of workers, assistant coaches, and some present gamers, amid tears and laughter, a couple of profession that no coach will be capable to duplicate.
“I am ecstatic that we have had this run. I really am. Carroll acknowledged, “This stage of consistency that we have demonstrated ought to make you proud.”
Seattle completed the common season with a 21-20 victory over Arizona on Sunday. The Seahawks started the final two weeks of the common season with an opportunity to make the playoffs for the eleventh time below Carroll’s management, however a Week 17 defeat to Pittsburgh left Seattle in want of help in closing out the season.
Carroll will go away as probably the most profitable coach in workforce historical past, however with an sad conclusion following a number of seasons of common outcomes. He’ll all the time be remembered as the primary coach to hold the Lombardi Trophy to Seattle with the Tremendous Bowl 48 conquer Denver.
However Carroll by no means actually recovered from what occurred within the Tremendous Bowl a yr later, with Russell Wilson’s purpose line interception within the final seconds, and Seattle by no means gained one other championship that might wipe away the scars of Tremendous Bowl 49.
Carroll left the Seahawks with a regular-season document of 137-69-1. He guided Seattle to 5 NFC West championships and ten playoff wins.
Nonetheless, the Seahawks plateaued on the finish of Carroll’s tenure. Seattle ended with a shedding document in 2021, superior to the playoffs with a 9-8 document in 2022, then did not make the anticipated leap to grow to be a contender within the NFC West this season.
Carroll appeared dissatisfied with manner the season had progressed heading into Week 18.
“We’ve plenty of work to do, however the outlook for the longer term could be very optimistic, due to the make-up of the fellows, the best way they need to work, the best way they go about it,” mentioned Carroll.
Nonetheless, Seattle’s future shall be guided by a unique coach.
Regardless of the underwhelming final chapter, Carroll’s profession in Seattle shall be remembered as probably the most profitable for the reason that franchise’s inception in 1976. He created a player-friendly ambiance by enabling personalities to emerge contained in the prescribed construction of his system. Carroll preached competitiveness however made it pleasing alongside the best way.
Carroll led the Seahawks to success, because of the personalities of Marshawn Lynch, Doug Baldwin, and Richard Sherman, amongst others. They drafted Wilson within the third spherical and noticed him lead the membership to a Tremendous Bowl victory in his second season. Carroll, identified for his defensive acumen, constructed a protection that was the best of its interval for a number of seasons and served as the muse for back-to-back NFC championship groups.
Nonetheless, Tremendous Bowl 49 proved to be a tipping level from which the Seahawks by no means absolutely recovered. Wilson’s throw, intercepted by Malcolm Butler and giving New England a 28-24 victory, ultimately contributed to the breakdown of the core that propelled Seattle to a few title video games. Regardless of Carroll’s repeated reboots, the Seahawks by no means regained the extent of ability and chemistry required to grow to be a juggernaut of a workforce.
Seattle has by no means moved past the divisional stage of the playoffs since its earlier Tremendous Bowl look, and it has been eradicated within the wild-card spherical in three of its final 4 postseasons.
The main target will immediately shift to Carroll’s substitute and if Seattle prefers to remain contained in the Seahawks household tree or herald a brand new voice to collaborate with normal supervisor John Schneider. Schneider could have complete management over personnel for the primary time since he arrived with Carroll.
Seattle is the sixth NFL workforce in search of for a brand new coach, following Tennessee, Atlanta, and Washington who dismissed coaches after the common season completed.The Raiders, Chargers, and Panthers didn’t wait till the season ended to fireside coaches.
NFL golf equipment are unable to start in-person interviews till after the divisional spherical, after house owners opted in October to postpone them by every week with a view to decelerate the recruiting course of and enhance range. In addition they can’t interview head teaching candidates employed by different NFL golf equipment till Tuesday or Wednesday for any coach whose workforce has been eradicated or has a postseason bye. Groups can conduct digital interviews.
In-person interviews can be found to all inner candidates and those that will not be presently employed by the NFL.