Pete Carroll Speaks to Seattle Rotarians
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Yesterday, Pete Carroll was the keynote speaker at a Seattle Rotary luncheon at the Westin Hotel in Seattle. I was fortunate enough to attend and listen to Seattle’s newest head football coach.
“We could talk about a lot of things, but don’t you just really want to talk about football?”
I wasn’t sure if Carroll would be focusing on philanthropic achievements, involvement in the community, or goals he has set for himself in Seattle. Of course, realizing that Carroll would focus his speech on the current state of the Seattle Seahawks was a pleasant surprise.
Carroll is an energetic man. Already evident to most, he started his speech by telling the Rotarians how “fired up” he was to be there. The few luncheons I’d previously attended never had such vivacious, intriguing speakers. Obviously, I could be slightly biased.
The Seattle Seahawks have won nine games over the past two seasons, and most analysts don’t expect them to fare any better this year. After listening to Pete Carroll, however, the entire room seemed inspired and hopeful.
Without promising championships or a specific number of wins, Carroll simply described how the team would strive to be better in every aspect of the game. Displaying the best effort in practices and finishing strong in minicamps should result in better success on Sundays.
“We want to do it better than it’s ever been done before — in everything we do, in every direction we go,” Carroll said. “It’s a competitive mindset that drives us in all we do.
Carroll used previous minicamps as examples, citing how the team intended to have the best three-day sessions in the history of the National Football League. Start fast, compete, and finish strong; during football season, that mindset will help the team defeat opponents.
I’m not sold on the Seahawks competing next season, but I’m on board with Carroll. He is an excellent motivator who will not settle for second-best. Carroll has a plan, and with it, hopefully winning football will return to Seattle.
Shaun Dolence: dolencesm@gmail.com
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