For Pete’s sake: Seahawks Carroll proves greatness again in Week 1

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll doesn’t seem to get the respect he deserves anymore. But Carroll proved again in Week 1 that he knows football.

And let’s be real. One of the biggest reasons the Seahawks defeated Russell Wilson and the Broncos was that Pete Carroll outcoached Denver coach Nathaniel Hackett. Maybe experience had something to do with or maybe Carroll’s brand of coaching just inspires his players more than most.

Many times Carroll has faced criticism over the past couple of seasons it has to do with one of two things. The first is that he simply wants to run the ball too much. Statistically, this is false. Heck, even in Week 1 with Geno Smith and not Russell Wilson, Seattle dropped back to throw 30 times on 49 total plays.

The other is more morally concerning. People see Carroll as “old” because he is about to turn 71 years old. Who cares? A person can either get the most out of the teams they lead or they can’t. This is the essence of coaching.

Pete Carroll deserves to be the Seahawks coach for a long time

And this is why Pete Carroll showed once again in the Seahawks defeat of the Broncos that he is still a great coach. Do the players on the team believe in him? Yes. Anyone who watched how inspired the players were during the game could doubt that Carroll doesn’t motivate his team. Meanwhile, Hackett’s Broncos looked like they were a bit robotic, just like Russell Wilson plays.

Hackett also completely blew the end of the game. Denver had 5 minutes in which to try to drive the field and kick at least a relatively easy field goal to win the game. Instead, the Broncos wasted time and then didn’t trust Wilson to lead the offense to a first down on 4th and 5. Denver tried a 64-yard field goal and missed it. Seattle won.

But I bet if there was a poll taken nationally, NFL fans would still rather have the younger and more offensive-minded Hackett than Carroll. But Carroll’s coaching record speaks for itself, or at least it should. But people want things shiny and new, not experienced and known.

Pete Carroll deserves to be the Seahawks coach for the foreseeable future. He is going to put his team in positions to win more often than not. Is he perfect? No. No one is. But as in Week 1 when the Seahawks defeated Russell Wilson and his teammates, Carroll’s team did just enough to win because they wanted to win. Give me the more inspirational coach any day because most of the time, that coach will be victorious.