When Pete Carroll was the Seattle Seahawks, the rumor was that he wanted to run the ball too much. In reality, late in the 2010s, things changed. Carroll's offense turned into more of a Russell Wilson-centric one, and he threw the ball too much. Wilson liked to throw, and Seattle wanted to make him happy.
Eventually, except for maybe one season when current Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer was Seattle's offensive coordinator, the team let Wilson be too Russell Wilson, and that hurt the offense. The quarterback was always better working with a strong running attack, but Carroll caved.
Of course, that eventually turned on Carroll. After the 2021 season, Wilson went to Seahawks ownership and tried to get the head coach and general manager John Schneider fired. In turn, Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos. Carroll should have stuck to his principles years before and kept running the ball.
The Seattle Seahawks might have had the better Boise State running back against the Raiders
Now that he is with the Las Vegas Raiders, his new team might get back to running the ball more. Vegas drafted Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty sixth overall in the 2025 NFL draft, and that should mean the rookie gets the ball a lot. Here's the trick, though: The Seahawks might have the better Boise State back.
Yes, Jeanty was extremely productive in college, but that doesn't always translate to the NFL. Meanwhile, Seattle's George Holani went undrafted in 2024, but likely because he suffered numerous injuries in college. If healthy, he could far exceed expectations as a pro.
He is still battling for a roster spot, though, after his performance against the Raiders in preseason Week 1, any argument that Holani shouldn't make the team should ring hollow. The two-year back ran for 61 yards on seven carries, much against the Raiders' presumed starters for 2025. What Holani did was real, even though the game itself was ultimately meaningless.
Ashton Jeanty played, but ran just three times and for negative one yard. This indicated the truth in the game. Seattle's higher twos were better than the Raiders' ones. Carroll played his starters in the first drive, and Seattle put them in their place without having to play Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, and DeMarcus Lawrence.
George Holani might have taken the game personally, though. Jeanty is seen as a future superstar, while the league mostly ignores the Seattle Seahawks running back. It shouldn't be forgotten that Holani had two 1,000-plus yard seasons at the same school Jeanty played for in college.
Some people are saying @GeorgeHolani is the best RB out of Boise State.
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 8, 2025
The Seahawks' official handle certainly wasn't going to let things go lightly and used Holani's preseason performance to throw shade at the Raiders. The team was correct. Ashton Jeany might be great, but George Holani is likely pretty good, too. Pete Carroll might wish he had him as well.