Seahawks' Pete Carroll: Underrated or Over the Hill?
Franchise quarterback with a new contract? Check. Roster good enough to make the playoffs? Check. Influx of new talent led by a starting cornerback and projected star receiver? Double check.
One of the NFL's best head coaches? Check? While the Seattle Seahawks enter the season with the momentum of Geno Smith, a playmaking defense and promising rookies Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, do they still have the right coach to lead to the next step back to power?
That answer, apparently, depends on who you ask. At this point, might they even have a coach who is underrated?
Entering his 18th season - 14th in Seattle - Pete Carroll is 17th all-time in coaching victories with 161. He also, of course, has 11 playoff wins and one Super Bowl trophy.
If his Seahawks win 10 games this season he'll leap-frog Mike Shanahan and Tom Coughlin into the Top 15. A 12-win season and he passes the likes of Bill Parcells Jeff Fisher and starts fliting with the Top 10.
But at age 71, has he lost something off his fastball? The analytics geeks at Pro Football Focus no longer believe Carroll is an elite coach, leaving him out of their annual ranking of the Top 10 NFL coaches.
Their list is topped by grizzled veterans ... the Kansas City Chiefs' Andy Reid, the New England Patriots' Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It also includes Nick Sirianni of the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 8) and the New York Giants' Brian Daboll (No. 10).
The folks over at CBS Sports have more faith in Carroll, ranking him No. 9 on their annual list. Writes CBS:
"It's been almost a decade since he's advanced past the Divisional Round, and his strong allegiance to a run-first offense only works long-term if the QB and/or defense is elite. That said, unlocking Geno Smith in 2022 was a surprise feather for his staff's cap, and his personal sway on the culture is a big reason Seattle's at least tasted the postseason in nine of the last 11 years."
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