Tag Archives: Pete Carroll

CHAWK LINES, State of the team, Week 12: Pittsburgh

Like 2012, Wilson is heating up

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Wilson and Baldwin vs SteelersSeattle’s record-setting win over Pittsburgh is the latest evidence that this season is shaping up a lot like 2012.

That year, Russell Wilson’s first, the offense did little to help through the first half of the season — relying on the defense to carry the way for the rookie quarterback. The unit held five of the first six opponents under 14 points, and Wilson did just enough to help keep the Hawks floating around .500.

But then things swung the other way around this time of the season, as the defense faltered and Wilson took over the offense and led the charge into the second round of the playoffs.

On Sunday, the defense gave up 538 yards to Pittsburgh and Wilson put together his most prolific passing day (345 yards and five touchdowns), and it looks like that 2012 pattern is repeating itself.

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Schedule, Super Bowl XL, Week 12: Pittsburgh

Here’s why Big Ben has never played in Seattle

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Big Ben SteelersA lot is being made of the fact that Seattle is the only place Ben Roethlisberger has not played in his 12-year career, but the fact is he and the Steelers were supposed to come in 2011. And then the NFL changed the scheduling rules.

Starting in 2010, teams from the East no longer had to make two trips to the West in a season. The Steelers were slated to go to San Francisco and Seattle in 2011, but the NFL swapped Seattle out for Arizona, and the Seahawks ended up going to Pittsburgh.

The Seahawks have played in Pittsburgh twice since the infamous Super Bowl XL, getting shut out both times — Mike Holmgren’s Super Bowl remnants lost 21-0 in Mike Tomlin’s first year leading the Steelers in 2007, and Pete Carroll’s rebuilding club lost 24-0 in 2011.

This meeting comes on the 10-year anniversary of the Super Bowl XL season, and the Steelers had a reunion of that team a few weeks ago. Four players — Roethlisberger, tight end Heath Miller, linebacker James Harrison and long snapper Greg Warren — remain on the Steelers from that Super Bowl team.

Roethlisberger joked to Seattle media, “That’s how you know you’re old — when they’re doing reunions and you’re still playing.”

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NFL draft, State of the team, The roster, Trades

No matter how season ends, Hawks have to make changes next year

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Chancellor, Carroll and SchneiderNo matter how the season ends for the Seahawks, they have some key changes to make next year.

They certainly don’t need to blow up the team completely – even if they miss the playoffs. But they will need to make a few small detonations — even if they make the postseason and even if they somehow manage to win the Super Bowl (which seems like California dreamin’ at this point).

Whether Pete Carroll intends to stay beyond 2016 or not, John Schneider needs to fix the problems that have been holding this team back from greatness and help avoid becoming, as he has called it, “one of those teams that skates in and skates out” of contention.

Bottom line: The Seahawks cannot go through another year with such a disjointed offense holding back a potentially great defense. And they have to make some changes to the defense as well – beyond Bruce Irvin leaving in free agency (they will get a taste this week of how Frank Clark and Kevin Pierre-Louis might replace him).

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CHAWK LINES, Week 11: San Francisco
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CHAWK LINES -- 49ers at Seahawks

Marshawn Lynch wants to play vs. the 49ers but appears to be a game-time decision.

Paul Richardson is out with a hamstring injury, which is too bad considering he showed what he brings with a 40-yard catch vs. Arizona.

Earl Thomas criticized Seattle’s commitment and will to win, saying, “We need to give it up for each other.”

With Bruce Irvin out a couple of weeks with a sprained knee, Frank Clark is expected to get more playing time.

Clark talked to 710 ESPN about his days as a gang member when he was a kid in Los Angeles.

Russell Wilson insists his big contract and high-profile relationship with Ciara have not distracted him.

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State of the team, Week 10: Cardinals

Sorry, Pete, your team will not win the West

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Wilson safety vs. CardsPete Carroll thinks the Seahawks can still win the NFC West. What else would you expect from Positive Pete?

Yeah, the Cardinals have a few tough games left — Cincinnati, at St. Louis, Minnesota, Green Bay and Seattle – but they would have to lose at least three of those and the Seahawks would have to win out to win the division.

How can Carroll possibly think the Seahawks are going to win out when they have tough games themselves against Pittsburgh, Minnesota, St. Louis and Arizona the rest of the way?

Carroll said, “To call it now is the biggest mistake you could ever make.” Well, we’re calling the division now. We’ll see who made the mistake in seven weeks.

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Week 10: Cardinals

Hawks & Cards each see the other as the top dog

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Unless the Rams become more of a factor than we expect them to, the NFC West will be won by Seattle or Arizona.

So, it’s appropriate that they start off the second half of the season together, both coming off byes, and playing what should be a hard-hitting, highly intriguing game on “Sunday Night Football.”

This matchup brings a very interesting dichotomy: Each team sees the other as the top dog.

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Schedule, State of the team, Week 9: Bye

Second half starts and ends with Arizona

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Seahawks-Cardinals logos Way back in April, we said a 4-4 start would be the worst case for the defending NFC champions. Well, unfortunately, here the Seahawks are.

Pete Carroll understatedly called their record “nothing to be shouting about.” Hell, it’s barely anything to whisper about.

“But,” he pointed out, in his oddball way of speaking, “it did put us in a position where we have a second half to really go forward. We have all of the matchups in the games that we need to play in the division to settle issues and go for it and take it as far as we can.”

He has to hope that is farther than the last time the Hawks started 4-4. In 2012, they rallied to finish 11-5 and had to hit the road for the playoffs, where they beat Washington and lost agonizingly in Atlanta (kinda like they have lost some of their games this season).

It’s just how Carroll’s slow-starting team typically does it. Since Russell Wilson became quarterback, the Seahawks have gotten better as the season has progressed. They are 20-12 (.625) in the first half and 20-4 (.833) in the second.

Last year, they rallied from 3-3 to finish 12-4, and Carroll thinks they are in a similar spot this year.

“I don’t think it feels much different than it did last year,” he said. “I think it’s very similar. It’s unfortunate that it takes us a while, but I think this is an opportunity to observe what it’s like to be where we’ve been and to come back.

“If we’re able to put the second half together like we plan on, then we’ll be really proud of that.”

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CHAWK LINES, Week 9: Bye
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CHAWK LINES -- Bye weekWhat do the Seahawks think of their situation entering their midseason bye?

The offensive line played pretty well in Dallas, but Pete Carroll is correct when he says, “It’s just one game. It doesn’t mean you’ve made it over the hump.”

Field Gulls broke down the way the Seahawks used the middle of the field.

The Seahawks have been using Jimmy Graham more and more.

As expected, the Hawks made no trades. They really had no room to do so unless they wanted to swap big-salaried players or make a minor deal that probably would not help.

The Seahawks were emotionally rattled by Ricardo Lockette’s neck injury and incorrectly called the hit by Jeff Heath a “dirty play.” (Lockette clearly ran right into him.)

Lockette had neck surgery is expected to spend the week in Dallas.

Jeremy Lane is expected to start practicing next week but not return until perhaps Week 11. Will he reclaim his nickel back spot?

State of the team, Week 8: At Dallas, X's & O's

This is Seattle’s worst offense under Wilson

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3 strikesRussell Wilson and the Seattle offense are getting lots of credit for a 17-play drive that yielded the winning field goal in Dallas — the first time in four chances this season Wilson has led a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime.

But let’s not let one very inefficient winning drive confuse the facts: This is the worst offense the Seahawks have had with Wilson at quarterback.

The Seahawks scored just once in the skintight 13-12 win in Dallas — the fourth time in eight games they have tallied one TD on offense. In the four other games, they have scored just two TDs. They have yet to score three touchdowns in a game.

In fact, they are the only offense in the league not to put up a TD trifecta. New England has done it in all seven. Arizona has done it five times. Even Oakland has done it four times and Jacksonville three.

Pete Carroll likes to say “it can’t be pretty and perfect all the time” or some silly copout like that, but does it really have to be so ugly and imperfect every damn game? The answer, Pete, is no. No, it doesn’t. If you knew anything about offense, you would have figured that out by now.

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State of the team, The roster, Week 8: At Dallas

Seahawks trying to build what Cowboys have

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Cowboys OLThe Dallas Cowboys have what the Seahawks want, but the only way Seattle could get it is by losing a lot more and using first-round picks.

We’re talking about a great offensive line, of course.

If Russell Okung, who injured his ankle in practice Thursday, misses the game in Dallas on Sunday, the Seahawks will end up starting undrafted players at the tackle spots and center, with a seventh-round conversion at right guard and a second-round reach at left guard.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, have invested three first-round picks in their line over the last five drafts, and they lucked into a potential first-rounder when rookie La’el Collins went undrafted due to a murder case he was peripherally attached to.

The Cowboys won a recruiting war for Collins, adding him to an already stacked line that includes left tackle Tyron Smith, the No. 9 pick in the 2011 draft; center Travis Frederick, the No. 31 pick in 2013; right guard Zack Martin, the No. 16 pick in 2014; and veteran right tackle Doug Free.

“They’ve put their money in it. They’ve got three No. 1s playing there, those guys are all terrific football players,” Pete Carroll said. “Tyron was a guy that we loved coming up; he’s a fantastic athlete at the spot. And Zack’s terrific; it’s just a really good group. I think that they made a commitment to it and they’re benefiting from it. I don’t know if they’re the best one — we won’t see everybody particularly – but they’re as good as we’re going to see all year long.”

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