As mentioned in the previous post -- after watching the game between San Fran and Seattle, yours truly is more impressed than ever with the Seahawks. Those guys are the real deal. They seem to have just about everything going for them.
Their O-line opens holes for their running game while also doing a great job of protecting 2nd year QB Russell Wilson in pass protection. Wilson doesn't have to be great -- and he's not -- but rather just needs to avoid an abundance of interceptions and fumbles while letting the other 10 guys do what they do quite well. So far, so good.
The Seahawks' defense has become downright formidable. Their D-line stuffs the run and puts on a ferocious pass rush. To boot, their corners and safeties might be the best secondary the NFL has seen in some time. Opposing receivers have a hard time getting any separation, and even when they catch a pass will quickly suffer brutal hits. Collectively, they force a lot of turnovers. Not only that, they're also relatively young as a group, and will likely get even better. This does not bode well for their future opponents. Indeed, they way they manhandled Jim Harbaugh's 49ers, who are pretty darn good themselves, was definitely an eye-opener.
The ever-present rain aside, Seattle's a great town, and it would be easy to get behind the Seahawks. Except for one thing. Their head coach Pete Carroll. While others are free to disagree, yours truly has come to think of Carroll as a vagabond, perhaps even a shyster over the years. To me, there's only one thing that matters in life to Pete Carroll -- and that's Pete Carroll. It is my humble opinion the man has no loyalty to anyone but himself, let alone any sense of honor and/or committment.
Sure, typical of any head coach in the NFL, Carroll didn't just fall off a turnip truck. He bounced around various colleges and other pro teams holding various positions in the past before he took over the reins in Seattle. If you want to know about his football history, Google his coaching career. I won't get into all that here save for one glaring example.
His time as the head coach at the University of Southern California (USC). While wildly successful in Trojanland, including a national championship, Carroll was also at the helm when the whole Reggie Bush (who now plays for the Detroit Lions) affair of illegal cash, cars, and even a house for Bush's parents was about to be exposed by an NCAA investigation.
Sanctions on the university were sure to follow -- and they did. They were stripped of many victories, had to forfeit a bunch of scholarships, were made bowl ineligible, and placed on probation for a few years.
In the face of this, what did Carroll do? Instead of standing up like a man and accepting the same punishment -- he bailed. Carroll told his USC team he quit and was headed to greener pastures in Seattle. So USC was stuck with the consequences of what happened under Carroll's watch, while Pete himself was off to Seattle for roughly twice the salary he had been making in LA. He was, and is, not only head coach, but also an executive vice-president of the Seahawks. I'm sorry, but I find that to be a bit dishonorable, to say the least.
Few would doubt during Carroll's short tenure in Seattle that the Seahawks have made a remarkable transformation from also-ran into serious contenders. Yet on another level, it seems Pete's still up to his old shady ways.
On two occasions during the game against San Fran, a Seattle offensive lineman "chop-blocked" an opposing defensive lineman. Both 49er players had to leave the game -- the extent of their injuries unknown. These sort of things don't normally happen unless players are coached to do them -- and Pete's in charge.
And, oh my, how Carroll loves to rub it in when his team has the upper hand. During his USC years he would routinely run up the score to some ridiculous number against vastly over-matched opponents -- and laugh his head off on the sidelines.
That doesn't appear to have changed either. The Seahawks had dominated the 49ers throughout the game. With an insurmountable lead of 26 points with only 4 minutes to go -- Carroll just couldn't resist one more insult to an already humiliated opponent. He threw a red challenge flag on a controversial play, which turned out to be successful. That's rubbing even more salt into the wound, and totally unneccesary. These sort of things don't go unnoticed by other NFL teams. There will likely come a time when the shoe is on the other foot and vengeance will be exacted.
But it probably doesn't matter. If Pete smells that coming around, the guess here is he'll bail again for even greener pastures. How's Senator Carroll sound to you? Could happen. Hey, from what I've seen, this guy's a born politician. Every place he goes he tells people what they want to hear. The money would pour into his campain coffers. Throw in motivational speeches, lots of handshakes, baby-kissing, and a few thousand back pats to go along with his "contagious" smile -- and who knows? The sky's the limit for a guy like this. We've certainly seen our share of such people before. Still do, for that matter.
I still think Seattle's a great town with great people and lots of cool stuff to see. Plus they've got one helluva good football team going on right now. Also my sympathies on losing their NBA Supersonics, which quickly became wildly successful and are all the rage in Oklahoma City as the Thunder. But excuse me if their head football coach continues to leave a bad taste in my mouth every time I see him.
Some of us have longer memories than others.
And sometimes it matters.
No comments:
Post a Comment