My Pete Carroll Story

On Wednesday, the Seattle Seahawks announced the departure of Pete Carroll as head coach of the team. This is my Pete Carroll story:

On Wednesday, the Seattle Seahawks announced the departure of Pete Carroll as head coach of the team. "After thoughtful meetings and careful consideration for the best interest of the franchise, we have amicably agreed with Pete Carroll that his role will evolve from Head Coach to remain with the organization as an advisor," Seahawks Chair Jody Allen said in a statement. This is my Pete Carroll story:

—Munich, November 10th, 2022

When the Seahawks played in Munich, November 2022, I was able to attend their practices and game as a credentialed member of the media. The Thursday Seahawks press conference was the first.

I was fueled with the type of anticipation that saw me arrive a whole hour early to FC Bayern’s Säbener Strasse practice facility, before it had even opened to the media. I was left having to walk around the block of the residential area, passing leafy, glass, and grey, to a small neighborhood café.

Armed with a notebook filled with questions, I quadruple-checked them over a not-very-nice, cream-filled, German-something-or-other, plus a double espresso that only increased my excitement. There were up-to-date questions. Your beat-style stuff. And then there was the question.

You see, watching the 2020 and 2021 Seahawks’ defensive structure had inspired me not just as a journalist interested in the tactical side of the game, but as a football coach in the United Kingdom. I was deep into planning for my first season coordinating the London Olympians defense. And, having watched how Seattle—also Pete Carroll—had ran their defense over the years, I had taken a strong interest in their “stick” defensive fronts. It was so obvious to me how this helped the Seahawks—and USC back in 2006—cope with issues offenses presented them, including defending Sean McVay’s Rams style more successfully in 2020 after past schematic struggles. I’d studied and researched the heck out of “Stick” over the last two years.

After returning to Säbener Strasse, I met the friendly Seattle beat and watched the Seahawks’ trademark energetic practice. I then took my seat in the media room for Carroll’s press conference, dead center from the podium. I didn’t know if I was going to ask my niche and nerdy question. But then the head coach opened with this:

“We used to go to the Rose Bowl year after year.”

Bang. After getting settled in to the press conference, I took my shot.

“You mentioned the Rose Bowl, am I right that your version of the bear front, stick defense, stemmed from that Vince Young game, and then, leading on from that…”

The head coach lit up. “I can’t believe I come all the way to Munich and you bring up my favorite game,” Carroll joked. “I did bring it up, my bad my bad. That’s a really good job of referencing that because nobody else thought to do it, yeah that’s good. I don’t have any idea what your question was?”

Still trying to compete, I persisted:

“Well, am I right that that that kinda inspired your bear front, “stick” defense at USC? And leading on from that point, how similar are the offenses today and your reasoning for the bear fronts today?”

“Urm, that’s what I’m talking about. What’s your name?” Carroll asked.

“Matty Brown,” I responded.

“That’s a heck of a job, lot of creds right there,” Carroll continued. “That’s a heck of a question you asked. No!”

As funny as coach Carroll was, and complimentary too, I felt like I’d blown my big question, getting no detail and looking like the odd new guy, funny British accent and all, in the presser. But then, just as I turned to dejectedly leave, I felt a tap on my shoulder and heard a Dave Pearson “Coach wants to speak with you.”

Immediately, the energy Carroll radiated was startling. You hear about it, you see it on television, but one-on-one he is like a human plasma ball. He shook my hand with a big, friendly grip, placing orb-like, blue eyes on me. The spectacled head coach came off as intensely interested in me and my question, while his grin simultaneously put me at ease. After studying and researching Carroll for so long, it somehow felt like the coach was the one more intrigued and amped-up in our interaction.

After a whole Seahawks practice, fresh off a 5268 mile flight, adjusting to the 9-hour time difference, Carroll’s vibrancy remained potent. While showering me with “Good for you, mans!”, the head coach was kind and compassionate enough to spend what must have been 10 minutes explaining so much, to a curious outsider with a probing question no less.

Carroll detailed the origins of “Stick” defense—1970s Clemson, see—and why they loved running it at USC. It wasn’t a lecture, it was a passionate conversation where Carroll wanted to listen to me and where, in that moment, I was made to feel like a football equal. Hearing me talk, Carroll even disclosed a “don’t tell anyone this” inside detail on the 2022 season and scheme.

Everything was kind of a blur at this point: the richness of the details Carroll shared felt like they lasted for hours even though I was so pumped at the meeting, which simultaneously made it happen so fast. I was left energized.

Carroll spoke today, in his last press conference as Seahawks Head Coach, describing how his culture in Seattle was about “trying to help people find their best.”

However long our discussion truly was, however obscure the funky detail we talked about, it imparted an enduring impression on me. I will always get it: Pete Carroll is a special coach and a special person.

In my first season coordinating the Olympians defense, we registered the least points per game allowed in the conference. More than any of that, Carroll’s emphasis on authenticity, knowing who you are as a person, being true to yourself, and always competing, will forever be guiding principles.

Thank you Pete Carroll for being my inspiration as a coach and a man. I’m excited to see what Carroll does next and know he has a ton to give.