After rare failed season, Pete Carroll says Seattle Seahawks need to retool, not ‘reboot this whole thing’

SEATTLE – Like Seattle Seahawks Football Team ending their worst season in more than a decade, coach Pete Carroll doesn’t believe a “reboot” is possible.

“For no reason at all, I think we have to start over the whole thing and create a new philosophy and a new approach and all that,” he told 710 ESPN. Seattle on Monday. “I don’t think so. I think we already have the essence of the things we need. We have to build on them, we have to better support it, and we have to keep growing and Progress. It’s not about not standing still, but having the foundation to do everything.”

Carroll volunteered that thought when asked a general question on his weekly radio show about the team’s future. A day earlier, he ignored a question about the possibility of rebuilding, saying after the Seahawks dropped to 5-10 with a 25-24 loss of home first. Chicago Bears which he focuses on this week.

That officially knocked them out of the playoffs and locked them in last place in the NFC West. It’s only the third time in 12 seasons under Carroll and general manager John Schneider that the Seahawks haven’t made it to the knockout stages, and according to ESPN Stats & Information, it’s the first time they’ve finished last in the division’s division. themselves since 1996, when they played in the AFC West.

The Seahawks were assured of their first losing season since 2011. Their 10 losses were the most since they lost 5-11 under Jim Mora in 2009. That led to a re-establishment of action. their football with the 2010 hiring of Carroll and Schneider, who overhauled the roster. The most significant changes they’ve undergone since then came in 2018. In what was more of a retooling than a rebuild, they’ve moved from, or lost to injury, several core members. of their Super Bowl defense, which included Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett.

Carroll, who has the final say on staffing, said the Seahawks are “very optimistic” about their talent levels this season. He specifically mentioned their line of attack, saying it was “fine” and there were no problems “at all.” But he said the Seahawks were “resisting it” with the load levels of the rest of the NFC West. They went 2-3 in the division game.

Their two Pro Bowl picks (paddlers Bobby Wagner and safe for free Quandre Diggs) is the least number in the division. Two of their Pro Bowl players from last year were injured, with quarterback Russell Wilson Missing three games with a broken finger can still affect him and strong safety Jamal Adams suffered a season-ending tear earlier this month.

The 49ers have five Pro Bowlers this year, while the Rams and Cardinals have four each.

“We like what we have, but you have to admire what the other teams have and acknowledge the fact that they have some great players there as well,” Carroll said of NFC West.

Carroll was asked if Jody Allen, who has been the de facto owner of the team since her brother died in 2018, signed on to the idea that a reboot is not needed.

“We’ve been on the same page about everything going on since she took over,” Carroll said.

70-year-old Carroll has a contract until the end of the 2025 season while Schneider still has a draft 2027 contract, each of which has signed extensions within the past 14 months.

The Seahawks don’t have a first pick in 2022 because of the Adams trade and own all six picks.

Among the key Seahawks who are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents this season is Diggs, which closes Gerald Everett and three of their five attacking midfielders start in the left-hand corner Duane Brown, Center Ethan Pocic and handle it right Brandon Shell.

Wilson’s future is also in question after he voiced his frustrations last season, which led to commercial negotiations between the Seahawks and the Bears. Wilson, who has a contract until 2023, has said he wants to stay in Seattle. Wagner is contracted through 2022 and will make his eighth consecutive Pro Bowl appearance but has a capped fee of $20.35 million next season.

Wilson’s absence and uneven accuracy since his return are among the reasons why Seattle’s attack ranks 20th per game. Their defense is ranked seventh with the allowed number of points.

Noting the difficulty the Seahawks have had in pinpointing Wilson’s recent struggles, Carroll said he doesn’t believe coordinator Shane Waldron’s system is “the problem,” and noted that money The guard doesn’t feel like he’s still injured.

“But the outcome is a little bit different,” said Carroll, “and to be precise, there can be a couple playing a game, and I think there’s an element to that, some that we have to deal with that we really didn’t like. not having control like we wanted we did.”

Carroll was asked on 710 ESPN Seattle if he was confident about the team’s future.

“Yes, we have to keep building,” he said. “We have to get better and keep bringing in players who can help us make a difference. We have to get healthy again and we’ll see how that plays out. Money position defender with Russ has to deal with what he’s dealt with – something most players can’t handle the way he did – we’ll have to see how he bounces back. He’s going to be a great player again. there.

“So we build on those factors and all the pluses we can make. We have contracts, we have a lot of freelancers. We’ll find out what that means. That followed but there were a lot of questions and things that we had to [get] through and find out. Just not the time. Not the time to fool all of that. But there’s a lot to look at and there’s a lot of positives and a lot of ups and downs. “