Pete's Post Game Comments

[RiverDog]

I had a hard time believing that this article was from yesterday, not a year ago, and I had to double check the date. I've edited out a lot of the comments so feel free to check out the entire article if you think that I'm missing some sort of context. Here's what Pete said following last night's ass kicking:

Fast forwarding to the first meeting between the Seahawks and 49ers this season on Thanksgiving night, even on the heels of a disappointing road loss to the Rams last Sunday, Carroll earnestly believes his team stacks up better against their rival than they did when they were swept a year ago.

“I like where we are and what we’ve done coverage wise and system wise," Carroll said on Monday. "This team really does check you out and they’ll check out your scheme. We give them (Niners) a lot of credit and have a lot of respect for them. But I feel like we’re much farther along than we were (last season).”

“We're much cleaner coverage wise and were much more consistent at the line of scrimmage than we were in our fits and all of that," Carroll remarked. "We’ve cleaned it up and very demanding of how precise we need to be in it, and it’s worked out. We’ve had pretty good results.”

"It’s just a really difficult team to deal with, but teams have figured it out. They have found them out. They were able to get them. We understand that; they’ve got three losses and we’ve got four losses. This is a huge opportunity for us.”

https://www.si.com/nfl/seahawks/news/se ... isco-49ers

He thinks that we're "much further along", that we've "closed the gap" , and that we've had "pretty good results"? Did he watch the same game that I did? I used to half-jokingly say that Pete could paint a smiley face on the worst of situations, but these comments really take the cake. Does he truly believe them himself or is he just trying to motivate his team at a time that they must be feeling pretty down?

[Spohawk5092]

Hawks need a new Coach. I like Pete but he has peaked.

[RiverDog]

Note: It just occurred to me that these comments were not post-game, so they make a lot more sense, or rather don't seem as nonsensical. Nevertheless, they look pretty laughable based on what we saw last night. Pete's delusional, and his pre-game thoughts explains the Leonard Williams trade.

[c_hawkbob]

As long as the thread title is what it is we might as well post what he did say after the game:

It was a big opportunity tonight playing a really good team, good setting, good opportunity for us to be at home. The first half of this game we couldn't get out of our way enough to make them go long fields and they keep the football, and so they got off to a great start. Really good drive to open up; they go 45 with the next drive; then they scored, and 50 something with the next one. So the field was too short to hold these guys down the way we needed to. We got nothing done on offense in the first half, and so it really was halftime, here we go. What are we going to do about it. Our guys jumped back and got going in the game, moved the football better, we get off the field a few times, we get the turnover. There is a moment in there, there is a time that 14 points down where one more score and it's going to feel a whole lot different, and we weren't able to get that closed off. So they get a good win and away they go. This is a really difficult team to play when you give them stuff and give them the field position opportunities and we don't make our first downs. Hard for everybody I guess tonight, so we saw what that was like. It's a tough stretch coming up for up, as challenging as it can get, and we got to clean it up. We cannot give our opponents the opportunity to have short fields and expect to get the kind of results we want. So as always, the ball determines so much of it. The turnovers determine so much of it. It's like the one for us almost did for us, too. Kind of turns the whole feeling of the game around. So we go back to work. Got to get our stuff done. We got a really challenging game coming up next week, and we don't have any time but to get back to work and do stuff right, coaches, players, everybody, all of us do. Starts with me.

Q. How concerning is it with the opportunity this was that the started the way it did?

PETE CARROLL: Yeah, they put together a great drive, right down the field, couldn't do anything with it. We get nothing out of the first drive and Geno gets tripped in the second drive and gives us a long situation, and it just went their way early on. Yeah, it was concerning. It was really hard is what it was.

Q. How affected, if at all, was Geno by the arm injury?

PETE CARROLL: Had nothing to do with it. I think he was fine.

Q. How big was the play when Jaxon got held in the end zone? That was what you're talking, right?

PETE CARROLL: Yeah, you know, I didn't see it. The guys that advised me, they saw the TV copy, and said it was pretty obvious. I didn't see that so I can't tell you right now. That's a huge situation for us. We're tying to get right back in it and we felt it, everybody in the stadium could feel it, they were ready for us to turn the game around. We were there for the opportunity; just missed our shot there.

Q. What did your defense show in the second half?

PETE CARROLL: The game turned and, I don't know, looks like we outscored them in the second half. Something we'll hang our hat on and go back to work. I was thrilled that our guys turned that game back around where it felt like we were going to come back and get it done. We

had that sense at halftime, that we could, and so it was good to see that happen -- almost. It almost got there.

Q. What led to Michael Jackson taking over?

PETE CARROLL: Riq wasn't back all the way. He didn't tackle well with the shoulder and went into the game wanting to see if he could hold up and didn't feel like he was ready. Mike was 100% ready to go and we think Mike is a terrific football player, and no problem putting him on the field.

Q. Second stretch I think in the season where you got six quarters without an offensive touchdown. Where can you make changes or can there be changes that you can make to spark things here?

PETE CARROLL: We have to find our consistency. We're just not moving the ball steadily and have to find a way to do that. It's mixing the stuff we have and using the guys we have better than we have so far. So I'm saying Geno is fine. Maybe he wasn't fine. He won't tell you. You'll see him. He won't tell you it had anything to do with his night tonight. He did a good job just to get back out. That's for darn sure. We need to help him be effective. That's what this is, that is by running the football and catching the football and making our plays and converting on third downs. We have to help them in every way we can.

Q. The last couple times you have gone up against what people consider elite teams, 49ers, Baltimore.

PETE CARROLL: Yes, both those games were, I agree.

Q. What were you thinking...

PETE CARROLL: We got plenty of chances coming up. This is playoff time every week. We got plenty of chances with the teams we'll play in the next month that will show us where we are and where we fit with all that.

Q. How far, as you stand here, do you feel behind the 49ers?

PETE CARROLL: What?

Q. You spent this offseason and preseason...

PETE CARROLL: They played a really good first half and jumped on us. I can't make that determination at this time.


Q. What did you get out of your run game tonight without Ken Walker?

PETE CARROLL: I thought Zach ran hard as hell. He got after it and did a nice job when we gave him a chance, and didn't get much going in the first half. But he showed you. He can make guys miss. He's tough. He can finish his runs. He's a good football player. But yeah, we miss

Ken. Ken is a totally different style player than Zach, and I've told you a ton of times I love having that changeup; we didn't have that tonight.

Q. Talked earlier this week about the improvement at the line of scrimmage. What did you see against the run in this game, especially with McCaffrey breaking tackles?

PETE CARROLL: I need to see the film and see what happened on this. He ran well tonight. It felt like there was times when we were really solid and there was times when we got slashed pretty good. So we worked our front -- we were trying to play the running game and didn't play it well enough.

Q. What did you see on the interception that Geno had on the comeback on the sideline? Anything you thought of?

PETE CARROLL: Guy made a really good play, settled on it, and jumped it. He had to really jump it to make that play, which he did.

Q. On Dee Eskridge

PETE CARROLL: Yeah, it was great. I thought he was gone, and I thought he was in the end zone right there. That was a huge play for us in the game and loved seeing that contribute, but it's nice to see him have a factor. The other play that was amazing play was what we saw Jaxon do tonight. That was an incredible play. Wish which would've finished that drive, the one where the PI happened. Just would've been a bigger factor in the game. Amazing play.

Q. How is a Jason Peters?

PETE CARROLL: He (had a stinger) and couldn't quite get the power back in it so Stone finished up.

Q. Regarding Jordyn Brooks, what does is that say about your defense, the resiliency and the opportunity that he took?

PETE CARROLL: Yeah, thrilled to see him make a play like that. I think that might be his first pick; is that right? Yeah, and to put it in the end zone in this setting, that was a great play. He was balling tonight. He was busting his ass and running all over the place trying to make his hits. Nice to see him get that play and convert it.

Q. Were there any other injuries of note?

PETE CARROLL: We're good, right. No, in good shape.

[NorthHawk]

In my opinion, a lot of unwarranted optimism. But I guess a HC has to be that way to get buy in from players.

[Uppercut]

High end players like DK will start moaning about no progress on this team. Thats when the collapse comes, At this point I am hoping for a 9-8 season.

[Aseahawkfan]

I been a Pete guy for years. To me coaches have a shelf life and Pete's at his. The fire and detachment he had when first arriving and assessing the roster is gone. Now he's become set in his ways much like Holmgren and this is a league where becoming set in your ways may keep you at a certain level of illusory competition, but you won't be a real contender again. This league requires a certain fire and detachment when roster building that head coaches lose as they spend a lot of time with a team. They get attached to their guys and their methods. Opponents develop strategies to defeat those methods. You lose any advantage you had like when Pete first introduced the highly physical style of DB play he brought in his early years building the legion of Boom.

Now there is talk of firing the Offensive Coordinator again, so the next guy can come in and Pete can clamp down on that O-coordinator like he does every single guy he has ever had as O-coordinator. The league has figured out Pete's offense. Pete's defense. And just about all of it.

I guess we'll see how it goes as we have no control over it. I think Pete's at his shelf life myself. But maybe he'll surprise us in year 10.

If Pete wants to revive the Carroll Era, he really needs a top flight QB at this point. Seems that is the only thing that will turn things around for Pete.

[RiverDog]

I been a Pete guy for years. To me coaches have a shelf life and Pete's at his.

Agreed about the shelf life for head coaches. It's quite likely that Pete's a couple years past his expiration date. The same can be said about Belichick.

Now there is talk of firing the Offensive Coordinator again, so the next guy can come in and Pete can clamp down on that O-coordinator like he does every single guy he has ever had as O-coordinator. The league has figured out Pete's offense. Pete's defense. And just about all of it.

If Pete fires another OC or DC, I'm completely done with him. He's thrown enough coordinators into the volcano in order to appease the football gods. At some point, someone has to hold the guy in charge accountable.

I guess we'll see how it goes as we have no control over it. I think Pete's at his shelf life myself. But maybe he'll surprise us in year 10.

If Pete wants to revive the Carroll Era, he really needs a top flight QB at this point. Seems that is the only thing that will turn things around for Pete.

If Pete wants to revive the Carroll Era, he needs to regain his lost eye for defensive talent. He's not finding guys like Sherman and Kam in the later rounds like he used to, or picking up guys like Clemmons, Bennett, and Avril. Sure, Witherspoon is a sensational talent, but he was a #5 overall.

[Aseahawkfan]

Riq and Spoon look like cornerstone pieces, but Riq is definitely having growing pains.

The Legion of Boom also started to fall apart when the front seven could no longer handle the run and they had to support the run. Pete's defense don't work too well if the front seven can't let the DBs handle mostly passing with maybe the SS in run and TE support like Kam did. Our DBs are being forced into pass rush and run support duty because our D-line and LBs aren't as good as they used to be.

[RiverDog]

Riq and Spoon look like cornerstone pieces, but Riq is definitely having growing pains.

The Legion of Boom also started to fall apart when the front seven could no longer handle the run and they had to support the run. Pete's defense don't work too well if the front seven can't let the DBs handle mostly passing with maybe the SS in run and TE support like Kam did. Our DBs are being forced into pass rush and run support duty because our D-line and LBs aren't as good as they used to be.

Yeah, Pete tried to gloss over the fact that they had to bench Woolen due to his sloppy tackling technique that they've been trying to break him of, blaming it instead on a lingering injury, but he's starting to show himself as a Deion Sanders-type, a very good cover corner that can't tackle worth a damn.

He reminds me a bit of Kelly Jennings.