Seahawks Legends Cliff Avril and Red Bryant join Jen Mueller as they share stories about former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. Today's show: adjusting to Pete Carroll’s style (1:28), Pete Carroll’s consistency (2:30), managing all those personalities (4:13), coach Carroll used to get after the defensive line (5:55), Pete Carroll team meetings (8:00), Red hated running the bags (9:38), crazy preseason speech (10:52), LOB had mad respect for the defensive line (15:30) and Pete’s final message (21:08).
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is Seahawks Stories fiftieth season edition presented by Emerald
City Athletics. We're broadcasting from the Seahawks Podcast Studio presented
by Sony, an official partner of the Seattle Seahawks. Our
Stories from the Seahawks fiftieth seasons continues, and we are
going to talk about Pete Carroll. I don't think we
need to set the stage about Pete, but let's just
(00:23):
run through a few of these numbers. Fourteen seasons with
the Seahawks, they reached the postseason ten times, a winning
record in eleven of those seasons. We know, back to
back Super Bowl appearances, and helped to oversee a defense
that led the league in scoring defense for four straight seasons.
That is a first in the Super Bowl era. To
(00:43):
help us with this conversation about coach, how about a
couple of members of that defense, Red Bryant and Cliff Avril. Guys,
you're ready to talk about Pete Carroll. You guys started
smiling before I even got to the end of that introduction.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
It's unreal. I mean, you just talked about all the
stats to winning the the you know, four years straight,
or number one defense, like that's a heck of a resume. Like,
that's two coaches resumes, right, Like two great coaches resumes
right there. So it's I don't know, it excites me
because I got to I got to be a part
of that, I got to experience that because I got
(01:20):
to experience quite a few coaches through my journey, but
experiencing someone like Coach Carroll. Honestly, it took me. It
took me about half of my first season to really
buy into like Coach Carroll and his message.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Now, see that's what I was going to ask because
he was really different and you came in in.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
What you're thirteen first year? Ye okay, yeah, so my
first year, Like it took. It took me a while
to like because I'm used to the NFL. Like again,
you know, I'm with the Lions. Things are a lot different.
Music is blasting when you get here. I'll never forget
the first time I talked to Coach Carroll during free
agency and I'm on the phone with him, He's like, hey, hey, hey, man,
(01:58):
works out to get you. You you ready to make
this thing happen. You know, you're one of the last
pieces we think we can make this running all this
other stuff, and I'm like, this feel like college. It's
like one of the coaches are recruiting you all over again.
You're saying, I'm like, this is the NFL. Like I'm like, sure, coach,
you know what I mean, Like, yeah, I'm excited, but
I'm kind of like because I one of the things
I had realized up until that point is like, everything
(02:20):
is great until you start losing some games. Now now
coaches kind of changed up with who they are, so
I'm like, I need to see how he really reacts
when we lose a game. And he was consistent us
all get out, and I think that's the thing I
appreciate about him the most is he did not waiver, win, lose,
or draw. You're gonna get the same coach on Monday
or Tuesday, and that's special.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
It is special and very unique. Red, what was your
first impression of Pete?
Speaker 3 (02:45):
My first impression of Coach Carroll. I was probably the
same mind frame as a clear physician.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
Is this real?
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Because you got to remember when Coach Carroll came At
that time, I was still wearing glasses and I didn't
know that he he has a philosophy. He watches everything
a person does, so a lot of times, you you know,
like that to me, I'm not watching every little my
new thing you do. But that's an attestament to what
(03:14):
makes him a great coach. He watches Okay, this guy
wears glasses and so lawyer malloy, he's the one that
basically bullied me. You said, how you get bullied? Yeah, lord,
he bullied me. He's like, listen, man, you in the NFL.
(03:36):
Now you need to go get lazy. So he made
me go to Bellevue to get lazy. So I had
got lazy surgery so I didn't have to wear glasses anymore.
And I came in because Kurl was like, wait a minute,
who is this guy? Like what you're talking about? He
was like, where your glasses? Are?
Speaker 4 (03:51):
You switching up?
Speaker 3 (03:52):
But no, I want you to stay exactly how you were.
I just kind of laughed at all. But in hindsight,
when you think about it, that's Coach Carroll. That's how
I'm monock. He looked at little bit things. Did somebody
else probably moses it's like, yeah, he paying attention to it,
you know, well.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
That must be how he was able to manage and
effectively coach so many personalities on that team. I mean,
it doesn't matter which side of the ball. We're talking
about some really big, strong personalities and some of the
greatest Seahawks of all time.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
How did he do it? Man, That's a that's a
special type of person, right. I mean, obviously coach is
extremely smart. He's into the whole psychology aspect of things too.
But to one I think because most coaches want their
players a certain way because that way they know how
to kind of react and know how to communicate with them.
(04:50):
Coach Carroll is more of the mindset of like, let
me let these guys be themselves and I'll learn how
to communicate with them, right And And I think that's
special because again for me, I'm I'm I'm probably the
more quiet one of my guys, right, my d line,
my defense or whatnot. So when I walk into the
(05:11):
locker room, I'm looking at these guys like, how long
is this gonna last? Like this ain't gonna last long,
you know, I'm saying, because everybody's vocal, and you know,
the locker room is a sacred space, so you say
whatever you want to say. But these guys are saying
it on the football field. They saying it in front
of the coaches like so I'm like, how long is it?
And to me, I think again, that's what make Coach
Carrol so special is he understood that he would he
(05:32):
could get even more out of his guys if he
allowed them to be themselves. But long as guys understood
once they crossed those lines, it's about business. But still
be yourself out there, right, still can You can still
have that personality but you but but you have to
have some control in it. And he was really good
at making sure that guys can have that control but
still be themselves and go out there and play for
(05:53):
one another.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
See, a lot of people didn't realize. He used to
always harass us the dealings. O. Man, we couldn't do
nothing right. We couldn't do nothing right. He was like,
I said, Coach Carroll, now you know you ain't gotta
worry about my way. He's like, yeah, I do. Like
why he was like, because you still hadn't got it
down yet. I was like, okay, so we used to
(06:16):
take the elevator instead of walking up the stairs.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
He got he got pissed out for about it.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
He was like why, but why why you guys got
to be difficult. I asked you guys, excuse me, he said,
I asked you guys.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
I didn't want anybody riding the elevator.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
I wanted you to walk up the stairs and were like, Coach,
it makes no sense. But elevated working and like the
D line. We I'm talking about ten tones down.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
We rolled in.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Elevator every day we.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
Cut through the bathroom.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
He's like, well, why you cutting through the bathroom cause
it's quicker to get to the meeting room. Coach, he
was like, you know what that's tell me. You guys
like shot cuts. You guys like talk cults. So we
get we get ticked out. We go to practice, to
practice down. We won't nobody practice.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Got to get into a bra A.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
Lot of people didn't know.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Coach Kurr, he was saying, when it came to us
and then the DBS, they got away with murder.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
We felt like, but the D line, he was.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Like, he was on us, but I think, but I
think the reason why is he understood, like although the
D line might not get the recognition all these different
things and whatnot, he understood what the D line meant
to that defense too. Right, you got to have some
dogs up front, you've got to have some guys that's
kind of got a chip on their shoulder and mad,
and you need those guys to move guys out the way.
(07:37):
You get you get big Red mad, He's gonna move
three four guys out the way, right. So so I
think that's why I feel like that's why he always
was on us, is because uh, he understood he didn't
need to keep make sure those guys up front are
always mad, always angry, and they gonna do their job,
but always mad, always angry, So so the rest of
the defense can do what they need to do.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
In addition to that, Pet had legendary meetings. I have
only heard about a field. What's the one that caught
you off guard or like made you go, hold on
a second, what are we doing? And where am I at?
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Man?
Speaker 4 (08:12):
Go ahead?
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Like coach Kurle, Like one time we get in the
meeting and somehow he feels like we're not connected, so
he makes us all come in and make us see
it like Indian style, you know, like in and the
space could probably wasn't no bigger than this, and he
put the whole team in there, and we're like, coach,
(08:37):
what's going on? He was like, yeah, man, I just
don't feel like we connected. I wanted to make sure
we connected and everybody got got your world in order.
I just in hindsight. Coach kurll Man, he was phenomenal
with that. Like we go in the meeting and we're
talking about everything but football. This was before our first meeting.
(08:58):
Like every morning, we gonna know what's going on in
the world. He gonna he gonna touch on a funny video.
Coach Carlisle gonna get up there and give us a
great story that it's gonna translate to why you feeling,
how you feeling, and why you need to have a
zen mentality and.
Speaker 4 (09:16):
Push through it.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
I just ain't never seen nobody be able to just
poke and pull like that. And the D line, which
I love the D line because a lot of people
just don't know the D line stuck up for each other.
You could have eaten it just you know, lit somebody.
But guys were just you know, they we were just
hanging in there. But we hated running over those bags.
(09:42):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
He's like, what you mean. I'm like, he was like, no,
cod sometimes we get on.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
The side, let us do it.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Right, we're talking before practice.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
That's what Clip was talking about, like him being in
the Nelson Football League. The older you get, the list
likely you are to be doing running over the banks.
But not with Coach Carroll. It's just like your first
day of this. See he gonna hit the bank every
single day, every single day.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
I think. I think with Coach Carroll one of the
meetings that just resonates with me and what be read
talking about. We used to call it the Kumbaya. Was
like coach again, like what are we doing here? But
I'll never forget this is a preseason game. Red You'll
remember this. It's a preseason game. And I'm not gonna
lie to you. As a veteran, I'm nine times out
of ten, I'm not paying attention to what's going on
(10:36):
because I've already kind of locked in. I know what
I need to do, so I don't need to hear
like don't I didn't need to get hyped up, right,
Like I got a family, got kids. Like if that's
not enough motivation, like I got a problem. So most
times I'm not listening to the hype meetings. But Coach
Carroll goes up to the front and he's kind of
doing this thing or whatever, and he talks about he
(10:57):
starts talking about something, but then I see, I see
coach Carroll get on top of they built this like
table up and he gets on top of his table,
and mind you, this man is like sixty eight, sixty
nine years old or something like that, and just like
falls on the table like just like collact like purposely
jumps up and falls on the table. And I forget
(11:17):
exactly what the translation was there, but I'm like, this
old man is crazy. But this is preseason. I'm like,
you gotta say that for the season, like when you
this is. But to me, it showed me like there
was no difference to him in preseason, regular season, postseason.
He's gonna be consistent and he's gonna show you that
every single game mattered. But in that moment, I'm just
I'm staring. I'm like, this man is sixty eight years old.
(11:39):
Like I know that hurt hes gonna throw his whole
hip out, but he was trying to prove his point,
and you just I just I just loved how he
was able to just resonate with everybody on the team.
Some way, somehow he was gonna get your attention with
one of his messages or whatever it may be. And
he just knew how to pull the best out of people.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
One of the things that I tell people about Pete
because they always ask who's the best coach ever worked
with or who Jildlen rose from, and it's obviously Pete.
And I said, you know, all of those things that
he said that sounded like just mantras and throwaway lines, right,
every game is a championship opportunity. Always compete, you know.
We would try to throw him off in press conferences,
(12:17):
like we would try to get him to say something different,
and he never would. It's one thing to say it,
it's another thing to get you guys to do it
and to live it.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
And he lived.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
Because coach Curll has accomplished a lot and he's still
the first in the building. I'm like, it's hard not
to be content, you know, because he's one that ever
live with football. He's played in every big game imaginable.
He's won big games, he lost big game, and he's
(12:48):
still consistent. He's still consistent, and so I'm pretty sure
what may have been a shock rag when he got
hired for the Raiders, but everybody who know Coach Curll,
he's not surprised.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
We are not surprised at all.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
And the fact that he has the energy and he
wants to do it, you know, I tip my hat
to him, I really do, because he could have he
didn't have to come back to coach. And I think
he's still a hall of famer, and if he's not,
he's a hall of fame in my book. And I
just I think he's a good coach, I really do.
(13:25):
And I think he does a great job with requiring
talent and helping guys who might be on the borderline,
but giving a shot. That's all any guy want is
a furl shot, and Coach Curll to give you that,
you know what I mean, Like a lot of people
forget we paid Matt Fleeann to come here from Green
(13:45):
Bay and Russell Winson won the job and he didn't
give him nothing. He went and got it. And that's
what I like about Coach Caroll, every coach. And I
like that you got some guys who probably better than
the guy you won't, But because he ain't the guy
you won't, you don't give him the opportunity and go kill.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
Don't do that. Yeah, if you got the dude you
can play for him.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Man, And to elaborate even more on that, like, I
think what makes them special is is if you just
look at our defense. Big Red mentioned this as well
as like I was one of the higher draft picks
on the d line and I was a late third
round draft pick. Right, but everyone has some sort of
chip on their shoulder, you know what I mean, whether
you talk about Richard Sherman, who's a sixth round draft pick,
(14:28):
Michael Bennet's undrafted, Big Red fourth round, like the list
is long as far as for these guys are supposed
to be just some guys, right, but everybody, like every
one of these guys on this defense is has a
chip on their shoulder, but also wants to win, but
wants to win with one another, Like we had that
true relationship. So for him to be able to to
(14:51):
be able to manage all of that too, right, you
talk about the personalities, the just all these different things
with people from different backgrounds and being able to get
these guys to be selfless when athletes honestly can be
arrogant and be about me all the time. But he
found a way to make sure that we understood the
value of one another and understanding that I'm nothing without
(15:13):
a big Red briand next to me, Big Red is
nothing without a Me Bank next to him, me bang
is nothing without a Mike Bennett or Clint McDonald next.
So like finding that and then on top all these
guys on the back end, you know, Lob and Sherman
are like although all those guys got all the maybe
the publicity and all these different things, like if you
(15:34):
talk to Richard Sherman, he'll let you know about the
D line, like you talk to a camp chenslor like
they'll let you know about the D So the respect
was there, and that's all we ever wanted up front too,
But like to have all of that melting pot, like
all of that that in one on one defense and
for everybody to go out there and play for one
another and play at a high level and not want
(15:56):
to let that person down next to you, Like you
got to be a special coach to be able to
put that together. But then, more so than anything, managed
that exactly. I think that's the biggest thing that's not
all by no means it's not.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
And here's the other thing that Pete was able to manage.
And we've never really dove into this. But you talk
about the wins, you talk about the losses.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Pete.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Carroll's had some big wins, some big losses, so has
this team. What did you learn about resiliency or getting
over a loss? And not necessarily, I'm not talking about
coaching decisions. I'm just talking about what it feels like
when your season ends not the way you want it,
when it was within grasp and whether it was handled
(16:39):
the best that it could or not. What did that
teach you? And how did Pete influence that?
Speaker 2 (16:44):
I think I think it. I mean, like you said,
I think resilience more so than anything, right because and
I still live. I operate my business like this, I
operate life like You're going to have ups and downs
in life, right, and it's all about how you chose
to bounce back from him. And that's the one thing
that I learned from Coach Carroll is whin's in law
(17:06):
wins and losses. He was gonna be himself and he's
gonna he he has a recipe. He understands how this
thing operates. And yes, from time to time you will
have a loss here and there, but you cannot waiver.
And I think That's the biggest thing, right is is
not waivering, is trusting the process and being being in
tune with that process. So I think Coach Carroll has
(17:28):
done a great job over his years of coaching, but
also implementing these these these psychological understandings. I guess uh
to to make sure that you do not waiver no
matter what's going on. And I think that resilience is
a big part of that.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
Do you think he felt the emotions of that moment?
And I only ask because, on one hand, when you
see a leader who was so adept at handling that
process or letting that process play out, I think there
can be an assumption that, oh, they're robot, they didn't
really care, Right, they're running on autopilot. Right, How would
(18:08):
you know? Like you clearly didn't feel as badly after
that loss that season, that game is we did coach
felt it.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
There's no way he doesn't care. If that's the yeah,
I don't think. I don't think you can be great
at something and not be passionate or care about it.
And he's clearly great at coaching, so you care about
your wins and losses. Don't get me wrong, but I
think the system and the mindset is much stronger than
(18:39):
just allowing a loss to throw you off of your game,
you know what I mean. But I think he's truly passionate.
I think he really loves what he does. And somebody
that loves and is passionate about what they do, there's
no way you don't care about the results.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
I may be wrong, but I'm assuming. I think Coach
cur about his legacy in terms of what other may
view him ass And I think, just like with any leader,
sometimes I made a mistake, you know, and that's that's
hard as a leader, and so I think, you know,
(19:17):
he could play it back a million times, could a
shular water, you know. I look at everything as teacher
teachable moments, and that's that's life, you know. Sometimes you
could do everything right and come up short, you know,
and how you respond is really more important than what
actually happened to you. And I think that that's all
(19:42):
anybody could do, you know, when you really break it down.
But I think that might be some of the few
that's pushing Coach to continue to coach, for sure, because
you you.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
Love to win, but you remember the laws just how
it go if.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
You a competitor. But Also, I think sports is like
maybe the only spot where people don't give grace in
this sense of like the losses are where you learn. Yeah, right,
the losses is like no one learns from success. Everyone
learns from their failures and their mistakes.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
Right.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
So that's where he probably got his most growth at.
And that's probably why this man will mess around and
win a Super Bowl in the next five years, you know
what I'm saying. So like it's going to be based
on that experience, see what I mean. So, and I've
learned that through him being my coach, right and understanding that.
So I just think that that experience, those experiences, he
(20:38):
definitely feels it. He also understands he can't allow it
to stop him from moving forward. But if he's putting
in certain positions again, I'm sure he's learned from that
mistake and will do what he feels needs to be doing.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
This NFL season, feel every play, every hit, every moment
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you are in the zone, no distractions, just pure football,
whether you are in your living room or on the go,
You'll never miss a beat with Sony headphones. Pete had
his final press conference in Seattle. He said what he
(21:12):
was most proud of is taking a culture that he
developed in his college days and came here and showed
that if you truly cared for people deeply, if you
love them for who you were, and you tried to
find the extraordinary uniquliness and celebrate them, that that would
end up creating culture that's.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Real, that's real, real and real. That method is not
supposed to work in that, it's.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
Not opposed to it really can because in the NFL
you have to be selfless to understand as a playoff
to get the moved. But when you talk about winning
the championship, you got to be selfless and to get
a man to believe in that that a's not easy.
And Coach Carroll has an uncanny way to get me
(22:00):
to they in that college mentality of working hard, preservation,
preservation and putting we in front of eye and you
go for that way in my opinion.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
No doubt. And again, the NFL is not necessarily structured
to be that way. It's it's because we we know
guys that have gotten paid and been some of the
top paid, some of the top athletes have never been
to the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl, right, So,
so to have that mentality and to show that, hey,
(22:37):
this college system can actually work in the pros where
guys feel like a team, where guys feel are selfless,
where guys will play for one another, showing that that
can work and win championships goes a long way. And
and one thing we all we've always said, and we've
always known about the NFL, it's a copycat league. And
over the years, you've seen that that that that that yeah,
(23:01):
that playbook, You've seen that playbook over the years of
people trying to mimic some of these different ways and
changing up because the NFL was not operating like that
prior to Coach Carol, very militant, very we want things
done this, this, this, and we want you to act this, this,
this that way. Coach Caroll like, man, be yourself, just
turn up when you get out there.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Just be yourself, have fun, you know, and and and
kept it like yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
And that is perhaps the greatest legacy that Pete Carroll
and his time in the NFL and with the Seahawks
has left, that is going to do it. For this
edition of our special podcast series exploring stories from the
Seahawks fifty seasons in existence, Red Bryant play FAVORL. Thank
(23:43):
you friends for joining, Thank you for having me, thank you,
thank you, thank you for joining. We'll see you next time.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
F
This is Seahawks Stories fiftieth season edition presented by Emerald
City Athletics. We're broadcasting from the Seahawks Podcast Studio presented
by Sony, an official partner of the Seattle Seahawks. Our
Stories from the Seahawks fiftieth seasons continues, and we are
going to talk about Pete Carroll. I don't think we
need to set the stage about Pete, but let's just
(00:23):
run through a few of these numbers. Fourteen seasons with
the Seahawks, they reached the postseason ten times, a winning
record in eleven of those seasons. We know, back to
back Super Bowl appearances, and helped to oversee a defense
that led the league in scoring defense for four straight seasons.
That is a first in the Super Bowl era. To
(00:43):
help us with this conversation about coach, how about a
couple of members of that defense, Red Bryant and Cliff Avril. Guys,
you're ready to talk about Pete Carroll. You guys started
smiling before I even got to the end of that introduction.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
It's unreal. I mean, you just talked about all the
stats to winning the the you know, four years straight,
or number one defense, like that's a heck of a resume. Like,
that's two coaches resumes, right, Like two great coaches resumes
right there. So it's I don't know, it excites me
because I got to I got to be a part
of that, I got to experience that because I got
(01:20):
to experience quite a few coaches through my journey, but
experiencing someone like Coach Carroll. Honestly, it took me. It
took me about half of my first season to really
buy into like Coach Carroll and his message.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Now, see that's what I was going to ask because
he was really different and you came in in.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
What you're thirteen first year? Ye okay, yeah, so my
first year, Like it took. It took me a while
to like because I'm used to the NFL. Like again,
you know, I'm with the Lions. Things are a lot different.
Music is blasting when you get here. I'll never forget
the first time I talked to Coach Carroll during free
agency and I'm on the phone with him, He's like, hey, hey, hey, man,
(01:58):
works out to get you. You you ready to make
this thing happen. You know, you're one of the last
pieces we think we can make this running all this
other stuff, and I'm like, this feel like college. It's
like one of the coaches are recruiting you all over again.
You're saying, I'm like, this is the NFL. Like I'm like, sure, coach,
you know what I mean, Like, yeah, I'm excited, but
I'm kind of like because I one of the things
I had realized up until that point is like, everything
(02:20):
is great until you start losing some games. Now now
coaches kind of changed up with who they are, so
I'm like, I need to see how he really reacts
when we lose a game. And he was consistent us
all get out, and I think that's the thing I
appreciate about him the most is he did not waiver, win, lose,
or draw. You're gonna get the same coach on Monday
or Tuesday, and that's special.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
It is special and very unique. Red, what was your
first impression of Pete?
Speaker 3 (02:45):
My first impression of Coach Carroll. I was probably the
same mind frame as a clear physician.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
Is this real?
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Because you got to remember when Coach Carroll came At
that time, I was still wearing glasses and I didn't
know that he he has a philosophy. He watches everything
a person does, so a lot of times, you you know,
like that to me, I'm not watching every little my
new thing you do. But that's an attestament to what
(03:14):
makes him a great coach. He watches Okay, this guy
wears glasses and so lawyer malloy, he's the one that
basically bullied me. You said, how you get bullied? Yeah, lord,
he bullied me. He's like, listen, man, you in the NFL.
(03:36):
Now you need to go get lazy. So he made
me go to Bellevue to get lazy. So I had
got lazy surgery so I didn't have to wear glasses anymore.
And I came in because Kurl was like, wait a minute,
who is this guy? Like what you're talking about? He
was like, where your glasses? Are?
Speaker 4 (03:51):
You switching up?
Speaker 3 (03:52):
But no, I want you to stay exactly how you were.
I just kind of laughed at all. But in hindsight,
when you think about it, that's Coach Carroll. That's how
I'm monock. He looked at little bit things. Did somebody
else probably moses it's like, yeah, he paying attention to it,
you know, well.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
That must be how he was able to manage and
effectively coach so many personalities on that team. I mean,
it doesn't matter which side of the ball. We're talking
about some really big, strong personalities and some of the
greatest Seahawks of all time.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
How did he do it? Man, That's a that's a
special type of person, right. I mean, obviously coach is
extremely smart. He's into the whole psychology aspect of things too.
But to one I think because most coaches want their
players a certain way because that way they know how
to kind of react and know how to communicate with them.
(04:50):
Coach Carroll is more of the mindset of like, let
me let these guys be themselves and I'll learn how
to communicate with them, right And And I think that's
special because again for me, I'm I'm I'm probably the
more quiet one of my guys, right, my d line,
my defense or whatnot. So when I walk into the
(05:11):
locker room, I'm looking at these guys like, how long
is this gonna last? Like this ain't gonna last long,
you know, I'm saying, because everybody's vocal, and you know,
the locker room is a sacred space, so you say
whatever you want to say. But these guys are saying
it on the football field. They saying it in front
of the coaches like so I'm like, how long is it?
And to me, I think again, that's what make Coach
Carrol so special is he understood that he would he
(05:32):
could get even more out of his guys if he
allowed them to be themselves. But long as guys understood
once they crossed those lines, it's about business. But still
be yourself out there, right, still can You can still
have that personality but you but but you have to
have some control in it. And he was really good
at making sure that guys can have that control but
still be themselves and go out there and play for
(05:53):
one another.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
See, a lot of people didn't realize. He used to
always harass us the dealings. O. Man, we couldn't do
nothing right. We couldn't do nothing right. He was like,
I said, Coach Carroll, now you know you ain't gotta
worry about my way. He's like, yeah, I do. Like
why he was like, because you still hadn't got it
down yet. I was like, okay, so we used to
(06:16):
take the elevator instead of walking up the stairs.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
He got he got pissed out for about it.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
He was like why, but why why you guys got
to be difficult. I asked you guys, excuse me, he said,
I asked you guys.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
I didn't want anybody riding the elevator.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
I wanted you to walk up the stairs and were like, Coach,
it makes no sense. But elevated working and like the
D line. We I'm talking about ten tones down.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
We rolled in.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Elevator every day we.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
Cut through the bathroom.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
He's like, well, why you cutting through the bathroom cause
it's quicker to get to the meeting room. Coach, he
was like, you know what that's tell me. You guys
like shot cuts. You guys like talk cults. So we
get we get ticked out. We go to practice, to
practice down. We won't nobody practice.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Got to get into a bra A.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
Lot of people didn't know.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Coach Kurr, he was saying, when it came to us
and then the DBS, they got away with murder.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
We felt like, but the D line, he was.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Like, he was on us, but I think, but I
think the reason why is he understood, like although the
D line might not get the recognition all these different
things and whatnot, he understood what the D line meant
to that defense too. Right, you got to have some
dogs up front, you've got to have some guys that's
kind of got a chip on their shoulder and mad,
and you need those guys to move guys out the way.
(07:37):
You get you get big Red mad, He's gonna move
three four guys out the way, right. So so I
think that's why I feel like that's why he always
was on us, is because uh, he understood he didn't
need to keep make sure those guys up front are
always mad, always angry, and they gonna do their job,
but always mad, always angry, So so the rest of
the defense can do what they need to do.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
In addition to that, Pet had legendary meetings. I have
only heard about a field. What's the one that caught
you off guard or like made you go, hold on
a second, what are we doing? And where am I at?
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Man?
Speaker 4 (08:12):
Go ahead?
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Like coach Kurle, Like one time we get in the
meeting and somehow he feels like we're not connected, so
he makes us all come in and make us see
it like Indian style, you know, like in and the
space could probably wasn't no bigger than this, and he
put the whole team in there, and we're like, coach,
(08:37):
what's going on? He was like, yeah, man, I just
don't feel like we connected. I wanted to make sure
we connected and everybody got got your world in order.
I just in hindsight. Coach kurll Man, he was phenomenal
with that. Like we go in the meeting and we're
talking about everything but football. This was before our first meeting.
(08:58):
Like every morning, we gonna know what's going on in
the world. He gonna he gonna touch on a funny video.
Coach Carlisle gonna get up there and give us a
great story that it's gonna translate to why you feeling,
how you feeling, and why you need to have a
zen mentality and.
Speaker 4 (09:16):
Push through it.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
I just ain't never seen nobody be able to just
poke and pull like that. And the D line, which
I love the D line because a lot of people
just don't know the D line stuck up for each other.
You could have eaten it just you know, lit somebody.
But guys were just you know, they we were just
hanging in there. But we hated running over those bags.
(09:42):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
He's like, what you mean. I'm like, he was like, no,
cod sometimes we get on.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
The side, let us do it.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Right, we're talking before practice.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
That's what Clip was talking about, like him being in
the Nelson Football League. The older you get, the list
likely you are to be doing running over the banks.
But not with Coach Carroll. It's just like your first
day of this. See he gonna hit the bank every
single day, every single day.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
I think. I think with Coach Carroll one of the
meetings that just resonates with me and what be read
talking about. We used to call it the Kumbaya. Was
like coach again, like what are we doing here? But
I'll never forget this is a preseason game. Red You'll
remember this. It's a preseason game. And I'm not gonna
lie to you. As a veteran, I'm nine times out
of ten, I'm not paying attention to what's going on
(10:36):
because I've already kind of locked in. I know what
I need to do, so I don't need to hear
like don't I didn't need to get hyped up, right,
Like I got a family, got kids. Like if that's
not enough motivation, like I got a problem. So most
times I'm not listening to the hype meetings. But Coach
Carroll goes up to the front and he's kind of
doing this thing or whatever, and he talks about he
(10:57):
starts talking about something, but then I see, I see
coach Carroll get on top of they built this like
table up and he gets on top of his table,
and mind you, this man is like sixty eight, sixty
nine years old or something like that, and just like
falls on the table like just like collact like purposely
jumps up and falls on the table. And I forget
(11:17):
exactly what the translation was there, but I'm like, this
old man is crazy. But this is preseason. I'm like,
you gotta say that for the season, like when you
this is. But to me, it showed me like there
was no difference to him in preseason, regular season, postseason.
He's gonna be consistent and he's gonna show you that
every single game mattered. But in that moment, I'm just
I'm staring. I'm like, this man is sixty eight years old.
(11:39):
Like I know that hurt hes gonna throw his whole
hip out, but he was trying to prove his point,
and you just I just I just loved how he
was able to just resonate with everybody on the team.
Some way, somehow he was gonna get your attention with
one of his messages or whatever it may be. And
he just knew how to pull the best out of people.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
One of the things that I tell people about Pete
because they always ask who's the best coach ever worked
with or who Jildlen rose from, and it's obviously Pete.
And I said, you know, all of those things that
he said that sounded like just mantras and throwaway lines, right,
every game is a championship opportunity. Always compete, you know.
We would try to throw him off in press conferences,
(12:17):
like we would try to get him to say something different,
and he never would. It's one thing to say it,
it's another thing to get you guys to do it
and to live it.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
And he lived.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
Because coach Curll has accomplished a lot and he's still
the first in the building. I'm like, it's hard not
to be content, you know, because he's one that ever
live with football. He's played in every big game imaginable.
He's won big games, he lost big game, and he's
(12:48):
still consistent. He's still consistent, and so I'm pretty sure
what may have been a shock rag when he got
hired for the Raiders, but everybody who know Coach Curll,
he's not surprised.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
We are not surprised at all.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
And the fact that he has the energy and he
wants to do it, you know, I tip my hat
to him, I really do, because he could have he
didn't have to come back to coach. And I think
he's still a hall of famer, and if he's not,
he's a hall of fame in my book. And I
just I think he's a good coach, I really do.
(13:25):
And I think he does a great job with requiring
talent and helping guys who might be on the borderline,
but giving a shot. That's all any guy want is
a furl shot, and Coach Curll to give you that,
you know what I mean, Like a lot of people
forget we paid Matt Fleeann to come here from Green
(13:45):
Bay and Russell Winson won the job and he didn't
give him nothing. He went and got it. And that's
what I like about Coach Caroll, every coach. And I
like that you got some guys who probably better than
the guy you won't, But because he ain't the guy
you won't, you don't give him the opportunity and go kill.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
Don't do that. Yeah, if you got the dude you
can play for him.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Man, And to elaborate even more on that, like, I
think what makes them special is is if you just
look at our defense. Big Red mentioned this as well
as like I was one of the higher draft picks
on the d line and I was a late third
round draft pick. Right, but everyone has some sort of
chip on their shoulder, you know what I mean, whether
you talk about Richard Sherman, who's a sixth round draft pick,
(14:28):
Michael Bennet's undrafted, Big Red fourth round, like the list
is long as far as for these guys are supposed
to be just some guys, right, but everybody, like every
one of these guys on this defense is has a
chip on their shoulder, but also wants to win, but
wants to win with one another, Like we had that
true relationship. So for him to be able to to
(14:51):
be able to manage all of that too, right, you
talk about the personalities, the just all these different things
with people from different backgrounds and being able to get
these guys to be selfless when athletes honestly can be
arrogant and be about me all the time. But he
found a way to make sure that we understood the
value of one another and understanding that I'm nothing without
(15:13):
a big Red briand next to me, Big Red is
nothing without a Me Bank next to him, me bang
is nothing without a Mike Bennett or Clint McDonald next.
So like finding that and then on top all these
guys on the back end, you know, Lob and Sherman
are like although all those guys got all the maybe
the publicity and all these different things, like if you
(15:34):
talk to Richard Sherman, he'll let you know about the
D line, like you talk to a camp chenslor like
they'll let you know about the D So the respect
was there, and that's all we ever wanted up front too,
But like to have all of that melting pot, like
all of that that in one on one defense and
for everybody to go out there and play for one
another and play at a high level and not want
(15:56):
to let that person down next to you, Like you
got to be a special coach to be able to
put that together. But then, more so than anything, managed
that exactly. I think that's the biggest thing that's not
all by no means it's not.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
And here's the other thing that Pete was able to manage.
And we've never really dove into this. But you talk
about the wins, you talk about the losses.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Pete.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Carroll's had some big wins, some big losses, so has
this team. What did you learn about resiliency or getting
over a loss? And not necessarily, I'm not talking about
coaching decisions. I'm just talking about what it feels like
when your season ends not the way you want it,
when it was within grasp and whether it was handled
(16:39):
the best that it could or not. What did that
teach you? And how did Pete influence that?
Speaker 2 (16:44):
I think I think it. I mean, like you said,
I think resilience more so than anything, right because and
I still live. I operate my business like this, I
operate life like You're going to have ups and downs
in life, right, and it's all about how you chose
to bounce back from him. And that's the one thing
that I learned from Coach Carroll is whin's in law
(17:06):
wins and losses. He was gonna be himself and he's
gonna he he has a recipe. He understands how this
thing operates. And yes, from time to time you will
have a loss here and there, but you cannot waiver.
And I think That's the biggest thing, right is is
not waivering, is trusting the process and being being in
tune with that process. So I think Coach Carroll has
(17:28):
done a great job over his years of coaching, but
also implementing these these these psychological understandings. I guess uh
to to make sure that you do not waiver no
matter what's going on. And I think that resilience is
a big part of that.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
Do you think he felt the emotions of that moment?
And I only ask because, on one hand, when you
see a leader who was so adept at handling that
process or letting that process play out, I think there
can be an assumption that, oh, they're robot, they didn't
really care, Right, they're running on autopilot. Right, How would
(18:08):
you know? Like you clearly didn't feel as badly after
that loss that season, that game is we did coach
felt it.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
There's no way he doesn't care. If that's the yeah,
I don't think. I don't think you can be great
at something and not be passionate or care about it.
And he's clearly great at coaching, so you care about
your wins and losses. Don't get me wrong, but I
think the system and the mindset is much stronger than
(18:39):
just allowing a loss to throw you off of your game,
you know what I mean. But I think he's truly passionate.
I think he really loves what he does. And somebody
that loves and is passionate about what they do, there's
no way you don't care about the results.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
I may be wrong, but I'm assuming. I think Coach
cur about his legacy in terms of what other may
view him ass And I think, just like with any leader,
sometimes I made a mistake, you know, and that's that's
hard as a leader, and so I think, you know,
(19:17):
he could play it back a million times, could a
shular water, you know. I look at everything as teacher
teachable moments, and that's that's life, you know. Sometimes you
could do everything right and come up short, you know,
and how you respond is really more important than what
actually happened to you. And I think that that's all
(19:42):
anybody could do, you know, when you really break it down.
But I think that might be some of the few
that's pushing Coach to continue to coach, for sure, because
you you.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
Love to win, but you remember the laws just how
it go if.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
You a competitor. But Also, I think sports is like
maybe the only spot where people don't give grace in
this sense of like the losses are where you learn. Yeah, right,
the losses is like no one learns from success. Everyone
learns from their failures and their mistakes.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
Right.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
So that's where he probably got his most growth at.
And that's probably why this man will mess around and
win a Super Bowl in the next five years, you know
what I'm saying. So like it's going to be based
on that experience, see what I mean. So, and I've
learned that through him being my coach, right and understanding that.
So I just think that that experience, those experiences, he
(20:38):
definitely feels it. He also understands he can't allow it
to stop him from moving forward. But if he's putting
in certain positions again, I'm sure he's learned from that
mistake and will do what he feels needs to be doing.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
This NFL season, feel every play, every hit, every moment
with the Sony one thousand, X and five noise canceling headphones,
the official headphones of the Seattle Seahawks with Premium no cancelation,
you are in the zone, no distractions, just pure football,
whether you are in your living room or on the go,
You'll never miss a beat with Sony headphones. Pete had
his final press conference in Seattle. He said what he
(21:12):
was most proud of is taking a culture that he
developed in his college days and came here and showed
that if you truly cared for people deeply, if you
love them for who you were, and you tried to
find the extraordinary uniquliness and celebrate them, that that would
end up creating culture that's.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Real, that's real, real and real. That method is not
supposed to work in that, it's.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
Not opposed to it really can because in the NFL
you have to be selfless to understand as a playoff
to get the moved. But when you talk about winning
the championship, you got to be selfless and to get
a man to believe in that that a's not easy.
And Coach Carroll has an uncanny way to get me
(22:00):
to they in that college mentality of working hard, preservation,
preservation and putting we in front of eye and you
go for that way in my opinion.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
No doubt. And again, the NFL is not necessarily structured
to be that way. It's it's because we we know
guys that have gotten paid and been some of the
top paid, some of the top athletes have never been
to the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl, right, So,
so to have that mentality and to show that, hey,
(22:37):
this college system can actually work in the pros where
guys feel like a team, where guys feel are selfless,
where guys will play for one another, showing that that
can work and win championships goes a long way. And
and one thing we all we've always said, and we've
always known about the NFL, it's a copycat league. And
over the years, you've seen that that that that that yeah,
(23:01):
that playbook, You've seen that playbook over the years of
people trying to mimic some of these different ways and
changing up because the NFL was not operating like that
prior to Coach Carol, very militant, very we want things
done this, this, this, and we want you to act this, this,
this that way. Coach Caroll like, man, be yourself, just
turn up when you get out there.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Just be yourself, have fun, you know, and and and
kept it like yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
And that is perhaps the greatest legacy that Pete Carroll
and his time in the NFL and with the Seahawks
has left, that is going to do it. For this
edition of our special podcast series exploring stories from the
Seahawks fifty seasons in existence, Red Bryant play FAVORL. Thank
(23:43):
you friends for joining, Thank you for having me, thank you,
thank you, thank you for joining. We'll see you next time.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
F
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