Seahawks coach Pete Carroll met with local media at the VMAC Monday for his end of season press conference. Carroll shared injury updates on several players, plus spoke on potential changes to his coaching staff and the team’s roster.
Here are four takeaways from Carroll’s last presser of the season.
1
Geno Smith is 'our guy'
First and foremost, Pete Carroll claims that the Seahawks have their guy at quarterback in Geno Smith and says he’s a huge part of why they are excited about their future.
Pete Carroll on Geno Smith: "We've got our guy."
The coach says of Smith's contract ending: "We've got some business there (to get done), of course…
"He's a big part" of the Seahawks' optimism about their future.
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) January 16, 2023
Smith signed a one-year, prove-it deal last offseason.
While he’s now 32 years old, Smith definitely proved that he’s worth a much bigger deal. Carroll told ESPN radio yesterday that the team has had preliminary discussions with Geno on a new contract.
2
No plans for coaching staff changes
As for his own staff, Carroll seems satisfied with what he has. Carroll told reporters that they’re staying with their guys.
The only coach who’s interviewed elsewhere so far is associate head coach Sean Desai, who spoke with the Browns about their defensive coordinator position.
Pete Carroll, asked about any possible changes to his coaching staff, says they're staying with their guys. But he acknowledged earlier that associate HC/defense Sean Desai is interviewing with the Browns.
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) January 16, 2023
Not to worry, as that position has now been filled by Jim Schwartz.
3
Seahawks sticking with 3-4 defense
As far as the defensive scheme goes, Carroll doesn’t anticipate any changes there, either – telling the media that they will be sticking with Clint Hurtt’s base 3-4 defense in 2023.
Carroll says team will stick with its 3-4 defensive scheme and points to issues with youth this year as the major factor on defense saying "we can't help but get better. We’re just going to get so much better.''
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) January 16, 2023
Year 1 under the 3-4 was pretty far from a success, as the team’s run defense regressed horribly and their pass rush remains near the bottom of the league.
On the bright side, their coverage did improve dramatically – in part thanks to Sean Desai’s influence and the arrival of superstar rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen.
4
Ongoing defensive struggles are 'killing' Carroll
While Carroll is happy with his starting quarterback and his coaching staff and his scheme, he’s definitely not with the state of his defense.
For several years in a row the Seahawks have been on the lower end of the league as far as points allowed per game. Carroll admitted that struggling on this side of the ball for multiple seasons is “killing” him.
Asked about having issues on defense across multiple seasons in a row, Pete says, “it’s killing me.” Then says they have to get more dynamic up front.
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) January 16, 2023
Fielding a quality defense is a complicated business, but what’s become clear is that it’s much easier to put a good one together when you have several future Hall of Famers in the fold, as was the case early in Carroll’s tenure in Seattle. Improving the personnel is the fastest way back to relevance.
