Pete Carroll Says Seahawks Are Back, Ready to Contend for Super Bowl Again

Eccentric coach compares feel of 2018 roster to 2012 in Seattle—and that’s a good thing.

Head coach Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks looks on prior to the game against the Los Angeles Rams at CenturyLink Field on December 17, 2017 in Seattle, Washington.  (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Head coach Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks looks on prior to the game against the Los Angeles Rams at CenturyLink Field on December 17, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Getty Images

For the first time since 2011, Seattle didn’t make the playoffs last year.

Under head coach Pete Carroll, the ‘Hawks went 9-7 seven years ago and, after last season’s mediocre finish, some NFL watchers theorized it would be the end of the Super Bowl XLVIII winner’s coaching tenure in Seattle.

That didn’t happen. Carroll is back at the helm for the Seahawks even though the majority of the fabled “Legion of Boom”—including Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett and, Cliff Avril—have left town or retired.

Despite that, Carroll says he gets same vibe from this year’s team that he got from the squad in 2012 when the Legion of Boom was just getting together and were only a year away from making, and winning, the Super Bowl.

Part of that is thanks to new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and, offensive line coach Mike Solari, and part of it is due to the players Carroll has drafted and signed.

“There was a time when our star players weren’t star players yet—they were just coming up, and it was exciting to see that emergence,” Carroll said. “That’s what we’re counting on in the next year, seeing these guys start to come to prominence and make a spot for themselves. I’m not even concerned about it. I just want to see what the timeline is. I hope it happens now. I want to see it happen right away.”

After missing the playoffs last season, Seahawks fans surely hope he’s right.

Win the Ultimate Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix Experience

Want the F1 experience of a lifetime? Here’s your chance to win tickets to see Turn 18 Grandstand, one of Ultimate Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix’s most premier grandstands!