Do Seahawks, Carroll have Week 1 edge against Broncos, Wilson?

The 2022 season will kick off with a bang for the Seahawks as they’ll host former quarterback Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football in Week 1.

Seahawks Schedule: Russell Wilson returns to Seattle in Week 1

Wilson, a 2012 third-round pick of the Seahawks, was with the franchise for 10 seasons before he (along with a draft pick) was traded to the Broncos for five draft picks and three players earlier this offseason.

With the Seahawks appearing to take a step back from being a perennial playoff contender, many expect Wilson and Denver to start the season with a win. But could Seattle actually hold an advantage for the Week 1 contest thanks to head coach Pete Carroll?

Former NFL quarterback Jake Heaps shared his thoughts on the matchup between Wilson and his former team and head coach during Friday’s Jake and Stacy on Seattle Sports 710 AM.

“I’m gonna look at this from a Seahawks perspective in terms of the advantage, and the one thing that you can say definitively is that no one knows Russell Wilson better than Pete Carroll,” Heaps said.

For the first time in Wilson’s decade-plus in the NFL, he will have a head coach other than Carroll. Because of that, Bucky Brooks of NFL Network said after the NFL schedule was released that he thinks Carroll, whose coaching background is on the defensive side of the football, will have plenty of ammo to use against his former quarterback.

“I think Pete Carroll is going to put all of that stuff out there,” Brooks said. “Because Cover-2 gave (Wilson) a problem, they couldn’t throw in rhythm, so we’re going to see all of that stuff. And with a new team, talking about the transition that he has to make in Denver? Oh yeah, I think Pete Carroll is waiting for this.”

Heaps thinks Brooks has a point.

“Bucky Brooks thinks that Pete Carroll is super excited about this opportunity, and from a competitive standpoint, yeah. I mean, you’re looking at Russell Wilson, and Pete Carroll is a defensive-minded head coach who has watched Russell and knows his weak points better than anybody,” Heaps said.

Heaps outlined what Carroll and the Seahawks will likely be trying to get Wilson and the Broncos to do in the passing game come Week 1.

“So if you’re Pete Carroll and this coaching staff, what you’re going to do is you’re going to try to challenge him, and challenge him all game long,” Heaps said. “To really try to make him earn it. Make him earn it in tight window throw situations, make him earn it over the middle of the field, make him earn it having to throw the ball underneath, to drive the ball down the field and just pray that he doesn’t get those opportunities down the field on you. That is the ultimate opportunity that I think Pete Carroll has here, is to show, ‘Hey look, as a defensive coach, I know what we can do to make this really difficult on the Broncos’ offense.'”

Heaps said the Seahawks will need to execute that game plan on defense because Denver has “a really good defense.”

“That will make it challenging on the Seahawks’ offense,” Heaps said. “This could be a low-scoring affair, and if it is, that’s a big win for the Seahawks and Coach Carroll.”

Listen to the full second hour of Friday’s Jake and Stacy at this link or in the player below.

More from Jake & Stacy: Who’s behind Door No. 3 at QB for Hawks?

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