Seahawks’ Carroll makes rare request to have fun at Quandre Diggs’ expense

It’s pretty out of the ordinary for Pete Carroll to make a request during one of the Seahawks head coach’s weekly conversations on Seattle Sports 710 AM. Especially like the one he made Monday morning.

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“Hey, before we get out of here, can you guys pull up the Quandre Diggs pick?” Carroll asked Brock Huard and Mike Salk, referring to the Seahawks Radio Network call by announcer Steve Raible of the safety’s interception in Sunday’s 23-6 win over the New York Jets. “Did Raibs do a good one there?”

If you heard that and know what Carroll said Sunday night about Diggs’ interception return, your interest was probably piqued. That’s because Carroll, tongue in cheek, said this: “A great pick, great return – shameful return – by Quandre coming up the sidelines. But he was having fun.”

Diggs’ “shameful” return, as Carroll dubbed it, featured the three-time Pro Bowl free safety holding the ball up with one hand while racing down the sidelines before he went out of bounds.

Going back @qdiggs6's way! ➡️

📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/HLf55YaJZR

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 1, 2023

Carroll pretty famously preaches that his players protect the ball at all costs, so Diggs’ move stood out as something that maybe the old ball coach wouldn’t be a fan of. He had fun with it, though, after Brock and Salk producer Maura Dooley played the clip of Raible’s call.

Asked Salk: “Do you teach the hand in the air? Is that one of the things you guys teach?”

Responded Carroll (while Huard and Salk both chuckled in the background): “No, I was pretty upset about that and wanted to let him know that, that’s why I wanted you to call it up on the air. Apparently he was watching some Deion (Sanders) this weekend or something… and he saw Deion make a couple of returns like that. So that was his first thought.”

Carroll continued to explain his reaction to Diggs’ return, which was lighthearted even though there clearly was some truth behind it.

“We give guys really a hard time for not taking care of the football, you know, and always being conscious of it and all that. And he’s had some history of being a little bit loose with the ball so we’ve been on him for years,” Carroll said. “So when he did that one, he was like, ‘In your face, Pete.’ And I loved it, man. I thought it was great. He’s gonna get shamed a little bit today from the fellas, but still, it was an awesome play and it was just such a cool moment.”

What made it so cool? Well, not only was it Diggs’ third interception of the season, making him the only NFL player with at least three picks in each of the last six seasons, but it was the 22nd of his career. That last part is notable because it pushed Diggs ahead of his brother, former NFL cornerback Quentin Jammer, who had 22 picks in his 11-year pro career.

After hearing about Carroll’s reaction Sunday to the return, Diggs had fun with his own response.

“Pete will be alright,” Diggs told reporters. “I’m the only one in the league with three-plus interceptions the last six years. He can deal with it.”

The Pete Carroll Show airs live at 9:30 a.m. on Seattle Sports 710 AM the next weekday morning after each Seahawks game. Listen to the full edition from Monday at this link or in the player below.

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