Did Seahawks’ Wilson feed off Carroll, or vice versa? Pete says neither

Dec 8, 2019, 1:57 AM

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll has an upbeat attitude, just like his QB, Russell Wilson. (Getty)

(Getty)

Seattle Sports

Anyone who has heard Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll talk knows he is a glass-half-full kind of guy. He’s seen as an optimistic motivator who gets the most out of his players and is always looking on the bright side.

Carroll: Seahawks are ready for final stretch of 2019, starting with LA Rams

Whatever he’s doing and saying is definitely working this season, as the Seahawks are tied for the best record in the NFL at 10-2 and can clinch a playoff spot with a win or tie on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.

He told 97.3 KIRO FM’s Dori Monson on the weekly Pete Carroll Show Friday that his team is wired the same way as him, which has led to success this season.

“If you get the right bunch of people together with a really positive attitude and they work really hard where they develop the kinds of reasons where you can believe in yourself, then a lot of good things can happen,” he said. “We are definitely leaning that way. We have a lot of belief and we’ve got a lot of positive (attitude) and we have a lot of hard workers, so it’s adding up to a pretty good makeup.”

One player that is clearly wired the same way as Carroll is Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Monson said some other successful quarterback and head coach pairings are between two guys who are very different personality-wise. Those include the New England Patriots with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and the New Orleans Saints with Drew Brees and Sean Payton.

But in Seattle, the Seahawks quarterback and head coach talk in very similar ways. Did Wilson take after the coach? Did Carroll take after his quarterback? Carroll told Monson that neither is true.

“Russell was brought up and mentored by his father who was a very strong figure in his life and very positive and very challenging in his makeup, and as he was growing up to be positive and to trust in your ability and to believe in yourself,” Carroll said. “Russell came to us with a really strong mentality from the very beginning and he hasn’t wavered at all. He hasn’t changed much, and I haven’t changed much.”

Carroll said it’s nice the two have supported each other, making their relationship stronger.

“I really think we’re just kind of similar in the way we see things,” he said

Carroll added that he’d heard from others about how Wilson talks, and was told to give him a shot to back it up.

“Russell was pretty hard to take in a sense because he had so much going for him and had so much outlook and approach and philosophy and things he believed in just like he does now and it was almost too good to be true,” Carroll said. “Somebody said something to me along the way that he’s going to sound like he’s saying stuff that you’re not going to believe he could ever back up, but we were advised to give him a chance because he really believes he can do stuff and he’s likely going to pull it off.”

Luckily for Carroll and the Seahawks, Wilson has backed up his talk.

“From the beginning I listened to him like ‘Maybe there’s something to this, you know?'” Carroll said. “I was hoping and sure enough, he’s been a great champion and an excellent competitor.”

Listen to Carroll talk at this link at roughly the 21:52 mark.