Hawk Talk highlights: Pete Carroll’s contract
Feb 25, 2014, 4:30 PM | Updated: 4:37 pm
By Brady Henderson
Pete Carroll signed a five-year contract to be the Seahawks’ head coach before the 2010 season, which would make 2014 the final year of the deal. It’s hard to imagine Carroll, coming off a Super Bowl victory, entering the season as a so-called lame duck coach, which begs an obvious question that was asked during the latest edition of “Hawk Talk” with Danny O’Neil.
 “I’m sitting in great shape,” Pete Carroll said when asked after the season about his contract situation. (AP) |
The full transcript can be found here. Highlights are below.
Tory asked when the Seahawks will give Carroll an extension.
O’Neil: Great question. But that really is more of a question of how long he intends to coach more than anything else. He’s not going to work anywhere else in the NFL, is he? I mean, really? He has said all along that this is about building something and seeing how far you’re going to take it. And he works for the richest owner in the league? It would not surprise me if he has an extension without it ever being reported or announced or any to-do about it, much like John Schneider a year ago.
John asked why the Seahawks don’t give offensive-line coach Tom Cable and other assistants enough money to deter them from leaving for other jobs, thereby ensuring continuity.
O’Neil: Coaching salaries don’t cost against the cap, but you also don’t want to stop a guy from getting a job elsewhere. The best way to develop a staff is to show your team, your program as a chance for an ambitious coach to further and develop his career. And if you think it’s better to have the same staff stay in place year after year (locked down, so to speak), I ask you whether Mike Holmgren’s coaching staffs were better in Green Bay when he had guys like Andy Reid and Jon Gruden and Mike Sherman on his staff or when he was in Seattle. That’s not because the Seahawks “locked down” their assistant coaches, but because Holmgren’s ambitious and able coaches had moved on.
Gantiz asked if O’Neil anticipates the Seahawks will keep tight end Zach Miller, whose contract has led some to believe he will be released in a cost-saving move.
O’Neil: Until I see otherwise. I don’t want to assume he’s gone. I think there are discussions taking place as to the specifics of his contract, but there’s been no whisper of a take-it-or-leave-it crossroads.
John asked if tight end Anthony McCoy would be worth bringing back next season after missing 2013 with an Achilles injury.
O’Neil: Yes, he most certainly is worth bringing back, and he could be a great No. 3 tight end for the team. He’s a better blocker than Luke Willson. There’s nothing to lead you to believe that Anthony McCoy will become the starter.
John asked for an update on cornerback Tharold Simon, who missed his rookie season with a foot injury.
O’Neil: The word was not necessarily good. He had an issue with his foot last year, and it sounds like he may have a similar issue with his other foot now, according to coach Pete Carroll’s final press conference.
kobe berg asked why O’Neil thinks former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel will be a bust in the NFL.
O’Neil: Two things: I believe he’s going to prove waaaaay more susceptible to turnovers when he improvises as opposed to Russell Wilson, who is able to create outside the scope of the play while still avoiding taking too many chances. The other thing is that I think that Manziel’s headstrong desire to be the focal point is going to impede his ability to respond to coaching and attempts to temper his risk-taking.
