Carroll: Why Seahawks’ Wagner became a ‘true Hall of Famer’
Nov 17, 2023, 11:13 AM
Bobby Wagner of the Seattle Seahawks takes the field prior to the game against the Rams on Sept. 10, 2023. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner will almost certainly make history this weekend during the Seattle Seahawks’ next game.
Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner approaching another milestone
Wagner, 33, is just five tackles away from another 100-tackle campaign, which would be his 12th in a row. That would make Wagner the third player in NFL history to get at least 100 tackles in 12 consecutive seasons.
Wagner will have his chance to do so during the Seattle Seahawks’ next game, which is against the team Wagner spent 2022 with – the Los Angeles Rams.
So why has Wagner been so good and consistent during his career? Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll shared his thoughts with Steve Raible during Friday’s Pete Carroll Preview on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM.
“There’s many parts of that,” Carroll said. “He couldn’t have done this if he wasn’t physically really the right makeup and gifted. He’s the perfect size, weight, speed to play the position. That’s part of it. That’s just the basics of it.”
Wagner’s mentality is a big part of it, too.
“That elevates him above others in his consistency and his commitment to maintaining the continuity to his process that’s so strong and so obviously almost perfect to get this done,” Carroll said.
Carroll compared Wagner to a Hall of Fame baseball player.
“It’s kind of like like Nolan Ryan. He was perfect. He could throw that hard for that many years. He was a perfect candidate for (what he did),” Carroll said. “Bobby is that as well. He’s 242 pounds every day for the last 10 years. And his speed and his athleticism, and then he’s just tough as nails. And he’s just a fantastic all around athlete, too. I mean his throwing and catching and hand-eye (coordination), shooting hoops, playing baseball — he can do anything. And so it takes all of that to be this good for that long. And he’s had extraordinary good fortune and staying healthy, which is all part of it, too.”
Simply put, Carroll views Wagner as one of the greatest players of all time.
“He’s an all-timer for me. A true Hall of Famer,” Carroll said. “He is as much of a shoo-in as anybody could ever be when the time comes. And we’re lucky to have spent all this time together … I’m thrilled that we’ve had a chance to get back together to do this again. It’s worked out exactly as we could have hoped it could work out to this point. We’ve got a lot to do this season and we’ll see if we can get it done, but he will always be one of the all-timers.”
Listen to the full Pete Carroll Preview at this link or in the player near the top of this story.
