Pete Carroll Admits Mistake With Seahawks' Recent Defensive Approach

It wasn't too long ago that the Seattle Seahawks featured one of the most feared defensive units in the NFL. That certainly wasn't the case this past season, though. Head coach Pete Carroll has acknowledged that a mistake was made and remains adamant that changes are coming in the offseason.

Pete Carroll says Seahawks have been arrogant on defense, can't be arrogant anymore. https://t.co/Z4jIuCjdEJ
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 5, 2022

Seahawks News

The Seahawks gave up a whopping 379.1 yards per game (No. 28 in NFL) and only generated 34.0 sacks in 2021 (T-No. 22 in NFL). Carroll explained how the team has been using the same Cover Three scheme for years due to the fact that it has kept on working. Time has simply run out on that idea.

“We’ve been a little bit arrogant over the years the way we play defense because we’ve been able to do it. Just go ahead and play what we want to play. It’s not that time right now. It’s time to keep moving and keep growing."
- Pete Carroll on Seattle's Defense

Constant change both in roster personnel and in coaching hires has taken a toll on the Seahawks' ability to stay successful using the same tactics. The team doesn't have the overall talent to overcome coaching mistakes any longer and is being forced to head in a new direction.

As a result, the team promoted Clint Hurtt to defensive coordinator this offseason in hopes that he can get the defense back on track. Hurtt has already started pushing an aggressive approach and wants to attack opposing offenses at every opportunity.

The 2022 NFL season could very well be a make or break year for Seattle. The NFC West division is growing stronger and the Seahawks cannot afford to finish in last place again. For now, Carroll has to avoid putting the idea of a rebuild into the front office's head or else he could be out of a job soon.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.