Pete Carroll Is The Midseason Coach Of The Year
Eight games into the season, the NFC West-leading Seahawks have surprised a lot of people this season, even if their confidence level was always high. And as a result, plenty of people responsible for the team's success have been discussed as candidates to win some awards.
Quarterback Geno Smith, the NFC Offensive Player of the Week, is considered a frontrunner for Comeback Player of the Year honors, and is even being mentioned in the MVP discussion, while running back Kenneth Walker and cornerback Tariq Woolen, both NFL Rookie of the Month winners, are strong candidates for Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
There's also a great case to be made for Pete Carroll and John Schneider to earn Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year for the first time. Schneider not only oversaw a phenomenal draft that netted six starters, so far, he also signed Uchenna Nwosu as a free agent, re-signed Geno Smith as a free agent, and made the tough decision to trade Russell Wilson, netting a big haul of draft picks and player. Carroll, meanwhile, showed confidence in Smith that not many outside of the building had, he empowered rookies to take on big roles, and perhaps most importantly, he oversees a culture that brings out the best in people.
And with that in mind, The Ringer's Sheil Kapadia, who spent a couple of year on the Seahawks beat with ESPN, named Carroll his midseason Coach of the Year on the Extra Point Taken podcast.
Kapadia calls himself out for all the things he got wrong about the Seahawks, criticizing decisions to start Smith or to start rookies at both tackle positions, then says, "Well guess what, through eight weeks, the Seahawks are 5-3 and in first place in the NFC West, on Sunday they beat the Giant 27-13, and there were a few moments in this game that really stood out to me.
"Pete Carroll is the coach of the year in the NFL through eight weeks."
Kapadia makes the case for Carroll not just because of Seattle being in first place, but some of the moments he saw in Sunday's win over the Giants, including Carroll's aggressiveness on fourth down on a first-half touchdown drive, as well as a moment that as Kapadia put it, "spoke to culture to me," Tyler Lockett's dropped touchdown, the reaction that followed, then his touchdown catch on Seattle's next drive.
"What do you see on the sideline, you see Carroll, you see Geno Smith, you see veterans, everyone going up to Tyler Lockett," Kapadia said. "Not only that, they call a double move for him against Adoree' Jackson, who's having a great game until then. Lockett smokes him down the right sideline, Geno Smith throws another dime, touchdown Tyler Lockett."
Kapadia also points out Carroll's fourth-quarter penalty for accidentally running into an official while celebrating a play, saying, "You can see it on Pete Carroll's face, he loves coaching this team… You know what team plays with more joy than maybe anyone in the NFL? The Seattle Seahawks."
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Here at Seahawks.com, we hand out some midseason honors.
The Seahawks face the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium for Week 9 of the 2022 season. Take a look back at photos from previous games between the two teams.
Phoenix Cardinals quarterback Gary Hogeboom can't find a receiver due to heavy defensive pressure from Seattle Seahawks (92) David Wyman and (72) Joe Nash during action in their pre-season game, Aug. 12, 1989 in Tempe, Arizona. The Seahawks proved too much for the Cardinals after the game went into overtime and lost 16-10. (AP Photo/Chad Surmick)
Running back Ron Moore (30) of the Phoenix Cardinals is held to a one yard gain as he is tackled by Cortez Kennedy (96) of the Seattle Seahawks during the third quarter of their NFL game in Seattle, Washington, Dec. 19, 1993. Watching the play is Joe Wolf (68) of the Cardinals. Phoenix beat Seattle in overtime, 30-27. (AP Photo/Bill Chan)
Arizona Cardinals' Chris Gedney (84) takes in a pass while in the grasp of Seattle Seahawks' Fred Thomas (22), Sept. 13, 1998 in Seattle. The play went 23 yards but wasn't enough as Seattle won the game 33-14. (AP Photo/Jay Drowns)
Seattle Seahawks' Shawn Springs (24) intercepts a pass from Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jake Plummer in the second quarter Sunday, Nov. 10, 2002, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. Seahawks' Reggie Williams, lower left, and Jeff George, far right, watch as Cardinals' Frank Sanders (81), Jason McAddley, top left, and Steve Bush, right rear, defend. It was the second interception of the half for Plummer. (AP Photo/Rob Schumacher)
Seattle Seahawks' Bobby Engram returns a punt for 48 yards with Arizona Cardinals' Quentin Harris chasing during the second quarter in Seattle Sunday Dec. 26, 2004. The return set up the first Seattle touchdown as it went on to win, 24-21. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Seattle Seahawks' Shaun Alexander dives into the end zone from the one-yard line for a touchdown with Arizona Cardinals' Adrian Wilson defending during the third quarter, in Seattle, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2005. Alexander scored four touchdowns in the 37-12 win over the Cardinals. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner loses control of the ball but regains control as he is sacked by Seattle Seahawks' Darryl Tapp during the fourth quarter of a football game in Seattle, in this Sept. 17, 2006 file photo. One week after Warner was named NFC offensive player of the week in Arizona's season-opening victory over San Francisco, he was blamed, in part, by his coach for the offense's struggles in Sunday's 21-10 loss at Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Arizona Cardinals' Matt Leinart, center, gets a pass off as he is hit by Seattle Seahawks' Patrick Kerney, left, and Darryl Tapp in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007, in Glendale, Ariz. The Cardinals won 23-20. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Cardinals' Ralph Brown (20) knocks the ball away from intended receiver Seattle Seahawks' Koren Robinson in the end zone in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Arizona Cardinals in action against the Seattle Seahawks, November 15, 2009.
Seattle Seahawks' Marshawn Lynch (24) leaves Arizona Cardinals' Greg Toler in the dust on a first-half run in an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010, in Seattle. The Seahawks won 22-10. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Seattle Seahawks' Sidney Rice, left, runs on a 23-yard pass reception as Arizona Cardinals' Kerry Rhodes (25) is kept back by Seahawks' Anthony McCoy, right, and Zach Miller in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011, in Seattle. The Seahawks won 13-10. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Arizona Cardinals' Kevin Kolb (4) gets off a pass as Seattle Seahawks' Jason Jones (90) closes in after getting past Cardinals' Adam Snyder (68) during an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012, in Glendale, Ariz. The Cardinals defeated the Seahawks 20-16. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Seattle Seahawks' Zach Miller, right, makes a catch for a touchdown as Arizona Cardinals' Curtis Taylor (37) is near in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014 in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Seattle Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas (29) intercepts a pass intended for Arizona Cardinals' wide receiver Michael Floyd, right, as Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker K.J. Wright (50) looks on in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Brittan Golden (10) is hit by Seattle Seahawks cornerback DeAndre Elliott (21) and defensive back Neiko Thorpe (27) during the second half of a football game, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Referee Walt Coleman tosses the coin before an NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Seattle Seahawks running back Mike Davis (27) dives in for a touchdown as Arizona Cardinals defensive back Budda Baker (36) defends during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) catches the football in the end zone during an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019, in Seattle. The touchdown was later ruled incomplete. The Cardinals defeated the Seahawks, 27-13. (Ryan Kang via AP)
Seattle Seahawks running back Carlos Hyde (30) rushes against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny heads for the end zone with a 62-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.
