Pete Carroll has always loved talking about the coaches who influenced his career. From Minnesota legend Bud Grant, who Carroll describes as “an extraordinary person with incredible insight and understanding of people, and sports, and the world, and everything," to 49ers Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh, to Monte Kiffin, who helped shape Carroll's philosophies on defense when Carroll was a graduate assistant at Arkansas in 1977.
"Monte Kiffin back in the day at Arkansas was the first time I was introduced to how we play defense," Carroll said last summer. "We're an offshoot of what we did then, if you can imagine that, we've been with the same principles that underlie everything that we're doing."
But as eager as Carroll is to give credit to the coaches who helped shape his career, a quick look around today's NFL shows that the Seahawks coach has himself become a big influencer in the coaching world.
Most notably, Dan Quinn, a defensive line coach and later defensive coordinator under Carroll, led the Falcons to the Super Bowl in his second year as Atlanta's head coach. And this offseason, the Falcons promoted Marquand Manuel to defensive coordinator. Manuel, a longtime NFL player whose career included a stop in Seattle, began his coaching career under Carroll in 2012 and spent three seasons in Seattle before following Quinn to Atlanta. The Falcons also turned to a former Carroll assistant when looking for an offensive coordinator, hiring Steve Sarkisian, a longtime Carroll assistant at USC and later a head coach there and at the University Washington.
The San Francisco 49ers also went with a former Carroll assistant when hiring a defensive coordinator this offseason, naming Robert Saleh to that position. Saleh spent three seasons under Carroll as a defensive quality control coach from 2011 to 2013, then joined Gus Bradley in Jacksonville after the former Seahawks defensive coordinator became the head coach in Jacksonville.
With Bradley now serving as the defensive coordinator in San Diego, and with Ken Norton Jr., who worked under Carroll at USC and in Seattle, entering his third season as Oakland's defensive coordinator, four NFL defenses, outside of Seattle's, will be led by former Carroll assistants in 2017, and new 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said last week that his team will run a defensive scheme similar to Seattle's.
"Playing Seattle over the years and knowing how hard that system is to go against," Shanahan said on San Francisco’s KNBR. "It's not necessarily how hard it is, it's how sound it is. They make you work for everything. It's always an eight man front. It's very tough to run the ball against. And they're very sound in their coverages. You can get some completions and things like that, but they make you work all the way down the field.
Carroll has long maintained that losing top assistants to promotions with other teams is not just the cost of success, but rather "a very positive thing," and current Seahawks assistants Kris Richard, Darrell Bevell and Tom Cable have all interviewed for head coaching jobs in recent years.
"Honestly to me, it's a very positive thing," Carroll said last month when asked about assistants moving on to new jobs. "When guys come to this program and we first talk about coming, I'll tell them I'll do everything I can to help them get wherever they want to go and do whatever they want to do with their careers. I mean that. When the opportunity comes up and our guys are getting some looks and stuff, I'm the first one cheerleading for them and working with them, in every way that I can. Whether it's getting ready for interviews, getting ready for staff stuff, whatever they want. I'm not trying to tell them what to do, I'm just there available to help them because I want them to do well."
Plenty of them are doing well, in no small part because of what they learned from Carroll. As Quinn noted last season, he never set out to build “Seattle East” in Atlanta, but there were still plenty of similarities between the way the two teams operated: "Of course I learned fantastic lessons from my time with Pete and (general manager John Schneider), and the players there for sure. But one of the best pieces of advice was, 'Hey, Q, do it your own way and let it rip.' That came from Pete, and I've tried to really stay true to that. There are definitely things that had a huge impact that we could go on for days about my time there, from coaching to players to management, but honestly all those experiences helped me create the vision of what I hoped to create here in Atlanta. That's what I was hoping to create."
The best photos from team photographer Rod Mar's behind-the-scenes 'Eye on the Hawks' photo blog from the Seattle Seahawks' 2016 NFL season.
At 12:15, the defensive backs, led by Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman, left the locker room an headed to the field, passing a large 12 flag signed by fans.
The Seahawks players and coaches linked arms in a pregame display of unity during the playing of the national anthem. From left are defensive coordinator Kris Richard, cornerback Richard Sherman, head coach Pete Carroll and defensive backs coach Andre Curtis.
Now in uniform, quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Trevone Boykin prepare to take the field for pregame warmups.
Quarterback Russell Wilson surveys the field looking for an open receiver.
Head coach Pete Carroll walks on the grass of the Coliseum, site of many of his memorable victories as coach of the U.S.C. Trojans. In the background (from left) are assistant line coach Pat Ruel, receivers coach Dave Canales, special teams assistant Chad Morton and assistant strength coach Jamie Yanchar. All were with Carroll at U.S.C. as coaches, except for Morton who played for Carroll from 1996-1999.
It's less than ten minutes from kickoff and the Seahawks fill the hallway of the locker room, ready to take on the Rams.
Quarterback Russell Wilson emerges from smoke and fog as he prepares to be introduced during pregame.
Wide receiver Tyler Lockett stops to sign a young fan's jersey after walk-thru on Saturday.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll smiles after a Christine Michael touchdown in the fourth quarter extended Seattle's lead to 24-10.
Frank Clark sweats during a pregame workout as he and trainers assessed his fitness to play after suffering a hamstring injury earlier in the week.
Quarterback Russell Wilson throws a pass during the offensive unit's brief walk thru in a hotel ballroom.
Offensive tackle Garry Gilliam methodically tapes his fingers before taking the field.
An hour before kickoff, the Seahawks defensive backs including DeAndre Elliott, Jeremy Lane and Kam Chancellor and receivers coach Dave Canales prepared to take the field for pregame warmups.
After the game, quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Carson Went greeted each other at midfield.
Once on the plane for the trip to Seattle, linemen Mark Glowinski and Germain Ifedi were already reviewing game video with line coach Tom Cable.
Seahawks including Kelcie McCray (left), Russell Wilson and others salute receiver Tyler Lockett who finished off his 75-yard touchdown with a basketball celebration in the end zone.
Just before 10am, safety Earl Thomas arrives for work in a pink overcoat as the Seahawks honored Breast Cancer Awareness month during the game by wearing pink accessories with their uniforms.
Seahawks head coach speaks with Atlanta head coach and former Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn after the hard-fought contest.
Kevin Pierre-Louis sports a holiday sweater featuring the "Crying Jordan" meme as he heads to the bus for the trip to Green Bay in Week 14.
Seahawks players cast long shadows in the late October sun as they walk to the airplane for the flight back to Seattle.
Head coach Pete Carroll address the team in the quiet locker room after the game.
Bobby Wagner gets ready to run out of the tunnel during introductions.
Michael Bennett leads a cheer as the team celebrates in the locker room after the game.
The defensive backs get pumped in their pregame circle.
A member of the military helps hold the American flag aloft during the playing of the national anthem prior to kickoff.
Seattle receiver Tyler Lockett signals to the crowd as he is helped to a cart to be taken off the field after injuring his leg in the second quarter.
Receiver Doug Baldwin kneels and prays in the end zone after his touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Waiting at midfield was a table with memorabilia from their relationship and a marriage proposal from Brock. She said yes, as friends and family watched from afar.
As light snow falls, Jeron Johnson uses his camera phone to record himself, Kam Chancellor and Mike Morgan as they prepare to board the Delta charter.
The weather was much milder upon landing in San Jose as Michael Bennett descends the stairs from the aircraft.
Back in the locker room Jarran Reed gets ready in the final moments before the team left the locker room for kickoff.
Defensive end Frank Clark corrals the loose ball.
At game's end head coaches Chip Kelly and Pete Carroll met at midfield.
Free safety Earl Thomas returned to CenturyLink Field for the first time since injuring his leg, and he joined his Legion of Boom teammates outside the locker room for their pregame huddle.
Cornerback DeShawn Shead walks through fog and lasers as he waits for his name to be called during pregame introductions.
Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman offers a wave and a smile to the media during his postgame press conference.
Between quarters, former Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch was spotted talking to teammates on the sidelines including Michael Bennett.
Safety Kam Chancellor fires up the team as they circle around him moments before taking the field for kickoff.
Michael Bennett lets out a yell with teammates at the end of their postgame gathering in the locker room after the win.
Seahawks players board the Delta charter on a sunny autumn Friday for the cross-country trip to New Jersey for the game against the New York Jets.
