The Super Bowl 49 early headlines are already starting to leak out. Pete Carroll going up against his former team is most certainly one of the early favorites.
Perhaps many of today’s NFL fans don’t realize the history of Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
Sure, they know about his dominance in the Pac-10 with USC prior to coming to the NFL and enjoying a fantastic situation with his Seahawks.
How about prior to his USC days? Carroll was firmly planted in the AFC East for a number of years.
From 1990 trough 1993 he was the defensive coordinator under Bruce Coslet for the New York Jets, and was just as enthusiastic in those days. After Coslet was relieved of his duties he took the head coaching role in East Rutherford which lasted only one season after a disappointing 6-10 record.
Two seasons later, Robert Kraft was looking for somebody to replace Bill Parcells in New England, and he found his man in Carroll.
Flashback: Pats owner Robert Kraft hires Pete Carroll in February 1997 pic.twitter.com/PCEx7WY5n1
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 19, 2015
Not as easy spot for Carroll.
He was replacing “The Big Tuna” after a Super Bowl appearance and much controversy over the power struggle that became personnel involving Parcells and the front office.
The infamous phrase uttered by Parcells that Super Bowl week was “if they expect you to cook the dinner, they should at least let you shop for some of the groceries.”
Along with Bill Belichick, who coached the Jets for one-day and served as an assistant under Parcels prior to that day, the Patriots and Jets continued their weird ways in recycling coaching talent. It seems Kraft will hire any former Jets head coach.
The early story-lines for this year’s Super Bowl have already been set. Carroll was the man who preceded Belichick in New England, coaching the Pats for three seasons to a 27-21 record and a 1-2 postseason mark. Not too shabby if you’re not comparing it to Belichick’s reign and you consider Drew Bledsoe was his quarterback.
So not only did he replace Parcells in New England, but he superseded Parcells in New York (with a little Rich Kotite in between). Carroll had the headline last year in the Super Bowl as he returned to New Jersey.
And now, he’s fortunate enough to face the owner in the Super Bowl that hired him and so quickly fired him after a solid three-year run from 97 to 99.
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