Carroll Will Wish He Remained at USC
By Scott Burks
Normally, I am
not a gambling man (I'm really too cheap to do so), but I'm going to make a
wager on the following...
Pete Carroll will not last
more than three years as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
Let's face it, most
college coaches do not fare well jumping to the big-time that is the NFL.
For every Jimmy Johnson and Bobby Ross, there was a Steve Spurrier, Lou
Holtz, Nick Saban, Mike Riley, Dennis Erickson, and the immortal Bobby
Petrino.
That's because college
coaches cannot use the same motivating tactics on pro athletes pulling huge
paychecks as on young, eager-to-please college kids. Carroll's style
didn't work before - a mediocre 34-33 record with the New York Jets and New
England Patriots (including playoffs) - and it will not work in Seattle.
Besides the five-year, $35
million dollar contract, there are three big reasons why I think Carroll is
leaving USC. Allegations, sanctions, and big trouble.
USC is facing possible
sanctions the Trojans' program faces as a result of an ongoing investigation
over whether players may have received improper benefits. If Carroll
had stayed at USC, his reputation as a coach and program builder would have
taken a bigger hit. At least now Carroll can laugh his way to the bank
while running to the NFL.
There is also the thought
that Carroll was fearful that the rest of the Pac-10 had caught up to USC.
Heck, even Stanford ran up the score on USC last season. When does
that happen?
Be that as it may, I'm
guessing that halfway into his first season in Seattle, Carroll will long
for receiving such ass-whuppings on the college level.
Go Back to
Home Page
