Pete Carroll was excited before the Seahawks took on the Vikings -- really excited. In fact, the 64-year-old coach was so fired up he tackled a whiteboard, scared his players and came off as “crazy” to those in attendance. Sports Illustrated has the story, which began with a little reminiscing by Carroll about his time as a safety.
PETE CARROLL TACKLED A WHITEBOARD
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Then this happened ...
“That poor whiteboard. It never saw him coming. Carroll never stopped. He never even slowed. He tackled the board the way that Chancellor decimates unsuspecting running backs, with such force that that [sic] the board detached from its base, broke into pieces and landed on the ground.”
Just in case the image of Carroll obliterating a whiteboard isn’t enough, it gets better. The reaction from his players was nothing short of brilliant.
Richard Sherman thought he was going senile:
“We already know he’s the craziest, kookiest coach around,” cornerback Richard Sherman said. “But I was like, he must be getting senile now.”
Doug Baldwin believed Carroll was trying to hurt himself:
“I was like, he’s trippin’,” receiver Doug Baldwin said. “Like, this old man is trying to hurt himself.”
While Michael Bennett, well, he remained Michael Bennett:
“Of all the crazy s--- that Pete has done,” added defensive end Michael Bennett, “this is Top 1 [sic], probably.”
Here’s to you, Pete Carroll: We have no idea if this motivational technique will work long-term, but it’s hard to find a coach players love more than you.
