Seahawks player can’t believe Pete Carroll isn’t Coach of the Year finalist
The NFL announced its five finalists for the coach of the year award on Wednesday, and Seattle Seahawks defensive back Quandre Diggs was pretty unhappy to see Pete Carroll did not make the list.
Carroll lost out on a top-five spot to Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia), Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco), Brian Daboll ( New York Giants), Sean McDermott (Buffalo), and Doug Pederson (Jacksonville).
Diggs took to Twitter to voice his displeasure, with multiple Seahawks teammates retweeting his thoughts.
Diggs makes a strong point.
After the team traded starting quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos it was widely assumed the Seahawks were not only entering an extensive rebuild, but would also be one of the NFL’s worst teams.
If not the worst team.
Instead, the Seahawks got off to a great start, thanks in large part to the career resurgence of veteran quarterback Geno Smith and snuck into a playoff spot in the NFC.
The Seahawks still had their flaws as a team, especially on defense, and were ultimately blown out in the playoffs by the San Francisco 49ers, but the fact they won nine games and were even in the playoffs was a huge accomplishment based on the low preseason expectations.
Making the playoffs with low preseason expectations is a big part of what made Daboll and Pederson finalists in New York and Jacksonville. Carroll and the Seahawks were no different, so it is a little odd to see him get excluded while the other two were in the top-five.
The question then becomes who do you exclude to put him in?
Shanahan’s spot is much deserved given the quarterback situation he had to deal with this season and the way the 49ers never missed a beat.
That would leave Sirianni and McDermott, both of whom led their teams to great seasons that put them near the top of the NFL. They were also starting from much higher points with significantly better quarterback situations at the start of the year. Having great rosters and great quarterbacks does not necessarily guarantee a great record, and there is more to coaching than simply exceeding preseason expectations. Especially since high preseason expectations bring their own kind of pressure.
Still, there is no question Carroll had a much tougher job this year at the start than most NFL head coaches. Getting that roster to the playoffs was a huge accomplishment whether it results in him getting award recognition or not.
