SEATTLE - What started as one last run now looks like it could be one and done.
Seattle royalty, it seems, is at the helm of the NFL’s jester.
No one can ever take away what Pete Carroll did as the coach of the Seahawks. He helped bring this town a Super Bowl, nearly brought it a second and had his team competitive almost every year he paced the sidelines.
But it’s far more common for the great ones to leave on a low rather than a high, and right now, Carroll is countless leagues under the sea.
After Thursday’s 10-7 loss to the Denver Broncos, the Raiders are 2-7 and stuck at the bottom of the AFC West. They have lost three straight, are scoring 15.4 points per game (third worst in the NFL) and just fired their special teams coach after a defeat that featured a missed field goal and a blocked punt.
It’s not unusual for an assistant to lose his job midseason when a team is playing substandard ball. This is Scapegoating 101. But Carroll’s troubles go well beyond his underlings, and it seems increasingly likely this is his final season as an NFL coach.
I doubt many in Seattle are happy about this. Carroll would be cheered anytime his face appeared on a jumbotron at an event in the Emerald City. Not once has he spoken ill of the town or the Seahawks. In fact, he’s the only coach I can remember holding a “thank you” news conference after he was fired.
But he was let go for a reason. The once-legendary Seahawks defense had become one of the worst in the league over Pete’s final three years here. It appeared to be the main reason the organization moved on from him and hired defensive guru Mike Macdonald as his replacement.
That’s worked out for Seattle. Carroll’s new venture in Las Vegas has not.
My guess is most of the media in Sin City was instantly enamored by Pete’s charisma and enthusiasm when he took the Raiders job last January. The same goes for the players who were introduced to his charm.
There’s nothing inauthentic about how Carroll, 74, carries himself. He has a fire and a motor that people a third of his age would envy. But words and energy only go so far on the gridiron. Success requires a structured plan and players who can execute it. The Raiders don’t seem to have either.
Former Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith looks like the worst offseason signing in the NFL. After inking a two-year deal worth $75 million, Smith has a league-high 12 interceptions to go with 11 touchdown passes and a QBR of 34.7 - good for 30th in the NFL. His signing seemed to make sense at the time, given his three quality years as Seattle’s starter, but the Seahawks’ decision to move on from him looks smarter every week.
The Raiders’ defense, meanwhile, is middling. They ranked 15th in the NFL in total defense last season and are 15th again this season. Carroll’s calling card has always been his defensive acumen, and while it hasn’t worsened in Las Vegas, it hasn’t improved either.
Perhaps this would be a slightly different story had the Raiders converted the two-point try that would have given them a win in last Sunday’s 30-29 loss to Jacksonville. Or if that missed 59-yard field goal or blocked punt against Denver on Thursday had gone differently.
Even so, Las Vegas has allowed 81 more points than it has scored this year - the fourth-worst point differential in the league.
Bottom line: Carroll hasn’t been anything close to the savior this franchise hoped for. No one would fault his supporters for citing a lack of personnel, but signs of improvement are scarce.
To Carroll’s credit, he hasn’t lost his belief - at least not publicly. He’s clearly frustrated with the Raiders’ results, though. Pete isn’t used to this. This could go down as the worst season of his pro coaching career, and by year’s end, he’ll have 19 of them.
No one around these parts is happy about that. This isn’t like Russell Wilson’s departure, which drew boos in his return to Lumen Field with the Broncos. Carroll has a case for being the best - or at least the most significant - coach in Seattle sports history, and there was zero hostility when his time here ended.
But as Bill Parcells famously said, “You are what your record says you are.” Carroll’s record in Vegas is dismal. If the Raiders don’t get back on track, it seems doubtful he’ll return as coach.