You know fall is around the corner when the NFL preseason begins. Tonight, the Seattle Seahawks are taking on the Las Vegas Raiders in their first pre-season matchup. Coach Pete Carroll and quarterback Geno Smith will be there, maybe a bit awkwardly for Hawks fans, on the Raiders side of the field.
Carroll is the only coach who was able to lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title, and Smith helped them rack up winning records the past three years. To talk football, KUOW’s Kim Malcolm reached out to longtime Seattle sportswriter [Art Thiel](https://www.postalley.org/author/athiel/).
_This interview has been edited for clarity._
**Kim Malcolm: Just to start with the obvious, I'm imagining Hawks fans tonight are going to give both Carroll and Smith a warm welcome. How would you assess any lingering emotions there might be for the fanbase at this point for those two?**
**Art Thiel**: I think they're going to embrace both of them, because Carroll's legacy, obviously, is the best in Seahawks' history. I think Geno performed pretty well by number of wins, but the fact that they didn't win more was more the responsibility of the Seahawks. But especially since this game is an exhibition, it doesn't count for anything so there's no stakes. There's no reason not to cheer for Carroll, who was widely embraced by the community here. He was kind of surprised, after he was no longer working with the Seahawks, how warmly he was regarded by many people. And I think that's going to be expressed tonight. Also, I think Geno is going to get a good hand too, because he did nothing here that I think caused fans to boo.
**Just thinking about Pete Carroll. I mean, he looks to be as energetic as ever, and he has boasted about his new team's prospects this year. Is that just bluster coming from a head coach, ahead of the regular season?**
I don't recall a time when Pete Carroll was negative about anything. His capacity for gee-whizzery is altogether remarkable. It's off the charts. And I think he's got reason to have an optimistic view of the team, but the Raiders have not won a playoff game in 23 years if you can believe that. So he's got a deep hole to dig them out of. I don't think it's going to happen necessarily this year, but I think positive progress will start. And I also think that if the game is close at the end, he's going to try to win it, even if it doesn't count. Because Pete can't help himself.
**Can't help himself and just loves a challenge. And Geno Smith, of course, has had a long and varied career. He found success here in Seattle. He was the AP comeback Player of the Year in 2022. Talk about his fit with the Raiders and with Carroll.**
Well, I think it's going to work out well between the two of them, because they had a rapport. Pete stuck with Geno when Russell Wilson, the Seahawks starting quarterback, was at his apex, and Pete saw in Smith more than any of us did looking from the outside. And that paid off when he succeeded Wilson after his trade to Denver, and I thought performed creditably. Yes, he threw too many interceptions, but that was as much, if not more, the responsibility of a very weak offensive line, which has been the Seahawks vulnerability for years. I don't blame Geno for hanging onto the ball or rushing a throw because he really didn't get the help he deserved.
**The Hawks are under new management, so to speak. We've got this newish head coach, Mike McDonald, and quarterback, Sam Darnold. For more casual fans, how would you assess how they're doing right now, the start that they've made?**
Well, I think a 10-win season was pretty good for a rookie coach that didn't make the playoffs last year. And I think one of the little understood handicaps he had was that because he was part of a very successful Baltimore Ravens team, his hire did not come until after the Ravens were eliminated late in the NFL playoffs. That meant he had trouble assembling the kind of coaching staff that he wanted, and took a guy, Ryan Grubb, the former University of Washington offensive coordinator, who was over his head in the NFL. It was his first time in the NFL at age 48 and he wasn't capable of the adjustment that McDonald wanted. So he's got his own guy in there now, Clint Kubiak, and I think between the new quarterback, Sam Darnold, and the new offensive coordinator, I think there's a real chance to have an upgraded offense, as long as the offensive line is, in fact, upgraded.
**So what are you going to be looking for then, in this game and the next few games for the Hawks?**
Well, I'm really most interested in the quarterback. Sam Darnold, the starter, is not going to play, even though he got a three-year, $100 million contract. They're not going to risk his injury in this game. But what we are going to see, I hope, is Jalen Milroe. He's the third-round draft pick, number 92 overall, from the University of Alabama, who is probably one of the most explosive athletes we've seen around here, probably since Shawn Kemp of the Sonics.
He's a great runner and he’s an adequate passer. He just hasn't had the developmental time in the passing game, and so we're going to get a look at him. And I would counsel most Seahawk fans to imagine this guy with some experience in the NFL, and probably see that he could really be a decisive factor in the Seahawks future. Maybe not this year, but if Darnold falters, I'd really like to see this guy in the game.
**I just want to turn quickly to baseball, if I can. The Mariners are, once again, in August, in the hunt, heading towards the top of the AL West. That's their goal, anyway. Mariners fans like myself may have a little bit of PTSD, you know. Just so many seasons heading in a good direction, and then it just doesn't work out when it gets closer to the playoffs. What are you looking for right now at this stage of the season?**
Well, they did exactly what they had to do at the trade deadline on July 31, where they acquired quality offense and first base to third base, where they weren't getting production. They also added a left-handed reliever they needed. So actually, the amazing thing is, ownership and management actually did the job they were supposed to do and should have been doing for the previous 48 years of this franchise.
**That fans have been clamoring for, yes, for quite some time.**
Yeah, and so even though all three of those players are rental players, meaning their contracts expire at the end of the season, the Mariners really have to get into the playoffs and probably win in a series or two. I don't think this is a World Series team. I do think this is now a playoff team, for whatever that's worth.
There's a great middle in baseball of about 15 teams who can say the same thing as the Mariners. So, the fact that they're in the middle is better than being in the bottom, but it's still a ways to go before they're a World Series contender. Nevertheless, progress is essential, and I think they'll get it from these new players. And then Cal Raleigh has just been altogether remarkable. I just hope he doesn't wear out by the time October rolls around.
_Listen to the interview by clicking the play button above._