Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll on Gresh & Zo
BOSTON (CBS) - With the Patriots heading out West for a match-up with the Seattle, former Patriots and current Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Gresh and Zo on Friday to break it all down from the oppositions perspective.
While Seattle has one of the best defenses in the NFL, they'll have their hands full trying to slow down Tom Brady and the Patriots' no-huddle offense. While Carroll says the tempo of the Pats' offense is new to the NFL, he's seen it plenty of times before.
"I hope to play like we're capable of playing and not let the tempo get us out of our game," Carroll said of his Seahawks. "We've been against it for years, so it's nothing new. It's new for the league. The tempo they're going at is the college tempo, and it's really cool to see them get it done."
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"You do have to work differently," he said of this week's practices, preparing for the Pats. "We have made our adjustments; you have to shift gears and have to adjust when the game goes. I don't think the crowd can keep them from doing what they want to do."
As for his time in New England, Carroll led the Pats to the playoffs in two of his three seasons at the helm, including the AFC Championship game in 1997. He's always been known as an emotional leader, and that will never change. But he did learn a lot from his first go-around in the NFL, and has evolved a bit as leader of the Seahawks.
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"Being emotion, I think this is an emotional game. I'm just doing what comes natural and what works best," said Carroll, adding he has better communication now than he did when with New England. "I just have a better system now as far as conveying the message now… having the nine years at USC, just to see how you can be really good and maintain that, that's something I take great pride in. That's what we're working to (in Seattle)."
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"I haven't changed one bit. What has happened is I've grown," said Carroll. "I understand things better and become a better communicator."