Pete Carroll Makes The Seattle Seahawks Special, Different

From Russell Wilson and the offense to the tight-knit Legion of Boom, the Seattle Seahawks seem to have something that no one else does.

Mindful Magazine detailed this in an article called “The Game Changer,” written by Hugh Delehanty.

When Pete Carroll was hired as head coach and executive Vice President of the Seattle Seahawks, we Pacific Northwesterners didn’t know if Coach Carroll was all flash and no substance or the real deal.

Fortunately, he’s the real deal.

Nov 23, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) and head coach Pete Carroll celebrates following an extra point against the Arizona Cardinals during the third quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Another character who is a large part of the article, as well as Carroll’s Win Forever foundation, is sports psychologist Michael Gervais. In the article, Gervais had this to say on the atmosphere Carroll has created with the ‘Hawks.

“Pete is the only coach I know who has created a shared language between the coaches and players that’s completely grounded in the science of psychology.”

Carroll developed his philosophy on three foundational concepts as described in the Delehanty’s story.

A word of forewarning, this is not your typical sports article. These topics are not for the faint of heart, and go deep into humanity and spirituality.

“Self-Actualization” In The Seattle Seahawks Organization

Now I have taken many psychology classes, but if you are not familiar with the concept, let me briefly explain.

Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs details what the stages of humanity are.

At the bottom of the pyramid are our biological needs. Hunger, thirst and other primitive drives go into this category. As you go up the pyramid, you find more humanizing concepts such as the desires for safety, love, and self-esteem.

But at the top of the pyramid is the concept that we all struggle to reach in our lifetimes: self-actualization. The stage at which peace and calmness are experienced through the complete engagement in striving to reach one’s full potential.

This is the basis of Carroll’s philosophy. So many coaches get caught up in their own rigid ideals and emotions that they don’t allow for the growth of the individual. Carroll’s philosophy is tailored to each player individually and helping them to be their best possible self.

“The possibility to reach your highest level is available to everyone if you work hard and go about it the right way,” Carroll says in the article. “I think there are so many things that can distract us from getting to that clarity. But we all have the power to figure that out if guided properly and coached well enough. Everybody needs to be coached. I know I do.”

Cultivating Confidence In The Seattle Seahawks Organization

Carroll is a player’s coach; that much should be very clear to anyone who has watched the Seahawks. But what lead him to be the positive, “rah-rah” coach that he is?

Feb 2, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll hoists the Vince Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

In graduate school at the University of Pacific, Carroll came across the writing and ideas of Timothy Gallwey. More specifically, “The Inner Game,” a book in which Gallwey explains that the biggest obstacles faced by athletes are, the “doubts, fears and lapses in focus that arise in high pressure situations.” Gallwey goes on to say that the greatest feats are achieved when we are able to quiet the mind and focus on what is actually happening in the moment.

“The foundation of performance is trust and confidence, which allows you to focus.” Carroll says in the article. “I try to develop the confidence of the whole team so that they can perform without fear and play the way they’re capable of.”

And this isn’t Carroll saying things that sound good but not actually holding himself accountable to them. There are many examples of the trust and confidence that he shows in his players.

Dec 7, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Seattle Seahawks punter

Jon Ryan

(9) fumbles the snap on a punt against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports

In a regular season win over the Philadelphia Eagles, punter Jon Ryan dropped the snap which gave Philadelphia the ball at Seattle’s 14-yard line. The Eagles would score on a TD pass to Jeremy Maclin to take a 7-0 lead over the ‘Hawks.

Most coaches would tear Ryan to shreds. That’s what Tom Coughlin, head coach of the New York Giants, did to rookie punter Matt Dodge after failing to kick the ball out of bounds leading to the Eagles (funny enough) returning the punt for a TD to win the game (skip to the 1:05 mark to see the interaction).

But when Carroll went to Ryan on the sideline after he gave Philadelphia the lead, all he had to say was encouragements.

“The Long Body” In The Seattle Seahawks Organization

This one is especially hard to wrap your head around, so I’ll quote the article.

"Several years ago, Michael Murphy, the cofounder of the Esalen Institute, introduced Carroll to an American Indian concept known as “long body.” It was discovered by researcher W.G. Roll while studying Iroquois tribes. He found that under certain conditions individuals within the group developed a “single consciousness.” The tribe, Roll wrote, “is likened to a body connected where, once connected, it operates as a single entity, functioning, sensing, and feeling as one.”“That made sense to me,” says Carroll, “because that’s exactly the process we go through as a team. That connectedness is available to us at all times. But you have to invest in it to make it come to life. You earn that connection with all the sharing you do and all the common experiences you have. It takes big things to happen to draw you together so that you can operate in a more connected fashion.”"

This is something that you can see in the way the Seahawks conduct themselves, especially the Legion of Boom, and the entire defense. They seem to always be on the same page and have a chemistry that is unique and unparalleled by any other team in the league.