4 days ago
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With the additions the Las Vegas Raiders made this offseason, many like myself thought the Raiders were the biggest winners of the previous offseason. Pete Carroll was a proven head coach, albeit an older coach; he was the perfect guy to set a winning foundation. Geno Smith did not give the impression that he was the problem for things not panning out in Seattle with the Seahawks. At times, Geno Smith looked like a top-10 NFL quarterback in Seattle. With Tom Brady and John Spytek controlling the Raiders, it was almost a given that the Raiders would at least be a competitive team.
Wrong by a thousand percent. Geno Smith was in conversation for being the worst quarterback in football as he threw a league-leading 17 interceptions. Pete Carroll had to wear that because he was the main driving force in bringing Geno to Vegas. Carroll also had to deal with how poorly this team performed all season long. The offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly, was fired midseason, and just as the season concluded Sunday, Pete Carroll was fired shortly after.
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Pete Carroll was supposed to lay the foundation down and turn this team into a winner, and help this team get into the direction of a better future. Pete Carroll did the exact opposite of that. Ironically, that may have been the best thing possible for the Raiders. Not exactly what they intended, but the Raiders, for the first time, have the No. 1 overall pick. With the pick, they now have a shot at getting their potential franchise quarterback. They also have a shot to start from scratch and build this team back up.
If the Raiders had had a year where they made the playoffs, they would have ended up stuck in just being a competent team. To be quite frank, Geno Smith and Pete Carroll are not winning you a Super Bowl. You also aren't winning that many division titles with Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes, and the elite coaches in the AFC West. Breaking this team down and resetting things to build the best team possible makes the most sense moving forward. Pete Carroll gave the Raiders that opportunity, though it is obviously not what he planned or hoped for.
While this season has been very disappointing, as many other Raiders seasons have been, the usual reaction would be to blame the head coach. Raider fans can pivot to this point instead: Fernando Mendoza looks every bit like the next Jared Goff or Kirk Cousins, and that would be an immediate upgrade for Vegas. A 3-14 season never looked so good.
Pete Carroll getting let go also could open the door for him to return and coach a couple of seasons for the Trojans. There is a defensive coordinator role opening in Southern California. Even an advisor role of some sort would be good for both Carroll and the Trojans. Pete Carroll would have to contribute to actual, winning, not morale-winning, like in Vegas.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Pete Carroll's one-and-done season with Raiders leaves a mark
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