Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll admitted after his side’s disappointing 13-10 defeat to the New Orleans Saints on Monday night that he “probably wouldn’t have” been with the team for so long if it wasn’t for star quarterback Russell Wilson.
Carroll has been head coach of Seahawks since 2010 and drafted Wilson in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Together, the pair have had a great deal of success, leading the Seahawks to back-to-back Super Bowls in 2014 and 2015, winning in their first attempt and losing in heartbreaking fashion to the New England Patriots in 2015.
However, Wilson suffered a broken finger in week five of this season, an injury which required surgery. He has been missing from the Seahawks line-up ever since with his return uncertain.
After the Seahawks’ defeat on Monday night, a game in which back-up Geno Smith and the offense struggled to move the ball, Carroll admitted that he wouldn’t have lasted so long at the team if it wasn’t for eight-time Pro Bowler Wilson.
“Let’s say it this way: I’ve been here a long time. And if we didn’t have Russell, I probably wouldn’t have been here a long time,” the 70-year-old said.
“Because think of all the magic that he’s created in the years. He’s got numbers and stats, and fourth quarters, this’s and that’s, and all of that stuff. One of the winningest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. And it will be really fun when he comes back and plays football again for us this year. And we owe a tremendous amount.”
Monday’s defeat to the Saints is the third loss in a row for the Seahawks and means they slip to a 2-5 record on the season.
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And although Carroll couldn’t provide an update on when their star quarterback would return, he said his team will continue to fight until he does.
“We miss him, and in the meantime, we’re going to keep fighting and clawing and doing what we can,” Carroll said.
