The volume all right, saying it wasn't his decision. Pete Carroll classy as he stood at the podium, energized, saying there are waves to surf. Pete's at a house in Hawaii for some time, very active guy, Manhattan Beach, Hawaii. He's a very young seventy two years old. I don't think energy, intelligence, stamina are the questions for Pete Carroll. I think he's somebody that could interview for the charger's job. If Lincoln Riley left tomorrow, USC would talk to him.
That's not the question. I do think there's a question that defensive coaches just do not want to confront. When Pete Carroll's telling me that Gino Smith is the answer, I don't know. Sean McVay moved off Goff. Goff's a lot better than Geno Smith. Kyle Shanahan off Jimmy Garoppolo, who I think is better than Geno Smith. And both of those quarterbacks got to a Super Bowl. But when I hear Ron Rivera say Sam Howe, we're good at quarterback, or Pete say o Gino Smith, Drew Locke, come on, guys,
the culture is changing. Beneath your feet, come on, guys, that's not good enough. Pete Carroll has an NCAA championship and a Super Bowl. Who are the quarterbacks? Two elite quarterbacks, Matt Liinert as a college quarterback and Russell Wilson in his prime as an NFL quarterback. Pete's defensive philosophies, ideologies, details haven't changed. He had a lot of quarterbacks at us See when he had Lionert, those were his best teams.
And he had a lot of quarterbacks in Seattle, right, But when he had Russell in his prime, he got to Super Bowls. So defensive coaches struggle with two things. Urgency at the position of quarterback. Listen Belichick's legend, right. Tom Brady privately will tell you he has no idea about offense none. Now, Pete maybe knows more about offense than Bill Belichick. But I think that's the number one thing, is that Pete can go to a place that has
an established offensive culture. But I think it's a legitimate, reasonable question about defensive coaches. I mean, when Mike Tomlin's telling me Kenny Pickett's good enough, Kenny Pickett's the fifth best quarterback in that division. Burrow Lamar Deshaun Flatko, Kenny Pickett, Come on. I mean, Mason Rudolph looks better than Kenny Pickett. Is he the sixth best? Come on? And when Ron Rivera, Sam Hell's good enough? Come on. So I think that's
nothing against those particular quarterbacks. But that's my thing with Pete. Chargers already have a great quarterback, great young talent. Maybe that's a good fit. But I've been watching this for years. Andy Reid had Alex Smith said not good enough. Alex Smith's a playoff quarterback. He was a successful quarterback in
San Francisco and Kansas City, both conferences. Andy Reid's like, we're not up grade McVay, goff Shanahan, And I just think offensive coaches have a higher standard of offense and the league rules now. I mean, even if you go look at the National Championship, three of the four teams Kaalen de Boor, Jim Harbass, Steve Sarksian offensive coaches. Right, Kirby Smart's a great coach, Nick saban Are a great coach, one didn't make it, and one was the fourth best
team in the playoff. So I just think the world's changing, and that's what worries me about Pete. It's not his energy, it's not his intelligence, it's not his commitment, it's not his personnel decisions. That's not it. He's a good enough coach to coach somewhere else. And these defensive coaches, they see the world, run the ball, control the clock, don't make any mistakes at quarterback, play good defense. Well, Seattle
wasn't playing good defense. And I don't like turnovers either, but Elway, Peyton, Manning, Eli Manning, Josh Allen, Matt Stafford. They turn the ball over occasionally, they make up for it in fourteen possessions, fifteen possessions with great elevated quarterback play. So that's my concern with Pete. Everything else, he checks a lot of boxes. What's next for the Seahawks. I would look at Jim harbaughd Shane Waldron, I'd look at
Ben Johnson. I think dan Quinn's lateral move. Dan Quinn's success in Atlanta was tied to a great offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan. Before and after it never great got Kyle great, almost won a Super Bowl. Maybe he should have won a super Bowl. So I mean even Belichick when he lost Josh McDaniels and Tom Brady. Dante Scarnecki offensive line coach, the greatest coach ever, just didn't have the aptitude offensively to turn things around. Mac Jones got worse over time,
not better. Do you think if mac Jones was given McVeigh he would have gotten significantly worse over time? I don't. Jared Goff got better over time, then they moved on. Matt Stafford came and he's gotten better over time. Brock Perdy, you think it would work if he had a defensive coach. Do you think Kyle Shanahan has a connection. Why is Jared Goff playing so well? Ben Johnson? Why was Matt Ryan an MVP? Kyle Shanahan. So I've been on this now for two to three years. Not that the defensive
coaches lack certain skills, abilities and talent. That's not it. The league is changing right below their feet, and so Seattle kind of felt like Pete, if you're locked in on Gino and Drew Locke, that's not gonna work for us. So I think Seattle is one of the few teams in the NFL that has the personnel and draft picks to move from their draft position into the top ten. I could see him going after bow Nicks or Michael Pennix around ten to twelve, if they're available. Seattle doesn't
have a lot of needs. They have a left tackle, they have multiple weapons, They have pass rushers, good corners, nice running backs, active linebackers. Can maybe use another safety. Maybe Seattle doesn't have needs. Quarterback is their need, and now a coach preferably offensive. Dan Quinn feels like somebody that Pete Carroll recommended, right, And that's okay. Pete and Dan are close, and Pete and Dan are both really really good defensive minds. But I think this year when
you watch Seattle, their defense slipped. Their offensive line was not as good as it should have been. And if I look at the Rams and I look at the Seahawks, this is a rebuilding year for the Rams. This was not a rebuilding year for the Seahawks. They were in the playoffs last year and had another great draft. Can't let the Rams beat you twice. Rams can't make it and you can't miss. Can't be that way. You have the better roster, you had the momentum. So I think
it's we just have to be honest. This division, the NFC West, is going to run through Shanahan and McVeigh for the foreseeable future. And if brock Perty's as good as I think he is, and I think he's good, and Matt Stafford's really good, and then Kyler Murray's terrific. Seattle's got upgrade at quarterback. Forget the NFC, forget the NFL, the division, McVeigh, Shanahan, Kyler Murray, Seattle has to upgrade at the most important position. Maybe maybe Pete didn't want to,
but I would. I would put a Gino Smith draft pick package, maybe another player, and I'd move up five or six spots, seven or eight, nine or ten spots and go get a quarterback. That's what I would do. So I think Pete is going to coach again. I think he wants to coach again. I think, you know, he's not an assistant, he's not an advisor. That's not who he is. But who knows. Bob Stoops retired at Oklahoma early. I didn't understand it. Chris Peterson wanted out.
But if you listen to Pete Carroll today, he sounds like he wants to coach. I mean he was selling at the podium, he was selling my energy's great my optimism. Let's go ride some waves. I can't wait. I'm very excited. That press conference was not only classy by Pete, but he was sending messages to all the gms and maybe all the athletic directors in college. He was sending messages. You go to the podium. Tom Brady used to do a radio hit every Monday in Boston radio. Was he
doing it because he needed the money? He would send the message for the week, right, what's the message for the week for the organization? So Pete smartly steps to the podium and he wanted to sell energy. I'm not done, I feel great, I'm not tired. I got a bright future. I'm a young two year old guy. That was the messaging, and I think Pete deserves interviews. If I was the Chargers, I would hire Harbaugh first, Vrabel second, but I'd interview Pete.
I don't want another assistant, but I'd interview Pete. Hell Michigan, Pete want to coach college again? I mean Lincoln Riley in two years once out. I mean, it's a seventy two year old today, is not a seventy two year old twenty five years ago. Pete exercises, Pete moves, Pete eats better. You know, it's just a different world. It's a it's a it's a different world. I just turned sixty years old. I wait the same weight I waited in high school and college, lower body fat. I work
out more, I eat much better. You know. I don't recover as quickly from a cocktail, but I feel pretty good. There you go, instant reaction. I'd go offense. Shane waldern, Ben Johnson and Seattle. That's not a rebuild roster. They're ready to win a lot of games now. Pete Carroll, good luck, You've earned it. Speaking of seventy two years year old Nick Saban, Alabama head coach is officially retiring.
It just happened a little bit surprised. Although years ago Nick Saban and I think he told his agent, Jimmy Sexton, he said, I don't want to be Joe Paterno, Bobby Bowden. I don't want people dragging me out of here. I'm going to know. I am going to know when it's time, and I think he knows it's time. I'll also tell you this, I have a theory on why he's retiring now. And I think you're going to find that he has quietly and privately negotiated a huge TV contract with somebody,
and you'll know that very quickly. You will know that very quickly. That's my guess. I'm not going to tell you why, but there could be a network that feels they have a need for a big, important personality, and I think he's going to go to the TV route and make lots and lots of money sign a very very big contract. So Nick is the greatest college football coach of all time. One of the things I appreciate about Nick Saban is his ability to adapt. Unlike a
lot of defensive coaches. I mean it was Doug nuss Meyer and Jim mcelwaine and Lane Kiffin and Sark and Bill O'Brien. He had to run through offensive coach after offensive coach and he didn't miss I mean, he really hit a lot of hires out of the park. And most defensive coaches they miss on those coordinators regularly. So Nick nailed it. Nick was willing to evolve. I think Lane Kiffin deserves for that. Brought him in, and you know it would confront Nick like Nick, the world's changing.
I can score in your defensive practice. I also think college football is a young man's game. Jay Wright, Skryzhevsky, Roy Williams Now Nick Saban. The transfer portal is a pain in the butt. It's year round recruiting. It's really ruined it for coaches of stature and age. It's just not any fun. You don't have a life. You get maybe two weeks off a year. NFL coaches get like five to six weeks off a year. So the college game is a young man's game. It's a Laane Kiffen world.
It's a Sark world, Kaylin de Boor world. You get into the sixties and seventies, it's exhausting. And the transfer portal the nil. And I think probably a TV network walked up to Nick Saban and said we're gonna pay it ten million bucks a year. Get over here, That's my guess, and you'll hear about it fairly soon. I think Nick will be great on TV, but I think he's the greatest college football coach of all time. His ability to adapt, his ability to dominate the toughest conference
in the SEC. BAMA will be fine personnel wise, but there'll be no more Nicks Bear Bryant, Nick Saban. There's a lot of average coaches in between, and it's a very very tough job. You know, whoever's going to line up, they'll there'll be a lot of people lining up. A lot of people think Dabbo Sweeney at Clemson is going to take the job. Dabbo would be my choice if he was willing to leave Clemson. Not sure he would
terrific coach. It's not a rebuild, but I do think the transfer portal and the offer from a TV network are the deciding factors. You just don't know about the offer yet from the TV network. I can guarantee you this is not just Nick just didn't wake up and have a side of eggs and a piece of burnt toast this morning and said, you know, I just gonna see I just gotta retire. Nick's been thinking. Nick plans everything, Nick strategizes everything. Nick Saban been thinking about this for
a while. And he sees young Lane Kiffen and here comes Sark and here comes Brent Venables, and he, you know, he starts looking around this conference and some of these young guys and Lane Kiffen and he's like, come on, man, I mean in my seventies. Do I want to be on the road recruiting constantly all this transfer portal nonsense where I have to recruit my own kids as much as high school kids. No thanks, I'm out. So congrats the nicksabe the greatest college football coach of all time.