Pete Carroll on 1-2 Seahawks: ‘Future looks bright.’ Not next year. He means this season

It likely doesn’t shock you that Pete Carroll doesn’t see the Seahawks’ uneven start to this season and the timeline to this team’s success the same way you likely do.

“We have to maintain a vision down the road here. Because we are going places,” Carroll said Monday.

It was a day after his defense again stopped very little. That porous unit allowed 179 more rushing yards and wasted a 32-for-44 passing day by Geno Smith in Seattle’s 27-23 home loss to the previously winless Atlanta Falcons.

“And when we can function that clean on offense, and you can count on your QB to be that much on it and really doing a good job taking care of the football, as well, it gives us really big expectations,” Carroll said of his 1-2 team.

“And so, we just got to get going. There’s no time.

“The future looks bright.”

The future, as in, 2023?

Or the really near future, this season, this week when the Seahawks play the Lions (1-2) in Detroit.

“Yeah. Yeah! The next few weeks,” Carroll said, his voice rising.

“I think we can make strides.”

Being optimistic, of course, is the 71-year-old Carroll’s nature, his public persona, his football being.

Yet the basis for his sunny outlook after two losses in seven days is Smith — and the growth he’s seeing from the many rookies and younger Seahawks in starting and prominent roles so far this season.

Geno Smith exceeding expectations

Smith has more than held down the starting job he inherited when Seattle traded Russell Wilson March 8 and officially won from Drew Lock Aug. 26.

He has exceeded expectations, plus his own history of being a former disposed starter for the Jets then NFL backup the last seven seasons.

Smith sees the offense poised to take off following his career highs in completions and attempts passing against Atlanta.

“Yes, certainly, I think we have a lot of things to build off,” he said, “but the main thing is wins and losses. So, there are positives, also some negatives that we have to clean up.

“We have to get back to work. Just the same as if we would have won this game, we have to get back to work.”

Smith leads the NFL through three games with a completion rate of 77.5%.

For all the angst and talk last week about all of his safe checkdowns and league-low yards per completion (8.3), Smith has thrown for more yards and completed more passes this season than Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.

“As we all put it all together, if you like the Seahawks, how can you not be fired up of what Geno has done?” Carroll said.

“I think this a good time for us on offense, I think this is the time for us to really go.”

Tariq Woolen, Michael Jackson keep spots

Eleven of Seattle’s 22 starters from the Atlanta game are 25 years old or younger. That includes four rookies in primary spots: offensive tackles Charles Cross and Abe Lucas plus cornerback Tariq Woolen and nickel defensive back Coby Bryant.

Richard Sherman recently tutored Woolen and Bryant at Seahawks practices.

Woolen got his first career interception Sunday. That was when the Falcons for some reason decided to throw a short pass over the middle with 5 seconds left in the first half while backed up in their own end of the field.

Carroll, defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt and secondary coaches Sean Desai and Karl Scott love Woolen and Bryant, who was the primary nickel for the second straight game for injured veteran Justin Coleman. They love them so much Sidney Jones, a 2021 Seahawks starter and former University of Washington standout, and training-camp starter Artie Burns are going to remain watching as healthy backups to Woolen and Michael Jackson.

The last three weeks have been the first three starts of Jackson’s four-year career. He returned a field goal Woolen blocked 86 yards for the Seahawks’ only score of their 27-7 loss at San Francisco two games ago.

Jones is back from a concussion. He was a healthy scratch for the Atlanta game. He may be for the Detroit game, too.

“The guys that are playing out there, Tariq and Michael are doing a good job. So, we are kind of in rhythm a little bit and we want to keep those guys growing as young players,” Carroll said.

“So, the position went from looking pretty bleak like we didn’t have any backup in experienced players. Now that those guys are back out there, we’ve got a good group now. And so we’ll see how that works.”

“Yeah, next few weeks I think we can make strides. And these guys can’t help but learn and grow and they’re out there playing and all that.”

Charles Cross, Abe Lucas entrenched

Cross on the left and Lucas on the right made the Seahawks the third team in 52 years to start two rookie offensive tackles in week one of an NFL season.

Carroll, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and line coach Andy Dickerson love what they’ve seen from Cross and Lucas, in pass protection and run blocking. Cross has allowed three sacks in 108 drop backs to pass while playing all 175 offensive snaps through three games, according to Pro Football Focus.

Lucas hasn’t allowed a sack in his 108 protections and 175 snaps. The rookie from Washington State and Everett has had three accepted penalties against him.

Monday, Carroll sounded like Cross and Lucas are going to be Seattle’s bookend starters on the line for years.

“I think the tackles continue to show a really good consistency that we are counting on. They are not wowed by what is going on. They’re OK about it, and they are handling it really well. They are kind of like the twins. The two guys kind of hang together.

“I really like what they are doing.”

Ken Walker’s development

The offense’s biggest remaining issue is getting Rashaad Penny, rookie Ken Walker and running game Carroll wants and the offensive line needs to get going. The Seahawks improved from last, 32nd, in the league is rushing to 29th this past weekend, but 74.7 yards per game on the ground won’t sustain drives or this season the way Seattle is built.

Walker had a 21-yard run impressively zig-zagging across the field around Falcons on Sunday.

He also went the wrong way on a hand off in the first half, leaving Smith alone in the backfield to get tackled for a loss.

Walker played nine of 71 snaps against Atlanta. The third-down chances in the backfield after Travis Homer got bruised ribs on the opening drive went to DeeJay Dallas. The coaches trust Dallas’ pass protection more than the rookie Walker’s.

Yet Carroll loves his rookie class so far. The growth of those newcomers is why Carroll believes the Seahawks are going to play far better in October into November that you might believe.

“It’s a fantastic class. It really is,” the coach said. “And this is a great sign as we move forward. These guys are going to get better. They are going to get better in the next three to four weeks.”

We haven’t mentioned the defense, for a change. That’s a whole ‘nother matter.

Carroll’s positivity does not extend to Seattle’s sieve defense, as a whole.

At least no team is off to a roaring start in the NFC West. The Cardinals, 49ers and Seahawks are all 1-2, a game behind the 2-1 Rams who got smacked on opening night at home by Buffalo and have since beaten Atlanta and Arizona.

“Look at our division, there are three teams that are 1-2 in the division. How the heck did that happen? Rams are doing their thing, but everybody is in it,” Carroll said.

“So, it’s who can progress the fastest, and stay the healthiest, and keep moving and it’s going to be an exciting year.”