Head coaches of the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots held a joint news conference in Phoenix Friday, speaking about their teams and their path to the Super Bowl.
Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll took the stage, both known for their ability to win and forever linked together through their history.
“You got a first-rounder, for you? I was barely a free agent,” said Carroll. “Maybe that’s why Robert sent me out of there after three years, huh, Robert?
Carroll and Belichick can joke about their past failure but ultimately their firing and hiring created Super Bowl XLIX.
“Things have changed a tremendous amount since that time. I’ve had a great opportunity to kind of find a way to do this job really, the great years at SC that were just so much fun,” said Carroll, who coached the Patriots from 1997-1999 and the University of Southern California until 2009.
Carroll tuned his game in college while the Patriots invested heavily in a with one winning season on his resume.
“Starting with Robert, that’s an easy one. Obviously, I wouldn’t be here without his support. He gave up a number one draft choice, actually a little bit more, in order to bring me to the Patriots,” said Belichick.
Belichick made good in rewriting New England’s record books while Carroll created a new culture in Seattle. Fifteen years later, the two are back together sharing the Super Bowl stage and a mutual respect for one another.
“My years were the testing years and the proving years were when Bill showed up and they really kicked into into high gear and kept going,” said Carroll.
“They are relentless in the way that they play and so I think any coach wants his team to play that way and I think that Seattle and Pete really are the model for that,” said Belichick.
Belichick is going for his fourth Super Bowl win, which would put him in elite company.
Pete Carroll is trying to become the first head coach to repeat as Super Bowl Champion in the decade. The last person to do that was Bill Belichick and the Patriots.