Pete Carroll preseason motivational speech to Seattle Seahawks cited undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins as benchmark, sources say

Pete Carroll was so convinced the Seattle Seahawks could have a successful 2022 season that during training camp, the longtime head coach gave the team a presentation about 50th anniversary of the 1972 undefeated Miami Dolphins and asked his players why they couldn't accomplish the same feat, sources told ESPN.

Carroll, the model of positivity, always has preached that events can't happen until a team believes that they can. He reminded the Seahawks that while he was at USC, he coached teams that won every game for three straight seasons.

«I know it's possible,» Carroll told the Seahawks players, according to sources.

And sure enough, the Seahawks began their season with an upset victory over the Denver Broncos and former quarterback Russell Wilson this past Monday night in a game that few experts predicted Seattle would win.

The Seahawks once again are underdogs Sunday in Week 2, when they travel to San Francisco to face the division rival 49ers.

Carroll, 71, is in his 13th season with the Seahawks, who were widely predicted to struggle this season after trading Wilson to the Broncos. The Seahawks have made nine postseason appearances and won the only Super Bowl in franchise history under Carroll, who joined Seattle in 2010 after nine seasons at USC.