It’s a ‘new day’ for Carroll, Seahawks

Published 11:39 pm Tuesday, April 13, 2010

RENTON — The practice was just the first of a three-day minicamp, but there was nothing small about this day for Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.

The long-time USC coach was back on a football field coaching after an offseason that saw him leave college football to take a third stab at the NFL, and even though Seattle’s first game is five months away, Carroll was his usual excited self Tuesday.

“It’s a new day for the Seahawks we hope,” he said. “It’s exciting. We’re all looking forward to the challenges of it. It’s a big day. I know it’s just a little minicamp, but to us it’s more than that.”

Carroll traded a red polo for a blue hoodie, but otherwise he looked a lot like the coach who led USC for nine seasons from the khaki pants to the non-stop energy. The team went through a fast-paced first practice that included many of the same routines he used at USC (which can also be seen at the University of Washington since Steve Sarkisian left USC to coach the Huskies).

“I am pumped up about it,” he said. “This is a chance of a lifetime for us. For our staff, for our team, for an opportunity to play the type of football that we want to represent this area and the ownership, this is a tremendous day.”

The minicamp, which resumes today, gives Carroll and his coaching staff a chance to assess the team ahead of next week’s draft, and also gives them a look at the 17 tryout players that are on hand this week.

Carroll constantly harps on the value of competition, and in that vein he said those 17 players are not just live bodies for practice, but instead players who will compete for spots on the team. Included in that group is a pair of former first-round pick receivers whose NFL careers have hit road blocks: former Husky Reggie Williams and former Trojan Mike Williams. The latter spent his college days playing for Carroll, and expects that his former coach will succeed in his return to the NFL.

“When you’re a winner, you’re a winner,” said Mike Williams, who described Tuesday’s version of Carroll as even more excited than the coach he remembers from college. “When you have a winning attitude and you’re able to put it on everyone else … if the guys buy in to how he wants it done, we’ll be successful. I’ve seen it happen.”

Carroll’s tenure in Seattle begins with a lot of questions, as several key players from last season have departed via trade, free agency or retirement, a group that includes defensive end Patrick Kerney, defensive end Cory Redding, defensive end Darryl Tapp, receiver Nate Burleson, guard Rob Sims, safety Deon Grant and backup quarterback Seneca Wallace. But on a surprisingly sunny April afternoon, Carroll was focused on his vision for the future of the Seahawks.

“We’re trying to do things better than it’s ever been done before,” he said. “We want to be the best staff, the best team, the best run the Seahawks have ever seen. That’s what we start today. Where that ends? I don’t know, but that’s what we’re here to do, so it starts out with having the best first practice they’ve ever seen.”

Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more Seahawks coverage, check out the Seahawks blog at heraldnet.com/seahawksblog