Pete Carroll Criticizes Patriots Fans For Lack Of Passion During Game Vs. Seahawks
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- If anybody can be considered an expert on the art being both pumped and jacked, it would be Peter Clay Carroll.
The Seahawks head coach, now in his seventh year with Seattle, has made it his trademark to be equal parts cheerleader and coach in his days on the sideline, a demeanor that's defined him going all the way back to his days at the Patriots' head coach back in the '90s. And certainly, he's proven to be a perfect match for the fans in Seattle, who take great pride in that fanship, who spend hundreds of dollars on merchandise and clothing that let the world know that they are fans, who refer to themselves as "12s" instead of as "Seahawks fans," and who try with all their might to set world records in noise-making during home games in the Pacific Northwest.
The Patriots and Gillette Stadium, however, don't have a reputation for owning the NFL's rowdiest atmosphere. And after making his first trip to Gillette on Sunday night, Carroll came away very unimpressed by the fans' relative ambivalence to the goings-on of the football game.
"OK, it's not a great place. They weren't nuts," Carroll said on the Brock And Salk show in Seattle. "It's because they're so used to winning. There was a time when they kicked their last field goal to go ahead, and it was like a round of applause for the nice effort. Gosh, our guys would be going berserk. We're so hungry for it."
(Congratulations to the 12s for being so hungry for it.)
On the one hand, Carroll is correct. Gillette is known as one of the quieter buildings around the league. That, however, has as much to do with architecture than it does with the fans' interest in the game. It's not an enclosed stadium, and with a lighthouse in one corner and massive ramps on another, the design of the stadium allows for a lot of the noise generated by the crowd to escape.
And, as it relates to the go-ahead field goal Carroll mentioned, the home fans were likely not "so hungry" because the Patriots offense had just been stopped after getting a first-and-goal from the 9-yard line. Tom Brady was sacked on third down, thus forcing the Patriots to settle for a field goal. In most NFL venues, settling for three when the home team is that close to six -- especially in a game that featured as many lead changes as Sunday night's contest did -- is not much a cause for celebration.
Alas, as the Seahawks organization tends to do from time to time, Pete's comments play right into the self-indulgent phenomenon that takes place out there. The 12s will gather and talk about Pete's comments regarding the inferior groups of fans from other parts of the country who aren't even loud human beings. More 12 flags and "12 Fan" jerseys will be purchased, and then they'll get back to discussing the real issue: how great they are as fans.
They're just so hungry for it. Don't you know?
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
