When Pete Carroll was hired on Friday, it brought instant legitimacy to the Las Vegas Raiders for next season.
The hope is that the credibility that Carroll provides rubs off on the team, establishing a culture of success similar to ones he built at USC and the Seattle Seahawks.
Carroll’s list of accomplishments has not necessarily helped out the hire in the eyes of some analysts, however. In fact, some of the grades coming in on the hire have been admittedly less than stellar.
Frank Schwab from Yahoo Sports was one such analyst, ranking Carroll fourth among the six current known coaching hires with a C grade.
“It’s a hard hire to judge,” wrote Schwab. “Based just on Carroll’s track record, it should be considered a home run hire. Carroll has a Super Bowl ring, and a college national championship, too. He had a winning record in 11 of his last 12 seasons guiding the Seattle Seahawks. It’s hard to find fault with his resume.”
Schwab then proceeds to list some of the concerns he has regarding Carroll’s hire.
“But Carroll will turn 74 years old in September,” Schwab continued.
“When the Raiders kick off the season, Carroll will become the oldest head coach in NFL history. It’s hard to feel great about a rebuilding team hiring a coach who might not be on the job for three more years. And there has been very little success among the few coaches who have stayed on the sidelines into their 70s.”
Obviously, Carroll’s age was a point of concern from the beginning of the hiring process, but teams have the capability to provide a clear succession plan. The Raiders using Carroll’s experience and player-friendly approach to build a foundation for long-term success is far from a bad strategy.
Other concerns regarding Carroll’s coaching staff and the disarray of the Seahawks after the Super Bowl-winning core aged out are more valid, but he address many of those during his press conference on Monday.
“I’m really looking for people that have been with me and that understand the philosophy to some extent,” Carroll said. “I (also) want guys that have never been around me before so that they have to learn what we’re all about.”
Carroll made it a point to emphasize that the Raiders will not simply be a carbon copy of the Seahawks, but a team with its own identity.
If the Raiders improve due to Carroll’s vision, these grades could easily end up being shrugged off by this time next year.
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