No Pac-12 program this century had more fun than Pete Carroll’s USC Trojans.
Sure, winning had a lot to do with that. But Carroll created an environment that crackled with enthusiasm and energy. His teams practiced — and played — with an unwavering spirit.
Carroll’s older son, Brennan, plans to bring that same mojo to Arizona. Brennan Carroll is the Wildcats’ new offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Aside from those rare games where one side just dominates the other, the words “offensive line” and “fun” aren’t often associated with each other.
It doesn’t have to be that way, Carroll said. The offensive line coaches who influenced him early on at USC, Tim Davis and Pat Ruel, brought “great juice” and “great energy” to work every day. Carroll’s father never has lacked in either.
Here's a look back at sports happenings on this date in history, Jan. 30.
“Just kind of let yourself go and let the guys feel that,” Brennan Carroll told the Star on Friday. “Usually they like to follow that. They like to follow guys that want to have fun playing sports. We’re playing a game. Let’s make this thing fun. If we’re not doing that, we’re doing something wrong.
“Jedd’s fully on board with that. It’s been part of his whole message of being a pro, being original. This is gonna be a blast.”
Jedd, of course, is Jedd Fisch, Arizona’s new head coach. Fisch worked under Pete Carroll with the Seattle Seahawks in 2010 and with Brennan Carroll at the University of Miami (Florida) in 2011 and ’12.
The program Fisch is trying to build here feels familiar to Brennan Carroll, who left his job as Seattle’s run-game coordinator to be a part of it. Competition is a founding principle. And there’s no shortage of juice.
When he announced the hiring of Carroll on Jan. 1, Fisch noted that Carroll “has seen a culture of winning his whole life” and promised that “our offensive linemen will be trained to become professionals both on and off the field.”
Fisch didn’t mention that coaching up the offensive line might the be most challenging job any UA staff member has in 2021.
Keeping it simple
On paper, the offensive line looked like a strength heading into the 2020 season. Four returning blockers had started at least seven games the previous campaign. The fifth starter, Jordan Morgan, had perhaps the highest upside of any of them.
But the unit never gelled. If anything, it regressed.
Arizona allowed the most sacks and the most lost yardage in the Pac-12. The Wildcats ranked 11th in the conference in total offense and last in points per game. No UA lineman cracked the top eight in the league at his position in Pro Football Focus’ rankings.
Carroll has watched film of all of Arizona’s returning linemen, including walk-ons. He believes he has a “pretty good feel” for their individual skills. Why they couldn’t work together better last year isn’t for Carroll to say.
“When you’re ... watching guys individually, it doesn’t really paint a picture of what happened, of the whole story,” Carroll said. “I wasn’t watching the games in that way; I was watching the individuals. There’s plenty of good players on this team, and I’m excited about the group that we have. And I really feel like we can be successful.
“It kind of doesn’t matter (what happened last year). I’m not trying to solve that problem; I’m just trying to solve problems we have for the upcoming year.”
Carroll apprenticed for the job under Tom Cable and Mike Solari, who both have 30-plus years of coaching in the NFL and college on their résumés.
Cable, the offensive line coach for the Las Vegas Raiders, is an advocate of the “wide zone” blocking scheme that Carroll prefers. Cable taught Carroll to never compromise his principles.
“Just stay with it, love it and live it,” Cable advised Carroll.
Solari, the line coach for the Seahawks, is a stickler for details.
“It’s just meticulous,” Carroll said. “He’s like an encyclopedia.”
Carroll explained how Solari would break down defensive fronts, and it sounded complicated. Carroll is aware that he’s working with college players again. He won’t stay stuck in his ways.
“Everything we do in terms of how we communicate and how we’re going to install and teach and call plays ... is all going to be focused on making sure that it’s right for the player’s mind,” Carroll said. “If it doesn’t work in the player’s head, it doesn’t work. We can’t call it.
“If they’re not able to play fast ... it doesn’t have to do with how fast you actually run, it’s how fast your mind’s gonna work once we say what we want. If it doesn’t work in their minds, we’re not doing it. That’s the starting point.
“If they can’t do it, we won’t do it.”
Family first
Since he arrived in town earlier this month, Carroll said working for Arizona hasn’t been what he expected. It’s been better.
He described the UA program as a “really intriguing situation” and a “really cool untapped resource.” He believes the ZonaZoo can rival the intensity of “The 12s” — the Seahawks’ famously passionate fans.
When he was reminded that the Wildcats have lost a school-record 12 consecutive games, Carroll scoffed.
“I’m undefeated in the state of Arizona in 2021,” he said, chuckling. “I’m 1-0. The whole program’s 1-0. We’re only looking forward. It doesn’t matter what happened before.”
When he left Seattle for Tucson, Carroll’s father said he “cherished” their time together and “dreaded” his son’s inevitable departure. For six years, Pete Carroll had both of his boys, Brennan and Nate, on staff. It was, as Pete might say, a unique situation.
Fisch wants coaches’ families to participate in his program. That proclamation might have been news around here, but it was exactly what Brennan Carroll expected.
“We had talked about that years ago,” he said. “If you’re going to run a program, how do you do it? What are some of your uncompromising principles? Family first. Always have the family around as much as you can, as much as possible. Include them and make them part of it, because they are part of it.”
Carroll, 41, and his wife Amber have three kids: Dillon, 11; Colbie, 9; and Eisley, 7. They’re still in the Seattle area for now.
“This is the worst part of the job, because they’re away,” Brennan Carroll said. “But we hope to get them out here soon.”
Once the coronavirus pandemic dies down, Grandpa Pete will come to visit. Maybe he’ll stop by a UA practice too. Wouldn’t that be fun?
Extra points
- Arizona secured a pledge from a future offensive lineman Friday, when guard Grayson Stovall of Hamilton High School in Chandler announced his commitment to the Wildcats. Stovall is the UA’s first commitment in the class of 2022. The three-star prospect held offers from Arizona State, Michigan State, Kansas and Utah, among others.
- In what might be a sign of how he’s viewed by professional teams, former Arizona cornerback Lorenzo Burns has been invited to this year’s scaled-down NFL draft combine. The combine is traditionally held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis but has been changed as players and teams deal with the ongoing pandemic. Players will take part in standardized combine drills at their own college’s pro days.
- UA linebacker Jabar Triplett underwent knee surgery Friday. His father, also named Jabar, said Thursday that the surgery would sideline his son for “at least six months.” Triplett had to sit out his freshman year after suffering an Achilles’ injury in April 2020.
