The Raiders weren’t able to lure Ben Johnson to Las Vegas, but are they getting a better situation with Pete Carroll now officially hired?
At least one nation radio host thinks so.
Dan Patrick talked about the Carroll hire on Friday and he thinks the Raiders got the better deal by Johnson choosing the Bears.
“I think it’s a great hire. When the Bears were looking at him, you said I could have Pete Carroll or Ben Johnson, I said I would take Pete Carroll,” Patrick said on his show on Friday. “I’ve seen him do this. I don’t know if Ben can do it. I know that everybody talks glowingly about [him]. I want somebody who is a proven commodity. I don’t know if there is a downside to [Carroll]. He’s got the energy of a 32-year-old.”
Patrick isn’t a football analyst, but neither are plenty of the talking heads in sports media. His opinions aren’t paid opinions, and he isn’t alone in having tremendous respect for Carroll.
Johnson has been the most hyped coaching candidate in this year’s hiring cycle, but it was only two years ago that the same could be said of Josh McDaniels. Like McDaniels, Johnson is a well-respected offensive mind, but the responsibilities of a head coach are a lot different than a coordinator.
Interestingly, Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter said an AFC executive hold him the Raiders “dodged a bullet” when they didn’t get Johnson and even compared him to the Raiders’ former head coach.
“I got a message from an AFC executive last night, after the news broke that [Johnson] was going to the Bears, who said he believed the Raiders had ‘dodged a bullet,'” Carpenter said on his Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast. “Not because of character, not because of his ability to coach, but because Ben is very introverted. He is very much an offensive genius. That’s factual. But remember when Josh McDaniels came [to the Raiders], people used the word ‘savant.'”
“I can attest to you that Josh McDaniels, the man, is a good man,” Hondo continued. “Raiders players liked him away from the building and nobody wished him ill will. But Josh was not a leader of mean that the head coach as to be. He’s more introverted, more quiet, more to himself. A lot like Ben Johnson… and this person who knows Josh very well and knows Ben Johnson very well… felt the Raiders dodged a bullet and called him Josh McDaniels 2.0.”
As others have pointed out, Carroll may be the oldest coach in the league, but he brings as much energy as any head coach in the NFL.
FOX Sports insider Jordan Schultz talked about Carroll on The Herd on Friday, and he talked about the strong quality Carroll has that the Raiders desperately need at the moment.
“I’ve talked to Michael Bennett, Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman, Bobby Wagner, and they all say that there is no coach quite like Pete Carroll in terms of the connectivity to players and establishing a culture,” Schultz said. “I can’t think of a franchise more in need of that than the Silver & Black.”
Time will tell if the Raiders got the better coach, but at the very least they have a proven head coach in the building and that hasn’t been the case since Jon Gruden resigned in 2021.
One final note… it only took about 15 minutes for the Russell Wilson to Las Vegas rumors to fire up after the announcement that Carroll was getting the Raiders job.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Wilson actually wanted to play for the Raiders a year ago, but Tom Telesco and Antonio Pierce opted to go with Gardner Minshew instead.
x: @raidersbeat
What does Dan Patrick know about coaching? And talking to his former players what else would they say but good things?
He will be 74 when the season begins. Exactly what do the Raiders think he will bring?
Most important thing right now is to get the coordinators right. That’s paramount.
I hope Chip Kelly gets a phone call from Carroll.
If Johnson truly is an introvert, he’s not likely going to be a great head coach at least early on. Stop with the chip Kelly BS. Please. If you don’t know what. Carrol brings to the organization then you’re beyond clueless. I’ll sum it up for you in one word. Stability.
And anyone that thinks that we’re going to be front runners in the next year or two is also completely clueless. This team is getting younger and it needs to. It needs to be rebuilt on both sides of the ball upfront first and foremost.
Finally!!! A correct Decision
It’s strange that questions are being asked about a 73 year old HC and not about a 78 year old President.
Especially one that acts like he’s 10.