Carroll’s collection

Published on September 11, 2011 by Seahawks.Com News (Feed)     

 After 20 months and 430 roster transactions, the new-look Seahawks team that Pete Carroll takes to San Francisco for Sunday’s season opener against the 49ers is definitely his team.

Pete Carroll grew up in the Bay Area, and then began growing into the coach he has become as an assistant with the 49ers.

The team he’ll bring to Candlestick Park on Sunday for the Seahawks’ season opener against San Francisco is definitely his team.

With more than just a little help from his friends – general manager John Schneider, vice president of football operations Will Lewis and their staff; as well as his own coaching staff – Carroll has compiled a collection of players who are bigger, faster, stronger and younger than the Seahawks have had in years.

It didn’t just happen. Carroll and Schneider made 284 roster transactions during their first year together after being hired in January of 2010. In the past six weeks, after the end of the 136-day lockout, they’ve made another 146.

They’ve made trades to acquire kick returner/running back Leon Washington, defensive end Chris Clemons and running back Marshawn Lynch, among others. They’ve dipped into free agency to sign quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, wide receiver Sidney Rice, tight end Zach Miller, left guard Robert Gallery and defensive tackle Alan Branch – and re-signed defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, linebacker Leroy Hill and defensive end Raheem Brocks. In the past two drafts, they’ve added starters in offensive linemen Russell Okung, James Carpenter and John Moffitt and safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, as well as depth at linebacker, wide receiver and in the secondary. They’ve hit on undrafted and street free agents like wide receivers Mike Williams and Doug Baldwin and oozing-with-potential QB Josh Portis. They even reached into the CFL and pulled out a starting cornerback in Brandon Browner.

They’ve also retained two members of the 2005 Super Bowl team – cornerback Marcus Trufant and Hill; and hit on two look-what-we-found position switches – moving little-used defensive tackle Red Bryant to end last season and rookie linebacker K.J. Wright from the strong side to the middle this year.

The question now: How long will it take this mix to mesh?

“We don’t know. Nobody knows right now,” a candid Carroll admitted after Friday’s final practice to prepare for Sunday’s opener. “You’ve got to find out what happens when you start playing the games.

“It’s going to be interesting to watch our team as we grow together. We’re going to have to learn. We don’t know everything about them yet, but we’ll learn as we go.”

via Carroll’s collection.

Tags: Brandon Browner, Brandon Mebane, Brocks, Candlestick Park, Chris Clemons, Doug Baldwin, Earl Thomas, Football Operations, James Carpenter, John Moffitt, John Schneider, Kick Returner, Leon Washington, Leroy Hill, Marcus Trufant, Offensive Linemen, Pete Carroll, Safeties, Wide Receivers, Zach Miller