Getty Pete Carroll didn't have very flattering words for the New England Patriots' Bill Belichick.
Maybe the Seattle Seahawks‘ painful loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX still stings after all.
As Pete Carroll addressed reporters on Monday, he addressed a question regarding the key differences between the Seahawks’ culture and the Patriots’ one. For those that aren’t aware, Carroll runs a relaxed environment in Seattle. In contrast, Bill Belichick runs a strict one in New England — and it doesn’t matter if you’re a star player. He’ll get rid of you quick if you don’t abide by his policies.
In this season alone, he’s either traded or released former Pro Bowlers such as Antonio Brown, Michael Bennett and now Josh Gordon.
Speaking of Gordon, he was recently picked up by the Seahawks. And so as Carroll was addressed with the question of the differences between Seattle’s culture and New England’s, the veteran head coach couldn’t hesitate in taking a jab at his rivals — and former employer.
Veteran Player Blasted Patriots’ Culture Last Year
Cassius Marsh, a veteran defensive end who had a short stint with the Patriots — and eventually the Seahawks — lamented how miserable he was during his lone season in New England back in 2017, via Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle.
“They asked me to do a bunch of stuff that I had never done: covering running backs and receivers and basically almost never rushing the passer, which is what I did in playing defensive line,” Marsh said. “They don’t have fun there. There’s nothing fun about it. There’s nothing happy about it. I didn’t enjoy any of my time there, you know what I’m saying? It made me for the first time in my life think about not playing football because I hated it that much.”
Marsh also goes so far as to claim that he confronted Patriots head coach Bill Belichick just a couple of days before he was released. In his final game with the Patriots, Marsh played just two defensive snaps.
“I confronted (Belichick) about all the things that were going on,” Marsh said. “I won’t get into detail, but it was B.S. things they were doing. I just wasn’t a fan. And so I, basically, without asking to get cut, I kind of asked to get cut. … I had confidence that I would have an opportunity elsewhere and I would take advantage of it.”
Patriots Have Been Most Successful Franchise Under ‘Strict’ Culture
While it’s true that the Patriots run a strict culture in New England, it’s also true that they’ve had tremendous amounts of success in doing it. It may be a cold-hearted approach to things, but you can’t argue the results — the Patriots have won six Super Bowls and have had nine total appearances in the past 18 seasons.
Since 2001, they’ve only failed to win their division just once during that span (2008).
The Seahawks have also had tons of success under Carroll’s leadership, winning a Super Bowl, advancing to another and being an overall winning franchise since Carroll’s arrival — seven playoff appearances in nine seasons.
In other words, while Carroll’s jab at New England is true, you also can’t argue with results — the Patriots just win under their “strict” culture.
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