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Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll revealed a mistake he made in dealing with last year’s depth chart. During training camp, Cedric Ogbuehi will be competing against Brandon Shell to be the team’s starting right tackle. Carroll admitted there should have been more of a competition between the two players last season, but the Seahawks coach initially viewed Ogbuehi as a left tackle.
“I’m going to tell you something flat out, I messed up last year,” Carroll bluntly stated during a July 31 press conference. “Cedric looks like a left tackle, you know, he was drafted in the first round, and he’s played left and right and all that, but I wanted him to develop as a left tackle. But he wanted to be a right tackle to tell you the truth. And he said that, I didn’t give him enough credit for how important it was for him to compete at that spot. And so, when we talked in the exit interview at the end of the season, he made mention of it, we talked right about it, and I just felt like I didn’t do a good enough job. Knowing what was important to him, to give him a good shot at it, and I promised him, I’m going to give him every chance [this season].”
Carroll: ‘Competition Is Everything Around Here’
Carroll may regret his handling of the offensive line last season, but an open competition does not mean Ogbuehi will necessarily win the job. Shell started 11 games last season for the Seahawks, and Carroll emphasized the team has been pleased with his work as the starting right tackle.
Ogbuehi played in eight games last season, including four starts. Carroll has preached competition since he started rebuilding the Seahawks in 2010. The Seahawks coach admitted his epiphany will have an impact on more than just the offensive line as he attempts to get back to the basics.
“I just felt like I didn’t do a good enough job,” Carroll added. “It was really good for me too, because it snapped me back in, competition is everything around here, you know? I missed that opportunity with him last year to give him that opp to show where he fit. And so, you can hear me in all of these positions, it’s affected me cause that’s my roots, and I just screwed it up. I didn’t do it good enough. So, I’m going to do better.”
Jackson: ‘I Have to Be Myself & Prove Myself’
The Seahawks’ goal heading into the season is to protect Russell Wilson and the team did a bit of reshuffling with the offensive line this offseason. Seattle acquired veteran guard Gabe Jackson in a trade with the Raiders, a move that Wilson has publicly praised. Jackson noted he has something to prove now that he is with the Seahawks.
“No matter where you are in life, you always try to prove yourself. You never stop trying to prove yourself until you’ve made it, and I don’t feel like I’ve made it,” Jackson said, per The Seattle Times. “Everybody’s new to me, everything is new to me, but at the same time, I have to be myself and prove myself.”
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