Pete Carroll’s movie makes impact
RENTON, Wash. – At some point during this past offseason, Pete Carroll decided it was time to make a movie, and it had nothing to do with the Seahawks winning their first Super Bowl.
Carroll had followed closely the initiatives with USA Football’s “Heads Up Football” program to teach young football players the proper techniques for tackling without getting injured. The program has received wide support from the NFL, but Carroll felt there was something there that he could add.
So the coach that once led a college program just a few miles from Hollywood decided to make a film about tackling.
“I thought we had something that could complement their effort,” Carroll said. “That’s a really nice way of saying I thought we had a better way to help them. We’re teaching kids football. It’s something that we’ve done for a long time.”
The video produced by Carroll and his staff is based around the premise of tackling with the shoulder and taking the head out of the equation. It lasts a little more than 20 minutes, showing technique, drills and game-action examples of how the Seahawks put these tackling fundamentals to use.
Once it was done, Carroll’s video quickly caught the attention of the NFL as another way to keep the game safe without taking away any more of the physicality.
What Seattle is teaching is not drastically different than what’s been preached in the past, aside from an emphasis on trying to not have the head involved.
The Seahawks’ tackling philosophy is that they use leverage and targets on the body of the ballcarrier to tackle with their shoulders. Seattle has taken away the old idea of making sure the head of a would-be tackler must get across the face of the ballcarrier.
Instead, by targeting the near hip or chest of the ballcarrier with the shoulder, wrapping up and then rolling through the tackle, the head stays out of the process.
“I think it makes us more effective. This is the whole thing we talk about having a tackling plan,” said Rocky Seto, the Seahawks’ defensive passing game coordinator who instructed much of the video.
“I think this is going to be our greatest impact for the sport. I really do,” Seto said.