Bill Belichick has established a culture of winning since he took over as the head coach of the Patriots in 2000, and with that comes a level of accountability. Some view that as New England being a place where players can’t have fun, and Pete Carroll alluded to that on Monday.
Tight end Jacob Hollister — a former Patriot — caught two touchdown passes in Seattle’s overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. When discussing Hollister’s big day and if he has noticed anything about players who come to him after having spent time in New England, Carroll appeared to take a swipe at Belichick.
Pete Carroll burst into a spontaneous laugh when asked by @BradyHenderson what he's noticed about players such as Jacob Hollister who come to #Seahawks from New England Patriots, then said: "That they are happy to be here."
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) November 4, 2019
The implication is that playing for the Seahawks is a lot more laid back, which is probably true. While Belichick’s reputation for being hard-nosed is probably a bit overblown, Carroll is one of the biggest players’ coaches in the NFL. Some players might feel a lot less pressure playing in Seattle than they would in New England.
That being said, the personality we see from Belichick in the media is not the one he has behind the scenes with his players. Very few players who have played for the Patriots in the past two decades have had negative things to say about their time there, and it’s mostly guys on the outside who are critical of the culture. Carroll may pride himself on fostering a more lax environment than Belichick, but The Hoodie has won six Super Bowls in New England. Most players would prefer that over “having fun” and winning one.
