Russell Wilson-Pete Carroll bond a good example of what Giants should find for Jaxson Dart
Quarterback Russell Wilson talks with coach Pete Carroll of the Seahawks at Lumen Field on Oct. 07, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. Credit: Getty Images/Steph Chambers
It’s no secret that Jaxson Dart was close with former Giants coach Brian Daboll. Their bond was evident on draft night when the two exchanged greetings that included “I love you” and other supportive messages.
Then Daboll was fired in November.
Dart is close with interim coach and former offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, but whomever the Giants hire as their next coach has to not only connect with Dart but build him up to be the quarterback of the future everyone expects.
Sunday’s road game against the Raiders is a reminder of how a strong coach-quarterback connection can work. On the Raiders’ side is coach Pete Carroll. On the Giants’ side? Russell Wilson, who spent his first 10 seasons with Carroll on the Seahawks.
Both had something to prove in 2012. Carroll went 7-9 in his first two seasons in Seattle. Wilson was an undersized quarterback drafted in the third round. They won a Super Bowl in Year 3, then came within one yard of repeating as champions.
“He wanted me to be me,” Wilson told Newsday on Wednesday. “I came in the league, 5-11, African-American quarterback. There weren’t many Black quarterbacks in the league at the time . . . but the reality is that he believed that I could help change the game and evolve the game.
“He took a chance on me in that and I’m forever grateful for that.”
Carroll and Wilson won 104 games in 10 seasons. Wilson could wind up in the Hall of Fame despite his recent struggles, including being benched by the Giants after three games this season. Carroll likely will join him.
They elevated each other, and despite where they are now — Carroll’s Raiders are 2-13, like the Giants — their chemistry produced winning results.
That’s why it’s imperative that the Giants make the right hire this offseason.
It’s not necessarily about finding a brilliant offensive mind. Bill Belichick was a defensive wizard who won championships with Tom Brady. Same with Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning. The Carroll-Wilson partnership worked wonders, even though Carroll was a defense-minded coach.
Wilson said Carroll’s strength was pushing players to be better while allowing them to show their personalities. It didn’t hurt that both also had supreme confidence in themselves.
“We always felt like in the midst of odds and adversity, we were always going to be great,” Wilson said. “We thrived in the midst of the storms . . . We shared the same mindset. Pete and I, we never blinked in the midst of a challenge.”
The right coach raises the floor and ceiling of the entire team. But how that coach raises the quarterback’s floor is just as critical. It’s something Jameis Winston knows well.
Winston, now a backup quarterback for the Giants, had three coaches in his first five years in Tampa Bay, and that instability affected his career. He believes that for the Giants to win, it starts with a plan that serves Dart the best.
“Every coach, when they get the job, it’s like OK, how am I going to be able to help my team be the best that they can be,” Winston said. “I know a key to that is being able to develop a strong relationship with a strong quarterback because y’all two go hand-in-hand.”
It worked for Wilson, who still thinks highly of Carroll. Wilson’s reputation as a leader and winner was validated on the field, but it was encouraged by Carroll believing in him and working together to reach the highest level.
“Coach Carroll allowed us to be free, allowed us to go to the edge but not fall off the edge and play with a certain level of tenacity and freedom and confidence,” Wilson said. “That was always great.”
The Giants are hoping for the same with Dart, and it starts with the next coach connecting with Dart the way Daboll did. They must develop and get the best out of Dart and by doing so, that coach, Dart and the Giants will reap the benefits.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
