It isn’t any secret that Raiders head coach Pete Carroll has been to every corner of the football world and seen it all. From a brief season coaching the New York Jets to winning a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks and an extended stay at the college level, the coach has been everywhere, including the New England Patriots.
During his travels, he has met a metric ton of people and coached thousands. Now, decades later, some of his players have gone on to get involved in the coaching side of things.
With the Raiders facing the Patriots in Week 1, one question worth answering is whether the two head coaches have history. Here’s a look.
Exploring Pete Carroll’s History With Mike Vrabel
The two coaches have some history, but only in the loosest definition. However, it isn’t nothing. Carroll coached the Patriots from 1997-1999, ending as the predecessor to Bill Belichick in the 2000 calendar year. Vrabel played linebacker in the NFL at that time in Carroll’s conference.
Vrabel played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1997-2000 and faced Carroll in a memorable December 13, 1997, showdown that went into overtime. Carroll’s Patriots lost the contest 21-24.
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They met again in the playoffs that same season on January 3, where Carroll lost once again. The two teams met again in 1998, when Carroll emerged victorious over Vrabel’s team. It was the last time the two faced each other during Carroll’s tenure in New England.
Robert Kraft fired Pete Carroll on January 2, 2000, citing “momentum” concerns as the team’s number of wins trickled down after a strong 10-6 start and first-place finish in the AFC East to 8-8 and a fifth-place finish (divisions were made up of five teams at that time).
As such, Pete Carroll never coached Vrabel. However, his fingerprints were on the Patriots roster when Vrabel joined the Patriots ahead of the 2001 season.
As a linebacker, Vrabel could have received advice from players who learned from the defensive-minded Carroll. As such, in a roundabout way, an argument could be made that Carroll had an effect on the new Patriots head coach at the beginning of the 21st century.
Now, a quarter of a century later, Pete Carroll and Mike Vrabel are meeting again in almost swapped circumstances, with Vrabel coaching the Patriots and Carroll coaching the Raiders.
Will the Raiders kick off the season with a victory over Carroll’s former team?