–Serving as Patrick Mahomes’ top weapon, Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill has morphed into one of the NFL’s best at his position during his third season. Capable of hitting a home run every time he touches the football, “Cheetah” sits atop the league leaderboards in receiving yardage (1,304), touchdowns (13), and yards per reception (16.7).
Best known for his speed, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll sees much more than a glorified track star donning pads and a helmet, citing him as a complete football player.
“He does everything. He runs routes really well, he’s really tough making the catch, he’s made circus catches with guys all over him, he’s taken the ball away from guys. In the running game, they’ve used him (and) he’s obviously a big deal in the return game too. He’s more complete of a player than you would expect a guy that would be that fast. … He’s a ball player.”
The Seahawks young secondary will be tested not only by Hill’s blazing speed, but his precise route-running and ability to snatch the football in heavy traffic. Head coach Andy Reid loves to move him all over the formation as well, as he ranks second in the league in receiving yards from the slot and has added 119 yards on the ground.
–Back in the 2017 draft, rumors circulated briefly that the Seahawks actually had interest in trading up and drafting Mahomes. While Carroll wasn’t asked about that possibility on Wednesday, he did mention that general manager John Schneider viewed him as one of the best prospects in his draft class.
After evaluating Mahomes at Texas Tech, Carroll said that Schneider “was in love with him” and felt he was a special talent who would go at the top of the draft.
While addressing how the Seahawks assess players from spread and Air Raid offenses at the collegiate level, Carroll added, “We were surprised that he (Mahomes) made it to the 10th pick by our evaluation.”
With Wilson still under contract for three more seasons at the time and only 28 years old, moving up to select Mahomes would’ve sent shockwaves throughout the NFL. Who knows if the Seahawks were seriously considering making such a bold trade, but in all likelihood, they were likely exhibiting gamesmanship to force another team’s hand on draft day.
–As the NFL has evolved, few coaches have been better than Andy Reid at adjusting his offense to cater to different personnel. After guiding a top-flight offense in Philadelphia for years, Carroll believes his creativity and willingness to think outside the box have allowed him to maintain consistent success for nearly two decades as a head coach.
“He’s one of a kind. He’s an extraordinarily creative guy. He’s been able to stay at the cutting edge of what’s going on and he does a really nice job of researching what’s happening at the college game and he’s picked and chosen things out of that. His control of the offense and willingness to try stuff – he’s been innovative and inventive – but he’s done a lot of really great things young coaches could really learn from.”
Since returning to the NFL in 2010, Carroll and Reid have coached against one another twice, with the Seahawks beating the Eagles in 2011 and the Chiefs winning a tight 24-20 contest at Arrowhead Stadium in 2014. Those past matchups won’t have any bearing on this weekend’s game, however, as Carroll noted Reid’s greatest strength is adapting his offense to the quarterback running the show.
“His offense was much different the last few years with Alex (Smith) and he’s just on it. It’s really impressive and it’s fun to go against him.”
BY THE NUMBERS: 19.1 – Percentage of punts by Seahawks rookie Michael Dickson pinned inside of the opposing 10-yard line, second-best mark in the NFL.
