Connect with us

Podcast

Anonymous MLB player poll

We’re not exactly sure where the months went, but the calendar tells us that it is indeed June, which means it’s once again time for The Athletic’s annual MLB Player Poll. Over the course of 2 1/2 months, from spring training until early May, our writers interviewed more than 135 players across 21 teams and […]

Published

on

Anonymous MLB player poll

We’re not exactly sure where the months went, but the calendar tells us that it is indeed June, which means it’s once again time for The Athletic’s annual MLB Player Poll.

Over the course of 2 1/2 months, from spring training until early May, our writers interviewed more than 135 players across 21 teams and granted them anonymity to get their honest takes on the idea of robo-umps, what they’ve heard — good and bad — about other organizations, misconceptions about the job, the impact of sports betting, which players they most enjoy watching while on the clock and much more.

Advertisement

This is not exactly a scientific poll — not every player we spoke to answered every question or provided a quote in support of their choice  — but it does provide an interesting look into the thoughts of those making up Major League Baseball in 2025.

Let’s get into it.

Note: Some player quotes have been lightly edited for length and clarity.


After several years —  and player polls —  of Shohei Ohtani running away with the “Who is the best player in baseball” prompt, we decided to reframe the question a bit and find out who players most enjoy watching play. In our minds, this question could be interpreted any number of ways. Whose style of play do they appreciate? Whose enthusiasm on the field is fun to watch? Any personal rubric would be accepted.

It turns out, after all that, that the prevailing answer was …  still Shohei Ohtani, who earned over 20 percent of the vote. (He probably would have had more, but as was the case last year, more than one player talked themselves out of naming him for fear of being unoriginal.)

Ohtani was followed by Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr., who collected a little over 10 percent of the responses. One player who voted for Witt summarized his reasoning nicely: “He’s quiet, goes about his work, balls out.”

In their own words

On Ohtani

“How can you honestly pick someone else?”

“It’s so hard to get him out. What he does, I don’t know if we’ll ever see it again.”

“He makes it look too easy.”

“Shohei being able to do both, it just doesn’t make any sense. There aren’t enough hours in the day to work on your craft for both.”

“The versatility obviously stands out. He’s always prepared, no matter who the pitcher is.”

“He’s a big moment waiting to happen, especially with the bat. I think people have forgotten about him as a pitcher and he’s electric. Hopefully, you never know coming back from a second Tommy John. The team he plays for is always on TV, he’s really good and always works a good at-bat, always puts the ball in play.”

Advertisement

“He’s a cheat code.”

“He’s the best MyPlayer you could ever create.”

“You’re watching someone have that kind of success on both sides of the ball. It’s so rare. Players are blown away by it as much — or more — than fans are.”

“He literally does everything. He might be the best baseball player ever. He probably is.”

“I really want to see him pitch again.”

“He has an opportunity to hit a homer every single at-bat, more opportunity to do something exciting.”

“It’s just going to be cool no matter what he does.”

“He’s an animal. He’s not from this world.”

On Witt

“He can steal bags, hit for power, play good shortstop.”

“He’s fast, he’s got power, he’s got a good arm, great glove, hustles, plays the game the right way, smart.”

“He’s awesome. He’s really great at every tool you want: defense, arm, speed, contact, power. Good guy. Fun to watch.”

“He doesn’t have crazy size like Judge or Ohtani; he’s pretty regular looking, but just (has) unbelievable talent. Last year was the first time I saw him live, and it was barrel, barrel, barrel. It was unreal.”

“His swing is so good.”

“Five-tool player. Athletic, plays a premium defensive position and plays it well. He’s fast and he’s even got another gear when he needs it. He does a lot of things the game of baseball is catered towards, and that’s what makes him so exciting.”

“His defense is great, offense. I think he’s got it all. I like watching him play.”

“He plays my position and he does everything at an elite level.”

On Acuña

“That guy’s a freak of nature.”

“Everything. He does everything. Hitting. Power. Running. Defense.”

“His swag is very electric. First-pitch homer, that was crazy. How he runs the bases, how he swings. Everything is special about him. … I’d pay for a ticket to see him.”

On De La Cruz 

“Seems like he has a lot of fun, like I play.”

Advertisement

“It’s going to be something different every day. It’s not always the speed, sometimes he’ll run into a ball. Sometimes he’ll make a sick play and go into the hole and throw the guy out to start a game.”

“He’s probably the fastest guy in the league, and he seems to always have fun when he’s playing. He’s electric.”

“It’s kind of a cool skill set he has — the base stealing, the power, the big arm. He has all the weapons and his ceiling is extremely high.”

“Elly’s pretty fun to watch, except when he’s running all over us.”

On Betts

“Does everything well. Incredible athlete. Just the modern five-tool player. You see guys go from the infield to the outfield; he did the opposite. It’s pretty impressive.”

“Just the way he plays the game, the way he can be a Gold Glove right fielder and play shortstop, too. His athleticism and his swing.”

“He’s the most athletic player in the game and it seems like he’s always having fun.”

On Judge

“I wish I was as big and strong as him. He does things that only he can do on the baseball field. I feel lucky that I get to watch him every day.”

“People love power and offense. Every time he steps to the plate, you expect something special.”

“He can do it all.”

“He just hits the ball so hard.”

On Lindor

“Just the way he brings passion to the game.”

“He’s my favorite player. He’s a baller. Five-tool player.”

“He impacts the game in so many ways — hitting, defense and base running, all with a style to him.”

On Skenes

“Man, he’s nasty. I think he’s going to end up being the best pitcher in the sport, if he’s not already. It’s kind of crazy, too, because he’s so young. I can’t wait to see how he’s going to get better over the next few years.”

On Harris

“Defensively, he’s incredible. He does things most people can’t do. Offensively, it’s always fun to watch guys. But defensively, that’s where you show your true athleticism. But he does things I’ve never seen anybody else do.”

Advertisement

“He just has so much fun. He’s got some swag.”

On Harper

“He’s the guy that if he comes off injury, he’s going 4-for-4 with three homers. If he’s getting booed at a stadium, he’s going to hit a homer. He has that clutch gene in him.”

“Loved the feel he had for the moment in London.”


It probably should surprise no one that the current highest-paid player in MLB history tops this list with 15.6 percent of the vote, especially when you consider we began our polling roughly two months after the 26-year-old signed his historic 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets this past offseason. But pitchers had a lot to say about what makes Soto such a fearsome hitter, and it starts with his patience at the plate.

“He doesn’t swing at a lot of crap,” said one NL pitcher. “Not a lot of swing-and-miss in his game and he can do damage.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Shohei Ohtani (14.1 percent) and Aaron Judge (9.4 percent)  round out this year’s top three.

In their own words

On Soto

“He’s very disciplined. Just seems like he doesn’t hit anything soft. Anything in the zone, he puts the barrel on it. His discipline is almost intimidating, for lack of a better word. Especially in a leverage situation, it’s like you have to make a perfect pitch.”

“His ability to have plate discipline, no whiff and power is really, really difficult to face. There aren’t many guys who have the power to hit like that but not the whiff. He hits mistakes every time. He doesn’t chase.”

“It’s ridiculous. If there’s a moment where he can turn it on, he’s just able to do it. It’s crazy.”

“He has amazing control of the strike zone. You know he’s probably not going to chase. He also has insane power and can hit the ball to all fields. He’s such a tough out.”

On Ohtani

“Oh, I have nothing for him. That’s a tough at-bat for me.”

Advertisement

“He’s the best hitter right now.”

“He’s one of those guys who knows his strengths, knows his strike zone. He has that idea when he steps in the box, that feeling of he knows what he’s going to do.”

 On Judge

“He rakes against me.”

“He puts fear in pitchers even when he’s not due up in the inning. You’re wondering about him the next inning.”

 On Alvarez

“That guy owns me. He’s my nemesis.”

On Freeman

“I think he showed it last year in the postseason. Goodness gracious.”

On Betts

“Honestly, just a great hitter.”

On Ramírez

“Bat-to-ball lefties are hard for me. José is a really tough matchup.”

“He’s been tough to pitch against.”

“He’s very clutch.”

“He’s just a consistent hitter throughout. Doesn’t have a whole lot of holes, he’s just a hitter that we have to flip the script on every game throughout the series. Whatever we do in Game 1, we can’t do in Game 2 because he’ll be hunting that. He’s making adjustments on the fly and it makes scouting him that much harder.”

On Witt

“Super explosive contact-wise and power-wise. You can’t cheat him.”

On Harper

“He comes through in clutch situations.”

“Smart hitter, doesn’t miss, not a lot of holes. He punishes the ball. It looks like he welcomes those moments.”


The first and last time we posed this question to players was back in 2018, and amazingly, there are still a few holdovers here from that inaugural poll.

One thing is clear: Hitters did not want to see Chris Sale back then, and they don’t sound all that excited about the potential of seeing him now, either. The 36-year-old and eight-time All-Star was a runner-up in that original poll but lands on top of this year’s list with 16 percent of the vote. Our respondents had a lot to say about why, but one word kept coming up again and again (and again).

In their own words

On Sale

“Nasty.”

“He was untouchable last year. When you win all three categories in the Triple Crown, it’s hard to name anyone else.”

Advertisement

“You want the challenge but he’s just nasty.”

“He’s nasty. I got one hit off him already, so I know I’m probably never going to get another one ever again.”

On Skubal

“In my opinion, he has a decent lead over anybody else. His fastball is so good, and last year he made a real effort to throw other pitches and keep hitters off-balance. The fastball sets up the changeup, and it just gets on you so quick. The hitters are so uncomfortable.”

“He’s nasty for everybody. Everything’s really hard, his changeup’s really good. Hard to pick up. Everything’s kind of funky coming out of all of the stuff he does.”

“I hit better from the left side, and he feels so challenging hitting from the left side. He might be the best pitcher in the game.”

On Wheeler

“Really smart pitcher who just keeps getting better and has multiple ways to get you out.”

On Chapman

“(Wouldn’t want to face him) in his prime.”

“I’m going with Aroldis because he throws so hard and is kind of wild on the mound. You don’t really know where the ball is going to end up. It would be a tough at-bat if he’s on and still nerve-racking when he’s off.”

On Duran

“I faced him in the minors when he was a starter and he was electric then — but now that he’s throwing just one inning and giving it everything he’s got? He’s just taken it to another level.”

On Skenes

“I know he won’t be there (because of the Pirates), but he’s nasty. His control glove side to lefties, I’ve never seen before in my life. Throwing 102 up and in for strikes? Then hipping a 96 mph sinker that starts in on you? You can’t pull the trigger on that. Then once you do, you foul one off, and then he throws an 88-mph changeup away. What do you do? I faced him maybe 8 or 9 times and it’s hard to form an approach off of him. He’s very mature for his age.”

“Have you seen the movement on his pitches? It’s crazy.”

Advertisement

On Strider

“His stuff. His fastball does different thing. It cuts sometimes if it’s in. If it’s up, it’s going to rise. If it’s low, it can rise or stay low. He can throw off the hitter and has good secondary stuff as well and has command of all his pitches. When I faced him, it wasn’t fun.”

“He will remind people why this year. His stuff is crazy.”

On Treinen

“Blake Treinen’s slider. For nine straight innings.”

On Valdez

“I cannot square (up) his stuff. Any pitch he throws me, I feel like I’m just beating it into the ground.”

“He’s always tough. He’s always given me a hard time. He’s tough in the postseason.”

On King

“He crossfires and throws sinkers hard, like 98 mph. The slider, big slider. It’s going everywhere.”

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photo of Shohei Ohtani: Harry How; Chris Sale: Todd Kirkland; Juan Soto: Mary DeCicco / MLB Photos / Getty Images)

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

NIL

Ronny LeJeune, Founder & Director of Bayou Dog Sports Training Club

[embedded content] Chatting with Ronny LeJeune, found and director of a new dog sports training non-profit called Bayou Dog Sports Training Club. ⸻ 🎙 Listen & Watch 🎧 Find this episode and more:🔗 Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-tea-podcast/support 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTeaPodcast ⸻ 🔹 Sponsored By: 💡 Optimize Generator People – Power your home with confidence during any outage. […]

Published

on

Ronny LeJeune, Founder & Director of Bayou Dog Sports Training Club

Chatting with Ronny LeJeune, found and director of a new dog sports training non-profit called Bayou Dog Sports Training Club.

🎙 Listen & Watch

🎧 Find this episode and more:
🔗 Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-tea-podcast/support

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTeaPodcast

🔹 Sponsored By:

💡 Optimize Generator People – Power your home with confidence during any outage. Optimize Generator People specializes in reliable home standby Generac generator solutions and expert service. Control your power, control your life!
🔗 Website: optimizegp.com

🏗 Chase Group Construction – Your ONE point of contact for the entire design-build process. Chase Group has a diverse portfolio, from medical facilities to popular restaurants and multi-unit shopping centers.
🔗 Website: chasegroupconstruction.com

🎵 Music Academy of Acadiana – Acadiana’s top music school! Offering lessons in piano, guitar, voice, drums, violin, saxophone, flute, and audio production. With award-winning instructors, students have excelled in competitions and even appeared on American Idol and The Voice.
🔗 Website: musicacademyacadiana.com

🎧 The Tea Podcast is part of the AcadianaCasts podcast network.


Continue Reading

NIL

Brad Pitt shares love of making sports movies on 'New Heights' Podcast

If you consider yourself a fan of Brad Pitt’s acting, particularly in sports movies, you’re in luck. He loves making them and wants to do at least one more. Pitt appeared on the New Heights Podcast, hosted by Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce. During […]

Published

on

Brad Pitt shares love of making sports movies on 'New Heights' Podcast

If you consider yourself a fan of Brad Pitt’s acting, particularly in sports movies, you’re in luck. He loves making them and wants to do at least one more.

Pitt appeared on the New Heights Podcast, hosted by Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce. During the appearance, Pitt discussed his fondness for sports movies.

“I love a sports movie when they work … It’s the greatest,” Pitt said, H/T Lexi Carson, The Hollywood Reporter. “I look back at Gene Hackman and Hoosiers and [Robert] Redford and The Natural, there’s even something more. Sports for me, even one game is an entire lifetime.”

During the conversation, Pitt discussed his most recent movie, F1, as well as 2011’s Moneyball, when he portrayed Billy Beane, general manager of the then-Oakland Athletics.

“When we get it right in these sports movies and I felt like we really got it right in Moneyball in a lovely, beautiful way to add to that lexicon,” he said. “I think this one does too on a really big level because the racing is probably the most visceral racing experience you’ll ever have. But like all great sports movies, when they’re great, there’s also a story there. You’re moved by it. And were funny as f***k. So, we got that to deliver it, but this kind of spiritual ending to it all, I’m really proud about.”

Continue Reading

Podcast

The Top 25 Michigan athletics moments since 2000

We’ve reached the “I’ll never forget where I was when X happened” stage of our series covering the Top-25 moments for the Michigan Wolverines since 2000. For the No. 5 spot — one of the most iconic finishes in the history of the men’s basketball program that triggered a run to the national championship. 5. […]

Published

on

The Top 25 Michigan athletics moments since 2000

We’ve reached the “I’ll never forget where I was when X happened” stage of our series covering the Top-25 moments for the Michigan Wolverines since 2000. For the No. 5 spot — one of the most iconic finishes in the history of the men’s basketball program that triggered a run to the national championship.

5. Jordan Poole drills mid-court buzzer-beater to stun Houston in the NCAA Tournament (2018)

I can watch this clip over and over again. Every March, it’s appointment viewing on social media as fans lament on the madness of the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan was dead to rights in this game. The starters were 15-of-43 (34.8 percent) from the field and 3-of-19 (15.7 percent) from deep. With 10 seconds left, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman missed a layup, and Houston’s Devin Davis went to the free throe line up by two points with four seconds remaining. He was 9-of-10 from the free throw line, but proceeded to miss the two most important ones with the pressure of the game on his back.

Head coach John Beilein called a timeout and rallied the boys for one final play, a play that they practiced multiple times, putting the game on the back of true freshman Jordan Poole. The Milwaukee-native averaged only six points per game and had played only 11 minutes in what could have been the final game of the season. Instead, with the game on the line, he drilled one of the most memorable shots in the history of Michigan hoops.

By itself, this moment is worthy of a Top-10 ranking, but the Wolverines didn’t stop there. Thanks to Poole’s shot, Michigan became the highest-seeded team remaining in the West Region, as No. 1 Xavier and No. 2 North Carolina didn’t make the second weekend. The Wolverines would face both of their upsetters — No. 9 Florida State and No. 7 Texas A&M — in the next two rounds, vanquishing both on their way to the Final Four.

Michigan continued getting favorable draws, as No. 11 seed Loyola-Chicago inexplicably won the South Region (this was the year No. 1 Virginia fell to No. 16 UMBC in the first upset of its kind). Kentucky, a No. 5 seed, was the highest seed to even make the Sweet Sixteen in the region. Even with all the might of March Madness folk hero Sister Jean, Michigan beat the Rambles by double digits to advance to the National Championship for the second time in the Beilein era.

Unfortunately, the Wolverines ran into a buzzsaw in the Villanova Wildcats, the No. 1 team in the country. Despite doing an excellent job slowing down their starters — particularly AP Player of the Year Jalen Brunson — Donte DiVincenzo dropped 31 points off the bench on 10-of-15 shooting. After halftime, the game was never close.

Still, it was an improbable run from the Wolverines, who were unranked heading into that 2017-18 season. The run they went on was Cinderella-like, and they had to beat a couple counterfeits to solidify that. None of this happens if Poole didn’t hit that shot against Houston, and it is worthy of a Top-5 ranking because of everything that came next.


For more in this series:

Continue Reading

NIL

SIP Ep. 188

As the calendar has flipped to July and the recruiting trail continues to heat up, the Sooners Illustrated Podcast is back with a brand new episode.  Sooners Illustrated’s Josh Callaway and Collin Kennedy start things off by breaking down the newest commitment for Oklahoma in 2026 in composite 4-star offensive lineman Deacon Schmitt.  “This guy […]

Published

on

SIP Ep. 188

As the calendar has flipped to July and the recruiting trail continues to heat up, the Sooners Illustrated Podcast is back with a brand new episode. 

Sooners Illustrated’s Josh Callaway and Collin Kennedy start things off by breaking down the newest commitment for Oklahoma in 2026 in composite 4-star offensive lineman Deacon Schmitt. 

“This guy is extremely talented,” Kennedy said. “He can play tackle, he can play guard. I think I really like him as a potential right tackle of the future…Offensive line of the future in Norman is rounding into shape right now. And I think Deacon Schmitt is going to be a big part of that. And overall it’s a really big get and I think a lot of things went the right way for Oklahoma to get this one done.”

The staff then shift to other targets in 2026 that have decisions looming in the near future, starting first with the latest on some wide receiver targets before examining other prospects with set commitment dates early next week. 

“The last couple of (linebacker) cycles have been small,” Callaway said. “James Nesta and then Marcus James. You already have Jakore Smith and Beau Jandreau (in 2026)…If you add (Braxton) Lindsey, that’s three guys when you’ve only had one each the last two cycles. Kind of almost a replenishing of the position in 2026.”

Listen to the podcast on Apple, Spotify and the player above or watch the show in its entirety on our YouTube channel below. Be sure to like, comment, subscribe and leave a review wherever and however you take in the Sooners Illustrated Podcast.

Keep an eye out for new episodes every Monday and Thursday at 3 p.m. CT all year long as well as a special game preview show on Friday mornings and the instant reaction episode recorded at the stadium on Saturday’s immediately following the games during the season.

Also be sure to subscribe to the Sooners Illustrated: Oklahoma on 247Sports YouTube channel for all the latest press conferences, player interviews, recruiting news, practice footage and podcasts throughout the year.

Become a VIP subscriber to Sooners Illustrated to keep up with all the latest team and recruiting intel for Oklahoma football, basketball, softball and baseball year-round as well as 247Sports’ elite national team and the entire 247Sports network. 

Are you interested in keeping up with the Sooners Illustrated team on social media and more? Head to Twitter and toss our staff a follow in order to get all perspectives and in-depth coverage on OU athletics. You can find Collin Kennedy at @CKennedy247. James D. Jackson is at @JamesDJackson15. Josh Callaway is at @JoshMCallaway. Lead reporter Tom Green can be found at @Tomas_Verde. Finally, simply click here to check out the new Oklahoma Sooners on 247Sports YouTube Channel where the team will be sharing video content to viewers for FREE!

Continue Reading

Podcast

Hollywood superstar confesses his NFL team to Travis and Jason Kelce

Travis and Jason Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast made its debut in 2022 and has since skyrocketed in fame. It’s one of the most popular sports podcasts in the U.S. As such, the Kelce brothers have been able to host some pretty A-list celebrities, including LeBron James and Arnold Schwarzenegger. But the guest they spoke to […]

Published

on

Hollywood superstar confesses his NFL team to Travis and Jason Kelce

Travis and Jason Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast made its debut in 2022 and has since skyrocketed in fame. It’s one of the most popular sports podcasts in the U.S.

As such, the Kelce brothers have been able to host some pretty A-list celebrities, including LeBron James and Arnold Schwarzenegger. But the guest they spoke to on Wednesday may be their most famous celebrity guest yet.

Brad Pitt confesses his NFL team to the Kelce bros

Hollywood actor Brad Pitt came onto the “New Heights” podcast to discuss, among several topics, his recent film “F1″ and his love for sports movies in general. While they were talking, Pitt told the Kelce brothers that he is actually a Chiefs fan himself.

“I love the Eagles-Chiefs rivalry,” Pitt said. “You know I’m a Chiefs [fan]. I’m a Missouri boy.”

Pitt went on to tell a story about how he trolled fellow actor and friend Bradley Cooper about being a Philadelphia Eagles fan. Cooper is one of the Eagles’ most famous and hardcore fans.

Of course, we know that Jason’s former team ended up beating the Chiefs in the Super Bowl last year, but Pitt said Cooper handled it with grace and did not troll Pitt back after the loss. But Travis promised Pitt that he wouldn’t let him down again this year.

Pitt is one of many celebrity Chiefs fans, including Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis and Henry Cavill. Oh, and of course, Travis’ girlfriend, Taylor Swift.

Related stories
The one guest Travis Kelce is dying to have on “New Heights” podcast
Kelce talks Swift, NFL retirement, and what the future looks like in new interview

Time will tell if Kelce and the Chiefs really will live up to his promise to deliver another Super Bowl in the 2025-26 season. They kick off the season on Friday, September 5 in Brazil against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.

Continue Reading

Podcast

How Raiders coach Pete Carroll, the NFL's Benjamin Button, is aging so gracefully

Pete Carroll often pulls ideas from those around him. During the 2023 season, the veteran Seattle Seahawks head coach was in a brainstorming session with defensive backs coach Karl Scott. They began discussing a defensive coverage one night, and their conversation spilled over to the next day. The two met in Carroll’s office before an […]

Published

on

How Raiders coach Pete Carroll, the NFL's Benjamin Button, is aging so gracefully

Pete Carroll often pulls ideas from those around him.

During the 2023 season, the veteran Seattle Seahawks head coach was in a brainstorming session with defensive backs coach Karl Scott. They began discussing a defensive coverage one night, and their conversation spilled over to the next day.

The two met in Carroll’s office before an early morning staff meeting. It was an intense back-and-forth that might have looked confrontational from the outside, but they were really just talking ball. Then, suddenly, as Scott laid out his perspective, Carroll broke the tension with a seemingly unprompted smirk.

Advertisement

Caught off guard, Scott pivoted from making his case to asking if he’d said something wrong to his boss.

“Nah, man. You’re making that face, man,” Carroll said. “That face I’ve just seen you make is the same face Kina makes.”

Kina is Scott’s daughter, who was 5 at the time. To Scott, her mannerisms coming up during a game-planning debate symbolized Carroll’s ability to balance his relentless competitiveness with his similarly persistent humanity.

“You’re so used to locking in in the world of football and the world of sports,” Scott said recently, “but in those two seconds, he was able to … be a regular person and have true emotion. That threw me off because it was so unique. … Even in the midst of all this (stress), he’s Pete Carroll. He’s himself.”

That consistency was one of the driving factors behind the Las Vegas Raiders’ decision to hire Carroll this offseason and make him the oldest head coach in NFL history. His mind and body have undoubtedly changed as he approaches age 74, but his core approach remains the same.

Carroll won a national championship at USC and a Super Bowl with the Seahawks on the back of his famed “always compete” mantra. That mentality comes with high standards for his assistants and players, but his style is far from militaristic.

Sometimes, there are impromptu H-O-R-S-E competitions on mini hoops in meeting rooms. Other times, he’s showing defensive backs how to backpedal during individual drills. He might even randomly drop “The People’s Elbow” on an unsuspecting player during warmups. All of that is mixed into a singular focus on winning.

“It’s truly a competition for everything we do, but we’re having fun with it,” Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby said this spring. “He just wants to see guys be the best versions of themselves. And he’s true to that. It’s not fake energy. It’s every day. He’s the same guy.”

Carroll has mastered the ability to connect with people. Whether it’s a peer or someone decades his junior doesn’t matter.

Advertisement

“Whether you’re 21 or 71, there is one language that real ones speak — and that’s competitiveness,” Washington Commanders coach and former Carroll assistant Dan Quinn said. “There’s the languages of love; there must be another one — and that one is competing.”

Ben Malcolmson played for Carroll at USC and later served as his assistant for over a decade with the Seahawks. He’s seen Carroll build and reaffirm team culture repeatedly. Age hasn’t changed his approach.

Early in his Seahawks tenure, Carroll buzzed around the building with the same energy level as a kid at recess. Malcolmson figured it was due to all the Mountain Dew he drank. Years later, Carroll switched his diet, cutting down on unhealthy foods, caffeine and sugar.

“I think he had more energy after that,” Malcolmson said recently.

It wasn’t the Mountain Dew.

“He doesn’t believe he’s got to get old,” Malcolmson said. “He’s like Benjamin Button.”

With his resume, Carroll has likely already punched his ticket to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. No one would’ve blinked had he retired after parting ways with the Seahawks in 2023, but he knew he wasn’t done yet. He had more to give, and the Raiders are giving him the opportunity to do just that.

“It’s about competing and proving that you have value, you have worth,” Carroll said at his introductory news conference in January. “I don’t care how old you are. For anybody out there that’s old and wants to know how you do it, you freaking battle every day, and you compete and you find your way to get better.”


Set to turn 74 in September, Pete Carroll is still known for his energy and forging close relationships with his coaches and players. (Alika Jenner / Getty Images)

Neiko Thorpe will never forget his introduction to Carroll and the Seahawks in September 2016. It began with a workout at the team facility, then a phone call from Carroll informing him he made the team — and that the Seahawks had arranged for a first-class flight back to Oakland, where Maegan, Thorpe’s wife, had just given birth to their daughter, Nora. Thorpe, who had recently been cut by the Raiders and Indianapolis Colts, surprised Maegan in the hospital — flowers in hand — and met Nora, then returned to Seattle to begin his career as a Seahawk.

Advertisement

Thorpe knew the organization cared about him. He returned the favor by giving his all on the field for five seasons, leading the team in special teams tackles twice and becoming a three-time special teams captain.

“(It’s) not just fourth-and-inches when they say this game is the little things,” said Thorpe, who joined Carroll’s coaching staff in 2022 and was retained by current coach Mike Macdonald. “It’s the little things like that.”

Carroll’s relationship-based approach takes many forms. He’s demanding and sets a high standard, but his primary means of motivation is built around positive affirmations, not preying on fear of failure. He’s known for playing young players early — something many coaches are hesitant to do — empowering them to play fast and freely instead of coaching them to avoid mistakes. And it works: The 2013 Seahawks had the youngest 53-man roster ever to win a Super Bowl. The approach is a big reason so many played the best ball of their careers in Seattle, and several assistants found success elsewhere.

“He makes people better,” Quinn said. “And I don’t care if that’s at (age) 32, 42, 52, 72. That’s a trait — and not everybody has it.”

To do so, Carroll must know them as people, not just football commodities. Learning their stories, no matter how bumpy the road, is a key part of the process. In Seattle, he was drawn to players with chips on their shoulders.

This partly explains Carroll’s success with late-round draft picks like Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman; undrafted players like Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse; others in search of a second act like Marshawn Lynch, Brandon Browner, Quandre Diggs and Geno Smith; and some with a history of off-field issues like Bruce Irvin.

Carroll saw what they had been through, where they’d been and how it informed who they could become.

“Coach Carroll is extremely relatable,” said Smith, one of Carroll’s all-time favorite players, who joined him with the Raiders this offseason. “He understands that guys have got to be themselves in order to be their best selves.”

You can be a soft-spoken special-teamer, a loud-mouthed defensive back, a rah-rah speech giver or a lead-by-example type. Just be you, Carroll insists, and that’s more than enough.

“It’s more than just doing work and getting practice done, getting games, getting wins,” Malcolmson said. “It’s like, ‘No, this is a relationship,’ and that is on display with how he can connect with people.”

Advertisement

Carroll’s 50-plus years of coaching have shown him that, independent of age or background, players and coaches want the same thing: genuine, caring leadership. He has a reputation for delivering, through good times and bad. He has won and lost championships at the college and pro levels and navigated all that comes with those successes and failures. Carroll has learned to remain unwavering in his messaging and his commitment to the people following his lead.

“The essence of it is figuring out who you are and what you want to stand for, and how you are going to deal with people,” Carroll said. “And it has to come from your heart. It has to be right, as authentic as it can possibly be.”


Carroll and the Seahawks drafted Richard Sherman in the fifth round in 2011. The defensive back would become a three-time first-team All-Pro in Seattle. (Harry How / Getty Images)

Carroll was once a failure in this profession. After four years as the New York Jets’ defensive coordinator, he was hired as the team’s head coach in 1994. He was fired after just one season, a 6-10 campaign.

He landed a second chance with the New England Patriots in 1997, and the team made the playoffs in his first two seasons. Following an 8-8 season with no playoff berth, though, Carroll was fired again. He spent the 2000 season out of coaching, but he wasn’t idle.

“That was the year that, really, my life in football changed,” Carroll said. “I really didn’t know that I wanted to be a head coach — it just kind of happened, honestly. And I wasn’t prepared well enough. I didn’t have my philosophy together. …

“It was pretty dang significant. And it was (about) figuring out who I am, figuring out what my uncompromising principles are all about, figuring out how I wanted to treat the people and how I envisioned the organization coming together in all aspects.”

After a year getting his act together, Carroll landed the USC job. Although he’s hailed now as a program legend, his hire was initially met with apathy.

Advertisement

“They were yelling at me for coming in there. They didn’t want me,” Carroll said. “I was getting a terrible response, but I took it on as, ‘I couldn’t care less,’ because I knew where we were going and what we wanted to do. And because I figured out how I wanted to do it.”

Carroll’s historic nine-year run at USC never would have happened if he hadn’t realized he needed to adapt. His son, Brennan Carroll, who’s now the Raiders’ offensive line coach, was on staff at USC and saw his growth firsthand.

“He’s very open-minded. He isn’t set in his ways in any aspect except with the fundamentals,” Brennan said recently. “As times have changed, he’s always tried to stay aware.”

Pete aimed to stay on top of everything at USC, from offensive and defensive trends to popular music and the advent of social media.

“He loves surrounding himself with people who are on the tip of the spear,” Malcolmson said. “That speaks to who he is. He’s always looking for that next little edge, and he’s willing to trust the people that he’s put around him to help get a little bit better each time.”


Carroll went 97-19 in nine seasons at USC, going 7-2 in bowl games and winning the 2004 national championship (The Trojans also finished No. 1 in the AP poll in 2003 but were left out of the BCS title game). (Jeff Golden / Getty Images)

Carroll has replicated that process with the Raiders this offseason.

“Music or entertainment or sports or politics — he stays on top of everything,” quarterbacks coach Greg Olson said. “He’s a very well-read man. He can carry a conversation with a 10-year-old or a 95-year-old. He can relate to the rich, poor, White, Black, young or old; he does it all.

“I think you have to be in tune with what’s going on in society, really, if you want to have that kind of impact on people. He’s incredible at it.”

The Raiders have been the epitome of instability. Carroll is their 15th head coach since 2000 (including interim coaches; 16th if you count Jon Gruden’s separate stints). Crosby has played for the franchise since 2019 and is already on his fifth head coach.

Advertisement

It’d be understandable if Crosby were hesitant to buy into another culture change, but that hasn’t been the case.

“Pete creates that culture, that energy,” Crosby said. “Everyone knows it’s hard — you’re going to work your ass off, you’re going to put in all the work — but you’ve got a whole organization of people that’ve all got to be on the same wavelength and go in the same direction. … I think Pete does an incredible job with that.”

As much work as Carroll does to remain young, Father Time is undefeated. To create a lasting legacy with the Raiders, he will have to work quickly. And if you ask him, there’s no doubt that’s going to happen.

“We’re trying to take this as far as you can possibly take it,” Carroll said. “I can’t think any way else.”

(Illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic; photos: Patrick Smith, Kevork Djansezian, Robin Alam, Ethan Miller, Jane Gershovich, Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

Continue Reading

Most Viewed Posts

Trending