You didn't have to read between the lines to pinpoint why Pete Carroll ignored decades of ineptitude and sub-.500 seasons to become the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. The 73-year-old couldn't be bothered by the constant dysfunction that has defined the tenure of owner Mark Davis.
A beaming Carroll happily strolled into the Raiders facility on Monday because of who is undoubtedly setting the course for the team's new direction.
Carroll is resuming his storied coaching career in Vegas because of Tom Brady, and he mentioned Las Vegas' new minority owner throughout his introductory press conference to further confirm the immense influence of the seven-time Super Bowl champion on the Silver and Black.
For Carroll, the allure wasn't the chance to coach and live in Vegas. It was the opportunity to rebuild a once-proud NFL franchise by tapping into the wisdom of the league's greatest player ever.
"To think about how fortunate we are to have Tom Brady with us ... it's just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," gushed Carroll, who said Brady was "intricately involved" in the hiring process.
Brady wasn't in attendance to bask in the affection of Carroll, but he could probably feel the love from afar.
“He has been a really exciting part of it,” Carroll said of Brady. “He is one of the great competitors to have ever lived, and for me, that’s a chance to understand more deeply where that comes from. This is his opportunity to put his stamp on a franchise. ... He will continue to be involved, and we’re going to lean on him like crazy.”
Even when Carroll applauded Davis for creating a "one of a kind" ownership group, he gave his biggest props to Davis for making the "great move" of adding Brady "to this mix" with "that kind of background and history."
Carroll's constant praise for Brady is music to the ears of Raiders fans who've endured Davis' string of bad hiring decisions, which have ranged from impulsive (Jon Gruden) to head-scratching (Josh McDaniels) and resulted in the same abject failure.
While he still has the final say, Davis is definitely valuing the advice of Brady and benefiting from his counsel. Whether Brady's wisdom leads to a total turnaround from AFC West doormat to AFC title contender remains to be seen, but the poor decision-making that plagued the Raiders seems to have been fixed with Brady's recruitment of Carroll and new general manager John Spytek.
Offseason victories don't show up in the standings, but this is what winning in January feels like, Raider Nation. Enjoy it. Celebrate it. With Tom Brady around, it's just the beginning.
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