Pete Carroll said a lot during his 42-minute introductory news conference Tuesday in Seattle.

Much of what he said had to do with the word compete, or at least some variation — competitive, competing, competition. Seahawks.com blogger Clare Farnsworth called Carroll’s performance “infectious” and wondered if what worked at USC will work in Seattle.

Carroll also gave a vote of confidence to embattled QB Matt Hasselbeck, 34, who has struggled over the past two years with injuries and a 9-23 record. Carroll said Hasselbeck will return and endorsed him as the starter.

“I know that we have a quarterback that has played really good football in his career,” Carroll said. “That is one of the key elements of putting together a team that has a chance to win right way. You’ve got to have a quarterback. I know that we have a first-class guy in Matt and I can’t wait to get working with him.

“The NFL is a quarterback-driven process. So the fact that we have Matt Hasselbeck here is a big factor to me. He’s played the game. He’s been a champion. He knows how to get the thing done. We’ve got to get his support group and his play to the level that gives us a chance to play great football.”

Posted in: News  | comments  |