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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Robert Zeglinski

Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll took passive aggressive digs at each other over Geno Smith’s wristband

Pete Carroll Russell Wilson Geno Smith Russ Wilson Seattle NFL Broncos Seahawks

Pete Carroll’s Seahawks have been one of the best (and most surprising?) teams in the NFL this year. At 6-3 around the halfway mark, Seattle — led by new starting quarterback Geno Smith — is the current No. 3 seed in the NFC and isn’t showing any real signs of slowing down.

Part of the apparent reason the Seahawks and Smith, in particular, have been so good is that the quarterback wears a wristband with play calls on it. At least according to Carroll. Yes, that’s right. In a recent radio appearance with Seattle Sports 710 AM, Carroll credited the flourishing of Seattle’s No. 11 offense to Smith being willing to stick to the script.

In other words, the coach took the least subtle shot of all time at the now-departed Russell Wilson.

More from Seattle Sports 710 AM:

“If you notice, Geno’s [Smith] going off the wristband, and that’s a big help,” Carroll said. “It’s smoothed things out, sped things up, cleaned things up. And that’s part of it, too. We never did that before. There was resistance to that, so we didn’t do that before.”

Oof. Carroll just had to note that “there was resistance” to the idea of a play sheet and the wristband, didn’t he? Of course, this is partly in reference to the now infamous “Let Russ Cook” mantra, mostly centered around Wilson being free to throw the ball more.

But it would be reductive to say it’s only about letting Wilson throw more passes. After all, the now-Broncos quarterback built a reputation for being one of the NFL’s best escape artists and improvisers during his time in Seattle. In fact, the nine-time Pro Bowler was actually often at his best when specifically off script. It seems Carroll didn’t always appreciate that facet of Wilson’s game, either.

As the Broncos prepare for the Titans this Sunday, this was something Wilson — who won 104 games and Super Bowl 48 amidst a decade with Seattle — made sure to note when told about Carroll’s passive-aggressive dig.

Fellas, please. You’re both in two different time zones now on a full-time basis. Can’t we just let bygones be bygones and move on instead of arguing endlessly about proper offensive philosophy? Something tells me this isn’t the last of Wilson and Carroll (mostly Carroll here) taking random shots at one another.

NFL fans had lots of thoughts about Wilson and Carroll's passive aggressive war of words

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