Let us wind the clock back a decade. The Seattle Seahawks versus the San Francisco 49ers was the fiercest rivalry in the NFL. Two similarly constructed teams, deep with elite talent at every level, trapped in the same division together with their eyes both set on the same goal: the elusive Lombardi.
These teams did not like each other, and it even started at the top with their coaches, Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh. There was no love lost between Carroll’s Seahawks and Harbaugh’s 49ers, just like there was no love between the two men, which dated back to when they were college rivals competing against each other in the Pac 12.
With this in mind, it’s a still a little odd to hear Carroll actually complimenting his former foe. When talking about rookie center Olu Oluwatimi’s background at Michigan, Carroll did offer high praise about Harbaugh. From Brady Henderson at ESPN:
“There’s nothing that we’re doing that he hasn’t done, Coach Harbaugh’s got a great background in running the football in particular. His guys that come out of there, they’re equipped, they’re well prepared.”
Of course, Carroll is not wrong. Harbaugh has gotten the Wolverines back to being one of college football’s elite programs, constantly competing for championships and churning out quality players at every position.
Still, not quite used to hearing this.
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