Things have not gone the way Pete Carroll expected to start his Las Vegas Raiders tenure. Before the season, Carroll said his team was “gonna win a ton” and cited his track record as a winner both in college and the NFL. After Sunday’s 40-6 blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts, however, the Raiders are 1-4 with three of those defeats coming by double digits.
The difference between expectations and reality is not sitting well with Carroll.
“I’m processing it poorly, to tell you the truth, because I did expect to win right out of the chute,” Carroll said after the loss. “But what I’m seeing and what I’m feeling is, I know by the way we’re working — because I’ve watched a lot of teams work and develop — your system, your belief in it and knowing who you can count on and who you can trust and all of that, that is ongoing. It feels like we’re going in a good direction in that sense. It’s just not showing up here.”
Quarterback Geno Smith threw two interceptions against the Colts to mark his third game in five weeks with multiple turnovers. His reunion with Carroll after the duo spent time together in Seattle is off to a horrific start. His NFL-worst nine interceptions are tied for the second-most by a Raiders quarterback through five games and are a key reason why Las Vegas is already practically out of the postseason hunt.
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Carroll’s résumé speaks for itself, and he was not alone in believing that he could spark a breakthrough season for the Raiders when he returned from a year away from the sidelines. He notched 10-win seasons with the Seahawks and New England Patriots earlier in his NFL career, won a Super Bowl in Seattle and was a two-time national champion in his USC tenure.
“We’re gonna win a ton,” Carroll said at the beginning of training camp. “We’re gonna win a bunch of games. I can’t even imagine anything [else]. I’ve been winning 10 games a year for 20 years or something. What are my expectations? We’re going to win a bunch.
“I don’t care who hears that. It doesn’t matter to me. It ain’t about what anybody hears; it’s about what we do. … I wish I could guarantee it to you, but I can’t even think of what else it could be other than being really successful.”
The young talent on Carroll’s debut Las Vegas roster alone was enough to get excited about in the preseason. But first-round pick Ashton Jeanty is off to just a modest start to his pro career, and star tight end Brock Bowers has just one game with more than 46 receiving yards.
After a season-opening win at the Patriots, the Raiders have lost four straight with an average margin of defeat of more than two touchdowns.
