There are many ways to lead a group of people, and pro sports offer plenty of examples. Head coaches, in particular, use different methods to guide their teams to the promised land, and two of the most successful—yet most contrasting—of this past generation were Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick.
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Both of these men stacked up great accomplishments in the NFL. Carroll won one Super Bowl and lost one (to Belichick) during a 14-year career with the Seattle Seahawks that included 137 wins. Belichick, meanwhile, won 266 games and six Super Bowls during nearly a quarter-century with the New England Patriots.
However, they could not be more different in the way they approach the game. Well, they both come from defensive backgrounds, but apart from that and their great success, there aren’t many similarities. When asked about their differing philosophies by a student a few years ago, Carroll broke down how his approach is a little less “authoritarian” than the system a general like Belichick might be running in New England.
“That’s the extreme authoritarian way of teaching. That ain’t the way we teach. It’s also not the way Special Forces units are taught,” Carroll said.
“Now, [Special Forces units] beat the hell out of those guys. And we relate a lot to the process that those guys go through. They beat the hell out of those guys so they’ll learn to persevere and they can hang through anything. There’s nothing that they can’t withstand. But, they also teach them to think.”
Carroll did acknowledge that the “authoritarian, coercive way of teaching and leading a group, it’s the most famous and most successful in history.” But he had learned to build on that and tweak it and mold it into a more understanding and holistic approach.
They would be like the Special Forces, not only physically testing their charges, but also imbuing them with the individuality and confidence to think and choose for themselves.
“They teach them to respond to the training that they encounter during the time that they’re there. So that when it comes time to function, they can’t just do only what the guy tells them to do, but they can think for themselves, they can react on their feet, they can respond. And if they’re really gifted, they can make great choices and great decisions to do things that one guy could never accomplish otherwise.”
Pete Carroll is the man.
At his age, his mentality, and his attitude. Tough to beat.
— Taylor Lewan (@TaylorLewan77) August 1, 2025
The now-73-year-old head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders continued to explain his own philosophy concerning leadership and coaching to the young minds in the room.
“We’re trying to celebrate the individual with extraordinary commitment to practice. Practice is everything to us. We work our guys’ asses off. They work hard, they work fast, they compete, they battle every day. But they’re having a good time doing it, because they know we’re supporting them and celebrating who they are, and empowering them to find their very best. That’s the other end of the spectrum.”
On that spectrum from heavy authoritarian to a more nuanced and understanding approach, Carroll placed himself and legendary NBA coach Phil “Zen Master” Jackson in the latter group.
He placed Spurs icon Greg Popovich somewhere in the middle, and hot-headed Indiana basketball legend Phil Knight in the former, more authoritarian group. Based on how he answered the question, we assume that Carroll meant that Belichick was in that authoritarian camp, though he never said it explicitly. Nuanced as always.
