Pete Carroll saw this coming several months ago. Speaking at the NFL meetings in March, the Seahawks' coach predicted the Jets' two-quarterback system would tough on his former USC pupil, Mark Sanchez. Seeing the Sanchez-Tim Tebow dynamic in person reinforced his opinion.
"I think he's in a very difficult situation," Carroll said Monday on 710 ESPN Seattle. "The whole emphasis of the two-quarterback thing is really hard. You saw it (Sunday). It didn't get much for them. It's got to be a little bit disruptive. I feel for him."
Carroll articulated many of the things that fans and media have been saying for months.
"It's just a distraction," he said. "It's mixed signals that go out. Their fans are torn up. If they didn't have a situation like this, they wouldn't be hooting and hollering probably the way they do at him, so it wouldn't be as difficult. That's just part of it. I do feel for Mark and anybody that would be in that situation."
Carroll and Sanchez are close, and they spoke before and after Sunday's game -- a 28-7 Seahawks win in which Sanchez committed two costly turnovers.
"This whole factor has been really hard on him," Carroll said. "I'm sure that it's been confusing to their fans. That part at home has got to be hard. I don't know this because I haven't seen a game there but I think they're hard on him at the stadium, too. So, it's as hard as it can get."