I have to tell you, I love this photo. Sometimes, one photo can tell you all you need to know.
If you haven’t seen it, take a long look at it. Danny O’Neil of 710 ESPN Seattle radio snapped this shot after Sunday's game at MetLife Stadium.
Coach @PeteCarroll postgame. Captions? pic.twitter.com/VViRnSAZYB
— Danny 710ESPNSeattle (@BrocknDanny) December 15, 2013
No caption is needed. It says so much without saying a word. Seattle coach Pete Carroll is standing with Dave Pearson, the Seahawks' vice president of communications.
The 23-0 victory over the New York Giants ended over half an hour earlier. Carroll had just completed his post-game comments with the media when he walked back out on the field with Pearson.
It was a moment of reflection and one last look at the place where they hope to return in a few weeks. The Super Bowl will be on this field Feb. 2.
Carroll was asked about what he was thinking at that moment.
"I like the arenas," Carroll said on his 710 ESPN Seattle radio show. "It's cool when [the game] is over and it’s quiet. It’s just a chance to hold onto it a little longer. And New York is special."
Technically, it was New Jersey, but you get his drift. Carroll knows his Seahawks are on the verge of something special, and the Big Apple is the place where it could happen.
But this photo says so much more. Carroll is a California boy who also loves the excitement of the New York scene and everything it brings, as he has said numerous times.
To me, this picture tells us how much Carroll loves what he does. It says he understands how fortunate he is to be leading this team at this moment in time. It tells me he realizes how special it is to be a part of the sport, and how meaningful it is to him to stand in silence at one of America's shrines to its favorite game.
All the Seahawks tried to downplay winning a game Sunday on the field where they hope to earn a NFL championship seven weeks later, but even Carroll admitted it crossed his mind.
“Just being human about it, of course we know [the Super Bowl] is here,” Carroll said. "And it’s something we want to talk about, but we’re not at that point now. When the time comes, if we put ourselves in position to do that, then we will utilize the fact that we've been here."
That was a very factual response to a very heart-felt thought. Carroll is guarded, and rightly so, because the Seahawks don't want to get ahead of themselves.
But take a good, long look at this photo. It tells you all you need to know about a man who is so close to his ultimate goal.