FOXBORO -- Pete Carroll enjoys playing against people that he knows. He said just as much in a conference call on Wednesday at Gillette Stadium.
He'll play against a familiar Patriots organization on Sunday. Although, the only thing he'll be truly familiar with is the owner who ousted him in the late 90's.
"It's not a big factor," said Carroll about playing his old team. "It's a long time ago, to me. But I'm aware of it.
"I regret that we weren't able to get it done the way we wanted to. We did some really good things and were close. But I learned so much coming out of that experience, that it changed me."
A lot has changed since Carroll left New England and eventually landed in Seattle, coaching the Seahawks.
But as he prepares his defense to take on Tom Brady's juggernaut offense, Carroll believes that "change" is just getting started.
By now, everybody knows what New England's game plan is, offensively. Call it a "hurry-up" or call it "no-huddle," just don't call it routine.
Carroll believes other teams will soon follow suit.
"There's nobody in the National Football League that's close, at this time," said the Seahawks coach in a conference call on Wednesday. "But there will be. The Patriots will affect other people, I'm sure, because they've had so much success already.
"It's their willingness to go this fast, as consistently as they have demonstrated, that separates them from other teams," added Carroll, while saying the only team in football using this system are the Oregon Ducks. "There's nobody that's tried to play like they're playing. They've taken on a different approach and a philosophy that I think singles them out, in their commitment to the tempo. And that's cool to watch."
The Patriots' no-huddle offense is so effective because of the fact that it wears defenses down throughout an extended drive. But Carroll looks at another aspect -- he believes defenses are conditioned enough to handle it, but they just may not be smart or quick enough between the ears to instinctively line up for the next play correctly.
"Once the ball snaps, we play fast, but it's the problem of getting everybody where they've got to go before the snap, and doing the things we've got to do," said Carroll. "That's the challenge to it. If we line up, and we get our assignments right, and play well technique-wise, then we'll have a chance to show you what we're all about. If not, then we'll look like the other teams that they're playing, and the Patriots will have their way."
So how do you prepare for it?
"You've got to play really fast," said Carroll. "So, we'll see if we can get lined up and execute like we're capable. And that's what they're hoping that we don't.
"We're going to try to practice fast, and see if we can catch up with it."