By Derek Hegna Dice City Sports
When Pete Carroll takes to the sideline when the Las Vegas Raiders face the New England Patriots in their season opener on Sept. 7, he will become the oldest person to coach a NFL game at the ripe age of 74 years old.
It changed the way the football world thought about the Raiders, as hiring Carroll indicated that the team was not interested in a traditional long-term rebuild. However, Carroll more than makes up for it by being the most energetic person in the room. It creates an environment that is fun and personable, while also keeping up with Carroll鈥檚 鈥榓lways compete鈥 mantra that has guided his teams to national championships and Super Bowls.
A recent article has gone in depth on what the secret to Carroll鈥檚 boundless energy is.
Carroll鈥檚 energy can be explained for two reasons.
Hoping to take a closer look at how Carroll remains so energetic, The Athletic鈥檚 Michael-Shawn Dugar and Tashan Reed discussed two factors: diet and mindset.
Ben Malcolmson, a former player at USC who rejoined Carroll as a coaching assistant with the Seattle Seahawks. Early on in his tenure, Malcolmson deduced that the reason Carroll was energetic as he was was due to the amount of Mountain Dew he drank. Years later, Carroll cut out caffeine, sugar and other unhealthy foods from his diet.
鈥淚 think he had more energy after that,鈥 Malcolmson said, per the article.
It goes beyond just diet for Carroll, however, as his mindset has always been set on defying his advanced age and not letting it be a defining factor. If Carroll had retired from football after leaving the Seahawks in 2023, no one would have batted an eye and waited for Carroll to take his rightful place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. However, the veteran knew he had a lot more left in the tank, and the Raiders now stand as the beneficiary of his return.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about competing and proving that you have value, you have worth,鈥 Carroll said at his introductory news conference in January. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 care how old you are. For anybody out there that鈥檚 old and wants to know how you do it, you freaking battle every day, and you compete and you find your way to get better.鈥
Carroll is going to push to make this Raiders squad play to the best of their abilities, and fans have every reason to be excited for the end result.