Pete Carroll has many mantras. They're sort of his thing.
And after going 4-0 during the preseason, Carroll constantly drove home his latest mantra to his Seahawks, "the preseason doesn't count, but it does matter."
He's right, it mattered, and people outside of Seattle are starting to take notice of the 'Hawks.
NFL preseason awards and predictions, which are usually void of anything or anyone related to the Pacific Northwest are starting to feature the team we know and love.
The latest accolade comes from our own SB Nation NFL page, which based on the votes of all 32 SB Nation NFL blogs, selected Pete Carroll as the preseason prediction for Coach of the Year.
According to the story, Carroll nabbed 17 percent of the overall vote, edging out Philadelphia's Andy Reid and Baltimore's John Harbaugh who were tied with 13 percent each.
Featured in the story is a comment from one blog, Bucs Nation, on why they voted for Carroll:
The Seattle Seahawks are a team that isn't built conventionally, and Pete Carroll doesn't adhere to the normal rules for an NFL head coach. With the emergence of Russell Wilson this team can be good enough to win the NFC West - and Carroll should get plenty of praise if he manages to beat out last year's coach of the year for the division title.
Though, a single game is yet to be played, there is no denying that the buzz and excitement starting to surround the Seahawks is a pleasant change-of-pace for fans who are used to seeing their team snubbed and ignored.
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NFC West Preview: Bullseye on Back of San Francisco 49ers After Breakout 2011 Season (via sbnation)