Pete Carroll and reps from Win Forever spoke to the Elite 11 quarterbacks - the best of the best in high school football nationwide - back in early July, and in a video that was just released, Carroll was asked the question -- "What's the first thing you look for in a quarterback?"
Carroll immediately goes to the quarterback the Seahawks had drafted about a month and a half earlier, Russell Wilson, and responds, "You can't imagine how much he believes in himself. you can't imagine how hard he works. He's outworking everyone in the program right now. He's been here all summer long, every day. He spends hours every day in the facility, there's no one else there but him, working on his film, working on his notebook. Getting ready, so that when he gets his chance, ..." Carroll goes on, "...his language that he uses, is amazing. He's very articulate, he's very sharp. He's always saying positive, supportive stuff, and he asks questions all the time, and communicates with his players all the time... So, what I'm saying is, he is the epitome of what you're looking for. Belief in himself, great work ethic, of course he's a skilled athlete. But, he just has this undying belief that nobody can stop him."
Carroll's respect for Russell Wilson from back in July has been validated with Wilson's play in the preseason, which has precipitated his selection as the Seahawks' starting quarterback. I've been to Pete Carroll's Win Forever seminar and read his book, and it becomes readily apparent that Carroll absolutely lives these principles and takes them very seriously - the belief in the power of self-confidence, positive talk, positive energy, and all those things he describes above. Video after the jump.