Seattle Seahawks: Carl Smith (original) (raw)

Hired on February 1, 2011, Carl Smith reunites with Pete Carroll and brings 22 years of NFL experience to the Seahawks staff, most recently spending two years as the Cleveland Browns quarterbacks coach. It was his second stint with Cleveland after originally joining the club from 2001-03 in the same capacity.

With the help of a consistent ground game over the last-half of the 2011 season, Smith helped Tarvaris Jackson to career-highs in attempts (450), completions (271), yards (3,091), completion percentage (60.2, min. 290 att.) and touchdowns (14), in compiling a 7-7 record as a starter.

Of Smith’s 22 years as an NFL assistant, 13 have been spent as an offensive coordinator, most recently leading the Jacksonville Jaguars offense from 2005-06. In 2006, Jacksonville’s offense ranked 10th in the league and third overall in rushing with an average of 158.8 yards per game. In 2005, the Jaguars scored 361 points, 100 more than the previous season, and compiled a 12-4 record.

Smith worked with Carroll in 2004 at USC, where he mentored Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart and helped USC win the national championship.

For 27 of his last 30 seasons, Smith has been an assistant at the professional level, beginning with three years (1983-85) with the Phila - delphia/Baltimore Stars of the USFL. The Stars won the league title his final two seasons.

He entered the NFL coaching arena with New Orleans in 1986, serving as its offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the next 11 seasons. During that time, the franchise recorded its first-ever winning season, earned its first playoff berth, won its first division title and qualified for the postseason on four occasions.

Smith and Carroll worked together in New England from 1997-99. Under his watch in 1997, Drew Bledsoe completed more than 60 percent of his passes, threw for more than 3,700 yards and set career-highs in touchdown passes (28) and passer rating (87.7) as he was voted to the AFC Pro Bowl squad.

Prior to the NFL, he was an assistant at the collegiate level for 12 seasons, with the final six as an offensive coordinator. Smith and Carroll first worked together in 1982 at North Carolina State when Smith was the offensive coordinator/ quarterbacks coach and Carroll was defensive coordinator/secondary coach.

Smith lettered in football as a defensive back at Cal Poly-SLO from 1969-70 after transferring from Bakersfield College where he played quarterback from 1966-67. He earned his bachelor’s (1971) and master’s (1972) degrees in physical education from Cal-Poly SLO, as well as a teaching credential.

Born on April 26, 1948, in Wasco, Calif., Smith and his wife, Dianne, have three sons, Tracy, Tyler and Nicholas, and a grandson, Troy.