JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Urban Meyer first started studying Pete Carroll nearly two decades ago.
Meyer was taking over at Utah in 2003 and Carroll was about to lead USC to one of college football’s most dominant stretches, a 34-game winning streak that was later partially vacated because of NCAA violations.
Meyer watched from afar, took notes and copied several aspects of Carroll’s uber-successful program.
When Meyer decided to make the leap to the NFL, he naturally turned to Carroll again. Meyer brought in 11 players or coaches from Seattle, where Carroll has spent the past dozen years and won Super Bowl 48.