NFL News: Seahawks HC Pete Carroll takes subtle shot at Russell Wilson

Though he had frequently claimed to be happy in Seattle, Russell Wilson was sent to the Denver Broncos in a blockbuster trade during the offseason. Many predicted the veteran quarterback to thrive in the Mile High City, but things haven’t gone as expected so far.

Wilson has thrown for 1,694 yards, with six touchdowns and four interceptions in seven starts this season, with one of the lowest QBRs in the league (36.0, 28th). The Broncos, meanwhile, are third in the AFC West at 3-5.

On the other, the Seahawks have so far exceeded expectations as they are atop the NFC West at 6-3, mainly due to Geno Smith‘s impressive performances.Head coach Pete Carroll has recently heaped praised on his quarterback, seemingly taking a jab at his former signal-caller in the process.

Pete Carroll throws shade at Russell Wilson when talking about Geno Smith

It’s safe to say Smith is one of the biggest surprises this season, making a strong case for the Comeback Player of the Year award. Carroll is particularly delighted with Smith’s communication with the offensive coordinator and his use of a wristband to help calling plays – something Carroll said that faced “resistance” in previous years.

“He’s getting everything he can get out of Shane [Waldren],” Carroll told 710 ESPN Seattle, via CBS Sports. “That’s a really important part of it. Shane helps him all the way through to the 15-second point (when communication from the sideline stops). … They’re just communicating to get it done and there’s this conversation that goes on, so they work it out, and Geno (is) taking advantage of all of that.

“If you notice, Geno’s going off the wristband, and that’s a big help. It’s smoothed things out, sped things up, cleaned things up. And that’s part of it, too. We never did that before. There was resistance to that, so we didn’t do that before.“

Though Carroll didn’t mention who exactly opposed to the idea, it’s hard not to imagine this somehow implicates Wilson. Since he left, things haven’t been completely friendly between the signal-caller and his former team.

Russell Wilson reacts to Pete Carroll’s comments

“I don’t know exactly what he said. Won a lot of games there without one on my wrist. I didn’t know winning or losing mattered whether you wore a wristband or not,” Wilson replied when asked about Carroll’s comments, via Mike Klis of KUSA.

Whether Carroll actually took a dig at Wilson is still debatable, as he never said it directly. Either way, it’s safe to say that neither Carroll nor Wilson seem to have any regrets about the breakup.