Pete Carroll could have glossed over or dismissed the chart showing just how run-heavy his team became last season. Instead, the Seattle Seahawks’ coach used the data to launch a conversation about football philosophy, one of his favorite subjects. Carroll embraced the discussion of a topic that some Seattle fans remain fixated upon.



Are the Seahawks hopelessly behind the times in their relative aversion to passing? Alternatively, does Carroll’s superior understanding of his team and the game validate an approach that is increasingly an outlier in the 32-team NFL?



The chart presented to Carroll earlier this offseason showed the 2018 Seahawks passing the ball less frequently than any NFL team since the 2011 Denver Broncos (Tim Tebow!) when the choice to run or pass was unquestionably theirs. To identify those situations, first and second downs during the first 28 minutes of games seemed ideal. That time frame eliminated the final two minutes of first...