Pete Carroll on Chris Carson's Lack of Carries: 'I Can Screw Up Too'

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll acknowledged he erred regarding Chris Carson's usage during Monday night's 24-17 defeat to the Chicago Bears.

Carson carried the ball just six times for 24 yards, which many fans found perplexing. Carroll addressed the matter Tuesday on 710 ESPN Seattle's Brock and Salk (h/t Seahawks Wire's Andy Patton):

"I need to do better. I make mistakes you know. I was off about that thing I said about Chris. He was on special teams a couple plays but I thought that was what happened. I just misread him on the sidelines a little bit and didn’t clearly understand. I just wanted to give Rashaad [Penny] a chance to go play and when he did Chris never really gets back in the game. ... I can screw up too."

After the game, Carroll told reporters he didn't lean more heavily on Carson because he believed the second-year running back was "gassed" from playing on the special teams unit, per the News Tribune's Gregg Bell. Bell noted, however, that Carson played just two snaps on special teams Monday:

Neither the Seattle Times' Mike Vorel nor The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar thought Carroll's explanation brought much clarity Tuesday:

Carson looked good with limited touches in Seattle's 27-24 Week 1 defeat to the Denver Broncos, running for 51 yards on seven carries.

Considering the long-standing question marks over the Seahawks' offensive line, one would've expected the team to try and lean on the running game as a way to counteract a Bears front seven that includes Khalil Mack.

Instead, Russell Wilson attempted 36 passes, while Seahawks running backs combined to have 19 carries. The Bears sacked Wilson six times.

It's one thing for Carroll to admit he made a mistake; it's another to turn around and put that realization into practice.

How Seattle utilizes its running game will be among the top storylines Sunday when the Seahawks host the Dallas Cowboys.