【】Behold the dad-ness below.

No disrespect to the Steph Curry signature sneaker that melted the internet last June, but Nike's Air Monarch IV has always been the most dad-ass dad shoe. 。

Now -- thanks to Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, who leads Seattle into the NFL Playoffs this weekend -- the Air Monarch just became even more dad. And the haters said it couldn't be done!。 。

Before we plunge forth, let's briefly recap the Air Monarch's credentials as, well, the monarch of all dad shoes. It's a piece of (ostensibly) athletic footwear that is chunky, bland and not exactly cutting-edge. It's a shoe sized not just in traditional lengths but in widths as well. It's also a shoe that is by all accounts extremely comfortable. 。

Behold the dad-ness below. 。

Credit: nike.com 。 So legendary has the Air Monarch's dorkiness become, in fact, that 。Complex 。

wrote two years ago that the model had become a "parody of itself." There's even an Instagram account that chronicles Air Monarch sightings in the wild. What the Air Jordan is to uber-hip sneaker-heads, the Air Monarch is to the Dockers-wearing over-50 set. (And don't think those fogies aren't buying them -- the Air Monarch is reportedly among Nike's best-selling shoes, fire emojis or no fire emojis.) 。

Credit: Julio Cortez/AP 。

During the most recent off-season, Seahawks equipment managers tried to get Carroll to upgrade his footwear to something a little more suave. But he stayed loyal and kept the Monarchs.。

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In the process, the most dad-ass dad shoe of all dad shoes somehow became even more dad.
。

Here, via B/R Kicks, is a look at a Carroll-exclusive version of the Air Monarch that Nike produced for the Seattle head man. Emblazoned on the tongue is "ALWAYS COMPETE," one of Carroll's go-to coaching phrases. 。

Tweet may have been deleted。 Tweet may have been deleted。It's like some twisted geniuses at Nike sat down and had a conversation along these lines:。 "Is there any。possible。

way we can make the most dad shoe of all time 。

even dorkier。

?"。

"I know! The Air Monarch ... but with ... wait for it ... a fatherly maxim on the tongue!" 。

• And boom -- there's your Don Draper moment, folks. 。

• Sadly, the Carroll-exclusive nature of these Air Monarch iterations means they'll likely never be available for purchase. But Nike could really be on to something here. "Always compete" isn't just a Carroll coaching favorite -- it sounds like something your dad would tell you with the utmost conviction on an emotional ride home from baseball practice.。

• Perhaps Nike could boost the Air Monarch's appeal in the dad market even further by making this a thing. Might we suggest companion versions of the shoe with the following sayings emblazoned on the tongue. 。

• "I'm not mad, just disappointed."。

• "I'm not mad, just disappointed."。

• "Money doesn't grow on trees."
  。

• "A little hard work never hurt anyone."。

"Don't call me later, call me dad."。

"Perhaps you should consider a major that's a bit more practical."。

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