What Now? Report: Seattle Wants Carroll

Today’s news caught me completely off-guard, I must admit.

I didn’t expect Jim Mora’s tenure to end after only one season. I wasn’t impressed with his coaching staff (Greg Knapp and company), but I thought Mora would be given at least another year to turn things around. Apparently, Paul Allen isn’t patient when it comes to fielding a competitive team.

Paul Allen is one of the richest men in the world and isn’t shy about spending money to achieve wins. Although today’s news may be shocking, Seattle fans have to feel good about an ownership committed to winning.

But with the Seahawks committed to an entirely new direction, how does a floundering 5-11 franchise turn into a Super Bowl contender again?

The Seahawks, according to several sources (ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen among them), are interested in Pete Carroll from USC. According to ESPN, several sources from both USC and around the National Football  League are reporting that Carroll to Seattle is “going to happen.”

Is Carroll an automatic upgrade over Jim Mora? Is Carroll good enough to justify Mora becoming the first coach in Seattle’s history to be fired after only one season? The jury is out, but Carroll had great success at Southern Cal and was moderately successful in the NFL prior to taking the job in Los Angeles.

In the NFL, Carroll was 33-31 in the regular season and 1-2 in the playoffs. He was the head coach of the New York Jets (one season) and New England Patriots (three seasons) following successful stints as an assistant in Buffalo, Minnesota, New York, and San Francisco. In other words, Pete Carroll isn’t just another good collegiate head coach anxious to test NFL waters.

Carroll’s NFL resume is no match for his accomplishments at Southern Cal, but he does have a lot of professional experience and is eager to prove he can be successful in the NFL.

If Carroll is hired as the next coach of the Seattle Seahawks, expect to see several other changes over the course of the offseason. Jeremy Bates, who coached with Carroll at USC, would likely become Seattle’s next offensive coordinator. Bates, son of NFL coach Jim Bates, has worked with the Broncos, Buccaneers, and Jets. While a quarterbacks coach in Denver, he helped propel Jay Cutler to his first Pro Bowl season in 2008.

If Carroll is hired, Matt Hasselbeck could be on his way out as well. Hasselbeck may not be the reason for Seattle’s ultimate demise, but probably won’t be a very good fit in Seattle under Carroll and Bates. That being said, however, Hasselbeck is probably the best option for Seattle for at least a few years; there aren’t any free agent upgrades available and any rookie quarterback will struggle playing with the “talent” Hasselbeck has dealt with.

Pay attention to the news – Seattle is headlining all of the major sports networks right now. Carroll to Seattle would be a huge development if it happens and could create a ripple effect around the NCAA and NFL. I’ll wait for anything certain before I post any other opinions.

What are your thoughts about Jim Mora and Pete Carroll?