5 pros and cons of firing Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll

Pro to firing Carroll No. 1 - Any change in some aspects is a positive

Gone are the days when Seattle's talent and scheme is good enough to overcome terrible penalties and inefficiency. In the early and mid-2010s, the Seahawks still struggled with being penalized. Some of this might have been intent as Seattle's defense was bullish and could intimidate other teams by any means necessary. But a team getting a lot of penalties still means that team is undisciplined.

14 seasons later, the team is still undisciplined and leads the NFL in penalties. Plus, third-down defense is still atrocious (45.2 percent of third downs are converted against Seattle - 29th in the league) and many times this is due to miscommunication on the field as the players and defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt have discussed in press conferences. Miscommunication is also a lack of discipline. Carroll is not a Bill Belichick-type coach and never will be, but Seattle might need a coach who fits in the middle of those two coaches.

Con No. 2 - Firing Carroll would mean a full organizational change

There is one massive reason that Pete Carroll might not be fired but basically forced to step down. The difference is, of course, that if a coach is fired, they leave the organization and go looking for jobs elsewhere. Carroll, though, is also the Vice President of Football Operations for Seattle so he would have to be let go from that, too. That is unlikely to happen, though he could keep that job and lose the head coaching gig.

Also, unlike most other NFL teams, the general manager does not directly oversee the head coach in Seattle. Schneider and Carroll are basically partners in building the roster. Schneider has never had to oversee a head coach so how well would he do that? And what kind of rapport does he have with the coach in team-building?