The wait is over; the Seattle Seahawks and former USC head coach Pete Carroll have come to an agreement to make Carroll the next Seahawks head coach, this according to the LA Times.Since the Seahawks fired former head coach Jim Mora Jr, the team has been in direct contact with the Trojans head coach. When the news broke around 10 A.M Friday morning the quick names that came out were Vikings defensive coordinator Lesley Frazier (who would fill the NFL's Rooney Rule) and other notable suitors.
Then ESPN's Chris Mortenson reported that the Seahawks had been in contact with USC head coach Pete Carroll, and that the interest was mutual on both sides and that Carroll would become the next head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
Right after the news broke about Carroll becoming the next Seahawks head coach there was massive uproar from both Trojan fans and Seahawks fans. Many people see Carroll's last stint in the NFL a complete bust, which appalls me.
However over the next 24-48 hours there had been conflicting reports about Carroll's role in Seattle and whether or not that would make or break Carroll's decision to leave Hollywood for Seattle, which has seen a few big names leave SoCal for Seattle.
Reports had come out that Carroll was going to be named the teams head coach and president. Then there were other reports saying that Paul Alan and Tod Leiweke were not going to give full control of the team to Carroll. Then there were even two or three reports saying that Carroll wanted full control and because he wasn't going to get that he was going to return to USC.
Well now there is only one report and that is that Pete Carroll has resigned as head coach at USC and will be named the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks organization as early as Monday, this according to the LA Times.
Now with the hiring of Pete Carrol has also brought along some questions and controversy.
- Why of all coaches did the Seahawks pick Pete Carroll instead of other names like Frazier, John Fox and other NFL names out there. Why did the Seahawks pick a college coach. Well I have the answer for that.
- In some people's eyes the Seahawks basically made a laughing stock of the NFL's Rooney Rule which states that an NFL team must interview a minority candidate for any coaching of font office job before making an official hire. Well the Seahawks did interview Vikings defensive coordinator Lesley Frazier, however some people thought the interview was just to fulfill the rule, not that it was to actually offer him the job.
- How much control over the franchise will Pete Carroll receive? Reports have said it's not about the money for Carroll because he made $4.4 million at USC and will now make $7 million in Seattle but it wasn't about the money it was about the control. Carroll never had control in New York or New England. In Seattle he will at least have 60/40 control, him being the 60 in all personnel decision and over the final 53 man roster.
- Will Carroll have success in Seattle and how long will it take to get that success? Carroll, while some people think is bust in the NFL, still had a 33-31 NFL record and also made it to the playoffs and had a 1-2 record in the playoffs so no matter what he is a step up from Jim Mora Jr. But the last two years the Seahawks have combined for nine wins (4 in 08 and 5 in 09) and before that they had five straight seasons of 9+ wins so they needed to go find someone who is a winner and knows how to build a winning program, something Carroll knows a lot about.
Now the timing of the Carroll to Seattle move is a very opportunistic for Pete Carroll for many reasons.
One, USC is facing, and will continue to face sanctions for the Reggie Bush, O.J Mays (Basketball) and more recently Joe McKnight incidences and Carroll obviously doesn't want to be around for it, and he has a great shot at a job that Carroll has been wanting for a long time and that it to become the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks as well as front office title. Much like Mike Shanahan in Washington. HC/EVP.
Also as Carroll is taking over the Seahawks, they are currently wanting to rebuild the franchise starting with the core and branching out. This is great for Carroll because he wants to be heavily involved in building this franchise the way he wants it and even though the Seahawks will hire a new GM as well both will have a lot of hands on work on the team. Plus with the Seahawks having three of the top 40 picks in the 2010 NFL draft this is the perfect shot for Carroll to get things going early in Seattle with a young QB, possibly Jimmy Clausen who he tried to recruit to USC but wound up losing him to Notre Dame.
Plus Carroll also has safety Taylor Mays, running back Joe McKnight, DE Everson Griffen, WR Damian Williams and OT Charles Brown entering the draft and you can bet that Brown and Mays will be high on his list because both fill needs the Seahawks have.
Not only does Carroll have his seniors(and some juniors) entering the draft but he also has former USC Trojans already on the Seahawks like MLB Lofa Tatupu, DE Lawrence Jackson and other players from the PAC-10 as well.
Any way you look at it this is the "perfect" job opportunity for Pete Carroll in the NFL. Let's run down why this is a great move for Carroll and then separately why it's great for the Seahawks.
Pete Carroll:
- Money, both from the Seahawks stand point of being able to have a now devoted owner in Paul Allen, who is the NFL's richest owner, and also a team that didn't make the playoffs by a mile so will have a easlier time being able to sign free agents.
- Power, I know the Seahawks aren't making Carroll the team president or the GM however I see him in the same role as Mike Shanahan in Washington where he is the head coach, and has 60/40 or 70/30 say in the final roster and all player movements. The Seahawks won't give him 100/0 control but they will give him a majority stake. However as I have learn over the past two days the reason why the Seahawks still want to hire a GM is to keep some form of balance in the organization.
-Division, not many people have spoken about this but I have looked over and realized that it seems harder to win the PAC-10 than it does the NFC West where ESPN's Mark Schlereth said Pete Carroll can bring this team back to a Super Bowl contender and definitely back to winning the NFC West.
-Draft position, this is probably the second best thing next to money/power for Pete Carroll because for a college coach coming into the NFL, and knowing a lot about college scouting and players in college this will be very huge. Carroll is in the position to select a QB like Jimmy Clausen who would fit will with Carroll's offense as well as a young LT like Charles Brown. Also He still has a high second round pick where he could pick up another starter for the long term. So Pete Carroll, also depending on what he does in free agency can really get things going in Seattle if he makes the right draft picks.
Seattle Seahawks:
-The Seahawks wanted a guy like Carroll: The Seahawks said that what they were looking for in a head coach was someone with experience, a great knowledge of the college ranks and someone with impeccable coaching skills. Well Carroll fit's the bill and is also a great players coach, and will sit more than well with the current and new players for the Seahawks.
- Outside the box thinking: The Seahawks hired Jim Mora Jr two years ago and in that contract included the deal that Mora would be named the head coach after Mike Holmgren retired. Well Mora got the job and lost it. Now when the Seahawks were thinking of their next head coach they wanted someone outside the box, someone who a lot of people wouldn't think would be the next Seahawks head coach. Unlike John Fox or Lesley Frazier, Carroll, who has been in the NFL before didn't come up in conversation with a lot of people to be the next Seahawks head coach but he will definitely get this ship turned around.
So with all the details worked out and all the contract finalized there is nothing standing in the way of the Seattle Seahawks naming former USC head coach Pete Carroll as the teams next head coach.
NOTES:
Jeremy Bates will follow Pete Carroll to Seattle as the teams new offensive coordinator, officially waving good bye to Greg Knapp.
Ken Norton will also follow Pete Carroll to Seattle as the teams linebacker coach.
Pete Carroll, as the title shows has officially stepped down as head coach at USC.
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Check out Lars’ sports blog: http://hansonsportsblog.blogspot.com/
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