The do’s and don’ts for Pete Carroll (free agency edition)

This isn’t Pete Carroll’s first go around as an NFL head coach but it is his first off season as a NFL head coach AND executive vice president. Not only is Carroll the EVP and head coach but if there is a discrepancy between Carroll and new general manager John Schneider, Pete Carroll would win the coin flip 100 percent of the time.

According to Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke the team will be built around both Carroll and Schneider but should their be a discrepancy about a trade/signing/draft pick Carroll would be awarded his decision because the team is going to be built around Carroll’s philosophy.

Now as Pete Carroll and John Schneider continue this rebuilding process this is the year where it can make or break the success of the Seahawks for a long time.

The Seahawks have two first round pick in the upcoming 2010 NFL draft and three of the top 40 picks in the draft so that’s where Carroll and his crack staff can’t slip up.

Carroll also has to use free agency as a source to fill some of the teams needs as well. Carroll has said from day one he wants competition at every position because having competition drives everyone involved and inevitably makes everyone better.

So as Carroll and Schneider get ready to begin their first off season together they are going to need to make the right moves in free agency to set up their success in the draft, which will be the bread and butter of their first off season together.

So with that being said here are a few do’s and don’ts for Pete Carroll and John Schneider in their first free agency.

Do’s:

- (do) Bring in only the players that fit perfectly into both Carroll and Schneider’s philosophy. For example if a player fits into the zone blocking scheme at a need position on the offensive line then bring that player in. If there is some concern at all about a player fitting into the scheme at any position avoid that player because they can’t afford to take risks this off season.

- (do) Sign a defensive back (cornerback or safety) that can be an immediate starter next season. One of the biggest areas for concern with the Seahawks is their defensive backfield, mainly at safety. Jordan Babineaux and Deon Grant where the starting safeties last season. Babineaux recorded over 100 tackles but consistently dropped the ball in coverage so he’s a huge question mark heading into next season. Grant isn’t getting any younger at the age of 30 and entering into his 12th NFL season. The Seahawks need to get more athletic and younger at safety and Pete Carroll can do that via free agency.

Antrel Rolle, 27 (6 year pro,S), Dunta Robinson 27 (7 year pro, CB) and Sean Jones, 27 (7 year pro, S) would most likely be the three targets for Pete Carroll in free agency. Rolle would be a win-win for the Seahawks because he’d fill a void in the secondary as well as taking him away from division rival, the Arizona Cardinals.

Carroll and Schneider would be smart to spend the $8-10 million on Rolle.

- (d0) keep an eye on the amount of money put into free agency even though this is an uncapped year and Paul Allen is the owner, who showed this off season he will spend the high end prices to bring a Super Bowl trophy to the city of Seattle.

Carroll and Schneider said they will not break the bank in free agency however Paul Allen said the exact same thing last year and they wound up signing TJ Houshmandzadeh to a five year, $40 million dollar contract. So coaches and general managers will always say things like this because they have no clue what the market will look like.

So the Seahawks can afford to spend $8-10 million on Antrel Rolle, $8-10 million on Dunta Robinson and then sign a mid level free agent on the offensive line but not much more than that with the Seahawks holding the No. 6 and No. 14 overall picks in the draft.

Don’ts:

-(don’t) sign any free agent running back in free agency. There have been rumors galore about the Seahawks being interested in free agent running backs Thomas Jones, Darren Sproles, Chester Taylor and LaDainian Tomlinson among others.

It won’t happen and Carrol and Co. would be a fool to spend the rumored $4-6 million on any free agent running back this off season. If the Seahawks feel they need an every down back they will address it through the NFL draft because it’s a “core position”.

Pete Carroll and John Schneider both believe in building the core of the Seahawks franchise through the NFL draft. The core positions being quarterback, running back, left tackle, left guard and defensive tackle/end. So don’t look for the Seahawks to be strongly searching for a free agent running back to sign this off season.

- (don’t) sign any player over 30. The Seahawks are a rebuilding franchise and have a lot of aging veterans already on the roster with Matt Hasselbeck (34), Patrick Kerney (33), Walter Jones (36), Deion Branch (30), TJ Houshmandzadeh (32) and Deon Grant (30) all playing at core positions.

The Seahawks need to get younger across the board and especially at the core positions. So what does that mean? The Seahawks have to avoid signing players over the age of 30 in free agency because it won’t fit the new regime and schemes that Carroll and Co. have put in place.

Pete Carroll and John Schneider have put in place and exceptional plan of how they want to reshape and retool the Seattle Seahawks organization and if Carroll and Co. can keep to their core values as well as the “do’s” and “don’ts” listed above there is no reason why the Seahawks can’t still be winners in free agency while at the same time pick up key pieces to add to the roster before the 2010 NFL draft.

You can follow Lars at Twitter http://twitter.com/larshanson

Check out Lars’ sports blog: http://hansonsportsblog.blogspot.com/

Seahawks notes: Owens, Jones, Combine, Running backs

As the free agency deadline nears the major movement in the NFL has come from the running back position this past week with five running backs being let go or non tendered to free agency.

San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson, Philadelphia's Brian Westbrook, Cleveland's Jamal Lewis, San Diego's Darren Sproles and New Orleans' Mike Bell. Also New York Jets running back Thomas Jones will be released next week so he will be added to the list when that becomes official.

Terrell Owens was informed by the Buffalo Bills Saturday that the 36 year old wide receiver would not be back with the organization in 2010 making him a free agent.

The New Orleans Saints have yet to tender a contract offer to Pro Bowl guard Jahri Evans and running back Mike Bell. Most likely scenario is the Saints are more willing to sign a long term contract with Evans but let Mike Bell walk with the reports of Reggie Bush being 100 percent guaranteed to be back with the Saints in 2010 along with his eight million dollar price tag.

So with the CBA negotiations not going anywhere anytime soon it's clear that many of the expected unrestricted free agents will be restricted free agents.

However free agency isn't the only topic around the NFL.

Saturday marked the beginning of the NFL combine in Indy where all 32 teams will have their eyes on the top tier players in the upcoming NFL draft as well as the sleepers that will become steals in the draft.

So with that being said here's some news, notes and rumors regarding the Seattle Seahawks.

-WR Terrell Owens: The rumors and reports will start flying on March 5th about Terrell Owens and the Seahawks being a good pair with Nate Burleson testing the free agent market after not receiving a contract offer from the Seahawks.

Now there are a few questions if you want to picture T.O in Seattle.

One, would the Seahawks want to sign an aging wide receiver like T.O at the age of 36? Two, how much would the Seahawks be willing to offer Owens to come to Seattle because he's only going to get around one to two million max in free agency at this point in his career.

Now Owens can still put up numbers at his current age. Last season in Buffalo, a quarterback dead zone he compiled 55 receptions for 829 yards and five touchdowns. With Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback there is no reason to think T.O's numbers would go down if Owens came to Seattle.

Currently the Seahawks have TJ Houshmandzadeh (32), Deion Branch (30), Deon Butler (24) as the starting three wide receivers for 2010. Houshmanzadeh is guaranteed to be back in Seattle next season as is Deon Butler but there have been many questions surrounding Deion Branch in his three years in Seattle.

Terrell Owens, at the price of $1-2 million would be a great addition in Seattle to go along side TJ Houshmandzadeh and Deon Butler who would be the slot wide receiver like Bobby Engram use to be two years ago.

-LT Walter Jones: Pete Carroll said at the NFL combine that Walter Jones has not come to a final decision on whether to retire or come back for his 14th NFL season.

Here is a quote from Pete Carroll via Danny O'Neil from the Seattle Times.

"I would be wrong to tell you that I know right now, specifically," Carroll said. "I know he's thinking about pursuing the retirement thing and all that. And until that's really final, that's about where it is."

- NFL Combine: The offensive tackles and tight ends worked out Saturday at the NFL combine and five players really stood out and improved their draft stock by their performance at the combine.

Maryland OT Bruce Campbell, Oklahoma OT Trent Williams, Pittsburgh TE Dorin Dickerson, Oregon TE Ed Dickson and Oklahoma State OT Russell Okung (left early with a groin injury).

Clausen and Bradford are both at the combine but will not workout at the combine. They will meet with coaches and scouts from a lot of teams but nothing hands on.

You can probably bet that Jimmy Clausen will be looking for Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll after the comments he made today during an interview.

Clausen said "as a person I love coach Carroll to death" and also that he'd love being a part of Carroll's team in Seattle if drafted by the Seahawks.

Carroll and Clausen go way back to when Clausen was 13 years old and Carroll was recruiting him to come play at USC. So Jimmy Clausen is a name to watch for the Seahawks when they select No. 6 overall.

-Running backs: There have been a lot of rumors swirling about the Seahawks and adding a running back in free agency. Mainly Tomlinson, Thomas Jones, Darren Sproles, Westbrook and Chester Taylor among others.

For all those wondering if the Seahawks will sign a big name back this off season the answer is simply this.

No.

The Seahawks under new head coach Pete Carroll and new general manager John Schneider plan to build the foundation of the Seahawks through the NFL draft to insure long term success.

Quarterback, running back, left guard and tackle, defensive tackle and safety all make up the core foundation of an NFL team so take all those positions and cross them off the Seahawks free agent list. Only safety would be one to fill via free agency with Darren Sharper.

The Seahawks will be looking for an every down back in the draft with Clemson running back CJ Spiller topping that list.

A couple of other added notes:

-Seahawks franchised kicker Olindo Mare

-Nate Burleson will be an unrestricted free agent

Seahawks notes: Marshall, Mawae, Rolle and LT

In an effort to further inform the readers I’ve decided to have a weekly article about any and all Seahawks notes and rumors from around the league.

With the Seahawks being one of the most “link attached” teams this off season it will be interesting to see what unfolds under this new direction of Seahawks football under head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider.

With the Seahawks having an owner in Paul Allen, who early in the off season made it apparent that he is not afraid to make a bold statement with a lot of cash attached to that statement.

The Carroll example being the hire former USC head coach Pete Carroll to a five year $35 million dollar contract while buying out Jim Mora Jr. of his remaining $12 million.

Now with the coaching and front office slots all filled out it’s that time of the year where those personnel guys make their living with free agency coming up on March 5th and the NFL draft April 22nd-24th.

Heading into the off season the Seahawks have a lot of question marks throughout the depth chart from the starting quarterback to the offensive line to the defensive line and secondary.

The Seahawks will need to fill the “needs” at QB, WR, OL, DL, CB/S as well as overall talent depth throughout the team. Matt Hasselbeck is in the final year of his six year $47 million dollar contract and isn’t getting any younger at the age of 34.

Then at wide receiver the Seahawks lack a dynamic play making receiver with TJ Houshmandzadeh being more of an “over the middle/moving the chains” type of receiver.

Nate Burleson is expected to hit the open market unless a new contract is reached.Deion Branch…well that’s always a question mark and the possible trade rumors with the Patriots don’t make that easier. Deon Butler will be entering his second season in the NFL and fits mostly in a quick slot receiver, not a “play maker”.

The Seahawks have been heavily rumored to Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who is expected to be a restricted free agent, unless there is a new CBA.

On the offensive line the Seahawks don’t know about Walter Jones’ true status and if he will be able to return for a 14th season in the NFL. Then the Seahawks have question marks with right tackle Sean Locklear who became a human turnstile last season and doesn’t look worthy of being a starter in the NFL.

At defensive end they don’t know what to expect from Patrick Kerney who has underperformed since breaking out with 14 sacks in his first season in 2007. Then outside of Kerney the Seahawks don’t have any effective pass rushing defensive end which seriously hurt them last season.

Corner back is also a question mark with Ken Lucas, 31, becoming an unrestricted free agent and Josh Wilson is really more of a fit at safety than corner for his size. So the Seahawks could look to target Joe Haden in the draft for that. At safety Deon Grant isn’t getting any older or better for that matter and Jordan Babineaux, while having over 100 tackles really underperformed as an overall safety and having Darren Sharper becoming an unrestricted free agent the Seahawks would be more inclined to go a different direction and look to target Sharper in free agency.

So with that being said here’s a few rumors and notes about the Seahawks.

- WR Brandon Marshall: There has been a lot made of the trade rumors surrounding Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who is a restricted free agent unless a new CBA is agreed upon. The Broncos want the best deal they can get for Marshall if they decide that they should in fact trade the dynamic receiver.

The Seahawks seem like the most likely team with the most firepower to acquire Marshall. They have two first round picks (No. 6 and No. 14) in the 2010 NFL draft as well as the No.40 pick in the second round. Seattle also have a few players that could be included like wide receiver Deion Branch (worked with McDaniel’s in New England) and linebacker Leroy Hill (underperformed last season, still has great athletic ability).

The Broncos hold the 11th overall pick in the 2010 draft and if a scenario came up where on draft day both Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen are both gone before the Seahawks pick at six overall that pick would become great bait for the Broncos who could swap first round picks (No. 6 for No. 11) and the Seahawks would include Deion Branch while the Broncos would include Brandon Marshall.

With that pick at six overall the Broncos could select their replacement for Marshall in Dez Bryant or could go linebacker with Rolando McClain.

-C Kevin Mawae: The 39 year old veteran center will hit the open market once free agency opens up, Mawae’s agent Jim Wyatt said today. “He will definitely hit the market, but [we'll] continue to talk to the Titans.”

With the Seahawks having question marks at both left and right guard there could be the possibility of moving Max Unger, the Seahawks second round pick from 2009 to left guard and plugging in Mawae in a center, giving the Seahawks an experienced NFL center (like former Seahawks center Robbie Tobeck).

Mawae wouldn’t command top dollar so the Seahawks don’t have to worry about breaking the bank on him. Having an experienced NFL center would be very helpful should the Seahawks draft either Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen in the draft, which will most likely happen.

- S Antrel Rolle: The Seahawks biggest division rival, the Arizona Cardinals have taken a few steps back this off season with the loss of quarterback Kurt Warner to retirement and linebacker Karlos Dansby will be hitting the free agent market as the Cardinals won’t franchise him.

However the salary strapped Cardinals could also be sending safety Antrel Rolle along with Dansby to free agency.

Rolle is scheduled to make $8.1 million in base salary this upcoming season along with a $4 million dollar roster bonus on March 1st. The Cardinals, according to Arizona Republic reported Kent Somers are not willing to shell out that much for Rolle.

So now the Cardinals, who already are paying $7.8 million for another safety in Adrian Wilson, have to decided do they want to cut him lose or come to an agreement on a new long term contract.

With the Cardinals still having to work out wide receiver Anquan Boldin’s contract situation as well as other players the most likely route will be to cut Rolle lose, making him an unrestricted free agent.

This could be a perfect situation for the Seahawks who are in desperate need of a play making safety. The Seahawks could make it a win-win for the team. If the Carroll and company get the word that Rolle will be an unrestricted free agent it makes a lot of sense to make a heavy push for the safety.

- RB LaDainian Tomlinson: With the big news coming down Monday afternoon that the Chargers have decided to let go of nine year veteran LaDainian Tomlinson it makes the free agency picture a little more thicker.

There is going to be a lot of rumors about the Seahawks being linked to a lot of running backs from Willie Parker to Chester Taylor to LT but I’d like to take the time to put and end to them before they officially start.

The Seahawks are not in need of a running back with Justin Forsett’s performance last season. So you can ignore the rumors about CJ Spiller or any other running back, unless it’s Ryan Mathews because he’s the only fit in the ZBS.

As the free agency period approaches there is going to be a lot of rumors with the “Seattle Seahawks” tag right next to it so I will do my best to sort out the fact and the national enquirer rumors out there involving the Seahawks.

You can follow Lars at Twitter http://twitter.com/larshanson

Check out Lars’ sports blog: http://hansonsportsblog.blogspot.com/

Seahawks 2009 offensive MVP: TE John Carlson

With my friend Scotty Kimberly wanting peoples opinion on the 2009 Seattle Seahawks offensive MVP I decided to give my take. I had a short list consisting of TJ Houshmandzadeh, Nate Burleson, Justin Forsett, Matt Hasselbeck and John Carlson.

In the end it came down to Forsett and Carlson with John Carlson receiving my vote as the 2009 Seattle Seahawks offensive MVP.

Now some people might question right off the bat, why John Carlson? He was irrelevant for the first eight games of the season. Well there is a reason why his stats were down for the first eight games,outside of week one and that was because due to the inconsistency of the offensive line Carlson had to stay home and be an additional blocker instead of a route running tight end like he’s built for.

Now overall when the offensive line situation was resolved with Mike Gibson at right guard and Max Unger at center Carlson was able to get back to his normal form as a pass catching tight end.

In 2009 Carlson played all 16 games while recording 51 receptions for 571 yards and seven touchdowns, a team high in 2009. Carlson average yards per catch was 11.3 with 271 yards after catch. Carlson was only targeted 83 times this season.

When you compare Carlson’s 2009 numbers to those of TJ Houshmandzadeh, Nate Burleson and even Deion Branch he stands out as being the best overall receiving option for Hasselbeck.

Here’s a breakdown of Carlson’s 2009 stats vs TJ, Nate and Deion

TJ Houshmandzadeh: 79 receptions, 911 yards, three touchdowns, 11.5 average, 237 yards after catch and 135 targets.TJ’s difference for targets and receptions is 56.

Nate Burleson 63 receptions, 812 yards, three touchdowns, 12.9 average, 290 yards after catch and 103 targets.Nate’s difference for targets and receptions is 40.

Deion Branch: 45 receptions, 437 yards, two touchdowns, 9.7 average, 150 yards after catch and 79 targets. Deion’s difference for targets and receptions is 34.

Now compare that to John Carlson’s numbers overall and it’s clear that Carlson is the best. Carlson’s difference between targets and receptions is 32, even lower than Deion Branch.

So with that being said my vote for the 2009 Seattle Seahawks offensive MVP goes to tight end John Carlson.

Sound off.

You can follow Lars at Twitter http://twitter.com/larshanson

Check out Lars’ sports blog: http://hansonsportsblog.blogspot.com/

Seahawks player review: WR TJ Houshmandzadeh

This is the first in a long series of articles reviewing the Seahawks players of 2009. Did they under perform, over perform or just be average? We kick off the series with the Seahawks biggest free agent acquisition from last off season, wide receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh.

The Seahawks rewarded the NFL's most consistent wide receiver with a five year $40 million dollar contract with $15 million guaranteed.

With the Seahawks finishing 5-11 in TJ's first season with the team, needless to say it wasn't happy times in Houshmandzadeh-ville. Houshmnadzadeh looked to some fans and reporters like a smaller in scale version of T.O. Running in with offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and questionable actions on the sideline with former head coach Jim Mora Jr.

However from a statsical stand point Houshmandzadeh did about avgerage for what he's done in his career. He didn't have a good quarterback or a great offense in general for many reasons, some of which have been fixed. The firing of offensive coordinator Greg Knapp will help fix those problems. In at offensive coordinator is Jeremy Bates who was in Denver with Jay Cutler when he lit up the NFL through the air.

TJ couldn't be more happy to have Bates as the offensive coordinator. Now for Houshmandzadeh's stats from 2009.

TJ fininshed 2009 playing in all 16 games and recording 79 receptions (team high), 911 yards receiving (team high) and three receiving touchdowns. Houshmandzadeh also had 11.5 YPC (yards per catch).

Houshmandzadeh never was really apart of the Seahawks offense, which was almost nonexistent this season. Housh, along with Nate Burleson, Deion Branch and tight end John Carlson all never became apart of what was suppose to be an explosive offense for the Seahawks.

TJ, Nate and Deion caught national headlines when Nate and Deion hosted their weakly talk radio show in Seattle on 950 KJR Seattle. The Branch and Burleson Show went from being a fun an interactive talk session with the passionate 12th man to a show that had the trio of receivers (TJ, Deion and Nate) calling out Matt Hasselbeck, Jim Mora Jr, offensive coordinator Greg Knapp as well as local TV analyst Hugh Millen, who TJ took personal exception to.

However TJ's first season in Seattle can not be taken as a bust or a desaster because he let the team in receptions and receiving yards. The letdown came on the offensive line and at quarterback and running back with the exception of Justin Forsett.

So we will list TJ Houshmanzadeh's first season in Seattle as average.

Hopefully with a new head coach in Pete Carroll and a new offensive coordinator in Jeremy Bates the Seattle Seahawks offense, including TJ Houshmanzadeh will be alive and firing on all cylinders in 2010.

You can follow Lars at Twitter http://twitter.com/larshanson

Seahawks targeting Broncos WR Brandon Marshall?

First off this is just a rumor, thought up three weeks ago by ESPN NFC West blogger Mike Sando. Sando, who is a good friend of mine, suggested that the Seahawks could package one of their top three draft selections in the 2010 NFL draft as well as Deion Branch, who has underperformed in Seattle to the Denver Broncos in exchange for the standout Brandon Marshall, who is a restricted free agent this off season.

Sando does bring up a good point about shipping Branch and one of the Seahawks first three picks off to Denver for Marshall however since the hiring of former USC head coach Pete Carroll and Jeremy Bates as the offensive coordinator the idea of Brandon Marshall in Seattle has gotten more and more attention.

However there are a lot of things that need to happen first before there is even a chance for the Seahawks to speak with the Broncos about Brandon Marshall.

First the Seahawks need to hire a general manager to officially replace Tim Ruskell who was forced to resign in December of 2009. The leading candidate is former Tennessee Titans GM Floyd Reese who has worked with Pete Carroll in the past.

Second the Denver Broncos have to tender a contract to Marshall, probably in the neighborhood of $9 million. After they have offered Marshall a contract tender then the Broncos, if they decided to want to move Marshall could then start looking for trade partners.

Third the Broncos would have to work out the right package to make a deal work because the NFL business is not Madden 2010.

The Seahawks currently hold the No. 6, No. 14 and No. 40 overall picks in the draft, one of which, the 14th overall pick belonging to the Broncos. I don't see the Seahawks trading Denver back their first round pick but the two teams could work out a draft pick swap.

There are a few interesting notes to include about this Brandon Marshall Seahawks topic.

- WR TJ Houshmandzadeh called Brandon Marshall after Pete Carroll hired offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates and when TJ asked Brandon about Jeremy Bates he said "You will love the guy". So Bates and Marshall have a connection going back a few years when Bates was the offensive coordinator in Denver.

- Marshall worked with offensive coordinator Jermey Bates and possibly Jedd Fisch as the quarterbacks coach so there is some history with some of Carroll's guys and Brandon Marshall.

Now I do need to note that there are at least obsticals the Seahakws have before anyone can mention a Brandon Marshall to Seattle rumor

One, the Seattle Seahawks NEED to select a new general manager to assist Pete Carroll and make the transactions go through for the Seahawks. Pete Carroll is not the GM, he is the executive vice president of football operations and head coach. No moves can be made involving player movement without a GM.

Two, the collective bargaining agreement needs to be situated one way or another because it will effect Brandon Marshall's status as a free agent. If there is a new CBA in place before the deadline then Marshall becomes an unrestricted free agent and unless the Broncos decide to franchise tag him the Seahawks won't have to make a trade for Marshall. If there is not a new CBA in place then Marshall becomes a restricted free agent because he has not played six years in the NFL. So then the Seahawks would have to match the tender offer and work out a trade with the Broncos IF the Seahawks decided that they want to pursue Brandon Marshall.

Three, depending on what happens after the CBA deadline the Seahawks still have to create the right package to offer the Broncos. It will not be Branch and a mid round pick for Marshall because that wouldn't even work in a fantasy league.

So there is A LOT that has to happen between now and the time the Seahawks could possibly be thinking about having Brandon Marshall dawning Seahawks blue.

So this should put a stop to the Brandon Marshall Seahawks rumors until the Seahawks have hired a new GM and the NFL collective bargening agreement has been sorted out.

You can follow Lars at Twitter http://twitter.com/larshanson

Should Bill Cowher Be the Next Seahawks Head Coach?

If you live in Seattle Washington you know the sports scene is a work in progress with the Mariners, Sounders and UW Huskies football program all on the rise while at the same time watching the Seahawks organization fall apart right before our eyes.

A team that last year went 4-12 and a team many predicted to have a huge bounce back year because the 2008 season was decimated with injuries to a lot of key players headlined by Matt Hasselbeck and Walter Jones among others.

The Seahawks added a high profile free agent wide receiver in TJ Houshmandzadeh, who signed a five year, $40 million dollar contract and a player who was suppose to headline a talented trio of wide outs that would help the Seahawks offense bounce back.

Well with the Seahawks season one lonely game away from being over the Seahawks stand 5-10, third in the NFC West and in recent weeks have been tagged as the worst franchise in the NFL. Worse than the 1-14 Rams, the 2-13 Detroit Lions, the 3-12 Tampa Bay Bucs (who humiliated the Seahawks 24-7 at home), the 4-11 Washington Redskins and worse than the 3-12 Kansas City Chiefs.

The Seahawks have been humiliated the last three weeks, being outscored 106-24. The highest amount of points they have put up the last three games was 10, against the Green Bay Packers last week and they didn’t score a touchdown until the end of the fourth quarter when the score was 48-3.

Now you might think looking at those two stats I just put up and think oh my god the defense is just horrendous. Well in fairness to the lackluster, zero heart or effortless defense the Seahawks offense has accounted for 10 turnovers and only three touchdowns.

Breaking down those 10 turnovers all ten have been at the hands of quarterback Matt Hasselbeck who has racked up nine interceptions and one fumble while only putting up three touchdowns in three games. Some in fairness some were because the receiver fell down on the route but for the most part Matt has nor been clicking on ANY cylinders this season.

So where does this lead in terms of relevance to the title of the article?

Well the Seahawks kicked off the month of December by announcing that GM Tim Ruskell was resigning as GM of the Seattle Seahawks leaving three months left on his original five year contract that was up this off season.

The move showed to the NFL that the Seattle Seahawks were officially rebuilding and would begin searching for their next general manager.

The Seahawks took a hit in their PR department when they announced that Mike Holmgren, the former Seahawks coach who many thought would return to Seattle in a GM or front office position, turned down the Seahawks offer of a “senior leadership position” and two days later signed a contract with the Cleavland Browns to become their club president.

Right after it was announced that Holmgren turned down the Seahawks everyone in the city knew it was just a PR move by the Seahawks to show the fans that “hey we offered him the job be he turned us down, we didn’t turn him down, he turned us down”. This really started the whole fire that boiled over on 950 KJR-AM Seattle with the Branch and Burleson Show with a special guest host, WR TJ Houshmandzadeh.

Branch, Burleson and TJ all spoke their minds in what was a very explosive and firey show in which the trio of wide outs called out local TV and Radio analyst and former NFL quarterback Hugh Millen on air as well as calling out the Seahawks offensive coordinator Greg Knapp for horrendous play calling, and even the Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck got thrown under the bus.

As Branch and TJ put it “either you’re with us or you’re against us”.

So it really shows just how bad the waters have gotten in Seattle when it comes to Seahawks football. A hot topic in Seattle has been the teams recent effort after Seahawks head coach Jim Mora Jr. called his team out during his weekly press conference three weeks ago.

Mora said during that press conference that he wants more “nasty, dirt bags” on this football team. Well Jim Branch and Burleson just gave you your dirt bags you wanted.

Mora is in his first full season as Seahawks head coach and some people have questioned the effort that the players have had over the last few weeks and some suggest it’s a sign to management that the players want Mora out as head coach.

When you have your big money wide receiver in TJ Houshmandzadeh saying this team sucks you know its time for a real change on the coaching staff. And TJ blames himself as well saying he’s going to work his butt off this off season to get in shape for next year.

So with all the mess that is unfolding in Seattle with the Seahawks organization and a new GM coming in this off season, no one knows who it is but for sure it’s not someone currently with the Seahawks there is sure to be a major face lift on this franchise from the front office down to the coaching staff and players.

So all signs point to Jim Mora Jr. not sticking around as the Seahawks head coach, as well as offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and the rest of the Seahawks coaching staff most likely won’t be around with a new GM coming in.

Rarely do you see a current head coach stick around with a new Gm coming in (Todd Haley in KC, Eric Mangini in Cleavland and etc).

So who would replace Mora next season as the Seahawks head coach?

Well with not a lot of new head coaching options coming open except for all but three possible teams the Seahawks could use this opportunity to cash in big time on a great head coach like Mike Shanahan or Bill Cowher who has said he wants to return to coaching in 2010.

The Seahawks would be an excellent fit for Cowher, all depending on who is hired as the GM but no matter who that is Cowher will for sure be on that short list of head coaches for the Seahawks.

Now some might ask the question, why does Bill Cowher make sense as a top candidate for the Seahawks possible head coaching opening (I say possible because Mora is still the head coach).

Here are three reasons why Bill Cowher makes complete sense as candidate for the Seahawks possible head coaching job.

1) Cowher is a winner and knows what it means to be a winning NFL head coach. In his 12 years in the Steelers organization he compiled a regular season record of 149-90-1 and a post season record of 12-9 with two AFC titles and one Super Bowl title in 2005. His winning percentage as a head coach is .623 while Jim Mora in his fourth season as a head coach, first in Seattle has a regular season record of 31-32 and below a .500 winning percentage. The Seahawks need a head coach that has been to the top before and knows how to win. Cowher has done both, like former Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren.

2) Cowher knows how to use talent to the fullest and especially knows how to build a great defense, like he had done in Pittsburgh for 12 years. The Seahawks current roster has some talent on it but the current coaching staff seems to not know how to use the talent the right way. Cowher knows talent and how to put the right players in the right position to make an all around successful team.

3) Cowher, coming into the Seahawks organization would be able to work with the new GM on how he wants the team run and which players he wants to keep, let go and bring in knowing that he will know what to do with those players to build a successful all around team.

Also Cowher is a winner and all the Seahawks players can trust that, something I don’t think they can buy into with Mora.

Now I would like to point out that that Jim Mora Jr. is still the head coach for the Seahawks but once the season is over at four PM Sunday PST then the doors open wide for this circus to really open up this off season.

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