Jim Mora out in Seattle, Pete Carroll next in line
ESPN is reporting that Jim Mora has been fired as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks after just one season. This move comes as a huge surprise, even though Mora went just 5-11. Injuries marred the Seahawks all season, and seemed poised to be back in the playoffs if they could simply get all the pieces lined up at the same time.
What’s even more surprising is that Chris Mortensen is reporting that Pete Carroll is a near lock to become the new coach. Word on the street is that he’s been itchin for a chance to get back in the NFL, and the timing does seem right. As I said, Seattle has a lot of key pieces, they just need to be healthy. Also, with USC struggling and in the midst of some allegations of academic violations and such, now would seem a good time to ditch out.
Gut reaction: I’m still stunned by this. For Mora to be given only one injury-riddled year is a little mind-boggling. It makes me think there’s more behind the scenes to this story. Maybe there’s tension between Mora and the front office. Maybe Carroll called up and said he wanted the job. I’m not sure, but it just feels fishy. Also, Carroll would be dumb to leave USC. He has a perfect situation down there in SoCal. His team struggled this year, but still had a winning season. He certainly doesnt believe his best years with that program were behind him, does he? What do you think?
