Pete Carroll's Resignation Makes Rumor into Reality

With several reports surfacing Friday that USC Trojans head coach Pete Carroll was going to rejoin the NFL, it was considered almost a foregone conclusion he would sign.  Until something solid came to pass it would remain as simple rumor and report thanks largely to the plethora of NFL teams that had pursued Carroll over the past few years only to be turned down.

Sunday evening Carroll turned whispers into facts.  While not officially signed by Seattle, the Coach officially resigned from his USC post, proof that the signing is not only imminent, but close on the horizon.

His 4.5 Million a year USC contract will see a substantial boost, with reports that his contract will run five years at 6.57 million per season.   The pay rate is considered not only significant in its amount, but also for its flying in the face of a considered trend where young ‘bargain’ head coaches have become a popular notion that has driven the asking salaries down somewhat on veteran coaches as well.

Without a current GM in place, Carroll is expected to have a large amount of personnel control over the rebuilding Seahawks.  Despite the accepted notion that his control will be relatively far-reaching, his only official title will be that of head coach.

Carroll was reported as stating that the Seahawks job "came out of nowhere" and elaborated by describing his departure from USC with, "I've given everything I've had.  There was never going to be a good time."

His return to the NFL (following a 33-31 early career in stints with the Patriots and Jets) will be a tough one.  The Seahawks closed the year with four straight losses en route to a 5-11 record while playing in one of the weaker divisions in the league.

The new Coach will be bringing several members of his current USC staff with him including assistants Pat Ruel, Ken Norton Jr., and offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates in an effort to revamp the team from the inside out.

The Seahawks have issues on both sides of the ball that the new staff will need to address.  The Seahwks ranked 25th in scoring with a paltry 17.5 points per game (a stat helped considerably by a 41-0 thrashing of Jacksonville in week five) despite the signing of wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh for former pro bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to throw to.

The Seahawks also ranked 25th in points allowed by giving up nearly a touchdown more than they averaged scoring at 24.4 points allowed.  Weighted without the dominant performance over the Jaguars, the Seahawks were outscored by an average of 26 to 15.9.

The team should be seeing considerable personnel changes in the coming years.  34 year old Hasselbeck has aged rapidly across the past few seasons, missing nearly one-quarter of the team’s games in the past four years.  They will be looking to find an heir apparent, with no prospects in place behind the veteran signal caller.

In addition, the team will need to rework a poor running game along with a porous pass defense that ranked 30th in the league. 

One bright spot for Carroll will be several young pieces to work with.  27 year old former Trojan Lofa Tatupu and rookie Aaron Curry headline a solid linebacking corps.  Carroll also has two solid first round picks in the upcoming with his team’s own and that of the 8-8 Denver Broncos.

Along with the good building blocks Carroll should have time.  The Seahawks team will likely give him at least two years to put his system and personnel in place, and another year or two to translate that into success.  All those factors equate to a prime opportunity for the Coach’s return to the NFL.  All that remains to be seen is if that can translate to success at the pro level.

For a look at the move from a USC perspective:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/322540-just-why-is-pete-carroll-leaving-usc