Seattle Seahawks: How Much Longer Before Pete Carroll's Seat Gets Hot?

It was clear from the beginning of his introductory press conference that Pete Carroll left USC for Seattle because it was an “almost-dreamlike” opportunity.

“I’ve been so impressed with their vision and outlook to the future, how they want this organization to be run; how they hope it can gain a stature in the community of the NFL and with the people in the Seattle area. Their plan is exactly in line with the way I envision it.”

After running the program at USC, Carroll’s vision for his NFL future involved having nearly full control of building the organization; as head coach and executive vice president of football operations for the Seahawks, Carroll succeeded in his quest for control.

He was heavily involved in selecting general manager John Schneider because of Schneider's experience as a personnel evaluator and diligence, but most importantly because the two had an immediate rapport.

Carroll was able to select his coaching staff, a group of coaches that have a similar football philosophy and willingness to buy into the program. Carroll proved after year one that he’s not afraid to make immediate changes for long-term success; Seattle's coaching staff changed drastically going into 2011.

Carroll and Schneider used the same approach rebuilding the roster. Seattle made 284 roster transactions in the first year of the new regime and only 10 players from the old regime remained on the active roster after cuts to 53 players in 2011. Former franchise faces Matt Hasselbeck and Lofa Tatupu are gone; Carroll favorite Lawyer Milloy isn't back, either.

The Seahawks won the division in 2010, becoming the first team to make the playoffs with a sub-.500 record. However, that was a different team than the current 1-2 Seahawks.

Seattle has changed the defense from a 4-3 to an “under” 4-3 and now is a unit that uses both 4-3 and 3-4 variations; this is a young, talented, aggressive and increasingly versatile unit.

I've continually been a proponent of the massive trio up front; Red Bryant, Alan Branch and Brandon Mebane should be a force stopping the run. Leo end Chris Clemons and Raheem Brock bring experience and attitude on the edge.

The safety duo of Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas have a near-limitless ceiling; Carroll has a bunch of projects at cornerback, including the unique, 6’4”  former CFL All-Star Brandon Browner.

Instead of strictly using two or three linebackers, Seattle has begun rotating their players; starting middle linebacker David Hawthorne doesn't see the field in nickel situations, and much-maligned outside linebacker Aaron Curry, the fourth pick in the 2009 draft, has been demoted for rookie KJ Wright.

If this group can come together over the course of the season they will benefit from having offseason together with the coaching staff after 2011. If they stay healthy, the defense has a very high ceiling, especially if the Seahawks continue to make changes as needed to build depth and enhance the scheme.

The offense is an entirely different story; there are questions from the top, down.

When thinking about 2012: Does Seattle already have its future quarterback, will he be a draftee or a veteran acquired for draft picks? Will running backs Justin Forsett and Marshawn Lynch be on the team, one of them or neither? Will there be a new fullback? Can the receiving corps stay healthy and progress?

Can the offensive line come together, with or without veteran Robert Gallery at left guard? Will the IR-ed John Carlson be re-signed? How much will the offense benefit from an offseason of coaches and players working together?

The point here: Carroll’s fingerprints are all over the defensive changes and the unit is on the rise, but the quarterback situation and offense as a whole is unsettled. Carroll hasn’t even finished rebuilding the roster and most importantly, still may need a quarterback.

Matt Hasselbeck may have helped in the short term; Carroll could need more than one attempt to find the answer for the long term.

The Seahawks may not win the division in 2011, but in reality the vast majority of outsiders aren’t expecting them to. The goal is crafting a team that can compete for a championship in the coming years, not necessarily this year. Expectations may be the same for Carroll, as he intends to “own the division,” but exceedingly high expectations are part of his always enthusiastic and optimistic nature.

Carroll is not on the hot seat in 2011. He is in the second year of a five-year contract that pays him in the neighborhood of $7 million a year. Carroll is the third-highest-paid head coach in the NFL behind Bill Belichick and Mike Shanahan.

Firing a coach that is coming off of one of the most successful head coaching stretches in NCAA football history doesn’t make sense. And while many college coaches don’t successfully transition to the NFL, it’s important to remember this is Carroll’s third NFL head coaching position.

Carroll's methods, “rah rah” or not, are ones he's been polishing for decades; he has worked closely with the 49ers' legendary coach Bill Walsh, developing a mentality that implements philosophical beliefs of other great coaches.

Carroll’s successful formula used at USC was built from his lack of championship success in the NFL. He proved at USC he is a strong talent evaluator and recruiter; the attitude transmitted by Carroll’s program was infectious. The “buy in” and “always compete” mentality has caught on in Seattle, too.

This is vitally important as Seattle has moved on from the regime that gave the franchise its only Super Bowl appearance under Mike Holmgren. After Holmgren’s departure following the 2008 season, Seattle suffered from a lack of direction and attitude under Jim Mora in 2009.

Carroll's drive to compete and succeed is what a quickly descending franchise needed. Carroll has a will to connect with the fans and desire to dominate at home.

He isn’t a coach who is concerned with pundits, rather focused on guiding his team in a championship direction, even if that means defying convention along the way.

This isn’t the same Pete Carroll that the NFL world knew in the 1990s. Carroll understands his enthusiasm as a first-time coach with the Jets was too over the top, his reasoning and methods still in the embryonic stage. He learned in New England that, per his book Win Forever, “you’ve got to do it the way you know how to” and that coaching to please others is a recipe for disaster.

Carroll pleased a USC fanbase with two national titles and shocked the NFL world with a 2010 NFC West division title and home playoff victory over the defending champion New Orleans Saints. This may be Carroll’s only chance to run a program in the pros and his plan in Seattle is yet to run its course. He won’t be on the hot seat until it’s clear he’s been a success or failure; both are better than judging him before his plan is complete.