Largent: Last Year Was a Recipe for Disaster

Written by Mike Parker

Monday, 25 January 2010 13:03

Pete Carroll and Steve Largent met in Seattle for the first time last week, and Largent shared his thoughts on the meeting and other Seahawk matters with the guys on 101ESPN St. Louis. Largent was nothing if not frank in his analysis of how the previous two years have gone with this team:

"To have Mike Holmgren come back and announce before the season that he is not going to come back, that he was going to take kind of a swan-song year, I think it was a recipe for disaster right from the start. And it turned out to be exactly that. And then they bring in their defensive back coach who was the former head coach with the Falcons ... and he was really set up for disaster as well."

But despite the brutally honest look at the past, Largent called Carroll a heck of a football coach with a great track record, and that he believes Carroll is the right man to turn the organization around.

And looking back, it's obvious that the entire situation with the "coach-in-waiting" transition from Holmgren to Mora caused far more damage than anything else. After 2008, we heard about locker room division, players quitting on the coaching staff, tempers flaring and a general mess of a year. "Disastrous" would be the first word that comes to mind.

I think what truly is the most damning evidence to Jim Mora as a leader and as a coach, however, is the fact that he went into that situation and couldn't fix it. The beginning of the year looked very promising, with an expected 28-0 rout of the Rams at home. But as the weeks crept on, things went quickly downhill faster than anyone could've predicted. Mora was throwing his players under the bus, the offense looked absolutely inept, and every road game was an embarrassment.

Those were all problems the team had when it finished the 2008 season.

And, also obviously, those issues were looked at when the decision to fire Jim Mora was made.

Now, as Largent says, this is the beginning of a totally clean slate, right up to the top of the ladder. No more Tim Ruskell, no more Jim Mora, and no more Greg Knapp. Pete Carroll has been given the OK to wield a lot of power in this organization, and I can already see his attitude potentially taking this team to a much higher place than it's been in recent memory.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but 2010 marks another new beginning for this team. And time will be the ultimate test in determining where the Seattle Seahawks' problems truly are.

Comments (13) Add Comment

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written by omar little, January 25, 2010

I was estatic by the Carroll hiring, he was always I guy I had a lot of respect for. He just has that look, feel and energy that I like in an NFL coach. Harbaugh, Tomlin, Ryan and Singletary have it and so does Carroll. I really think he will bring out the best in these players, something Mora was unable to do for whatever reason.

I can't wait to see what he can do for our team.

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written by S.TTBM, January 25, 2010

I think the coach-in-waiting thing wasnt even close to being the biggest problem with our team the last two years. Our biggest problem was Tim Ruskell--the ego and the disastrous personnell and coaching moves he made, sandbagging Holmgren with players that didnt fit his system and building a hodge-podge mess of yester-years personnell groupings. Ruskell's outdated philosophies ruined a fine football time in a breathtakingly short span of time.

Hindsight may be 20/20, but though I occasionally bought in to the Mora/Ruskell hype (GOd knows I tried to be positive), I was heartsick at the hiring of Knapp, and baffled and angry to see players like Weaver and Morris thrown away like garbage. I voiced serious concerns with Ruskell's personnell decisions, and was fairly vocal about my distaste and distrust of Knapp.

But no one could have predicted the magnitude of the Ruskell/Mora failure.

Its nice to hear Largent believes in Caroll. Hopefully Caroll has hired a staff with a good mix of vets and up and comers, not yes-men and retreads. I suppose only time will tell, but I cant help but feel a good deal of excitement. No matter what, Carolls team is bound to be more fun to watch than Mora's.

While I was hesitant at first when the Caroll rumors began, Im on board the Happy Hawk Bus at the moment, and will be for the forseable future--barring a disaster in FA/the draft/another 5-11 season.

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written by MontanaMike, January 25, 2010

That was an excellent article mike, i think you hit it perfectly. We do have some talent and some needs, but how can we possibly be worse with caroll when four of our wins in the last 2 years are against the rams? At least there's hope on the horizon. I can't wait to see curry after a little mentoring. yeah STTBM there's no way i would let leanard weaver walk.

2010 should be a great year for Seattle Sports!
written by Farmer Paul, January 25, 2010

Did any of you listen to the Pete Carroll interview with Mitch for KJR 950am? It was interesting when he tried to explain the way the defense was going to look. He told Mitch that the defense was going to look like a 4-3 with a 3-4 concept. I'm assuming that this "elephant" figure will be a an OLB moving to and from the line of scrimmage however the play is called. One of you could possibly explain it better. I'm excited to hear that Pete loves the way Darryl Tapp plays the game. He also pointed out guys like Cory Redding and Aaron Curry. I'm ready for this show to start! Also, the Mariners have done some exciting things this off-season so Seattle looks great for 2010.

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written by USAFANARC, January 25, 2010

Boy, that coach in waiting thing really hurt the Colts, too (Sarcasm dripping from that statement). Amazing how it was such a bad idea in Seattle, but it wasn't even mentioned in Indy. I don't get it. What am I missing...seriously, am I missing a major difference between the teams on this issue? (I know there is a major difference between the teams outside this issue.) I think we were a losing franchise and this was a convenient thing to point to and nothing more.

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written by Gonzo, January 25, 2010

Montana -- Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Also, Farmer Paul, if you have a link for that audio, we'd love to post about it.

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written by tam, January 25, 2010

USAFANARC, i have two words for you: Peyton Manning!

Here is the Audio of the interview with Pete Carroll
written by Farmer Paul, January 25, 2010

http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/11...01_22_Pete Carroll.mp3

Oops the file is not found.
written by Farmer Paul, January 25, 2010

Go to Seahawks Draft Blog and scroll down til you see the Pete Carroll Interview and there is a link there. Sorry.

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written by recordblender, January 25, 2010

There is a good chance that Reggie Bush may be cut this year because his contract is so big and the hit won't show up on the Saints books if they cut him since it is a capped year.

If he does get cut, I want us to sign him just to have Kim Kardashian at the hawks games! That would be sweet!

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written by T.J., January 25, 2010

USAFANARC - I understand your comment, but think the difference is Mora is/was a Ruskell guy, and Caldwell was a loyal Dungy guy who Dungy wanted as a successor. I don't think Holmgren appreciated Ruskell forcing the issue and then announcing it during the season. To me, that makes a diffence

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written by USAFANARC, January 25, 2010

My point is that the Seahawks and the Colts (and the Cowboys if you consider that Jasson Garrett is the heir apparent for the HC position) made the same announcement in the same year and no one in the media has criticized the move in Indy since the beginning. Only Seattle's announcement garnered criticism. Most likely that is because this team was in a shambles. I'm just waiting for the media to say how ingenious the move was in Indy to make for a seemless transition from Dungy to Caldwell. Watch for it; it will happen in the next two weeks.

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written by S.TTBM, January 26, 2010

Yeah, I hear you on the Media thing. I too think its sour grapes from the East Coast. Just as with the hiring of Caroll: thier bitching sounded more like sour grapes than actual disgust with Caroll. Its like every Media outlest was pissed that Seattle of all places got Caroll to bail on USC, when other bigger market teams had failed--like it was some kind of smack in the face.