RENTON – The headline in The Seattle Times on Jan. 10, 2010, just before he was hired as the Seahawks’ coach, read: “Pete Carroll? Is that it?”
He arrived in town riding a wave of skepticism, if not downright derision. The Seahawks at the time were a textbook case of dysfunction, having just awkwardly fired, after one season, the coach (Jim Mora) who had been hired a year ahead of time to replace Mike Holmgren. Those two seasons resulted in a combined 9-23 record and rampant tension and distrust in the organization – and now here came a rah-rah college coach perceived as one step ahead of impending sanctions at USC with a resume as a two-time failed NFL head man.