RENTON – Although arguments to the contrary gain traction with every embarrassing defeat, I still think Jim Mora deserves another shot at turning around the foundering Seahawks.
If on-field futility continues off the deep end in the final two weeks of this NFL season, the issue might warrant critical revisiting.
But fire him after one season? After taking over a 4-12 team still burdened by a substandard roster? A guy with local ties? A guy who seems like a decent sort who represents the franchise well enough to not give anybody external reasons to give him the boot?
Of course, when CEO Tod Leiweke pink-slipped president Tim Ruskell, the reason given was “we didn’t win enough.”
Mora isn’t winning much, either. But Ruskell was in his fifth season; Mora in his first.
As recently as a couple weeks ago, it didn’t seem like a looming issue. The win over San Francisco gave the Seahawks successive victories and brought their record to 5-7. Now, after lopsided losses to Houston and Tampa Bay – good heavens! Tampa Bay – this season easily could end on a grim four-game losing skid.
Let’s look at Mora’s balance sheet as it stands.
This team was dreadful last year, 4-12 with Mike Holmgren as the coach. Like last season, this one stumbled right out of the gate, with injuries being a fair mitigator.
The talent level is not only substandard, but the losses of Walter Jones, Lofa Tatupu, etc., would have left any coach scrambling to adjust.
I don’t think the Seahawks management is into rash moves like a one-and-done coaching deal. And this column is spurred by timing and circumstances rather than some behind-the-scenes whispers that hint at Mora’s endangerment.
Mora should benefit from a sense of fairness if nothing else. This thing was a mess. The staff was changed, the schemes were revamped.
There were a lot of moving parts to coordinate. That takes time especially when injuries stymie the growth of continuity.
Some would argue that the tenure should have nothing to do with a sense of fairness. If you’re not getting it done, and if the honchos see evidence that you will not get it done in the near future, why wait? Cut your losses. Besides, coaches are responsible for players getting cut all the time. How much is fairness weighed in those cases?
Mora and his staff have not helped their causes the past two weeks by losing by a cumulative 58-14 count to teams that entered the games with a combined 6-19 record.
Well-coached teams get better during the season. This team is worse. Well-coached teams come out prepared and motivated to play every week. This team has been outscored in this season’s first quarters, 79-37.
Good staffs make appropriate adjustments at halftime; the Seahawks have been outscored in third periods, 87-46.
Are the players getting better? If they are, it hasn’t transferred into wins.
As the pressure has mounted, Mora has tried cranking up the intensity that he allows the public to see. Frankly, he’s had this approach on the practice field all season. The problem is, the team doesn’t seem to be listening. Nothing is working.
And that’s a tough indictment on a coach.
He seemed more controlled at his press meeting Monday than he had after some other emotional losses. And he took the struggles on his shoulders.
“Anything that goes on on that field or in this building, with regards to the football team, ultimately is my responsibility,” he said. “I accept that responsibility. We’re all at fault here. There’s a good saying: Everyone’s at fault, no one’s to blame.”
Fine, a nice thought in principle, but sometimes blame is assigned, and heads roll.
Mora and his staff are not short on challenges, having to travel to Green Bay on Sunday and then meeting Tennessee at home in the finale. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers has a passer rating of 102.4, and he’s going to be going against a Seahawks defense that allowed Buccaneers rookie Josh Freeman to put together a passer rating that was 40 points above his season average.
Rodgers might throw for 500 yards.
And Tennessee is one of the hottest teams in the league, having won seven of its past eight.
A further “X” factor: What if the Seahawks hire a new GM who has a favorite coach he wants to bring in right now? What if it’s maybe one of those high-profile guys with a proven track record who has been sitting out the year? What then?
I think Mora – heck, anybody – deserves a shot at a second season.
But whomever is hired to make that decision might have an entirely different perspective, especially if the nosedive grows even steeper.
Dave Boling: 253-597-8440
dave.boling@thenewstribune.com
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