McGrath: Seahawks back on map, at least

Friday morning, the Seahawks were the Misters Irrelevant of the National Football League: A ho-hum team without an identity or a vision.

The search for a general manager had turned up a handful of prospects, but no tangible frontrunner. The most recognized face on the team was ... who? Walter Jones, the former All-Pro offensive tackle unable to participate in a single play this season? Or was it quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, a household name in the Northwest but a guy better known as Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s brother-in-law outside it?

The head coach, Jim Mora, typically outspoken during his press conferences, held a Q & A session with reporters last Wednesday that went something like this:

Q. What, if any, changes do you plan on making with the offense/defense/line/schemes/assistants/fill-in-the-blank?

A. It’s a good question and one that’s fair to ask, but to be perfectly honest with you, I’m not sure.

Last Friday morning, while fans across the land were gearing up for the first weekend of the playoffs, Seattle was Sleep Country, USA. As Mora’s dad famously said: “Ah – playoffs? Don’t talk about – playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game!”

Except there was no game on the schedule, no football-savvy executive in the front office, no rumors from the chat rooms. It’s tough to root for boors, but even tougher to follow bores.

And then the windows rattled when it was learned that Mora, with three seasons remaining on his contract, had been dismissed as coach. That startling announcement, easily the biggest Seahawks news in months, soon became the second-biggest story of Friday morning when ESPN reported USC coach Pete Carroll was the team’s first choice as Mora’s replacement.

The reaction to Carroll’s dalliance with the Hawks is, uh, varied (My reading of the early poll results suggested he was the least popular candidate since Michael Dukakis ran for the White House).

Still, it can’t be denied that the Seahawks – the franchise whose most noteworthy contribution to NFL lore in 2009 was to wear really ugly neon-lime jerseys during an otherwise forgotten home game – have shaken up the football landscape on both coasts and everywhere in between, from college to pros.

Who cares about Carroll’s interest in bolting the Pac-10 for the NFC West? The better question might be: Who doesn’t care?

If Carroll takes the job, USC likely will want to interview Oregon State coach Mike Riley, well-regarded at the school since his stint as a Trojans assistant coach in the mid-90s. Other possibilities include Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher and a fellow Trojans alum, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio.

(Had former USC backup quarterback Mike Holmgren not been hired to supervise the Browns’ reclamation project in Cleveland, I suspect he would’ve surfaced as an outside-the-box candidate.)

Whoever replaces Carroll – Riley? Fisher? Boise State coach Chris Petersen? – it’ll create a ripple effect as schools scramble to get their programs in order before the national letter-of-intent day in February.

Which brings us to the business of Carroll’s potential assistants in Seattle: Trojans offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates could be in line to replace Greg Knapp, although Bates also is talking with the Chicago Bears. Or Carroll might tab his former assistant, UCLA offensive coordinator Norm Chow, for the role. (In any case, remember Hasselbeck in your thoughts and prayers. He’ll be asked to master his third offensive system in three years.)

Choosing a defensive coordinator isn’t as urgent. (I’m assuming Carroll will call the defensive formations from the sideline, as he’s done at USC and didn’t do, to his regret, with the Jets and Patriots.)

But he’ll nevertheless need a defensive coach, because it’s the NFL and there’s a hands-on coach for everybody but the cafeteria chef in training camp. Don’t be surprised if New Mexico State head coach DeWayne Walker – the first assistant Carroll hired at USC – takes over for Gus Bradley.

Let’s think about this: During the 75 hours since Jim Mora was shown the door in Seattle, it’s affected football teams in Los Angeles, Corvallis, Nashville, Jacksonville, Boise, Chicago, and Las Cruces, N.M.

Wait, there’s more.

In compliance with the Rooney Rule, which compels NFL teams to consider a minority candidate for a head coach or general manager position, Seahawks CEO Leiweke held a four-hour interview with Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier on Saturday. The job opening that brought Leiweke to Minneapolis? Head coach.

Cynics smell a sham, but league commissioner Roger Goodell assures the Seahawks are in lock-step with the rules. In any case, whenever the deal is done between Carroll and Seahawks, there will be objections that the team followed the letter of the law, but not the spirit.

So there’s a national controversy afoot, with the Seahawks in the middle of it. And there’s a local controversy afoot, with fans taking sides on whether Pete Carroll is a college rah-rah type whose act won’t cut it in the NFL, or a charismatic savior on a mission to rejuvenate a franchise that has lost its soul.

For better or worse, there’s a lot to digest. Before Mora was fired Friday, the Seahawks were as bland as chicken noodle soup. Today, on the cusp of hiring a coach who inspires every opinion but indifference, they’re as distinctive as red-hot chili peppers.

I’d call that progress.

john.mcgrath@thenewstribune.com