Seahawks smart to lock Mora up early
What is known is that the Seattle Seahawks like him. Enough to sign the Interlake High School and University of Washington graduate to a future head coaching contract before his predecessor even left town.
And as far as the Seahawks are concerned, thanks goodness they did.
Several NFL teams will be looking for head coaches in the near future. And by near, we might mean Monday morning.
Reports out of Oakland are that Lane Kiffin is on his way out. If the Seahawks beat St. Louis this Sunday, Rams coach Scott Linehan might also get the ax. That's two openings, and two potential phone calls to Mora's cell phone that can't be made now that his future is settled.
It's no guarantee that either the Raiders or Rams would have inquired about Mora's services if he were available, but his resume does have some elements of temptation. He's shown the ability to turn around a franchise, having inherited a 5-11 Falcons team and taken it to the NFC Championship game the following year. He's still young -- at 46 -- and has more head coaching experience at this level than the Jason Garretts and Urban Meyers of the football world.
In a sport that is obsessed with hot seats, football has plenty of singed tails already. Linehan isn't the only coach reeling from an 0-2 start. Marvin Lewis, Herm Edwards, Rod Marinelli and Brad Childress might not be sleeping well right about now. Wade Phillips is a playoff loss away from losing his job, and Jon Gruden's tush has been on fire for two or three years.
If Mora was out there, his name would be a popular one right about now.
The most interesting part is that the team that might need Mora most come next season is the Seahawks. As much as Holmgren has done for this franchise, and this city, the time might be ripe for a change. Some of the team's stars are either gone (Shaun Alexander, Mack Strong, Chris Gray) or aging (Bobby Engram, Walter Jones), and the 2008 season appears to tearing apart at the seams -- or, at least, the knee ligaments.
This isn't to say that the Seahawks would be better off with Mora guiding the ship this season. Many of the problems that have plagued the team are either injury-related, youth-related or on the defensive side of the ball. You could make an argument that Holmgren is as at-fault for the 0-2 start as Sarah Palin is.
But Holmgren is 60, and the team could be on the verge of a serious transition. The 0-2 start might not be reason for panic, but the upcoming schedule is. After Sunday's likely win against the Rams -- and, trust us, if the Seahawks lose that one, there might be some fans calling for the Mora Era to begin sooner rather than later -- Seattle has a series of opponents that could leave the Seahawks feeling like road kill.
The Seahawks follow their Sept. 28 bye with -- in order -- a road game against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, a home date with unbeaten Green Bay, a road trip to Tampa Bay to face a third consecutive playoff team, a trip to San Francisco for a rematch with the team that just beat them, and then a home date with the Philadelphia Eagles. While the team should have Engram and Branch back for those games, it might not be enough for the Seahawks to still be in serious playoff contention.
Had it not been for the Seahawks' decision to lock up Mora last winter, they could be nearing a precarious decision of when to pull the plug and find the future. Even if Mora was still on the staff, he'd probably be fielding offers from other teams looking for a head coach. This way, the Seahawks' future is already in his hands.
Time will tell whether that's a good or bad thing. But at least the Seahawks, unlike most of this town's other high-profile teams, have a direction.
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• Football • NFL • SeahawksSt. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks
Game facts
Kickoff: 1:05 p.m. Sunday
TV: Fox (Ch. 13)
Radio: KIRO (710 AM)
Stars to watch
Seahawks: QB Matt Hasselbeck has mostly struggled through two games, ranking last in the NFC with a 48.6 passer rating. RB Julius Jones had 127 rushing yards and a touchdown in his first start as a Seahawk last Sunday. LT Walter Jones can pass former Seahawk Eugene Robinson and move into sixth place on the franchise’s list of all-time games played, with 171. DE Patrick Kerney has three sacks already this season, putting him ahead of the pace he set last year en route to an NFC-high 14.5.
Rams: QB Marc Bulger has engineered two come-from-behind, fourth-quarter victories against the Seahawks in his career. RB Steven Jackson has gone over the 1,000-yard mark in each of the past three seasons. WR Torry Holt has 812 career receptions, including 76 in 13 games against the Seahawks. K Josh Brown played his first five NFL seasons with the Seahawks.
Breaking down the game
If Seahawks fans think they’ve got it bad, don’t go looking to St. Louis for sympathy.
The Rams have scored just one touchdown through two games, and they still haven’t started a play in their opponents’ red zone. And that’s just on offense. Defensively, the Rams have given up 79 points.
Suddenly, a hobbled receiving corps doesn’t seem quite so bad, huh?
Then again, the Seahawks have heard this story before, the one about a struggling division contender that has to play at the unfriendly confines of Qwest Field. The San Francisco 49ers came to Seattle last week and knocked the four-time defending champs off their perch.
With a bye week on the horizon, the Seahawks need to get well now. A loss to the Rams would all but put a tag on the toe of Seattle’s season. A win, combined with the very real possibility that receivers Bobby Engram and Deion Branch could be back for the next game, might set the season back on track.
The Seahawks haven’t lost back-to-back games at home since late in the 2006 season. The Rams just don’t seem like the kind of team to pull it off.
Injury update
Seahawks: WR Bobby Engram (shoulder), RB Maurice Morris (knee) and QB Seneca Wallace (calf) are unlikely to play this week. WR Deion Branch (knee) and T Sean Locklear (knee) have seen limited practice time and might have a remote chance of playing in the game. T Walter Jones (hip) and CB Kelly Jennings (rib) missed two practice days but are expected to play in the game. WR Koren Robinson (knee) and DT Rocky Bernard (hip) missed practice time Thursday. The official injury report comes out today.
Rams: WR Drew Bennett (foot) and WR Keenan Burton (knee) were held out of practice this week and might not be available for the game. G Jacob Bell (hamstring) and DE Leonard Little (hamstring) were limited in practices. The official injury report comes out today.
Little-known fact
The Seahawks haven’t lost multiple home games to division opponents in the same season since 2002. Since Arizona and San Francisco beat them at Seahawks Stadium during the first five games of that season, Seattle is 14-3 at home against the NFC West.
Pick
Seahawks 27, Rams 17
Other NFL games
Arizona (2-0) at Washington (1-1), Sunday, 10 a.m.: Maybe Jim Zorn can do the Seahawks a little favor here and help keep them in the NFC West. The Cardinals are off to a hot start, giving Arizona fans a rare dose of optimism. But if the first two weeks have told us anything, it’s that the four best teams in the NFC may well all be in the East. And the NFC West is on the other end of the competitive scale. The West’s best vs. the East’s least? We’ll take the East, thank you. Pick: Redskins, 24-20.
New Orleans (1-1) at Denver (2-0), Sunday, 1:05 p.m.: OK, so who saw this one coming? The Broncos? Two games ahead of San Diego in the AFC West? Blown calls notwithstanding, Denver is one of the biggest surprises of the NFL’s early season. The Saints have enough ammo to knock them back, but the homefield advantage might be enough for the Broncs to keep it rolling another week. Pick: Broncos, 31-24.
Dallas (2-0) at Green Bay (2-0), Sunday, 5:15 p.m.: Finally! The NFC Championship game we all expected to see. All we know for certain is that Brett Favre won’t finish this one with a costly interception. Aaron Rodgers is this year’s Tony Romo. But the Cowboys are really rolling along, and not even A-Rodge can stop them right now. Pick: Cowboys, 20-17.
Scott M. Johnson, Herald Writer
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