The Seahawks are 2-6.
Chuck Knox never went 2-6.
Other than that, Pete Carroll is in good company: Jack Patera, Tom Flores, Dennis Erickson, and Jim Mora all posted records as bad or worse at some point in their careers. Mike Holmgren did it twice.
Patera inherited an expansion squad at a time when the league severely handicapped new teams. Thus, he should be forgiven for those first two seasons, though he owns the meltdowns of 1980-82.
Flores, Erickson and Mora inherited flawed rosters from their predecessors, just like Carroll. And Chuck Knox.
Knox and Carroll have something else in common: In their first seasons in Seattle, both led their teams to playoff berths and to victories in the wild card round.
The similarities end there. Knox built upon his initial success by making the performers of 1983 the nucleus of a winning team for the next several seasons. Ground Chuck understood the value that veterans bring to the field and the locker room: experience, wisdom, stability, reliability.
By contrast, Carroll rewarded his players for winning the NFC West by taking a wrecking ball to the roster. In concert with general manager John Schneider, Slick Pete aborted the nucleus of Seattle's success by jettisoning several key team leaders, including Matt Hasselbeck, Chris Spencer, Lofa Tatupu, and Jordan Babineaux.
We are now the youngest team in the league, and it shows.
To Carroll's credit, our defense has weathered these changes remarkably well.
However, the offense and the special teams are not just an embarrassment. They are an abomination.
Our youthful offensive line leads the league in sacks allowed. The unit probably also leads the league in false start penalties. Their run blocking has made Seattle the league's penultimate ground gainers. That is, we're second-to-last in rushing yards. Feeble.
Neither Tarvaris Jackson nor Charlie Whitehurst have shown anything to validate the decision to ditch Matt Hasselbeck.
The Seahawks punt and kickoff coverage units lead the league in touchdowns allowed.
Strong coaching can help a team achieve Gestalt, playing better than the sum of its parts.
Carroll showed flashes of that kind of coaching last year--just enough to win a weak division and beat the defending Super Bowl champions in the playoffs.
We caught a glimpse of good coaching last month in New York against the Giants.
The indiscipline and inconsistency start at the top. Carroll's rah-rah spirit rings hollow when his players lack the fundamentals to compete and perform at a professional level.
Paul Allen needs to put the coach on the clock. Start winning, or start packing.
Carroll is no Knox.
The USC charlatan's smoke-and-mirrors showmanship will never hold a candle to the hardhat substance and integrity embodied by Chuck Knox.
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