Sure, the Seahawks screwed up back when they shoved Holmgren out the door and “supposedly” gave Jim Mora the keys to the castle.  But give Seahawks senior leadership some credit for trying to right the ship.

Years ago, in the Ruskell vs Holmgren battle, they chose the wrong horse.  Who knows what the real dynamics were between Holmgren and everyone else at Vulcan, but for some reason they chose Ruskell’s side.  That decision is done.  But then at some point they realized their gross miscalculation.  So they did the right thing – they unwound all decisions that were based on Ruskell.

Unfortunately, that ended up screwing Jim Mora.  But at the end of the day Mora hitched his wagon to Ruskell, so when he imploded, Mora had to go with him.  Mora was Ruskell’s way to get rid of Holmgren.  It’s a simple game of office politics.  When the guy who makes you a star disappears, you better have a bulletproof resume that can stand on its own.

So what do the Seahawks and Tod Liewicke do?  They go get one of their own guys.  Remember, Tod’s brother is Tim Liewicke, named the 2nd most powerful Sports/Events figure in the country, and who helped build the luxurious Staples Center in Los Angeles and Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.  As moguls in the LA sports scene, there’s no doubt that Liewicke and Carroll go back a few years.  

Also, keep in mind, Tod Liewicke has a boss, and his name is Paul Allen.  I’m guessing Allen doesn’t like having his name dragged around in the mud, and like any billionaire, is probably a little preturbed that his giant play toy is being laughed at by the other billionaires in the sandbox.  Liewicke needs a fix – or at least a plan – from someone with a winning record, and Carroll fits that bill.

Now there is one thing that should make Seahawks fans cringe.  The deal is supposedly 5 years, $35 million.  Who cares about the $35MM, the number that is painful is the 5 years.  That means the Seahawks are going to blow it all up, giving Carroll 2 years to completely undo the current damage and start over, and then expect him to have some modicum of increased success in Year 3.  It’s going to be a couple of painful 3-13 seasons in 2010 and 2011…But look, winners stay winners.  And if he learned how to build a dynasty at USC, maybe he can do it here.