Grading every Seahawks head coach in history: Part two

With the 2017 season about to begin, it’s time to take a look at every Seahawks head coach in history and grade them.

Dennis Erickson: ​C-

Seasons:​ 4

Winning percentage: ​.484

Playoffs: ​N/A

Other Awards:​ None

Erickson was one of the last coaches to coach the Seahawks when they were in the AFC West. Erickson was never able to get the Seahawks above .500. However, it was in the 6th round in the 1997 draft that Erickson obtains Hall of Famer Walter Jones.

The Seahawks were a blue chip team that hovered around the middle of the pack in win percentage and total offense. The exception was the 1996 season. In 1996, they were number one in passing yards and touchdowns with the defense following suit. Erickson’s teams, were usually dominant in the passing game, but the defense could not keep up when it mattered. To save fans from remembering the heartbreak of 1997, I won’t go into any more details.

Why C-: Erickson had many weapons at his disposal during his tenure, especially his last two seasons. But while the passing game was going great, the defense was near the bottom for total yards and interceptions. In almost every season, the Seahawks’ rushing or passing defenses were consistently ranked bottom 10 for the NFL.

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Mike Holmgren*: ​B+

Seasons: ​10

Winning percentage:​ .538

Playoffs: ​NFC championship 2005, Super Bowl 40 appearance

Other Awards: ​N/A

*: ​Head coach when Seattle changed conferences, leaving the AFC West joining the NFC West in 2002

Having been to two Super Bowls and winning for Green Bay, Seattle made a positive selection in signing Holmgren. Holmgren had a knack for developing quarterbacks including Joe Montana, Steve Young, Brett Favre and Matt Hasselbeck.

Bringing Hasselbeck with him from the Packers as well as drafting greats such as Hutchinson, Jones, Alexander, Trufant and Tatupu, Holmgren brought the Seahawks back to their old glory days that they had not seen since Chuck Knox was the head coach. He finally made the Seahawks division champions in 1999, 11 years after Chuck Knox. Holmgren continued to build upon that success, including the run to Super Bowl 40.

It is not just the winning culture that Holmgren brought to Seattle, but he won over the trust and loyalty of new fans. Being the first to lead the Seahawks in what was called “Seahawks Stadium” (now CenturyLink Field), his competitiveness and passion fueled the flames and placed Seahawks fans on the map as the loudest fans in the NFL. In fact, since 2005, CenturyLink Field owns the title of most false starts by an opposing team. Holmgren made the Seahawks a juggernaut in the NFC. He is cemented as the second best head coach of all time for Seattle.

Why B+: It must be noted that while Seattle did not win, Holmgren did have an influence in creating a roster that brought Seattle to its first Super Bowl. Furthermore, 7 out of 10 of his seasons are above .500 and is still the most winningest coach for Seattle. But after the 2005 Super Bowl loss, the Seahawks never truly recovered. In 2006 and 2008, the Seahawks end up being near the bottom for giveaways and takeaways. In 2008, we see Holmgren’s worst season at 4-10. The team also almost bottomed out in every important statistical feature for the team.

On a positive note, his coaching tree is quite extensive, with seven descendants still in the NFL in coaching positions. These coaches include Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh, Ron Rivera and Andy Reid. Holmgren’s coaching style had a major influence in the NFL. He is still considered one of the top 50 head coaches in NFL history.

Jim Mora: ​D-

Seasons: ​1

Winning percentage: ​.313

Playoffs: ​N/A

Other Awards: ​First Seahawks coach to be fired after one season

There were high expectations for Mora, maybe too high of expectations. Serving as the assistant head coach and defensive backs coach for the Seahawks, Mora was ready to get back to head coaching after being let go by the Atlanta Falcons. While the experience under Holmgren helped him, Mora’s conservativeness combined with questionable play calling at best, led to his eventual release.

Reason for a D- grade: Not only was the offense in shambles, the defense gave up the largest spread of points since 1992. It was clear that Mora was in over his head and would be best in an assistant position, or where he is now at UCLA as a college head coach. The only positive spin for Mora is that his 3-13 record is not one of the worst seasons in NFL history. There are at least 15 other teams including the 2008 Lions and 2016 Browns that make Mora look better. It also helps that he does not have the worst winning percentage with the Seattle Seahawks.

Pete Carroll: ​A-

Seasons: ​Current coach

Winning Percentage: ​.629

Playoffs: ​Super Bowl 48 Championship NFC Championship 2013, 2014, NFC West Division Championship 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016

Other Awards: ​Jack Horrigan Award 2014

Current coach for the Seahawks, Carroll has not only turned the team around from the desolate team it was at the end of the Holmgren era and Mora catastrophe, the Seahawks are now a force to be reckoned with.

Since signing with the team, Carroll has currently lead the Seahawks to a 70-41-1 record. He also has a 9-5 record in the postseason. Carroll’s coaching style, combined with the boisterous noise of the fans, has also led to the staggering statistic that Seattle is virtually unbeatable at home. Combine the two with rain and the odds of Seattle winning goes up even higher.

Regarding the roster, Carroll focused on what he knows best: defense. Since his time as an assistant at Pacific, Carroll has mainly been a defensive backs coach or defensive coordinator. This prior knowledge led to the creation of a dominant Seahawks defense. This defense can boast about being top five in scoring and yards allowed for four years straight. Offense may win games, but defense wins championships.

Why A-: While Carroll is one for two in the Super Bowl, he destroyed the Denver Broncos who were unprepared for the Seahawks defense. Seahawks’ claim to fame is scoring in the first 12 seconds of the first and second half, and having a rushing, passing, interception, safety, and kickoff return for a touchdown. The Seahawks gave the Broncos one of the worst defeats in Super Bowl history.

That being said, calling in a pass play in an obvious run situation where you have the Patriots praying for a miracle knocked off half a letter grade. With the Seahawks just two yards away from paydirt and Patriots using up all of their timeouts, the philosophy is simple: hand Marshawn Lynch the ball.

The fact that Carroll tried to get too fancy when the situation did not warrant it has left Seahawks fans a wound that will never truly heal. This decision stopped Seattle from joining the Patriots and Cowboys as the only teams to win back to back Super Bowls. If Carroll goes back to a Super Bowl and wins again, fans may forgive him for that play. Until then, it will be a big black mark on an otherwise very impressive resume.

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