Three years ago today, Pete Carroll was officially hired by YOUR Seattle Seahawks.

Looking back, there was considerable consternation and angst associated with the perception that a certain VERY successful "RAH RAH"-type college coach, howbeit with some (mediocre) NFL coaching experience, was a bad hire because that style would not cut it in the NFL... remember that?

Fortunately for us all, that perception has been essentially erased.

It would be fun to be able to go back and read all of the comments in the thread that announced Pete's hiring.

From Wiki... On Januany 8th, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that Pete will be the new coach of the Seahawks "so long as "minor details" are finalized in the pending contract."

Thank goodness they were.

What day was John Schneider hired? We need to make it a state holiday in Washington state.

Ill hop on the sword here, my reaction was, "I liked this hire the first time, when it was Dennis Erickson".

This move will prove to be the best decision ever made by this franchise.

No doubt, Fox... The Architect Day.

I still think that playoff win against the Saints saved his career. If we would have lost that game no doubt he would have been fired the following season.

Dirty Bird wrote:I still think that playoff win against the Saints saved his career. If we would have lost that game no doubt he would have been fired the following season.

You couldn't be further from the truth.

That's just plain nonsense.

It was YEAR ONE of his contract.... seriously, you're wrong on this one... way wrong.

Dirty Bird wrote:I still think that playoff win against the Saints saved his career. If we would have lost that game no doubt he would have been fired the following season.

Errrrr.... No.

theENGLISHseahawk wrote:This move will prove to be the best decision ever made by this franchise.

This. Considering the amount of turnover this franchise saw the days, months, years following this turnaround has been amazing!

The "consternation" wasn't nearly as bad as when USC hired him. Heritage Hall received literally thousands of emails, faxes and letters from people threatening to stop going to games, stop contributing and generally exclaiming what a horrible hire it was. A couple of years later those same people were busy partying on campus and in Exposition Park before game days as USC was into an amazing run.

Sounds kind of familiar doesn't it.

Dirty Bird wrote:I still think that playoff win against the Saints saved his career. If we would have lost that game no doubt he would have been fired the following season.

i'm confused here, are you an ATL fan or a Seahawk fan?.. not talking smack just curious. either way he would not have lost his job.

Dirty Bird wrote:I still think that playoff win against the Saints saved his career. If we would have lost that game no doubt he would have been fired the following season.

WE...?

This was Pete's make or break year.

Looks like it's time for an extension.

I think Dirty Bird's auto-correct picked we instead of he. Not sure why he figures a coach hired to turn around a team that just won 9 games in two years would have been fired after winning the division with a rag-tag team at 7-9 would have been fired the next year after going 7-9 a second time.

The ownership knows the cupboard was bare. They just got rid of a guy after 1 yr and was on the hook to pay him 12 mil. To turn around after yr 2 and fire a coach you owed 15 mil to would have been short-sighted. As a non-fan not knowing the lay of the land, I gather you can only listen to what the pundits say. There were those who put Carroll on the hot-seat if he was not successful this year. I don't think that is true but we will never know. Just like Bird's thought. It is speculation with no way to back it up, since it didn't happen. Allen would have to be quoted saying this was the case so we need to wait for the next book to come out.

Dirty Bird wrote:I still think that playoff win against the Saints saved his career. If we would have lost that game no doubt he would have been fired the following season.

Silly comment - and you couldn't be more wrong. That was the end of Carroll/Schneider's first season, and a completely destruction of the roster was in progress.

It was always a minimum 4 year project regardless.

drdiags wrote:I think Dirty Bird's auto-correct picked we instead of he. Not sure why he figures a coach hired to turn around a team that just won 9 games in two years would have been fired after winning the division with a rag-tag team at 7-9 would have been fired the next year after going 7-9 a second time.

Doc... Your response indicates you believe that the Hawks beat the Saints in the playoffs in Pete's 2nd season... but that's not the case... it was in 2010, which was Pete's 1st season as the HC.

2011 was Pete's 2nd season... and we didn't make the playoffs last year.

If I remember correctly, 1-11-10 was also the day Mcgwire came clean on his steroid use which, in turn of course, dominated the headlines.

I was freaking STOKED when uncle Pete was hired. I LOVED it then, I loved it every day since then. Congratulations to Paul Allen for getting it right.

i was at the movies waiting for avatar to start when my buddy texted me about this...we were texting back and forth during those 3 long hours.

Dirty Bird wrote:I still think that playoff win against the Saints saved his career. If we would have lost that game no doubt he would have been fired the following season.

I appreciate a good troll, but trolling only works well when you have your facts straight.

kearly wrote:

Dirty Bird wrote:I still think that playoff win against the Saints saved his career. If we would have lost that game no doubt he would have been fired the following season.

I appreciate a good troll, but trolling only works well when you have your facts straight.

I don't think he's trolling. He just doesn't seem to have a lot of facts straight and has a tendency to speak before thinking.

Sarlacc83 wrote:

kearly wrote:

Dirty Bird wrote:I still think that playoff win against the Saints saved his career. If we would have lost that game no doubt he would have been fired the following season.

I appreciate a good troll, but trolling only works well when you have your facts straight.

I don't think he's trolling. He just doesn't seem to have a lot of facts straight and has a tendency to speak before thinking.

What he obviously doesn't understand is how Paul Allen operates. He very seldom does anything rashly, and firing Pete after his first year would have been rash in the extreme. PA is not like other NFL owners. Not at all.

I totally loved the pc hiring. I actually couldn't believe it!

Dirty Bird wrote:I still think that playoff win against the Saints saved his career. If we would have lost that game no doubt he would have been fired the following season.

TROLL There was no way PC would have been fired after 1 year just because he to a bunch of misfits and got to a 7-9 team and a funny div win. From your logo it shows you have NO idea about what was happening here after PC got though his first year and you know nothing about the ownership here and that PC is actually VP of football operations.

Dirty Bird wrote:I still think that playoff win against the Saints saved his career. If we would have lost that game no doubt he would have been fired the following season.

What "if" Mike Smith fails to get out of the first round? Again. Will your team be interviewing Gus Bradley too?

I'm a Southern California resident and a life long USC fan, who became a Hawk fan the day Pete was hired. I knew what was going to happen, but I sure had to put up with a lot of crap for a couple of years, reading all the desenters nasty comments.. I bit my tongue in silence, just waiting for what was to come. I now feel vidicated..!!
GO HAWKS....

onanygivensunday wrote:

drdiags wrote:I think Dirty Bird's auto-correct picked we instead of he. Not sure why he figures a coach hired to turn around a team that just won 9 games in two years would have been fired after winning the division with a rag-tag team at 7-9 would have been fired the next year after going 7-9 a second time.

Doc... Your response indicates you believe that the Hawks beat the Saints in the playoffs in Pete's 2nd season... but that's not the case... it was in 2010, which was Pete's 1st season as the HC.

2011 was Pete's 2nd season... and we didn't make the playoffs last year.

Oh, I know the history. Maybe my wording was convoluted but the 9 losses were Mora's and Holmgren's. Oh well, maybe I will try writing in a different tense or style. Surely I know that Pete went to the playoffs with Matt, before bringing in TJack. Hmmm ... oh well.

The original sentence was pretty obtuse and ran on for awhile.

Fox0r wrote:What day was John Schneider hired? We need to make it a state holiday in Washington state.

Yes, John Schneider is an instrumental part of the package with Pete. Scheider put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Pete was hired specifically because he came in with an organized, outlined 4-year plan, among other things.

HawkAroundTheClock wrote:Pete was hired specifically because he came in with an organized, outlined 4-year plan, among other things.

He was the "Un-Mora".

I have said it before, I was in STL, literally in a rental car at the parking lot of the Earth City Residence Inn (which is located next to the Rams training facility) and I overheard two members of their staff saying "Mora just got canned". The other guy said "Seattle's Mora?" Which was verified. I immediately searched local sports radio on the way to the airport and it was all over their airways. I was shocked, but excited because frankly I didn't like Mora's loyalty to that butcher Greg Knapp.

By the time I got to the airport, I was at the Cuervo bar for 30 seconds before I heard that the Hawks were making a deal for PC. I was immediately elated enough to order doubles of 1800 with Bud chasers and laughing with glee. I knew that there would be major changes. I had no idea that PC wouldn't waste time and literally reboot the entire team.

I knew that PC would have a major list of talented players from recruiting, for years to come. What really made that day special was knowing that Paul Allen wasn't screwing around. He could see that Mora wasn't going to improve and he didn't mess around, he just let him go and so far, it has been the best move he has made following the purchase of the team. They were immediately competitive and now we are looking upon a strong, sustained run of success in the NFL.