Seahawks fire Mora after 1 season

Jim Mora's homecoming in Seattle ended sooner than he anticipated, with the Seahawks firing the head coach on Friday.

The dismissal was first reported early Friday afternoon by FoxSports.com, with the team confirming the move about an hour later.

"It became apparent after conducting an extensive internal audit that a new direction was needed to provide an opportunity for the organization to be successful," CEO Tod Leiweke said in a statement.

"Today’s decision, while difficult, is part of the process in building a franchise with a new vision in 2010."

ESPN is reporting that the Seahawks have targeted college coach Pete Carroll for the vacant position, and that an official hiring announcement could come as early as next week.

Carroll is enjoying a fantastic run at the University of Southern California, with an impressive 97-19 in his nine seasons there, and has two national titles (2003, 2004) under his belt.

He's one of the most sought-after college coaches in the U.S., but has regularly turned down offers to return to the NFL. Carroll coached the New York Jets in 1994, and went 6-10 before he got the boot. He also coached New England from 1997-99, going 27-21 in the regular season and 1-2 in the playoffs.

Mora, who grew up in Seattle and attended the University of Washington, had been with the Seahawks for three seasons in total. He signed a five-year contract early in 2008 with the understanding he would take over from Mike Holmgren as head coach this season after Holmgren took a break from the game.

Seattle finished 5-11 for its second consecutive losing season. The Seahawks were outscored 123-37 in dropping the final four games of the season.

Tim Ruskell resigned as president and general manager in December, but most football observers thought Mora would get another season.

The coach said this week that the team's 17-13 loss on Sunday to Tennessee was the first time he felt the team defence "got" the scheme that was being used.

Season 'disappointing': Mora

The 48-year-old Mora didn't feel his job was in jeopardy when he addressed the media on Wednesday, but he also didn't pull punches on his first season as coach.

"I've made it known that this is where I plan on living for the rest of my life, and I want to be able to walk around the city and feel proud of the work I did for the Seattle Seahawks, so from that standpoint, it was very disappointing," he said.

Mora's roots in the area unwittingly played a small part in his unceremonious end as head coach with the Atlanta Falcons on Jan. 2, 2007. He went 26-22, leading the Falcons to the NFC championship game, but the team went just 7-9 in his final season.

He didn't help his cause by telling a Seattle radio show just weeks before his hiring that his dream job would be to coach his alma mater's team.

Mora may soon be on the phone with Holmgren, who recently took over as president of the Cleveland Browns.