You Can't Fire Me, I Quit!

The one silver lining to losing the Super Bowl last year is that the Seahawks organization avoided the usual pillaging of the coaching staff that happens to most championship teams.

This allowed the Seahawks to enter the 2006 season with not only their roster of players pretty much in tact, but also with consistency on the coaching staff as well. Such is not the case as the page turns to the 2007 season.

The Seahawks have confirmed that defensive backs coach Teryl Austin has left to join Ken Whisenhunt's staff in Arizona, and much maligned Special Teams coach Bob Casullo has departed Seattle to coach the tight ends for the Buccaneers.

Over the past several seasons, the two biggest knocks on the Seahawks were their propensity for giving up huge pass plays and mediocre Special Team play, so this may wind up being addition by subtraction.

Austin may have become expendable when the Seahawks added former Ram Larry Marmie to their staff last season. Casullo, who seemed to be living on borrowed time for the past two years, even took the time to drop a parting shot at the media on Mike Sando's blog at The Tacoma News Tribune web site.

The contracts of both coaches expired this season, and the Seahawk organization didn't seem too eager to resign them, so they both may have jumped at the first opportunity rather than wait around to be fired.

No word yet on possible replacements, but it can't hurt to bring some new blood onto the coaching staff and hopefully breath some new life into the team and organization.

We'll see what impact these moves have next season, as both the Cardinals and Bucs are on the 2007 schedule.

*** EDIT: 1/19/2007 2:23am ***
Under the heading of 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em', this article on the DallasNews blog says Cowboys Special Teams Coach Bruce DeHaven is in Seattle interviewing for the same position with the Seahawks. My thanks to 2*2*2 from the SeahawkBlue forum who tipped me off to this news.