Pete Carroll?!?!?!
The Falcons have interviewed or plan to interview just about any warm body out there who might be qualified to take over as general manager or head coach. 
But there's one wild card that could end the whole search within a matter of days. Yes, USC coach Pete Carroll is very much in the mix as the next football czar in Atlanta.
Why Carroll would want to leave his fiefdom in southern California to take over the reeling Falcons is beyond me. But Carroll's struggles as an NFL head coach in New York and New England have always eaten at him, and he's never quite given up the idea of returning to the NFL.
The other question is why Falcons owner Arthur Blank would want to entrust his organization to another college coach when the last college coach he hired walked out on him after 13 games. Did the Bobby Petrino fiasco not leave any negative fallout with the owner?
Pete Carroll back in the NFL. Wow.
Then again, if Carroll flirts with Blank and then gets a better deal out of it at USC, then he'll be the second high-profile football man to play the Falcons' owner for a fool. Bill Parcells did it a couple weeks ago to get a better deal in Miami. Is Carroll doing the same thing now?
Stay tuned on this one. Should be interesting.
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Comments (3)
This would be one awful move on both parts. Pete Carroll (who I have no respect for, with what he did with inviting OJ Simpson onto the practice field and then saying here at USC we respect Heismann Trophy Winners) would make an awful NFL coach. This guy seems to love the college life and he's obviously great at what he does.
But the NFL is too many egos. I respect a guy that loves a challenge, but in this case, I think he has the perfect fit and would be out of there in two seasons.
If any team needed Marty Schottenheimer, Atlanta is it. Is there any word that they are going after him?
Gamble17:
Marty S. has not been on the Falcons' radar to this point, despite some initial speculation that he was the guy. I COMPLETELY agree that he is the right man to turn this thing around. His presence alone would give them four more wins easily. He may not be a great playoff coach, but he is one of the best guys to turn around a franchise.