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Jim Mora went on the Kevin Calabro Show (710 ESPN) yesterday and gave a very honest, in depth interview. It was interesting to hear his take on his firing and how he moved on. You can listen to everything by clicking here.

Below are some exploits from the interview:

On how he feels about the Seahawks organization:

He is still mad about two things:

1) When they sent him out to do a press conference while they were interviewing Pete Carrollin L.A. To him this was completely unacceptable. I agree it is shady.

2) Paul Allen has never called or talked to him since the firing. To me that seems a bit chicken s and unprofessional (if it actually happened). If you fire someone the way you did with Mora, at least talk to the man.

On his $13 million severance:

He would give it all back if he could coach again. He says he never coached for the money.

On current Seahawks players:

Rob Sims will likely be gone next year (he says the Hawks asked him to not work out at their facilities any more). Sean Locklear’s future success is unkown. He has athleticism, but time will tell.

He doesn’t know much about Charlie Whitehurst, the new Seattle QB.

Matt Hasselbeck – If he stays healthy he can play for a while – look at what Warner and Favre have done. He’s a Matt hasselbeck fan, but acknowledges that at some point you need to get a young guy to build your franchise around.

On his future:

He has done or will do interviews with Fox, ESPN, NBC and CBS for commentating.

On Brandon Marshall:

Jim sat and talked to Brandon for 15 minutes at the superbowl. He liked him, but acknowledges that’s just a snapshot. He classifies him as “buyer beware.”

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ESPN’s Chris Mortenson is reporting that there are multiple sources confirming that the Seahawks are engaged with Pete Carroll and he is expected to be the man in Seattle:

“It will now be a surprise if Pete Carroll is NOT the Seahawks next coach.”

I am skeptical about this. For one, Carroll has had coaching stints with the Jets and Patriots – both of which went without much success. Also, college success does not necessarily mean one will do well in the pros. More to come later…

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There are rumblings on Twitter that the Seahawks are targeting USC coach Pete Carroll. ESPN is reporting that Carroll is “interested.” More to come on this as it happens…

Word is that the Coach Mora firing came directly from the top – Paul Allen. Apperently he was not happy with the direction of the team and wanted a change.

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Here are some links to news outlets that have released the story:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/seattle-seahawks-fire-jim-mora-010810

http://www.komonews.com/sports/seahawks/81014857.html

http://www.tsn.ca/nfl/story/?id=305243

The firing comes after just one year at the healm of the Seahawks. I have to say this firing is justified. As I wrote in a previous post, Mora simply didn’t have answers to any of the team’s problems. He also threw players under the bus (ahem, Olindo Mare) instead of addressing the team’s real issues.

Mora was a failure in all categories: team motivation, defense, offense, player selection (consistently choosing Julius Jones over Justin Forsett, despite all evidence to the contrary) and most of all wins. The team actually looked worse at the end of the year than at the beginning.

As a season ticket holder, I support this move by the Hawks.

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I wound up winning the championship in all three of my fantasy football leagues (6, 10 and 12 person leagues) this year, a feat which indicates a few things 1) I’m either good, lucky or both and 2) I’ve got way too much time on my hands.

Given this fact, I thought I’d do my first annual FFL awards. These are guys that either caused me great joy and excitement or agony over the course of this past year:

Least Valuable Player – The entire Seattle Seahawks Team
I’ll call this the Jersey Shore Award – it holds no merit by nature, in that its just all around bad. Yet it holds value by virtue of its ability to be made fun of repeatedly. Note: I don’t like poking fun at the Hawks, it’s just a method of coping.

Watching this year’s Seahawks was like witnessing a train wreck: It was a horrible sight, but you couldn’t look away. At every turn there were key fumbles, interceptions, missed kicks, injuries, excuses from Coach Jim Mora and just all out bad play. This caused a lack in fantasy value from every person on the team. The ESPN and Game Day announcers did have a good time making fun of us, though.

I frequently found myself asking, “Are they really this bad?!” Yes, Hawk fans, they are.

By the way, Mora gets the Hellen Keller award this year – for obliviousness in every aspect of his coaching. Evidence: continuing to start Julius Jones over Forsett despite all evidence to the contrary. For throwing Mare under the bus. For being unable motivate the team when losing. For continued horribleness in the secondary (which he coached last year!) I have a feeling that the Hawks are in for a run of sub .500 seasons with Mora at the helm. Consider this a vote of no confidence.

FFL MVP – Chris Johnson, RB Tennessee Titans
After a slow start to the season, CJ emerged as the biggest rushing threat in the NFL. He posted 20+ point performances in 8 of his 16 games and lead the league in rushing (2000+ yards), yards from scrimmage and total fantasy points. I had him in two of my leagues.

CJ established himself as a constant threat to score, terrorizing both NFL and fantasy opponents. Most FFL teams facing Johnson had to basically concede that he would get 150 yards and a TD in every game. What is better is that he came through in weeks 14-17 (playoff time). Cheers, Chris Johnson. You are my Huckleberry.

Surprise of the Season – Jamaal Charles, RB KC Chiefs
Due to Mr. Larry Johnson’s abrupt exit, Charles was given his chance to shine. He turned out to be the fresh blood the Chiefs were looking for.

He had double digit fantasy points from weeks 10-17, minus one week. These came against quality run defenses such as Pittsburgh, San Diego and Denver. I picked him up in two of my leagues (later trading him in one), where he was the decider in the playoffs.

The Bipolar Award (also called the Courtney Love Award) – Mike Sims-Walker, WR Jacksonville Jaguars

One thing I hate in fantasy football is inconsistency, and MSW was the King of it this year. Walker would follow up 20 point showings with 1 or 0 point, crap on myself performances. Week to week, you just couldn’t count on his output. Also, his last minute suspension in week 5 cost me a game.

Most Overvalued – Matt Forte, RB Da Bears
Dear Matt,
You were my first pick this year and you let me down. Luckily, I picked up Ray Rice in round 5 who filled in for you. Plus I was able wheel a package trade for Ryan Grant and Wesley Welker who saved my season. Speaking of RayRay…

Best Sleeper Pick (Most Undervalued) – Ray Rice, RB Bmore Ravens
RayRay saved my season this year, finishing fourth among running backs in total fantasy points. Considering he was taken in the later rounds of drafts, I’ll say he was the best investment this year.

That’s it for this year, now I’ll go back to being productive.

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