Updated at 2:33 p.m., Sunday, January 21, 2007
Mora lands job in Seattle -- with Seahawks
By Tim Booth
Associated Press
Less than three weeks after being fired as coach of the Atlanta Falcons, Jim Mora was hired today to be the Seattle Seahawks' secondary coach.
Mora, the 45-year-old son of former NFL coach Jim Mora, went 26-22 in three seasons with the Falcons, and was fired Jan. 1 following another second-half collapse and off-field distractions that infuriated team owner Arthur Blank.
During the Falcons' playoff chase, Mora went on a radio show and said that his dream job was to be head coach at the University of Washington and that he would immediately quit his Falcons job if the UW job came open.
The secondary opening with Seattle became available when Teryl Austin joined Ken Whisenhunt's staff in Arizona.
"I'm excited to have the opportunity to add someone to the staff with the energy and passion that Jim brings to the game," Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said in a statement. "He is a strong teacher and talented coach who will make us better."
A former defensive coordinator in San Francisco, Mora was a first-time head coach when he led the Falcons to the NFC South title in his rookie season. The team slumped to 8-8 a year ago, then endured his first losing record this past season, going 7-9. The Falcons started this season 5-2 before losing seven of their last nine. In 2005, Atlanta had a similar swoon, dropping six of its last eight.
