Pete Carroll is blowing up this Seahawks roster

By Kshell

When Pete Carroll was hired by the Seattle Seahawks everyone expected some change in the roster. Nobody could imagine all the changes that Carroll has made so far. Change is a good thing when your team has had just 9 wins the past two seasons. Not one player on this roster is safe from being moved including big name veterans who were expected to be starters.

The biggest move the Seahawks made was releasing leading wide receiver T.J.Houshmandzadeh. Houshmandzadeh was released one year after signing a 5 year 45 million dollar contract. The Seahawks tried trading Houshmandzadeh but nobody wanted him so Carroll determined that it was better to pay Houshmandzadeh six million this season to simply go away. At the time of his signing there wasn't a single Seahawks fan who hated this signing. Houshmandzadeh was supposed to be that long awaited #1 receiver that Matt Hasselbeck has been waiting his entire career for. After catching 79 passes his first year with the Seahawks he was released. Houshmandzadeh only caught three touchdowns last season and appeared to have had a bad attitude. Pete Carroll wanted to change the culture of this team and Houshmandzadeh didn't fit into that culture.

The Seahawks have also traded away former first round pick Lawrence Jackson after just two disappointing seasons. Jackson the former first rounder under Ruskell was traded to the Lions for just a 6th round pick. Josh Wilson the former 2nd round pick of Ruskell was projected to be a starter this season and had an interception in the opening game was also traded to the Ravens for a 5th round pick. Wilson who was a starting corner the last two seasons was traded away.

Another high profiled player who was released today was the disappointing Julius Jones. Jones was brought in to replace the aging Shaun Alexander. In two seasons with the Seahawks Jones produced just three 100 yard rushing games and had just four rushing touchdowns. He defianetly did not make fans forget about Shaun Alexander.

The most memorable play in Seahawks playoff history is Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo fumbling the ball. Romo would have turned that gaffe into a game winning touchdown if not for Jordan "Big Play" Babineaux. Babineaux earned that nickname after the 2005season when he had some big interceptions in key moments. He picked off Drew Bledsoe towards the end of the 2005 Dallas game and returned it far enough to set up Josh Brown's game winning kick. That was a game the Seahawks had trailed 10-3 with less than a minute to go and the Seahawks won 13-10 in regulation. Babineaux besides the big play on Romo, returned an interception for a touchdown vs the Redskins in the 2007 Wild Card playoffs. Babineaux was released despite signing a six year contract just two years ago. He was given a chance to start at safety and couldn't hold onto the job with the drafting of Earl Thomas and Cham Chancellor. Big play Babs will always hold a special spot in Seahawks fans hearts.

The Seahawks also released a pair of younger guys in Owen Schmidtt and Mansfield Wrotto. Schmidtt was drafted from West Virginia. The YouTube sensation was supposed to be the next Mack Strong type of fullback. He couldn't beat out Leonard Weaver in 2008. The Seahawks let Weaver go after the season paving the way for Schmidtt to take over. Only Justin Griffin was signed and Schmidtt sat. With the Seahawks running a two tight end set the fullback is completely useless in this offense so Schmidtt finds himself unemployed. Wrotto came as a surprise with Russell Okung out with injury Wrotto found himself starting at left tackle. He was so effective against the Vikings you never even heard Jerad Allen's name.

The Seahawks are also entertaining the thought of trading Sean Locklear the five year starter at right tackle and he filled in last year at left tackle. With Locklear on his way out along with Wrotto who was filling in for the injured Okung you'd have to speculate those are the reasons why legendary offensive line coach Alex Gibbs quit. Alex Gibbs departure could be the biggest loss out of all these moves.

One thing is for sure no player is safe under Pete Carroll. He is changing the culture of the team and setting a new example. Unlike Mora there is no question who is running this asylum. Just make sure to think twice about the next time you purchase a Seahawks jersey.