Ex Falcon Head Coach Jim Mora Jr. Named Seahawks assistant head coach

[freshprinceofLA]

Mora is new Seattle assistant head coach
NFL.com wire reports


KIRKLAND, Wash. (Jan. 21, 2007) -- Jim Mora is headed back to the Pacific Northwest, but Tyrone Willingham need not worry.

Mora isn't landing his self-stated "dream job" at the University of Washington. Instead, he's joining Mike Holmgren's staff, agreeing to become an assistant head coach for the Seattle Seahawks less than three weeks after being fired as coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

"I'm thrilled to join not only what I believe is a quality organization, but for the chance to work with one of the finest head coaches in the league," Mora said in a statement. "That, coupled with the opportunity for my family to be in the great northwest is extremely exciting."

The team said Mora's title is assistant head coach/secondary, but his duties have not been defined.

Mora, the 45-year-old son of former NFL coach Jim Mora, went 26-22 in three seasons with the Falcons, but was fired Jan. 1 following another second-half collapse and off-field distractions that infuriated team owner Arthur Blank.

And Mora brought the last, and perhaps biggest distraction upon himself during a Seattle radio station interview before a crucial game against Dallas last month.

Mora said his "dream job" was to coach at Washington, his alma mater, and that he'd jump at the chance to take it -- even if the Falcons were in the middle of the playoffs.

Mora claimed he was only kidding with the radio host, former college teammate and NFL quarterback Hugh Millen, but conceded that it didn't sound that way after listening to a tape of the interview.

The comments were broadcast nationally, upsetting Falcons fans and angering Blank. The coach was summoned to Blank's Atlanta office the day before the Dallas game to discuss the issue, then sent out alone before the media to make an apology.

"I obviously was very disappointed in those comments," Blank said at the time. "I spoke to him about it, and he took responsibility for it. He felt badly about it and he apologized to the Atlanta. He has a real fondness for the community."

Accompanying Mora's comments was a second straight drop off in the latter half of the season.

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 in 2005, 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, despite Blank's warnings that another .500 finish would be unacceptable. In 2005, Atlanta had a similar slump, dropping six of its last eight.

Mora could be aligning himself for the future by joining the Seahawks. Holmgren signed a contract extension last May that runs through the 2008 season. The veteran coach will turn 60 in June of that year, and Mora could become the front-runner to take over if Holmgren steps away.

Seattle was without a secondary coach after Teryl Austin took the same position with Ken Whisenhunt's new 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," Holmgren said in a statement. "He is a strong teacher and talented coach who will make us better."

Mora grew up in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue and played outside linebacker at Washington from 1981-1983.