Pete Carroll already has his own parking spot. Now he’s starting to build a coaching staff.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports that Carroll has landed Alex Gibbs as his offensive line coach, a significant coup for a new staff that may be made up mostly of college coaches.
Gibbs, the godfather of zone blocking in the NFL, has long been known as one of the premier offensive line coaches in the league. He’s enjoyed success in Denver, Atlanta, and Houston. His contract with the Texans as assistant head coach ran out at the end of the season.
As Mort points out, Gibbs’ approach to the running game will work seamlessly with what Jeremy Bates wants to do. Bates worked in Denver before working under Carroll at USC and is expected to be named Seattle’s offensive coordinator.
We’ll have more from Carroll’s introductory presser shortly. In the meantime, put the next Seahawks starting running back on your fantasy football sleeper list for 2010.
UPDATE: Carroll didn’t confirm the Gibbs news at his press conference. “If that happens, [hiring him] will be an outstanding achievement.”