re: does anyone believe pete carroll about why he left usc?

I never thought PC would succeed like he has in the NFL - I thought he was perfect for college with his rah-rah...feel good attitude and philosophy...and upbeat personna. It was college infectious.

I think 4 Seahawks remained on the roster Carroll inherited when he took over that were on the SB team...

Holmgren went 4-12 in his final season as head coach in 2008 with Ruskell promoting Jim Mora to head coach for the 2009 season. Mora led Seattle to a 5-11 record as Ruskell resigned midseason. Mora was then fired after just one season as head coach with owner Paul Allen and CEO Tod Leiweke convincing Carroll to return to the NFL.

The roster Carroll had inherited was old, small and slow in comparison to many other teams across the league. Under Carroll, Seattle won a historically weak NFC West in 2010 and pulled off an upset victory over the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. Seattle compiled 284 roster moves in their first year with Carroll at the helm in an attempt to overturn the roster.

The Seahawks have now made the playoffs in three of Carroll’s four seasons as head coach and won games in the postseason each time. Seattle won their first Super Bowl in February with a 43-8 thrashing of the Denver Broncos.

You can't argue with that. He's proven to be a great all-around coach and not just a college motivator and recruiter.