Pete Carroll

It may seem that the only thing Joe Paterno and Pete Carroll have in common was that neither coached in the 1923 Rose Bowl - the last time Penn State and Southern Cal met in the "Granddaddy of Them All. " But if you look closely, there are similarities between the high-profile coaches, who are preparing to face off for the first time in the 95th Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. There are jokes aplenty contrasting the ripened Paterno and his Nittany Lions...

National signing day - the first day high school football recruits can sign letters of intent with the colleges of their choice - was Feb. 1. For Vidal Hazelton, signing day will finally come Friday, more than three weeks later. According to his father, Dexter, Hazelton will announce his decision sometime around noon from his high school, Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va. The highly coveted 6-foot-3, 200-pound wide receiver - considered a top-10 national prospect by most recruiting services - will choose between Penn State and Southern Cal. Hazelton's decision will not be made via a press conference but by contacting the appropriate parties.

New York Jets defensive coordinator Pete Carroll got a little carried away after Miami's Pete Stoyanovich missed an extra point that allowed New York to stay ahead of the Dolphins late in Sunday's game. After Stoyanovich atoned for the miss with a game-winning 37-yard field goal with seven seconds left, Carroll apologized for making the "choke" sign that was caught by television cameras. Carroll apologized to Stoyanovich after the game and made a public apology yesterday on Miami and New York radio stations.

Pete Carroll was a nice guy who finished last. And now, he's finished as coach of the New England Patriots. The likable defensive whiz kid who inherited a Super Bowl team from Bill Parcells was fired yesterday after three consecutive years of declining results. Carroll departed with a .549 winning percentage - the best in Patriots history. But the defending AFC champions went 10-6 in his first year, 9-7 in his second and 8-8 this season, good for last place in the AFC East.

According to reports, the Seattle Seahawks either have or haven't already reached an agreement to hire Pete Carroll as their new head coach. But a deal seems imminent. ESPN, citing multiple NFL sources, reported Carroll and the team have a deal in principle that could be announced as early as today. The Associated Press, however, reported there is no deal yet and that talks may continue into today. Seattle fired head coach Jim Mora Friday. Both ESPN and AP reported that the Seahawks are preparing to interview candidates for their general manager's position.

A plane owned by Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga flew to Costa Rica, where Southern California coach Pete Carroll was vacationing, according to flight records. A Dolphins spokesman declined to say whether Huizenga met with Carroll about replacing Nick Saban, who left to coach at Alabama. USC spokesman Tim Tessalone said Carroll was expected to return from vacation today. In the 1990s, Carroll coached the Jets for one season and the Patriots for three before being fired. As recently as last week, he denied rumors he wanted to return to the pros.

After the Chicago Bears defense gave up two scoring plays of 73 yards or more in Monday's 24-13 loss to the Detroit Lions   , coach Lovie Smith suggested personnel changes were looming. It didn't take long. The Chicago Tribune reported Thursday that safeties Major Wright and Chris Conte will start in place of Chris Harris and Brandon Meriweather on Sunday against Minnesota. Harris and Meriweather were in the middle of the two big scoring plays in Monday's loss.

WHEN SHORTSTOP Jimmy Rollins cleared his head with "The Inner Game of Tennis," it helped the Phillies reach the playoffs, helped make him an MVP and helped end a playoff slump. When defensive end Lawrence Jackson read the self-help book, it kept his stock at USC high enough to ensure him being a first-round pick in this year's NFL draft. Jackson and the Seahawks host the Eagles on Sunday. Without working on his "Inner Game," Jackson might not have been a first-rounder . . . or in the NFL at all. "It is a powerful book," Jackson said.

Pete Carroll loves challenges and the NFL game. The Seattle Seahawks offered both, and not even Southern California could compete. He ended his 9-year tenure with the Trojans yesterday, leaving a program facing multiple woes for a lucrative deal to coach the Seahawks. "If you know anything about me, you know I can't pass up this challenge," Carroll said. USC quarterback Matt Barkley also said quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates is leaving with Carroll after just one season, presumably to become the Seahawks' offensive coordinator.

Seahawks 31, 49ers 6 SEATTLE - Matt Hasselbeck threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Seattle gave its new coach a victory over San Francisco. Coaching his first NFL game in 11 years, Pete Carroll stalked the sideline, marching up and down almost constantly in motion. After throwing an interception on Seattle's first play and running just seven plays for 11 yards in the first 11/2 quarters, Hasselbeck completed 10 of his next 11 throws. He finished 18 of 23 for 170 yards and two touchdowns.

SEATTLE - DeSean Jackson sat by himself, alone, as he if he weren't even part of the Eagles offense. It's difficult to imagine Jackson's no longer being the big-play piece in Andy Reid's fastbreak offense, but the prospect becomes more imaginable with each week as the Eagles' disaster of a season comes to its crashing conclusion. Earlier this week Jackson said he wanted to remain an Eagle. You wouldn't have noticed it watching his Thursday night effort, one that was every bit as lackluster as that of the Eagles.

EAGLES first-round rookie guard Danny Watkins hoped his homecoming to the Pacific Northwest tomorrow would be more celebratory than simply pleasant. He hoped the Birds would be among the NFL's best when they visited Seattle. Instead, the "Dream Team" Eagles are 4-7 and virtually out of the playoff hunt. That will not faze the contingent of Canadians who will cross the border from Kelowna, British Columbia, a city of about 100,000 that lies 300 miles northeast of Seattle. Watkins was a part-time firefighter there for 5 years before he found football at the late age of 21. "I know I've got 65 guys from the fire hall coming," said Watkins.

SEATTLE - Rex Grossman threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Armstrong on third and 19 midway through the fourth quarter to cap a rally from 10 points down as the Washington Redskins stunned the Seattle Seahawks, 23-17, on Sunday. Grossman was brilliant early, shaky in the middle, and then great again in the fourth quarter for Washington (4-7), which had lost six straight. The loss all but ended hopes by the Seahawks (4-7) of getting back into the NFC playoff picture.

After the Chicago Bears defense gave up two scoring plays of 73 yards or more in Monday's 24-13 loss to the Detroit Lions   , coach Lovie Smith suggested personnel changes were looming. It didn't take long. The Chicago Tribune reported Thursday that safeties Major Wright and Chris Conte will start in place of Chris Harris and Brandon Meriweather on Sunday against Minnesota. Harris and Meriweather were in the middle of the two big scoring plays in Monday's loss.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Unsung is an understatement for the guys who lifted the Seattle Seahawks to victory on Sunday. Doug Baldwin, Brandon Browner, and Charlie Whitehurst were the unlikely stars as Seattle beat the New York Giants at their own game: with a fourth-quarter rally. Backup quarterback Whitehurst threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Baldwin with 2 minutes, 37 seconds to play, and Browner returned an interception 94 yards to thwart a desperate, late challenge by the Giants as the Seahawks won, 36-25, on Sunday.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Unsung is an understatement for the guys who lifted the Seattle Seahawks to victory yesterday. Doug Baldwin, Brandon Browner and Charlie Whitehurst were the unlikely stars as Seattle beat the New York Giants at their own game: with a fourth-quarter rally. Backup quarterback Whitehurst threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Baldwin with 2:37 to play and Browner returned an interception 94 yards to thwart a desperate, late challenge by the Giants as the Seahawks won, 36-25.

Seahawks 31, 49ers 6 SEATTLE - Matt Hasselbeck threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Seattle gave its new coach a victory over San Francisco. Coaching his first NFL game in 11 years, Pete Carroll stalked the sideline, marching up and down almost constantly in motion. After throwing an interception on Seattle's first play and running just seven plays for 11 yards in the first 11/2 quarters, Hasselbeck completed 10 of his next 11 throws. He finished 18 of 23 for 170 yards and two touchdowns.

Every recruiting trip, Sharrif Floyd got the VIP treatment. He'd earned it. After tearing apart the competition at various scouting combines, the George Washington High senior was generally rated the top defensive tackle in his class nationally. When Floyd visited one big-time football school, the defensive-line coach even carried his bags. "Don't get used to this," George Washington head coach Ron Cohen remembers telling Floyd. "If you go to this school, I wouldn't want to be you the first day. You'll pay the price, believe me. " Floyd plans to sign a letter of intent Wednesday with Florida - choosing the Gators over Ohio State, North Carolina, and South Carolina, with serious recruiting heat also coming from Southern California and Penn State, and dozens of other scholarship offers.

Pete Carroll loves challenges and the NFL game. The Seattle Seahawks offered both, and not even Southern California could compete. He ended his 9-year tenure with the Trojans yesterday, leaving a program facing multiple woes for a lucrative deal to coach the Seahawks. "If you know anything about me, you know I can't pass up this challenge," Carroll said. USC quarterback Matt Barkley also said quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates is leaving with Carroll after just one season, presumably to become the Seahawks' offensive coordinator.

According to reports, the Seattle Seahawks either have or haven't already reached an agreement to hire Pete Carroll as their new head coach. But a deal seems imminent. ESPN, citing multiple NFL sources, reported Carroll and the team have a deal in principle that could be announced as early as today. The Associated Press, however, reported there is no deal yet and that talks may continue into today. Seattle fired head coach Jim Mora Friday. Both ESPN and AP reported that the Seahawks are preparing to interview candidates for their general manager's position.