THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: A sign of the time in Seattle

The signs had been there for a month.

Seeing the photos of Pete Carroll standing in the end zone after the Seahawks had upset the Philadelphia Eagles, saying that he didn’t want that night to end.

The utter disappointment when, in a game both teams needed to win, Seattle didn’t on New Year’s Eve against the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers.

That, among a few other reasons are why Pete Carroll is no longer the head coach in Seattle.

WHETHER IT'S now or next year, fans had to imagine that Carroll, at age 72, wasn’t about to continue coaching much longer.

Long gone are those days of earning home-field advantage in the playoffs, contending for the NFC title and the Super Bowl.

With Carroll’s vision defensively, Seattle went from one of the better teams against the run to a team that couldn’t stop it at the end of the season.

Whether it was injuries or effort, it just didn’t happen.

In some games, Seattle showed it was a lot closer on offense, but still a player or two away from really breaking through.

But, I guess we won’t know just how good it could have been.

Seattle is going to make changes, some good, others questionable and a few others that some will believe should have happened a long time ago.

And yes, Carroll might have been one, but while you sit back and watch this weekend’s playoff games, just think about a few things.

What if Seattle scores in the final moments against Cincinnati?

Or, Jason Myers connects on a late field goal at the Los Angeles Rams?

Seattle missed the playoffs by one game, only the fourth time in 14 years with Carroll as coach.

Had either of those two events happened, Seattle is either playing at Dallas or Detroit this weekend, teams that Seattle played tough earlier this year.

Seattle even beat the Lions in Detroit in the second week of the season when most believed the Lions were one of the best in the league.

Then what?

I guess we’ll never know.

MAYBE THE most disappointing thing about Carroll’s departure had nothing to do with his performance on the field this year.

When Mike Holmgren retired from coaching the team in 2008, he was celebrated immediately.

In the team’s final home game, in a snowstorm against the New York Jets, he was introduced last and walked out of the tunnel to celebrate everything he’d done for the team.

The first Super Bowl appearance and an NFC title game appearance that I’ll never forget for obvious reasons.

Carroll won’t get that, at least immediately.

Instead, he probably felt the tension in the stadium as he walked off the field, with some fans wanting him to move on after a loss to the Steelers.

It’s too soon to tell if Seattle will be better for this or not.

But it’s not just Seattle that’s searching for their next legend.

Nick Saban retired from Alabama and Bill Belichick parted from New England after multiple championships for their teams.

No, Carroll isn’t Saban or Belichick, but he was our coach.

Love him, or hate him.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.