New Seahawks coach Carroll adds assistants

RENTON, Wash. – Pete Carroll’s coaching staff with the Seattle Seahawks is coming together with a heavy mix of NFL experience and some ties with Carroll’s last coaching job at Southern California.

Carroll said Wednesday that most of his staff is in place with just a few positions still to be filled. Carroll had previously announced that offensive line coach Alex Gibbs would be joining the Seahawks after spending last season with Houston.

Coming with Carroll from USC will be Jeremy Bates as offensive coordinator and Ken Norton Jr. as linebackers coach. Bates was previously the offensive coordinator in Denver before joining Carroll last season in the same position with the Trojans. Bates replaced Steve Sarkisian at USC when Sarkisian left to be the head coach at Washington.

Before becoming the offensive coordinator in Denver, Bates worked as an offensive assistant in Tampa Bay and quarterbacks coach with the New York Jets.

Norton’s coaching experience has come at the college level following a 13-year NFL career with San Francisco and Dallas.

Brian Schneider is also coming from USC to be Seattle’s special teams coordinator. Schneider held the same position for one season with Carroll at USC after two seasons with the Oakland Raiders.

Carroll is keeping two coaches from the previous staff in Seattle under coach Jim Mora. Gus Bradley will remain as Seattle’s defensive coordinator, while Dan Quinn will coach the defensive line for a second straight season.

Also joining Seattle’s defensive staff is Jerry Gray, who is leaving the Redskins after four seasons as their secondary coach.

On the offensive side, Pat McPherson is leaving Denver to coach tight ends with the Seahawks, the position he most recently held with the Broncos. Jedd Fisch will be the quarterbacks coach after spending one season at the college level with Minnesota.