by Patrick Willis in a Week 2 matchup against the 49ers left him with fractured ribs. Backup Seneca Wallace went 0-2 as his replacement, including a heartbreaking 25–19 loss to the Chicago Bears in which kicker Olindo Mare missed two field goal attempts. Though they were on the fringes of the playoff hunt all the way up to Week 13, the team's season ended on four straight losses, three of which were blowouts against the Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers. Meanwhile, general manager Tim Ruskell resigned late in the season when he could not be guaranteed an extension at the end of the year. Though finishing with a slightly better record than the previous season at 5-11, it was not enough for Mora to save his job, as his controversial calling-out of Mare after the Chicago loss and questioning the toughness of injured first-string center Chris Spencer caused a backlash among fans, and he was fired at the end of the season to make room for new head coach Pete Carroll. 2010–present: Pete Carroll era 2010 Pete Carroll took over as the Seahawks head coach in 2010. Thanks to a trade with the Denver Broncos the previous year, the Seahawks had two first-round picks in the draft, which they used to select left tackle Russell Okung from Oklahoma State University and safety Earl Thomas from the University of Texas. Their second-round pick was used to draft wide receiver Golden Tate from Notre Dame University. Among the many roster moves the team made included signing running back Leon Washington, defensive end Raheem Brock, and wide receiver Mike Williams; releasing wide receiver T. J. Houshmandzadeh, running back Julius Jones and fullback Owen Schmitt. The Seahawks also traded for backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst during the offseason, and running back Marshawn Lynch in Week 5. The team got off to a promising 4–2 start, with Seattle returning two kickoffs for touchdowns in Week 3 for a 27–20 win over the San Diego Chargers and the Seahawks defense causing six sacks of Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler in a Week 5 23–20 win. The team displayed plenty of weaknesses, however, and each of their losses during the regular season was by no fewer than 15 points. Blowout losses included a two-week stretch against the Oakland Raiders and New York Giants where the team was outscored 78–10. Despite coming into the final