Anointed One
Gone Country!
Just to clarify...
First thing's first. Carroll did not outright fire Smith. According to Smith himself, he (Carroll) wanted to move in a different direction at RB coach, but he did offer Smith the chance to stay on in a different role or stay with the running backs in a diminished capacity, which Smith chose not to do.
Also, Smith has apparently been considering retirement for the past two years anyway and I guess the main reason why he didn't retire before this past season was that Lynch suggested he stay on to coach Rawls. He also apparently told his players after the Hawks were eliminated this past season that he wasn't sure what he was going to do yet. If Carroll is looking for more continuity on offense and he wants to get the running game in particular re-established, it makes sense that he'd want someone coaching his running backs who hasn't been debating retirement for two years. But Carroll being Carroll, he didn't want to just kick Smith to the curb if Smith had any interest in coming back next season, hence the offer to stay on in one capacity or another.
As for Seto and Tatupu, it sounds like they each made the decision to move on for personal reasons. They weren't "let go" as far as I know.
We'll see what Chad Morton has to offer as running backs coach.
Former Seahawks running backs coach Sherman Smith says Pete Carroll wanted a change
Smith said it himself that it was on Carroll's terms, not his own... Carroll brought him into his office and said that he wanted to go in a different direction... Smith said he thought that he would've always left on his terms so he was surprised that wasn't the case...