Why 49ers-Seahawks rivalry never will be same after Carroll’s firing

There were times over the past 14 seasons that the 49ers-Seattle Seahawks rivalry was the best in all of football. There were other long periods in which the Seahawks thoroughly dominated. Most recently, the 49ers have had five consecutive victories in their head-to-head meetings. Regardless of what else was going on with the 49ers, those games always had greater significance and intrigue mostly because of the gum-chomping, white-sneaker-wearing coach on the Seahawks' sideline. Things are going to look and feel a lot different in the future without spry Pete Carroll, 72, on the Seattle sideline. Seahawks chair Jody Allen announced on Wednesday that Carroll would no longer serve as the team's head coach. Rather than describing the situation as a firing, Allen said Carroll will "evolve" into the purposefully vague role of advisor. The future of the Seahawks will be shaped by what Carroll helped establish during his time with the Seahawks. With Carroll as head coach, Seattle advanced to the postseason 10 times and the franchise claimed its one and only Super Bowl title. Carroll forced every team in the NFC West to raise its game in order to keep up. And in many ways, the 49ers are in...