The question put to the blog was this: Will Jim Mora be the next head coach of the Seattle Seahawks?

I would say right off that it makes a lot of sense, is probably a good fit and a logical progression. I would also say that an awful lot can happen in two seasons before Mike Holmgren’s contract expires.

The biggest variable in the equation is whether Holmgren will be willing to give it up in two years. He signed a two-year extension in 2006. He’s 59 now, we may assume that his financial status is secured, as is his legacy in the game, having taken two franchises to three Super Bowls. I would be willing to bet that he’ll be ready to at least go into one of those temporary retirements … maybe take a year or two off, see how he likes it, and then get back into it with another club if he finds he’s getting too antsy at home.

He’s a year older than former Mariners’ manager Mike Hargrove, who up recently chucked it all. If the tone of some of his comments can be used as an indicator, it seems that Holmgren is a bit more philosophical these days, more willing to see value in time spent away from the game. He and his wife, Kathy, are very involved in many charitable causes that they find fulfilling. I think I read somewhere that she once said she’d like to see him running a book store someplace instead of being in the NFL pressure-cooker.

Maybe the Hawks have a great season and he doesn’t wait until 2008 to pull the plug. Maybe they’re vastly disappointing this season and he hops on the Harley and disappears early. Maybe those are the same reasons he decides he wants another extension.

Much of his approach could depend on factors we can’t imagine: How does the team fare? How does his relationship with GM Tim Ruskell progress? How much does he feel he has left to prove? Perhaps most importantly: Is the balance between the joy of winning and the pain of losing still in the tolerable range?

At times he sounds as if he still has the itch to be the GM as well as coach, but at times it sounds as if he’s happy not to deal with many of those issues.

Based on current circumstances, we may presume that Mike Holmgren can have this job as long as he wants it.

Now, for Mora. He’s got the title of assistant head coach/secondary, which seems to fairly clearly establish the chain of succession.

He took over a 5-11 Falcons team and took them to the NFC title game in 2004 with an 11-5 record. The assistant general manager for the franchise then, of course, was Tim Ruskell. After going 8-8 and 7-9, and making some joking comments on KJR that got him in hot water with Falcons’ ownership, Mora was fired.

That smudge on the resume isn’t nearly enough to keep him from getting another chance … especially with Ruskell.

But how will he do here? I was asked about the potential impact of Seahawk newcomers … Patrick Kerney, Deon Grant, Brian Russell, Marcus Pollard, etc., and I argued that Mora will be the addition that will make the most change.

In minicamp practices, he was seen leading the defense in reaction drills that were clearly an implementation of some new wrinkles. Players were impressed with his style. “He is having a good time,” said linebacker Lofa Tatupu. “He is always smiling and joking around. He is out there trying to compete, too. He wants to go out there and play just as much as everybody else. It is fun out there and he brings a little life to practice.”

You can sense that right off from Mora. He’s got that head-coach charisma about him.

But, as much as Mora talks like a Seattle Chamber of Commerce flak, making it clear that he sees this as his home, what happens if a head-coaching job opens after next season? Does he make a run at that? Does he wait to see what Holmgren does?

So, a lot of things need to fall into place, and Mora has to be effective in the job he has right now before he gets another one. But I’d say that his eventual elevation in Seattle will be only a matter of time.