LOS ANGELES_Pete Carroll will be on the opposite sideline Thursday night when the Los Angeles Rams play the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Stadium in Seattle.
And despite the wishes of many Rams fans _ and perhaps some in the team's executive suite _ he almost certainly won't be changing sides anytime soon.
On Tuesday, as the Rams began their coaching search and continued preparations for their first game after firing Jeff Fisher, Carroll attempted to make clear that he was not a candidate to coach the Rams in 2017.
In July, the Seahawks announced that Carroll had agreed to a contract extension through 2019.
Kevin Demoff, the Rams' chief operating officer and vice president for football operations, has said that the Rams would not limit their search.
During a teleconference with Los Angeles-area reporters, Carroll declined to comment about a Yahoo Sports report that, citing unnamed sources, said Carroll "intrigues the power brokers inside the franchise."
Asked if it was something he would want to rule out completely, Carroll said "Yes" and started laughing.
Carroll won two national championships at USC and led the Trojans to seven major bowl games in nine seasons before leaving to coach the Seahawks in 2010. He has guided them to two Super Bowls, winning one. They are 8-4-1 this season.
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson said he was not aware of the report about the Rams' interest in Carroll but would not be surprised if they pursued a coach with such strong ties to Los Angeles.
"Of course they're going to come after Coach Carroll, because he's a great coach," Wilson said during a teleconference. "Hopefully, he stays here. We obviously love him here."
Several other prominent names are circulating as potential candidates to take over a team that has not been to the playoffs since 2004.
Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh, former NFL coach and ESPN broadcaster Jon Gruden, New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and Stanford Coach David Shaw are only a few who have been mentioned in news reports, on social media and on sports radio and television programs.
Harbaugh guided the San Francisco 49ers to three NFC championship games and a Super Bowl in four seasons. He took over at his alma mater before the 2015 season, and reportedly told his players on Monday that he was staying at Michigan.
"He said '(I'll keep this) short, sweet and to the point: I'm not leaving,'" senior defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow told Mlive.com on Tuesday. "He said (the NFL rumors) are 'lies made up by our enemies.'"
Special teams coordinator John Fassel is the Rams' interim coach for the final three games.
After practice Tuesday, Fassel said "a little bit of the sting" over Fisher's firing had worn off for him and the team. He is not sleeping much, but is aided by adrenaline.
"The last 24 hours, I'm just learning on the fly," he said. "It's been an incredible experience."
Fassel said his father, former NFL coach Jim Fassel, also gave him advice.
"He said, 'Be yourself and go for it,'" John Fassel said. "There really wasn't a lot of discussion."
Fassel spent the workout moving about two practice fields, observing the offense and defense as well as special teams. But he is leaving quarterback Jared Goff to the offensive staff.
"I'll definitely steer clear of dealing with Jared," he said. "He's a great kid, but the quarterback room is the one that I have the least amount of experience with."
The Rams' offense, ranked last in the NFL, has been unable to spring running back Todd Gurley all season.
Gurley, who declined to speak to reporters Monday, said Fisher's firing was "tough" on many players but they practiced with energy Tuesday.
"We loved him as a coach," said Gurley, who was chosen with the 10th pick in the 2015 draft despite having missed most of his final season at Georgia because of a knee injury. "We know a lot of other people didn't. But, at the end of the day, we knew what he did for us.
"He brought us in. He's the one who drafted me when nobody else believed in me. It definitely hit us hard, for sure."
After Sunday's 42-14 loss to Atlanta, Gurley said the Rams had run what looked like "a middle-school offense" and that some players were going through the motions. His comments generated headlines.
"Just speaking my mind," he said, "and speaking the truth about how we looked."
Gurley said his comments "definitely should be taken to heart" by teammates and that he was confident the Rams would increase their intensity and effort.
"We're about to find out Thursday," he said. "We're going to definitely find out."
