First-year struggles are common theme in the NFL

Growing pains and learning curves.

These are polite ways to describe the struggles of Seattle and Tampa Bay under new head coaches this season.

They are euphemisms for seasons that have skidded way below expectations for these two franchises that entered the NFL as expansion brethren in 1976.

The Seahawks and Bucs have company in that regard, though. There are 11 teams in their first full seasons under a new head coach, and eight of them have losing records.

"Transition is difficult," Seahawks coach Jim Mora said. "No matter what, it's difficult. You said it, the statistics show it, it's tough."

As bad as Seattle's season has been, with seven double-digit defeats, the Seahawks have been better than most teams under new coaches. Just four teams with new coaches have won more games than Seattle this season: Indianapolis, Denver, the New York Jets and San Francisco. And while the Colts have Jim Caldwell at the helm instead of Tony Dungy, most of the staff and playbooks remained unchanged.

They have been the exception this season, though. Five NFL teams have won three games or fewer. All five are under new coaches, including Raheem Morris of the 1-12 Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers haven't scored a touchdown in their past nine quarters, they failed to gain a first down in the first half of last week's loss to the Jets, and they have lost 16 of 17 games going back to the last four games of last season under Jon Gruden.

"I understand I got a young team," Morris said. "I understand there's going to be some growing pains, I understand that we needed progress, and I can't wait to do it. I can't wait to be the guy to do it."

If that enthusiasm could be turned into offensive momentum, the Bucs would really have something on their hands.

"A new day, a new way" was the Mariners' marketing slogan last season. "A new day, no way" has been closer to the reality in this year's NFL, and that stands in direct contrast to what happened one year ago. In 2008, four NFL teams had new head coaches. Three of them made the playoffs, and none finished with fewer than eight victories.

When Mora took over the Seahawks this season, an immediate rebound from last year's 4-12 campaign was expected for two reasons:

1) Most teams hire a new coach because the previous one failed. That was certainly not the case in Seattle, which had experienced the most successful decade in franchise history under Mike Holmgren.

2) Mora showed immediate results in his first head-coaching job, getting hired in Atlanta in 2004. The Falcons vaulted from 5-11 to 11-5 under Mora and played for the conference championship.

So why hasn't Mora been able to affect a similar breakthrough here in Seattle?

"That's a tough question," he said. "A lot of things, I could say. We just did it faster, you know?

"Let's talk about that after the season, how about that?"

That's as close as anyone has come to directly addressing the shortcomings Seattle faces with a roster that clearly eroded during Tim Ruskell's five-year tenure as president.

Year 1: The Seahawks reached Super Bowl. Year 2: Seattle took the Bears into overtime of a second-round playoff game. Year 3: Seattle was blown out in a second-round playoff game. Year 4: Seattle went over the cliff, stumbling to its worst record since 1991.

And now it's Year 5. But as bad as this Seahawks season has been at times, Seattle still holds a chance to double last season's win total. And it still has been better than most teams under new coaches.

Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com