come on, he wasn't that bad ... NE were still looking for stability at the top (of management that is) and Carrol didn't have the freedom he needed in building the team to his specifications. That was one of his requirements when he agreed to go back to the NFL, iirc, and he overhauled the Seahawks roster from top to bottom in his first year there. And now that he finally found his QB, the results are looking better and better.
Seahawks and GB are looking like the teams to beat in the NFC getting hot in the right moment. Would still keep an eye out for the Giants, though, as they are simply unpredictable .. other than that the Seahawks are the only wild card team in the NFC that I can see making it deep into the play offs, especially considering they'd likely have to face beatable teams like Washington/Dallas and then Atlanta.