Pete Carroll loves challenges and the NFL game. The Seattle Seahawks offered both, and not even Southern California could compete.
Carroll ended his nine-year tenure with the Trojans on Monday, leaving behind a program facing multiple woes for a lucrative deal to coach the Seahawks.
"If you know anything about me, you know I can't pass up this challenge," Carroll said.
USC quarterback Matt Barkley also said quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates is leaving with Carroll after just one season, presumably to become the Seahawks' offensive coordinator.
Carroll, 58, won 97 games, seven Pacific-10 titles and two national championships at USC, but the school is under a cloud of NCAA investigation and other scandals.
PACKERS: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers downplayed a potential face-mask penalty that wasn't called on the decisive play of Sunday's playoff loss at Arizona.
Facing third-and-6 on the first series of overtime, Cardinals cornerback Michael Adams blitzed Rodgers and knocked the ball out. It bounced off Rodgers' foot and into the hands of linebacker Karlos Dansby, who ran for a touchdown to give Arizona a 51-45 victory.
Adams appeared to grab Rodgers' face mask on the play, but officials didn't throw a flag. Rodgers didn't complain Monday, saying he was more concerned about his own mistakes.
The NFL issued an explanation of the rule, noting that "twisting, turning or pulling" the face mask is a 15-yard penalty but the penalty for an "incidental" grab of the facemask was eliminated before the 2008 season.
TV RATINGS: The Packers-Cardinals game on Fox earned the highest television rating for a first-round playoff game since 1999: a 21.8 rating and 36 share, the best since a 24.2/40 for a Packers- 49ers game.
The Ravens' rout of the Patriots on CBS earned a 19.4 overnight rating and 38 share, up 14 percent from last year's Ravens- Dolphins game.
BILLS: Add Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to the list of candidates in the search for a new head coach. The Bills have asked the Jets for permission to interview Schottenheimer.
BROWNS: Tom Heckert was lured away from the Eagles and hired as general manager.
Heckert had been with the Eagles since 2001, spending the past four seasons as GM. He helped build them into a perennial NFC power, but did not have complete control over roster decisions. It's not immediately known how much power he'll have in Cleveland, where he will report to new team president Mike Holmgren.
EAGLES: Coach Andy Reid squelched speculation about Donovan McNabb's future, saying the five-time Pro Bowler will be back.
DOLPHINS: Defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni was fired after the team finished 25th in the "points against" category last season.
BUCCANEERS: Safety Jermaine Phillips has been charged in Hillsborough County, Fla., with trying to choke his wife during an argument.