A lot of NFL fans are skeptical about Pete Carroll‘s return to the NFL. Outside of Jimmy Johnson — and by default Barry Switzer (with basically the same team built by Johnson) — there has not been a lot of college coaches who have successfully made the leap from the college ranks to the pros.

Nick Saban, Steve Spurrier, Dennis Erickson (twice, including one unsuccessful stint with the Seahawks) and Lou Holtz are a few of the dubious names who went from big man on campus to disgraced former NFL head coach. Some of those tenures lasted about as long as the ill-fated ABC series Cavemen. And honestly, hiring a college coach sometimes seems about as prudent as basing a sitcom off of a television commercial.

But Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck told Mitch Levy on KJR in Seattle (via Sports Radio Interviews) that Carroll’s college background and his prior NFL tenure has earned him some credibility in the locker room.

“He was very, very successful and, like [Levy] said, he has been in the NFL before,” Hasselbeck said. “We have a guy on our team in Sean Morey who was drafted by Carroll with the Patriots way back when. And for the most part, I think we have a very young team. The guys, especially the young guys, are huge college football fans. Coach Carroll and his staff had a ton of success at USC. There’s a lot of Pac 10 guys that were probably on the wrong end of some of those games against USC. So I think there is a ton of respect right off the bat.”

Other news making its way Around the Web on a Thursday:

• Brandon Marshall‘s huge contract extension with the Dolphins is going to have a ripple effect with receivers around the league. Most notably, Chargers WR Vincent Jackson. The San Diego Union-Tribune opines that the Chargers should make Jackson one of the highest paid receivers in the league.

• The Gaston Gazette is reporting that WR Muhsin Muhammad will not return to the Panthers this season. The Panthers are looking to get younger at the position, hopeful that guys such as Dwayne Jarrett can step up.

• RB Brandon Jacobs told Newsday (via Twitter) that his knee is feeling good after making a couple of cuts. RB Ahmad Bradshaw told the Daily News (again, via Twitter) that he began running on Wednesday for the first time since having surgery on both of his feet and his right ankle.

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