Seattle Seahawks head coach Jim Mora rounded out his staff Thursday by hiring Tim Lewis as defensive backs coach.
Lewis brings 14 years of NFL coaching experience to Seattle, including the previous two seasons as secondary coach for the Carolina Panthers.
Mora brings in Lewis to a coaching staff that has added defensive backs coach Casey Bradley, offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and assistant head coach/defensive line Dan Quinn since the end of the season.
Lewis began his professional career serving as the Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive backs coach for five seasons (1995-99) before being named defensive coordinator over the next four years. His defense ranked seventh overall in his first season and jumped to lead the league in total defense in 2001. In 2002 and 2003, his unit also finished in the NFL's top 10, giving Lewis four-consecutive top-10 finishes as a defensive coordinator.
Lewis then spent three years as coordinator for the New York Giants.
Lewis began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M in 1987 under Jackie Sherrill, who was his coach as a player at the University of Pittsburgh.
Lewis was the 11th overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. He played four seasons for the Packers and twice led or shared the team lead in interceptions before his career was cut short because of a neck injury suffered in the third game of the 1986 season against the Chicago Bears. Lewis finished his career with 16 interceptions in 51 games, including a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams on November 18, 1984, to set a Packers record.
