P-Rez25

Though the entire Seattle Seahawks organization was pleased when Mike Holmgren announced that he would return for one final season as coach, it has created a bit of uncertainty within the organization.



The Seahawks did what it could to stem that uncertainty last week, when they gave Jim Mora a five-year contract and named his as Holmgren's built-in replacement.


Still, questions remain because of the unusual dynamic.


For instance, will there be dissension on the coaching staff because of the hiring of Mora? General manager Tim Ruskell and CEO Tod Leiweke said they made the move with Mora for continuity purposes. But a truer hire for a seamless transition would have been Gil Haskell, the team's offensive coordinator who has been with Holmgren for 13 years. Mora was hired last season, after being fired by the Atlanta Falcons and interviewing for but not getting the job in Miami.


It would seem like human nature, then, that a coach like Haskell, or even defensive coordinator John Marshall, would naturally feel slighted by the decision to hire Mora over them, particularly when there doesn't seem to be much chance that both will be around once Mora takes over.


"You would think it would be that way," Ruskell said. "It's human nature. That's not what I'm seeing. Guys are working hard, we've got new coaches that we're developing and getting on the same page. I just don't see that. I can't say for sure it's not there, but it's not obvious to me, and they've not come to me."


With that in mind, will there be coaches who suddenly are fawning all over Mora at the expense of Holmgren in an attempt to keep their jobs next season, when Holmgren no longer is around?


And how are the Seahawks going to hire a quality staff with so many vacancies and with candidates knowing that Holmgren will be gone in one year, meaning they could be gone in one year?


The team is maintaining that this is Holmgren's swan song and should be celebrated over a 16-week regular season and what they hope is a run through the playoffs.


However, that there are strange dynamics at work cannot be denied.


Notes, Quotes
• OG Mike Wahle signed a five-year deal with the Seahawks. Terms weren't disclosed, but it's believed to be in the area of $3 million per season.


Shortly after Wahle was released by Carolina, the Seahawks lined up a meeting in Seattle. Several teams showed interest, according to agent Neil Cornrich, but the Seahawks had a few advantages.


Not only do they have a glaring need for a veteran presence on the inside of their line, but coach Mike Holmgren drafted Wahle and Wahle's father played high school football in Washington state and his parents own a second home a ferry ride away from Seattle.


Wahle is expected to take over at left guard, with Rob Sims moving to the right side. Sims will compete for the starting job Chris Gray, if the 37-year-old Gray returns for another season.


• Bill Lazor, who was Washington's quarterbacks coach last season, was hired as quarterbacks coach to replace Jim Zorn.


• DE Darryl Tapp went to the Super Bowl, but he didn't go to the game. Tapp was in Phoenix for an HIV/AIDS awareness seminar but flew home immediately after the presentation. "I don't want to go to a Super Bowl until we are in it," Tapp said.


• QB Matt Hasselbeck attended a Pro Bowl press conference at the Super Bowl wearing only basketball shorts and a sweat top. His counterparts, Ben Roethlisberger and Larry Fitzgerald, both were wearing suits. Hasselbeck said he had been taping a segment for the Jim Rome show in Scottsdale, then got stuck in traffic on the way back to Phoenix, preventing him from changing. "I didn't even have time to take my makeup off," Hasselbeck said.


• QB Matt Hasselbeck was 7-for-9 for 78 yards and a TD pass in the NFC's 43-20 victory over the AFC in the Pro Bowl.


• CB Marcus Trufant had five tackles in his Pro Bowl debut, while LB Lofa Tatupu had three tackles and LB Julian Peterson had one. OT Walter Jones and DE Patrick Kerney were not able to participate in the Pro Bowl because of shoulder surgeries.


Quote To Note: "We all know about the elongated processes, and the back-stabbing, and some of the other things that go on. We're not going to have that, and he doesn't want that. We're going to do this the right way, with his full support and endorsement." -- Seahawks general manager Tim Ruskell on Mike Holmgren endorsing Jim Mora replacing him next year.


Strategy And Personnel
A large portion of Mike Holmgren's staff has either left for other positions or been fired, including wide receivers coach Nolan Cromwell and quality control coach Gary Reynolds departing for Texas A&M; quarterbacks coach and running backs coach Jim Zorn leaving for Washington; defensive consultant Ray Rhodes leaving for Houston; and offensive line coach Bill Laveroni being let go. Mike Solari has been hired to replace Laveroni and Keith Gilbertson was re-assigned to become the wide receivers coach, but there still are vacancies at quarterback, running back and quality control. Bill Lazor has been interviewed to fill the quarterback coaching job and his hiring is expected to be announced soon.


Meanwhile, the team will focus on improving its running game, both in the backfield and along the offensive line. They need a starting tight end. They need to decide whether to re-sign cornerback Marcus Trufant at a high number. And they need to make hard decisions about wide receivers who have a history of injuries. They also need to add one defensive lineman.


TEAM NEEDS/OFFSEASON STRATEGY


The Seahawks have four primary free agents they need to re-sign: Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Trufant, right offensive tackle Sean Locklear, kicker Josh Brown and fullback Leonard Weaver. They have to make a decision on starting split end D.J. Hackett, who was productive when he played but was injured for most of the year and has been injury-prone throughout his career. Trufant is a decent candidate for the franchise tag, which Brown got last season, though Trufant's franchise salary would be around $9.5 million.


Meanwhile, the Seahawks have to make decisions on special teamers Kevin Bentley and Niko Koutouvides, both backup linebackers whom the team likes; utility lineman Floyd Womack, who versatility helps the team overlook his injuries; and defensive linemen Ellis Wyms and Chuck Darby, who was a starter before having his season ended with a knee injury.


1. Running back: Shaun Alexander had his second consecutive career-worst year and at 30 is on the downside of his career. He also has been besieged by injuries for two straight seasons. Backup Maurice Morris is not a full-time starter. The one player many have thought was a natural fit is the Oregon's Jonathan Stewart, who grew up about 40 miles south of Seattle and may be available in a draft deep with running backs.


2. Tight end: Starter Marcus Pollard becomes a free agent after a season in which he caught only 28 passes and had two drops and a costly fumble in the divisional playoff game against Green Bay. He likely will not be back. Coach Mike Holmgren stressed after the season the importance of the position in the West Coast offense.


3. Offensive line: The running backs were only part of the problem with Seattle's run game this year. A weird mix of offensive lineman also contributed. Re-signing right tackle Sean Locklear is one key, as is finding a replacement for 35-year-old right guard Chris Gray, who was overmatched at times. The Seahawks also need a backup center.


Medical Watch: Ten Seahawks had offseason surgery, including RB Shaun Alexander (wrist), DE Baraka Atkins (wrist), LB Will Herring (knee), RB Josh Scobey (leg), OL Floyd Womack (biceps), OL Ray Willis (knee), C Chris Spencer (thumb), DE Patrick Kerney (shoulder), OT Walter Jones (shoulder) and WR Deion Branch (knee). All are expected to fully recover. Scobey's injury, a broken fibula in the divisional playoff game, may have been career ending. Branch's knee injury could keep him out for the entire 2008 season.


FRANCHISE PLAYER: None.

TRANSITION PLAYER: None.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS


• LB Kevin Bentley is primarily a special teams player best known for shutting down Steve Smith in the 2005 NFC Championship game. He is also the team's fourth linebacker. He is likely to come back.


• K Josh Brown was given the franchise tag last season after being unable to come to an agreement on a long-term deal. He had another solid year, interrupted only by instability with the snapper. The Seahawks likely will sign Brown to a long-term deal to keep him.


• DT Chuck Darby was productive as a starter and is considered a leader on the team. However, a late-season knee injury and the emergence of rookie Brandon Mebane make him expendable.


• WR D.J. Hackett was productive when he played but twice suffered high ankle sprains that kept him out of 10 games. The Seahawks have depth at the position so they may let him go if he gets too expensive. But Deion Branch's season-ending knee injury complicates matters.


• TE Ben Joppru is used almost exclusively on special teams and often is hindered by injuries. The team could take him or leave him.


• LB Niko Koutouvides is the special teams captain and the only backup middle linebacker. He is likely to be re-signed.


• RT Sean Locklear has become a solid contributor in his fourth season and after Walter Jones was the most consistent player on the offensive line. He is a priority to get re-signed.


• TE Marcus Pollard missed some games with injury, was not as productive as they would have liked and had a horrible divisional playoff game. He will not be back.


• LS Jeff Robinson solidified a position that was a circus all season. However, Robinson is going to be 38 years old. It remains to be seen if he will return.


• CB Marcus Trufant had the best season of his career, earning a Pro Bowl bid for the first time, and is looking for a salary commensurate with that of Nate Clements.


• OL Floyd Womack stays with the team because while he is short on talent he is versatile, able to play every position except center. He is likely to return.


• DL Ellis Wyms was a solid but unspectacular backup who got time after Marcus Tubbs and Chuck Darby both were lost for the season. Tubbs may be able to come back next year and the team is seeking another tackle, which may make Wyms' future uncertain.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS


• RB David Kirtman is used almost exclusively on special teams. He is a player on the bubble of being re-signed.


• LB Lance Laury is used primarily on special teams, but had one of the biggest plays of the year when he knocked loose a fumble against Cincinnati on a kickoff return. If the price is right, the team would like to keep him.


• RB Alvin Pearman was one of the team's kick returners until a knee injury in Week 4 ended his season. His return is questionable.


• FB Leonard Weaver also got cut last preseason, then emerged as a valuable and viable player after Mack Strong was forced to retire. The team needs to re-sign him.


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