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Feb 14, 2004
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Seahawks have changed direction, but not toward Holmgren

RENTON -- After the shudder faded from an abrupt, midseason course correction freakish for this franchise, two remarks from CEO Tod Leiweke stood out regarding the future of the Seahawks:

  • "One of the accomplishments" of Tim Ruskell was that he "recruited Jim Mora here. I believe that Jim is a very fine coach."


  • "We're going to find somebody who . . . we're not going to join them, they're going to join us."

Which is saying, without saying so, that former coach Mike Holmgren is unlikely to return as poobah/potentate/majordomo of the franchise that Thursday jettisoned the president who helped usher out Holmgren.

Another matter that discourages a return is a belief around the VMAC offices that someone close to Holmgren leaked to media the idea last week that Ruskell already had been told he wasn't coming back after this season, causing a panicked Ruskell to force a decision now that Leiweke didn't want to consider until the season ended in a month.

If you saw the wet eyes and heard the quavering voice as Leiweke cut loose a personal friend and respected colleague in the middle of a work week in the middle of an already disappointing season, it wasn't a stretch to imagine he was as irked as he was sad.

"Tim was anxious about what the future would bring," Leiweke said. "He called the question, and it really forced us to say, 'OK, there's an important question on the table.' The answer was that we weren't going to extend Tim's contract."

Even though the possibility exists for a 9-7 finish, the record to date of the last two seasons spoke louder -- 19 losses and eight wins, four of which were over the woeful St. Louis Rams. For a suspicious sort like Ruskell, the lack of certainty beyond the Jan. 3 finish was too much.

He had to know, more than he had to finish what he started five years ago.

The pressure was apparent Thursday in his face, voice and bearing. He didn't have to meet the media -- a chore he indulged grudgingly during his term -- but manned up and answered every question thoroughly.

The departure did not include a victory lap around Qwest Field, as was provided Holmgren after a 4-12 season. At a staff meeting that followed the press conference, however, he was accorded a rousing ovation that was, according to witnesses, filled with tears and hugs.

Mora was not present, but as passionate as he is, the tears and hugs probably came Wednesday, when Ruskell gave him the news in the office.

"Tim's a good man and a good football man," said a stoic Mora after practice Wednesday. "I'm disappointed it didn't work out better. We've had a nice history together."

Ruskell worked with Mora in Atlanta and went to large trouble to hire and keep him here before naming him head coach-in-waiting to succeed Holmgren. For 11 months, owner Paul Allen, Leiweke, Ruskell and Mora were on the same page: With people you know and trust, build a team in which the defense can carry the offense.

That was the opposite of Holmgren's page, which was good enough to get to a Super Bowl. Neither way is right or wrong. Each emphasis has won Super Bowls by playing to strengths that help cover weaknesses.

The key is to commit to a direction and stick with it.

Based on Leiweke's words Thursday -- he made at least three endorsements of Mora -- the accent on defense will be maintained. That was buttressed by the elevation of Ruston Webster from vice president of player personnel to interim boss of football ops.

Webster worked for 18 years at defense-first Tampa Bay before joining Ruskell, his former Bucs colleague, four years ago in Seattle. He since has interviewed twice for GM jobs, finishing second for the post in Tennessee. He figures to be a candidate for the permanent spot here.

Webster is one among a class of low-profile, well-regarded football executives who will form a stark contrast to Holmgren, a certain Hall of Fame coach who is one of the few sports personalities who honestly can be said to be larger than life.

The organization has to answer two questions about Holmgren's candidacy for football boss:

Is he the best person available to evaluate and acquire premier talent?

Will he or Mora be the face of the franchise?

Tough questions.

Just as Holmgren is smarter now than when he wore both the GM/coach hats during his Seattle tenure, the Seahawks are better off now than when he was hired in 1999.

The Seahawks hadn't won a playoff game since 1984 and were desperate for the cred Holmgren brought, much in the way the hire of Lou Piniella as manager brought a measure of legitimacy to the Mariners in 1993.

Both teams rode their charismatic leaders to competitive and business success, complete with new stadiums. Each man moved on by choice, leaving behind a legacy of franchise relevancy.

As the Mariners proved this year with general manager Jack Zduriencik and manager Don Wakamatsu, familiarity and/or popularity is irrelevant to winning. And neither man had to be the face of the franchise, not with Ken Griffey Jr. and Ichiro around.

From a standpoint of player profile, the Seahawks have a popular quarterback in Matt Hasselbeck, who still has a majority of his bones unbroken, and that's about it. Mora is and will be The Man, unless of course he is the man, lower-cased by HOLMGREN.

The current front office football staff is almost split between Ruskell hires and Holmgren hires. That usually doesn't make a practical difference -- except when there's a vacancy at general manager, when it becomes every man for himself.

Holmgren has offered his admiration of the job Bill Parcells has in Miami, where he is king of football without having it muck up his life. The difference is that Parcells was an outsider who had neither pets nor pet peeves in the Dolphins organization.

Reinserting Holmgren into a franchise that has already changed direction is a move full of jagged edges. Then there's the pragmatic possibility that it won't take, subjecting the one-time hero to contemporary scorn.

Except for some players who can't forget his profanity-filled rebukes, most everyone in Seattle likes Mike. There's only one guaranteed way to keep it so.

The Seahawks will find someone to join them. They don't need to join Holmgren.

http://www.seattlepi.com/thiel/412917_thiel04.html?source=rss
 
May 2, 2002
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Do you Seahawks fans want Holmgren?

There are rumors that if he doesn't go back to Seattle he could end up in Cleveland...I'm not sure how he would be in a Czar role...but he's always been good as a coach.
 
Feb 14, 2004
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Holmgren would like to talk return to Seahawks

SEATTLE (AP)—Mike Holmgren wants to talk to the Seahawks about coming back.

Seattle’s former coach and one-time general manager said Friday during his semi-weekly radio show in Seattle that he’d like to talk to Seahawks owner Paul Allen and chief executive officer Tod Leiweke about becoming the team’s GM and perhaps president.

Those titles became vacant on Thursday when the Seahawks forced Tim Ruskell to resign weeks before his five-year contract was to end.


“Absolutely, I would like to talk to them,” Holmgren said on KJR AM from Arizona, where he has one of his homes.

The 61-year-old former Super Bowl-winning coach with Green Bay is the Seahawks’ longest-tenured and winningest coach. He spent 1999-08 remaking Seattle into an NFC champion during the 2005 season and a perennial playoff team until its fall the last two years.

Holmgren acknowledged it was a “weird” circumstance that finds him a candidate to return to the Seahawks one year after he took 2009 off to fulfill a promise he’d made to his wife and family, after his coaching contract with Seattle ended in January.

Cleveland and Buffalo are two other teams that have been linked to interest in Holmgren, who hasn’t decided whether he wants to come back as a coach or as an executive. Other teams could be angling for him soon, too.

None have the inherent advantages present in Seattle, where Holmgren still owns a home, where his family is now rooted—and where Holmgren still has experience with and detailed knowledge of the roster.

“I think I’ve made it pretty clear I’d like to go back to work after this season. I didn’t know where. This is a little bit of a surprising development in Seattle,” he said.

“But I’ve also said this, that the people and the team has to want you. The situation has to be right, the opening has to be right. And that’s why I’ve tried to keep an open mind, not get too emotional about it … This is not news: my family is there, I have a strong attachment to the city and my time there. But I also know things change. You never know. The organization has to feel you’re the right fit.

“If the fit is right, who knows?”

With a teary-eyed Ruskell seated to his left on Thursday, Leiweke was asked if Holmgren was a candidate to replace the architect of Seattle’s 8-19 record the last two seasons.

“I’m just not going to go there,” Leiweke said of Holmgren. “I’m just not going to talk about that today.”

Leiweke said he expects Jim Mora, who replaced Holmgren in January, is close to Ruskell and has three more years remaining on his contract, to remain Seattle’s coach.

The Seahawks have hired a national search firm to help them find a new GM. Holmgren thinks Leiweke, with his business acumen, is already fulfilling the traditional duties of an NFL team president.

Holmgren said one of his grown daughters did research on the organizational structure of each NFL team before this season. She prepared a book for him that he’s studied to learn which teams have the traditional separation of president, GM and coach and how many are like the Seahawks, which had Ruskell as both the president and GM.

Holmgren said as he talks to teams for a return in 2010 he will be keenly interested in “how the owner and organization wants to set it up … I’d have to have a fair about of input in the major decisions.”

Leiweke said the search to replace Ruskell has already started.

“I will tell you this, that there’s going to be a process,” Leiweke said. “We’re going to do a thorough audit of this football team and we’re going to be very, very careful going forward to ensure that we find just the right person to lead the organization.”
 
Feb 14, 2004
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Willis braces for Seahawks’ revenge

SEATTLE (AP)—The Seahawks are essentially out of the playoffs—again. They just shoved out Tim Ruskell, their president and general manager, weeks before his five-year contract was to expire.

Yet Patrick Willis(notes) thinks Seattle (4-7) has some things to play for Sunday against San Francisco (5-6): Matt Hasselbeck’s(notes) broken ribs.

“I don’t think they’ve forgotten about it,” the 49ers’ thudding linebacker said of the hit at the goal line he put on Hasselbeck Sept. 20.

It sent the gasping, three-time Pro Bowl passer to Stanford Medical Center in an ambulance amid fears he had lung or heart issues.

“They are going to try to come at me,” Willis said.

Hasselbeck just shook his head and laughed at that.

“If my teammates liked me more, maybe,” the three-time Pro Bowl passer joked. “They probably don’t even remember (the play).”

Hasselbeck’s ribs are just now healing, 11 weeks later.

That’s not all that’s changed between these two teams since that meeting in Week 2.

Seattle and San Francisco were playing for the early lead in the NFC West then. Hasselbeck was as fully healthy as Seattle’s running game, which had just gained 167 yards in an opening thrashing of the woeful Rams.

The 49ers had Alex Smith on the bench, watching Shaun Hill(notes) play quarterback. Playmaking rookie wide receiver Michael Crabtree(notes) wasn’t even on the team. He was at an impasse over his first contract.

Still, San Francisco steamrolled Seattle 23-10 that day by the Bay, starting a skid during which Hasselbeck missed 2 1/2 games as the Seahawks lost three straight and seven of nine. Their running game sank to 30th in the league. They waived backup Edgerrin James(notes), the league’s leading active rusher. Starter Julius Jones(notes), signed by Ruskell before the 2008 season to replace Shaun Alexander(notes), bruised his lung, coughed up blood and is now fighting for his job with elusive second-year man Justin Forsett(notes). Jones may be ready to return Sunday.

Goodbye season. Goodbye Ruskell.

“We’re scrambling a little bit to hang on to our season,” Hasselbeck said.

The 49ers also flopped, losing six of nine after the win over Seattle. Hill was benched in the middle of a loss at Houston, when Smith entered and finally looked like the top overall draft pick he was in 2005.

“He’s a lot more comfortable now,” dominant tight end Vernon Davis(notes) said. “There’s a lot of trust with the receivers.”

Smith set a career high with 29 completions Nov. 8 at Tennessee, the third of four straight losses. Last weekend he had 27 completions in a 20-3 over Jacksonville, when the 49ers went into shotgun formation and threw it around in what sure looked like a spread offense, to close within two games of Arizona for the division lead.

“There is something about the word ‘spread’ that I hate,” said San Francisco coach Mike Singletary, the former, famously no-frills linebacker with the Bears. “I would just say, we’re ‘versatile.”’

Crabtree and Davis have been the beneficiaries of “versatile.”

Despite missing the first five games, Crabtree is second among NFL rookies, averaging 57.7 yards receiving per game.

“What he’s done thus far is a little short of remarkable, to come in basically off the street,” Singletary said.

Singletary, during his first game as a head coach last season, against Seattle, sent Davis to the locker room for selfish play.

“I was like, ‘Man, this guy’s crazy! I ain’t ever met a coach like this!”’ Davis says.

Now, Davis is a team captain. He needs one touchdown catch to set a 49ers single-season record for a tight end. His nine TDs receiving is tied for most among all NFL players.

Yet for all of San Francisco’s passing fancy, Seattle’s defenders remained focused on running back Frank Gore(notes).

They should be. In his past seven games against the Seahawks, Gore has averaged 160 yards from scrimmage. In the last meeting, Gore rushed for 207 yards. The only higher total of his career came in 2006—212 yards against Seattle.

“They have a lot of weapons, but the biggest weapon they have is Frank Gore,” Seattle cornerback Josh Wilson(notes) said. “That’s their money guy.”

But all of San Francisco’s throwing has Gore feeling cheapened. Singletary said he’s talked to him about the decreased emphasis on the running game.

“Any great player that I’ve been around, whether it’s Walter Payton, whether it’s a great receiver, Jerry Rice(notes), whoever it might be, when they’re not getting the ball, they feel like they’re not contributing,” Singletary said.

“I understand full well when that happens. It’s like when I was playing. If I didn’t get 10 tackles, I’m sitting there and I’m thinking, ‘Daggumit. Man.”’

AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley in Santa Clara, Calif., contributed to this report.
 
Dec 3, 2005
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"I was talking to my wife the other day," Ruskell said, "and I said, 'Let's look at that will again. It says burial, but let's go for cremation so they won't be able to write, 'Here lies the man that lost Hutch.'"

that shit had me rollin when i heard it. at least he knows whatsup. im not even sure how i feel on the gm thing right now. i would like holmgren cuz i know he can spot talent especially at QB which we are going to need pretty soon but i dont feel like he's the answer to anything but that. im sure there are plenty of other good canidates as well
 

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May 6, 2002
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Yet Patrick Willis(notes) thinks Seattle (4-7) has some things to play for Sunday against San Francisco (5-6): Matt Hasselbeck’s(notes) broken ribs.

“I don’t think they’ve forgotten about it,” the 49ers’ thudding linebacker said of the hit at the goal line he put on Hasselbeck Sept. 20.

It sent the gasping, three-time Pro Bowl passer to Stanford Medical Center in an ambulance amid fears he had lung or heart issues.

“They are going to try to come at me,” Willis said.

Hasselbeck just shook his head and laughed at that.

“If my teammates liked me more, maybe,” the three-time Pro Bowl passer joked. “They probably don’t even remember (the play).”

Hasselbeck’s ribs are just now healing, 11 weeks later.

That’s not all that’s changed between these two teams since that meeting in Week 2.
Patrick's hit on Hasselbeck was payback for the Seahawk's injurying Alex Smith 2 years ago. Funny how people forgot about what their team does but remember what happens to them.
 
Feb 14, 2004
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Another funny thing about that is Hasselbeck was only out for two games, and Smitch was out for the rest of the season.

I remember when that happened. Bernard got let loose by Larry Allen, because he went for the LB instead, and let Rocky go free and landed on Smith, and did the sugar bear shake afterwards.
 
Feb 14, 2004
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Some good news for those that didn't like the lime green jeseys:

Mora was surprised that no one had mentioned that the players wore their darker blue pants in Sunday’s win over the 49ers. They are the pants that went with the green jerseys that were worn in the Week 3 game against the Chicago Bears.

“Those have been retired,” Mora said of the green jerseys. “I won’t say I don’t like those, I like our Seahawk blue with the accent of the lime green.”

But the pants? “The players, really, they like the feel of those pants,” said Mora, who called the combination of the Seahawk blue jerseys and darker pants a “tone-on-tone look.”

“I can’t believe we’re talking about uniforms,” Mora said, chuckling. “And I brought it up. It’s my fault.”
---------------------------------

I thought they were going to wear those in two home games this season? oh well.

http://blog.seahawks.com/2009/12/09/wednesday-in-hawkville-15/
 

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May 6, 2002
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Another funny thing about that is Hasselbeck was only out for two games, and Smitch was out for the rest of the season.

I remember when that happened. Bernard got let loose by Larry Allen, because he went for the LB instead, and let Rocky go free and landed on Smith, and did the sugar bear shake afterwards.
Willis did a football move and blocked Hasselbeck from the endzone.

Bernard did a WWE move, picked Smith up and dipped him right on his shoulder. I guess you could call that landing on someone.

If he wouldve just "landed" on him, Smith wouldve kept on playing.

I dont even really care about Smith but its just funny to point out how some seahawk fans forgot about that.

Now Warren Sapp, I dont like him at all for what he did to Steve Young......
 
Feb 14, 2004
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SEATTLE (AP)—The Seattle Seahawks have retired their neon-green jerseys after just one game.

The Seahawks were widely panned for wearing the jerseys during a home loss to the Chicago Bears on Sept. 27. They haven’t been seen since.

Coach Jim Mora chooses the uniforms combinations the team wears each week, with input from the players.

Asked why he’s saying goodbye to the green, the coach said “we didn’t win in them” and that he likes the traditional Seahawks blue better.

He does like another change made recently—wearing the blue, “home” pants under white jerseys while on the road.
 
Feb 14, 2004
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Embarrassed Seahawks may bench linemen

RENTON, Wash. (AP)—Jim Mora’s optimism is ebbing.

The Seahawks coach didn’t have the same fiery emotion and frustration Monday as he did immediately after his team’s most lopsided loss of the season, 34-7 at Houston on Sunday.

Yet he had the same impression of the result.

“I’m very discouraged right now. I’m as discouraged now as I’ve been in any game of my career,” Mora said immediately after his 5-8 team seemed overmatched against the Texans who entered the game on a four-game losing streak.

Asked on his televised coach’s show what he could take away from Houston, Mora said before boarding the plane home: “Nothing. We got our butts handed to us.” Then he added, “if you are getting paid by Paul Allen and the Seahawks, your butt is on notice.”

On Monday, Mora was lamenting what happened the previous day against the Texans.

“Sometimes I walk in here on Mondays and say it wasn’t as bad as it looked on the field,” Mora said. “I felt like (this) film was just about as bad as it was while watching the game in person.”

Wide receiver Nate Burleson(notes) is limping on an injured ankle, awaiting results of an MRI. Fourth overall draft choice Aaron Curry(notes) has a hip pointer, but the $34 million linebacker may play Sunday against Tampa Bay. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck(notes) is OK after getting battered yet again.

But his Seahawks are not.

Seattle was down 24-0 before it got its initial first down—“and we had probably every opportunity to be up 38 to whatever,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said.

“Really a pathetic, pitiful performance. That’s just the two words that I can think of, off the top of my head,” Seahawks running back Julius Jones(notes) said. “We came out and didn’t look like a professional team.”

Hasselbeck had already been playing with broken ribs and a sore shoulder. He got a banged thumb and more pain in the shoulder while the Texans sacked him three times and hit him after 10 other throws. He briefly went out hurt in the second half but returned.

Mora said the team will decide this week how many, if any, offensive lineman will lose their jobs.

“We are discussing the possibilities. It’s too early for me to say specifically what those may be,” Mora said. “We have to be prepared to shake it up.”

Center Chris Spencer(notes) has played for the past month with a cast over a broken right thumb, on the hand with which he normally snaps. On Sunday, he botched three snaps using his left hand. Mora said those were all on Spencer for not getting the ball high enough to the quarterback. And the coach said Spencer is a slow healer.

“We’ve got a center that’s trying to snap with his left hand because he’s got a cast on his right hand. He’s had that on for what seems like forever. I’m not quite sure why he still has a cast on his hand, but he does,” Mora said Sunday.

Seattle has an All-Pac 10 center from last year, rookie Max Unger(notes), playing right guard. And Spencer’s contract ends after the finale against Tennessee Jan. 3. Yet he isn’t the only one on alert.

“I’m going to consider changing all five spots,” Mora said.

Left guard Rob Sims(notes) has already been benched during his four-year career.

“It’s been that way when my dad was playing when I was a little boy. It’s like that now. It’s the same thing: you get replaced. It’s only a matter of when,” Sims said. “It’s going to happen eventually. Whenever that day comes, who knows? But I’m going to keep fighting until they call my name.”

Mora insists his team has not quit on its first-year coach.

“When you have a performance like (that), people question effort,” he said. “And I don’t see that as being a problem. Now, consistency in execution? Absolutely an issue.”

So if the effort’s there, how low must the players’ talent level be to be so thoroughly outplayed by a Texans team that had Houston talking about firing coaches and players until Seattle arrived?

“If I believe it’s a talent deficiency, this is certainly not the time to talk about it,” Mora said.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-embarrassedseahawks&prov=ap&type=lgns
 
Feb 14, 2004
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INJURY UPDATES

The status of wide receiver Nate Burleson for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Qwest Field remains in question because of the ankle injury he sustained against the Texans. Mora had yet to see results of the magnetic resonance imaging test Burleson had earlier in the day.

“He was in the (team) meeting and he was walking with a slight limp,” Mora said. “So I don’t know where Nate is going to be in terms of his availability this week.”

But the hip pointer linebacker Aaron Curry got is not as bad as originally thought. Mora said Curry’s injury was “more muscle than bone, which is a good thing when you’re talking about hip pointers.”

As for whether Curry will play in Sunday’s game, Mora said, “Aaron is actually moving around really well. He is walking without much of a limp. … I believe there is a chance Aaron could be available.”

Then there’s QB Matt Hasselbeck, who aggravated a shoulder injury and also injured a thumb.

“He’s actually better than you would think after taking the beating he took,” Mora said. “He’s not perfect, but he feels pretty good today.

“His thumb is going to be OK and he told me that his shoulder felt better than he thought it would, as well.”

http://blog.seahawks.com/2009/12/14/monday-in-hawkville-16/
 
Feb 14, 2004
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Justin Forsett’s opportunistic feet and hands: The too-short runner/receiver/returner continues to come up big when plays come his way. Forsett had a 41-yard kickoff return, a 42-yard pass play and a 9-yard run. In the end, he produced 73 of the team’s 282 offensive yards on 13 touches (nine carries, four receptions) and 89 of the 126 yards in the return game on four chances (three kickoffs returns, one punt return).

Andre Johnson in space: The focal point for the defense all week had been containing the Texans’ big, big-play receiver. Then he goes for a 64-yard touchdown on the first play of the game, en route to a 10-catch, 184-yard, two-TD first half. Johnson had only one catch for 9 yards in the second half, but it was an adjustment too late.


The week ahead

Q: How can a team that played as poorly as the Seahawks did in Houston on Sunday be a seven-point favorite this week?

A: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming to Qwest Field. The 1-12 Bucs, who have been held to seven or fewer points in three of their past four games and yielded 20-plus points in 11 of 13 games.

But then this is yet another week where the Seahawks must be more concerned about themselves than their opponent. Will Mora make changes on the O-line, as he threatened after the game? Will whatever combination the coaches put out there be able to do a better job of protecting Hasselbeck, and opening holes for Julius Jones and Forsett? Will the defense will able to get more pressure on rookie Josh Freeman than it did against Texans QB Matt Schaub (no sacks, two QB hits)? Will the special teams continue to improve?

The Seahawks hope to answer those questions this week.

http://blog.seahawks.com/2009/12/14/monday-morning-qb-16/
 
Feb 14, 2004
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Burleson Update

The magnetic resonance imaging test on Nate Burleson showed that the team’s second-leading receiver has a high ankle sprain, coach Jim Mora said today on his KIRO-FM radio show. Mora considered that good news, because he feared Burleson had damaged ligaments against the Texans.

How long Burleson will be out remains to be seen. Tackle Sean Locklear missed six games with a high ankle sprain earlier this season, while cornerback Josh Wilson was able to return after missing only two games with the same injury.

http://blog.seahawks.com/2009/12/15/burleson-update/
 
Feb 14, 2004
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Holmgren visits Browns for second straight day

CLEVELAND (AP)—Mike Holmgren remained unemployed. Eric Mangini stayed on the job, and the Cleveland Browns were still a mess.

That was about the extent of things following a drawn-out Tuesday with scarce information as the Browns, searching for a leader to head their football operations, continued talks with Holmgren, the former Seattle and Green Bay coach who wants back into the NFL.

Holmgren, with one Super Bowl title and success brimming from his resume, spent his second day meeting with owner Randy Lerner at the team’s suburban headquarters. Despite the lengthy stay, there was no indication that a deal was imminent.

In an e-mail to The Associated Press, Lerner suggested the sides still were talking but gave no specifics.

Holmgren arrived Monday after being invited to Cleveland by Lerner, who wants to hire a proven executive. On Tuesday, Holmgren was back at the team’s facility along with agent Bob LaMonte. The length of Holmgren’s visit, and LaMonte’s inclusion, points to the 61-year-old’s strong interest in taking on the Browns, who have had just two winning seasons since 1999.

Mangini, whose future could hinge on whom the Browns hire, told WTAM that he met with Holmgren.

“I have a ton of respect for Mike, and we’ll see where it goes,” Mangini told the club’s flagship radio station. “They are still in the early stages.”

Lerner has been focused on finding someone to fix his failing franchise. Last month, he said he wanted to hire a “serious, credible leader” to run the Browns.

Holmgren fits that bill.

He appeared in 12 postseasons and three Super Bowls before stepping down after last season with more wins than any other active coach. Holmgren, who had a spotty four-year run as both Seattle’s coach and general manager, is a proven football authority.

He took a sabbatical after the 2008 season to spend more time with his family. But Holmgren has been itching to get back into pro football, and the Browns would be a new challenge. It’s not known if Holmgren wants to serve as GM or as an overseer similar to Bill Parcells’ role in Miami.

Holmgren recently told a Seattle radio station he found Cleveland’s front-office job appealing.

“There’s something in my personality, too, that taking on those types of projects, that kind of gets me going. But there’s a lot of work to do,” he said. “The important thing, going into any organization is that all of the principles, all of the decision makers are pointed in the same direction, with the same motives, the same desires, and then you have a chance.”

Even if they reach an agreement with Holmgren, it’s possible the Browns may have to conduct further interviews to comply with the league’s “Rooney Rule,” which mandates that a team must interview at least one minority candidate before filling a front-office vacancy.

Holmgren spent 10 years with Seattle and seven with the Packers, leading them to a Super Bowl title in 1996. The Seahawks made the playoffs six times under Holmgren, including their only Super Bowl appearance when they lost to Pittsburgh to end the 2005 season.

Holmgren said last week he “absolutely” wanted to talk to Seahawks owner Paul Allen and chief executive Tod Leiweke about returning to the team, which relieved Holmgren of his GM duties after the 2002 season. Seattle is looking for a GM following Tim Ruskell’s resignation on Dec. 3, and Holmgren could be using the Browns as leverage to get a deal with his former team.

As of Tuesday, the Seahawks were still in the process of what Leiweke last week called “a thorough audit” of the slumping team. They have not started the process of interviewing candidates
.

It’s not known what impact the hiring of a football “czar” would have on Mangini’s status. His first season in Cleveland has been defined by lopsided losses, a suspect draft, players grumbling about practice methods and fines, and the firing of GM George Kokinis.

Mangini has said he would be open to Lerner bringing in someone to head the team’s personnel decisions. Following the Browns’ upset of Pittsburgh last week, Mangini said he would welcome a chance to show a “czar” what progress he has made in Cleveland.

“They can sit down and talk to the coaches, sit in on any meeting, watch our practices,” he said. “Come to our meetings. See how we teach. See how we function as a staff because it’s good and it’s right. Come take a look because it’s a good product.”

Lerner recently began a front-office overhaul by hiring Fred Nance as the team’s general counsel. Nance was one of five finalists to succeed former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_y...bYF?slug=ap-browns-holmgren&prov=ap&type=lgns

 
Feb 14, 2004
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Max in the middle

As promised, coach Jim Mora has shuffled the offensive line – with Max Unger moving to center and Chris Spencer splitting time at guard with Mike Gibson.

The future arrived for the Seahawks on Wednesday.

At least in the middle of their under-fire offensive line, after an emotional and upset Jim Mora had first threatened and then promised changes after Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans.

Wednesday, the team’s still-simmering coach announced that rookie Max Unger will start at center in this week’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Qwest Field, with veteran Chris Spencer moving to right guard to replace Unger – but also splitting time with Mike Gibson.

Drastic times call for drastic measures, and the two converged after Spencer had three botched snaps against the Texans – while snapping left-handed because he has been wearing a cast on his right hand the past five games to protect a fractured thumb.

“We think that eventually Max will be a very good center in this league, and rather than wait until the offseason to make that move we’re going to do it right now,” said Mora, who arrived for his weekly Q&A session wearing his on-field attire, with his hat pulled down and his passion turned up.

Unger, this year’s second-round draft choice, played center the past two seasons at the University of Oregon. He also got some second-half snaps during the preseason with the Seahawks.

“I try to not reference college too much, because this really is not even the same game,” Unger said.

Mora said that Unger was “excited” when told of the switch on Tuesday. But Wednesday, Unger took a more low-key approach.

“The optimal situation would be Chris at center, but it kind of came down and it’s just something we’ve got to deal with,” Unger said. “It’s not optimal for really anybody on the line. We’d like to stay at our spots that we started the season at.”

The fact that Unger has started 13 games at guard to get used to the speed of the game and the quality of the competition at this level will help with his transition to center – where more will be asked of him, and needed from him.

“He does have a feel for the speed game,” Mora said. “Before we did this, we went and reviewed his center work as well – all the snaps he played at center in preseason games. Just to say, ‘OK, let’s make sure that we are doing our due diligence before we just make this move.’ So we looked at every snap, and evaluated it, and we just feel he can handle it.”

Spencer, a first-round draft choice in 2005, did not talk to the media. But Spencer was “certainly disappointed,” Mora said.

“Chris is a guy that, in his life, has overcome many, many, many obstacles,” his coach continued. “And I think that this is just another one that he’ll overcome. While he’s disappointed, he’s also indicated to me that he’s a team-first guy, and that he’ll do whatever he can to make sure that the transition for Max is smooth and seamless, and he’ll help him as much as he can.

“At the same time, he’ll do the best job that he possibly can at right guard. So, that’s what I expected out of Chris.”

Left tackle Sean Locklear said, “It’s a little shock,” when asked about the double move. But perhaps the biggest surprise in this shuffle is that Gibson also will be given his first chance to play for the Seahawks after being inactive for the past seven games. The team liked Gibson coming out of college, when he played in a zone-blocking scheme at Cal. He was drafted in the sixth round by the Philadelphia Eagles last year, but spent the season on injured reserve. When he was released this season and added to the Eagles’ practice squad in October, the Seahawks signed him to their 53-man roster.

“Mike has shown to be – at least through practice and meetings and being around the team – a guy that deserves an opportunity,” Mora said. “We want to see what he’s capable of.

“We’re going to be proactive at this time up front, make moves that we hope and think can help this football team improve and get better – not just this week, but for the future. So we need to see what we’ve got, and now is the perfect time to do that.”

Mora isn’t just making these moves because he said something needed to be done. He discussed what to do, and which players to do it with, at length with offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and line coach Mike Solari – who now is working with his seventh starting combination this season, not to mention his third starter at center and second at right guard; to go with the four starters he has used at left tackle and three at left guard.

“It’s pretty significant,” Mora said. “We weighed everything. This wasn’t something where we just said, ‘Let’s try this.’ It took us a long time to make sure we were making the right decision.”

Mora wants to see more toughness, tenaciousness and downright nastiness from his entire team – starting with the O-line.

“It’s needed everywhere. I’d like a whole team of nail-eaters,” Mora said. “Every down there’s a collision. That’s the meat and potatoes of football, is the interior line. If you’re not winning in there, then you’re not winning.”

That’s where Gibson comes into play, even if it is through a side door.

Asked what he has seen from Gibson, Mora offered, “Toughness. Physical strength. Energy. Grit. Smarts. Great attitude. Excellent work ethic. A lot of good things. Now we need to see it in game.”

Mora left out a couple: Patience, and perseverance.

“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for the past year and a half,” Gibson said. “To come into this situation right here, it’s a blessing that I’m here. I’ve got great coaches, great teammates and they’re helping me along and making the transition a lot easier.”

Gibson isn’t trying to make more of the opportunity than is there.

“All I know is that I might have an opportunity to play,” he said. “I plan on taking full advantage of it and hopefully giving them a chance not to take me out of the game. That’s the plan.”

http://www.seahawks.com/news/articl...e-middle/d50df81e-18fa-4688-ac82-4b2e4cbb0aa0
 
Feb 14, 2004
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I'm glad they finally took Spencer out of C. I was hoping they'd replace him with Unger, but was thinking they might put Vallos in. Glad they went with Unger instead.