Seahawks Insider readers:

We're announcing today that Frank Hughes, who has covered the Seattle SuperSonics for The News Tribune since 1997, is taking over the Seattle Seahawks beat. He replaces Mike Sando, who left the paper earlier this month to take a job at ESPN.com.

In looking for Sando's replacement, we hoped to find someone with a strong background in breaking news and one who has the ability to put that information in context for readers -- both in the paper and on the Web. Frank has demonstrated those skills on the Sonics beat through the years.

I know that the subject of Sando's replacement has generated a few comments on this blog. I appreciate the interest. Your support of this blog has been amazing. We recognize that this blog is an important part of the beat. Frank will continue to develop this spot as a vehicle for news and discussion about the Seahawks.

Thanks,

Dale Phelps
Deputy Managing Editor

I got an email from a Seahawks fan I met at the Tampa Bay game last year. She approached Sando and I while she was waiting by the team buses for pictures and autographs. She’d come down from Pennsylvania to see the game, and I was reminded the expense some fans face trying to follow their favorite team. In the recent email, she mentioned coming out for training camp. Of course, since the Hawks are training at the Kirkland headquarters this summer, there will be no fan access. That should be different when they move to the new headquarters.

It got me thinking, though, of how precious that access is to fans. After all, this woman wanted to travel across the country to watch a few days of practice. Meanwhile, it’s something we who cover sports tend to take for granted as a part of our work day. For those of you who haven’t had the chance, I thought I’d tell you what goes on at practice, and some of the things that stick out in my mind about the experience over the years.

If you get out there early enough, the head coach walks past and generally stops for a brief visit. Of the four Seahawks head coaches I’ve covered, Holmgren has been the most likely to pause a few minutes, kid a little, inquire about current events, families, etc. Very cordial. He’s never once used the opportunity to comment on columns or opinions he might not have liked.

If there’s a coach you notice as practice starts, it’s often Nolan Cromwell, who probably throws as many passes in a day as any quarterback on the roster. Cromwell throws all the warm-up routes to his receivers. Cromwell was an All-American quarterback at Kansas, primarily because of his running skills, but he’s still got a good arm.

Another of the more noticeable coaches may surprise you … Gil Haskell. I suspect the typical fan wonders how much work is done by an offensive coordinator on a team in which the head coach calls the plays during games. But Haskell literally “coordinates” the offensive practice. Especially during team drills, Haskell is very active and vocal, always stressing a quick tempo and precision execution.

Holmgren mostly watches, takes notes, and steps in on occasion with specifics. He makes his presence known when there’s a foul up of a fundamental, or a particular technique he might have stressed earlier. He definitely controls the intensity of the practice, and starts barking more when he feels that’s dragging. But there’s not a lot of yelling out there. Maybe it’s the nature of this staff, or the natural evolution of the game. In the Chuck Knox days, there was far more live contact and more screaming by assistants, perhaps because they didn’t want to look too soft in Chuck’s eyes.

(Knox’s regime is an entire story of its own. He used to turn his ballcap around backward and get into the line drills to show blocking techniques. He was not above really unloading on some guys. The most bizarre incident during a Knox training camp was when owner Ken Behring had his helicopter land on one of the practice fields DURING practice. Players had to scramble out of the way. Knox came over and visited with him, but you could tell he wanted to strangle the guy. Another year, after Knox had back surgery, he was told by doctors that he could coach but only from a folding chair. Well, a helper brought out that chair, and followed Chuck around every practice, but he never sat in it. He also never told the guy to go away.)

After players stretch, they break down into position groups and go through some basic drills: stepping over bags, hitting sleds and blocking dummies … the kinds of things these guys have been doing since junior high.

One of the interesting drills involves quarterbacks getting in a circle. One is in the middle while the others try to roll big rubber balls at him. The quarterback keeps his head up, but dodges the balls to simulate evading pass rushers that might be flying past.

My favorite part of practice is pass-blocking, in which offensive and defensive linemen go one-on-one. It gets pretty spirited. The way it’s set up, it favors defenders, but Walter Jones scores at least a TKO on nine out of 10 tries. For years, the lines were separate and cheered for their group, but recently two linemen have started meeting, like ambassadors, on the side after they’ve taken their snaps. Jones and DT Chuck Darby often get together and use the time to talk as they watch. They say it’s a discussion of techniques and mechanics, but it looks a lot more like two small-town gentlemen from the South taking a breather and enjoying small talk.

There used to be occasional fights during practices, especially during training camp, but there’s very few under the Holmgren staff, which discourages it. There tends to be a good-natured tone to practices as some of the higher profile players are natural kidders. Division titles make that easier, too.

On one field away from the action, the punter, kicker and snapper comprise a small fraternity of outcasts. They join the rest during special-team sessions, and then once again retreat to work on their skills in private.

The most game-like situations take place in “team” sessions toward the end of practice, when the offense goes against defense. At times during training camp, this includes live blocking and tackling, but during the season it’s usually live until first contact with no tackling. Touchdowns, interceptions, etc., always cause cheering from one side and derision from the other.

At the end of every practice, Holmgren calls the team together. It’s like a class assembly. We’re not allowed to listen in. Sometimes we can hear him from the sidelines when he’s been angry, but mostly he’s rather professorial, stressing points off notes he’s made during practice. Sometimes this takes a few moments, but often it’s a fairly lengthy gathering. Then they pull in close, shout once and head to the showers.