The Seahawks' free-agent kicker is reportedly heading to St. Louis to finalize a contract with Seattle's NFC West rival. Here is the link.

The Seahawks just announced that they have waived Tom Ashworth. He was supposed to be paid $2 million in 2008 but counted $2.6 million against the cap. My understanding is that if he was designated a pre-June 1 cut, then his entire remaining bonus of $1.8 million would count against this year's cap. But if they designate him a post-June 1 cut, which you can do with two players, then only $600,000 counts against the cap this year and the other $1.2 slides to the 2009 cap. So cutting Ashworth saves them $2 million off this year's cap.

I spoke with Leonard Weaver's agent, who said that three teams called him today to say they had a sincere interest in Weaver. However, Weaver's agent also said that the second-round pick a team would have to give Seattle as compensation is scaring folks off. That being said, he said it is more likely than not that Weaver returns to the Seahawks. Whether that is with a long-term deal or with playing under the $1.47 million tender offer remains to be seen. He said Weaver is not the type of guy who thinks the grass is greener, so his hope is to sign a long-term deal.

Also, on the last thread somebody posted a comment that Asante Samuel's contact with Philly is going to be six years for $47.2 million. It is actually six years years for $57 million, John Clayton and Adam Schefter are reporting, so that puts his average salary right around what Marcus Trufant is being paid with the franchise tag.

Also, Alge Crumpler made $2.925 last year and was scheduled to make $3.4 million this year, so I would think that is the type of money they are looking for from whomever signs him. Tim Ruskell has to ask himself -- or probably already has -- is it worth it to give Crumpler that type of money if he feels he can get a long-term solution in the draft.

I just spoke with Alge Crumpler's agent, Butch Williams, who said the internet report that Crumpler is going to sign with Seattle is inaccurate. He said Alge already has left Seattle and that he is going to visit one more team before making a decision on where he wants to sign. But to say that he is going to sign with the Seahawks is premature. He did not want to say what type of money Crumpler is seeking but he did say that he was confident that Tim Ruskell and John Idzik were savvy enough to manipulate the cap if it got to the point where they wanted to sign Crumpler. I also asked him how Crumpler's medical tests went. "I don't want to speak for them, but I think it went fine," Butch Williams said.

Here are some of Tim Ruskell's thoughts on cornerback Marcus Trufant and where and why they have stalled in negotiations:

"Nothing has changed. We put the tag on him And we will continue to talk. It is a unique situation. I think it is more than the money. It is a philosophical difference. Who is in the elite class and where in the elite class is Marcus is what it boils down to. My philosophy has always been with corners, the guys who have gotten paid are the guys who are lockdown corners, who can take the other guy out of the game. Darrell Green, Deion Sanders, Champ Bailey, those are the guys who have gotten the big bucks over the last 25 years. We make our evaluation and valuations on our guys. You either see them in that category or you don’t. And that is a great category. And there is another category, the guys who can do everything well. They have the whole package. Some of your lockdown guys, great in the man to man but they can’t tackle. Deion. I think Marcus is the top of the very good that does everything well type of category. That is where our offer is. That puts him above a lot of good guys. You talk about McAlliser. You talk about Ronde Barber. You talk about Woodson. And Newman. And Bly. A lot of good players. If they were sitting there, they would say, ‘No, he is up there with the lockdown guys. That is what he is. Just ask our people we talk to in the league.’ We have to go by what we see. Our evaluation. It has done us well for the last 20 or 25 years and we have to go by that. It has just gotten crazy what has happened to that market. They are approaching quarterbacks. And I think if you go back and talk to those teams that have recently said if we can just bring in a lockdown corner that is going to make our defense fantastic, you know that didn’t happen. In many cases, it went the other way. In a lot of cases, if you bring in a guy like that, the other team goes, ‘Phew.’ Because if you bring in a lockdown corner, I can blitz. The offense is going to go, ‘Let’s go at him so they know they can’t do that.’ Those guys get picked on. That is where the philosophical impasse is with us and his representatives. Who will blink and go across the bridge? We are both pretty staunch in our views. Having said all that, we love Marcus. He is such a good player for our football team. He said during the year, when you all asked why are you having such a good year, who did he credit? Got to have the pass rush. Got to have those guys behind you. It is really a team concept deal. He is a great system guy. What is frustrating, we didn’t want to use the tag. Because it is such a big footprint in the cap. Having said all that, I still think we get it done. I do. I am optimistic that way. I think they are going to wait and see where does Asante Samuel come in. That is a tough one. I have talked about where does the corner rank in terms of value. Do you put the quarterback first and rushing defensive end. I think every team has that list a little different. And can a corner come into your team and change it. If you’re good can he make it great. If you are average can he make it good? When you talk about a quarterback, you say yes. He can take you from poor to average. You have to really pay attention to that when you view your valuations."

Not that this comes as a surprise after speaking with Tim Ruskell yesterday, but KJR's Dave Mahler said that he spoke with and text-messaged Josh Brown and asked him what the percentage was that he is leaving. He said Brown texted him back and said, "100 percent."

The Chiefs, who went through three kickers in a 4-12 campaign last season, apparently have targeted Josh Brown as a free-agent target. The Kansas City Star reports today that Brown is expected to visit with the Chiefs, perhaps as soon as today.

With Tim Ruskell saying yesterday that the Seahawks are at a point in the cap that if they sign anybody, they will have to either cut a player or restructure a contract, I took a look at the players making the most money and offering the least value. There are five primary candidates.

The first is obviously Shaun Alexander, who is scheduled to make $4,475,000 million next season and could give the Seahawks a few million dollars relief if he was designated a June 1 cut. However, Ruskell said yesterday that the team is not planning on asking Alexander to restructure and they are not planning to cut him. So that for now is out.

Chris Gray. He is scheduled to make $1.28 million next season. Ruskell said Holmgren is going to have another conversation with him about his future, so I would guess there is a good chance he retires even though his agent told me the other day he was going to. The problem there is that he is the team's only backup center for now.

Mike Green. He is going to make $1.3 million next season and was used very little last season. I could see him being asked to make some sacrifices.

Tom Ashworth. He is scheduled to make $2 million this coming season and has not proven to be worth the five-year, $13 million deal he inked in 2006.

Jason Babin. He will make $887,000 next season, but often was one of the players left off the active roster. Given the development of Baraka Atkins, Babin seems expendable.

According to the Pewter Report, Tampa Bay, which has $44 million in cap sapce, has its eyes on wide receiver D.J. Hackett and linebacker Nike Koutouvides. Also, Clayton is reporting that the Falcons contacted Josh Brown.

On the verge of free agency opening, here is what emerged from a 37-minute conversation with Tim Ruskell:

* The team is very tight on the $116 million salary cap because of Marcus Trufant's franchise tag. In fact, to make any moves in free agency, there is going to have to be some other movement on the roster in terms of cutting players or restructuring contracts.

* Ruskell does not anticipate either cutting Shaun Alexander of asking him to restructure his contract. He said they are convinced that Shaun can return to his former exploits, and that the retooling of the running game (Mike Wahle, Mike Solari) will help him get there.

=> Read more!

Tim Ruskell said the sides are at an impasse, in part because they have a philosophical difference on what Marcus should be paid. As we have written in the past, Trufant's side thinks he should be paid like an elite corner, which is about $10 million a season. Maybe a little less, but the idea is that it is the highest-paid player after the quarterback. Ruskell said regardless of what Asante Samuel signs for, there evaluation of Trufant is that he is not a "shut-down corner" in the same mold as Darrell Green or Deion Sanders or Champ Bailey. He is in the next tier, a really good player who can have a positive impact on the game, but is not the type of player who can completely shut down one side of the field. His Pro Bowl season also was positively impacted by the fact that the Seahawks' defense was improved because of the acquisitions of Patrick Kerney and the two safeties. I asked Ruskell if it behooves the Hawks to let him get paid the franchise tag number this year and prove to them that he is indeed a consistent Pro Bowl corner, rather than paying him off a season that could have been a fluke. Ruskell said no, they know that Trufant is a very good corner, last year was not a fluke, but, again, in their evaluation of the position, he is a second-tier corner, not the shutdown corner. The problem, he acknowledged, is which side blinks first. "We are both pretty staunch in our positions," Ruskell said. Having said that, he also said he ultimately thinks something will get done eventually.

=> Read more!

We just had a sit-down with Tim Ruskell, and I will do a post in a little bit about everything that we talked about. But I wanted to get out there right away that Alge Crumpler is in town today and tomorrow. He will sit down with Ruskell and he will meet with the Seahawks' doctors to check his full health. Tim said he does not know what the chances are of signing him. There obviously is other interest, but the Hawks are trying to do their due diligence on whomever is available. If I was to guess, I would say that they would not sign him because Ruskell seemed very high on the tight ends in the draft, and that they could get a long-term solution at the position in the early rounds. But he did not want to go without investigating Crumpler as a possibility. More to come.

FieldTurf at Qwest Field to be demolished

WHAT: The FieldTurf at Qwest Field will be ripped up by backhoes.

WHEN: Thursday, February 28 from 12-2 p.m.

WHERE: Qwest Field

WHO: Donny Jones, FieldTurf representative

I spoke with his agent, and to be honest there is not much of an update. Branch had the surgery on the knee and has been in Birmingham, Ala. undergoing rehab. His agent, Jason Chayut, said it still is too early to determine when exactly Branch will be able to play again. I had heard that Branch was saying that he would come back before everybody expected, but Chayut said there is no way to guage that at this point. I asked him exactly what happened on the play where Branch was injured, but he chose to let Branch answer that question himself the next time he speaks with the media. For now, Branch remains in Alabama under the guidance of Dr. Andrews.

I just spoke with Bentley's agent, Kenneth Zuckerman, who said that not only is Bentley going to command more money on the open market than he made last year ($625K) or than the Seahawks can afford this year, but he no longer wants to play behind one of the top linebacking corps in the NFL. He would rather start. Zuckerman said that Bentley's ability to play all three positions, as well as his prowess on special teams, will make him a commodity on Friday.

"I really haven't talked to the Seahawks in too much detail about Kevin," Zuckerman said. "I haven't talked to them in a couple weeks. But Kevin is the kind of guy who will generate interest in the market. So that is right, I don't expect him to be back with Seattle."

I wanted to give folks an idea of what the Scouting Combine is like, for those who are not familiar with it.

Basically, it is a great place to make contacts and talk to people in the league outside of the normal atmosphere, but like you, reporters are required to watch the workouts in the RCA Dome on NFL Network. Last year, they started letting a few select reporters in to view a few hours of workouts and write about it, but from talking to some of the people who attended for a few hours, they said it was essentially what you see on NFL Network but in person. Basically, boring. Guys running 40s, catching and throwing passes, what you see in practice. I asked one exec if he enjoyed doing it and he answered: "Do you enjoy going to the dentist?"

=> Read more!

There has been some talk that 37-year-old right guard Chris Gray either will or should retire, opening up some cap room for the Hawks while opening up some opportunities along the offensive line for guys like Ray Willis and/or Rob Sims.

I just spoke with Gray's agent, however, and he said that for now Gray is planning on coming back. He said the Seahawks have not contacted him about Gray retiring, and he said he has not had a retirement conversation with Gray.

"He's ready to come back and he's ready to play," said John Drana, Gray's agent.

Drana said he would not be shocked if the Seahawks called and asked Gray to retire, but as of yet Tim Ruskell has not made that call. "Chris is a serviceable guy," Drana said. "It will be interesting to see what happens."

=> Read more!

Branch, Tyvon 4.31
Scandrick, Orlando 4.32
Rodgers-Cromartie, Dominique 4.33
Porter, Tracy 4.37
Grant, Michael 4.37
Wheatley, Terrence 4.37
McKelvin, Leodis 4.38
Wilhite, Jonathan 4.38
Jenkins, Mike 4.38

Here is a link to a story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that talks about the Packers' tepid pursuit of Mike Wahle after he was released by Carolina. The story also contains details of the contract Wahle signed with Seattle and why he signed the deal.

Stewart, Carl 39.0
Stewart, Jonathan 36.5
Brown, Thomas 36.0
Johnson, Chris 35.0
Parmele, Jalen 34.0
Choice, Tashard 34.0
Torain, Ryan 34.0
Boyd, Cory 33.5
Slaton, Steve 33.5
Mendenhall, Rashard 33.5
Jones, Felix 33.5

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.J. Hackett is going to become an unrestricted free agent on Friday, and there is a good chance Hackett will not re-join the Seahawks.

Hackett’s Denver-based agent, Kevin Robinson, met with Seahawks general manager Tim Ruskell and vice president of football administration John Idzik at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, and Robinson came away from the meeting seemingly discouraged by Seattle’s commitment to their 2004 fifth-round pick.

“We are going to test the market,” Robinson said. “I won’t rule out Seattle as a destination but we are going to test the market and see what’s out there.”

Keller, Dustin 4.55
Tamme, Jacob 4.58
Stevens, Craig 4.59
Davis, Kellen 4.60
Cottam, Brad 4.63
Barnidge, Gary 4.65
Bennett, Martellus 4.68
Finley, Jermichael 4.82

Jackson, DeSean 4.35
Caldwell, Andre 4.37
Franklin, Will 4.37
Jackson, Dexter 4.37
Royal, Eddie 4.39
Thomas, Devin 4.40
Shields, Arman 4.44
Breazell, Brandon 4.47
Simpson, Jerome 4.47
Bennett, Earl 4.48
Garcon, Pierre 4.48

Johnson, Chris 4.24
McFadden, Darren 4.33
Alridge, Anthony 4.36
Charles, Jamaal 4.38
Simpson, Chad 4.42
Mendenhall, Rashard 4.45
Forte, Matt 4.46
Jones, Felix 4.47
Parmele, Jalen 4.47
Stewart, Jonathan 4.48

Here is a link to the story I wrote today regarding Trufant's negotiations. Sources have told me that the Hawks are offering Trufant less over six years than the $43 million Nate Clements is going to get over the first five years of his contract. Needless to say, the talks have stalled, at least until Asante Samuel sets the market.

Just as a note, Montana running back Lex Hilliard was not brought in to meet with the media so there was nothing available regarding quotes from him.

Here is Dorsey:

Q: Is there any award or honor you wanted and did not achieve this year?

A: Not really, the National Championship is the ultimate award so I feel like I have achieved everything I wanted to.

Q: You working out here?

A: No sir. I decided not to work out. I had a death in my family so I had to take some time off. I decided to work out on my Pro Day which is March 26 down at LSU.

=> Read more!

HOW GOOD IS THE RB CLASS?
I definitely feel like it's a very good group of running backs, especially
with a lot of the junior class coming out. As to where I fit in, I definitely
feel like I am up toward the top. I feel like I am a complete back--a guy that
can make you miss and a guy that can take it the distance as well--a big guy
and a third-down back and that's why I feel like I am towards the top as a player.

=> Read more!

(lost weight)
I told a lot of people I was really not joking around when I got sick down there before
the Senior Bowl. I was able to get some of my weight back right away and then I probably
put on a solid 15 pounds in the last month. I'm at where I'm comfortable now but
I know I can gain some more weight and get bigger.

(how gain weight)
They put you on a strong supplement and they put you on a specific diet. They send like
three meals to your house and three snacks. And they give you supplements, my agent and
trainer. Basically just a lot of food. If I knock out my supplements and my meals I can
do whatever I want, so I made a couple runs to In 'N Out. Basically ate as much as I
could and I was able to work out every day and was just in a very specific environment
and I was able to gain a lot of weight.

=> Read more!

Jonathan Stewart did 28 reps of 245 pounds, which was third-best among running backs. Rashard Mendenhall did 26 reps, the same amount of Owen Schmitt.

Purdue's Dustin Keller was the fastest tight end, running a 4.55 40. Brad Cottam, the 6-7, 270-pound kid from Tennessee, ran 4.63. Martellus Bennett was 4.68. Fred Davis was not among the fastest TEs.

Keller had a 38-inch vertical, the best, Bennett had a 34-inch vert and Cottam was 33. Again, Fred Davis was not among the best. Keller also was the best guy in the broad jump.

The NFL is offering the opportunity for players to takes classes at Harvard, Wharton, Stanford and Northwestern Business Schools, with the idea that they can prepare for their post-playing days.

The Seahawks players who have enrolled at the schools are:

Will Heller (Harvard)
Ben Joppru (Harvard)
Ben Obomanu (Harvard)
Alvin Pearman (Harvard)
Josh Wilson (Wharton)

Here is a link to a story out of Vancouver, Washington about Curt Warner's house burning down. Thank goodness everybody is OK.

Q: One penalty in your whole college career? Is that stat correct?

A: I actually got one this season, I had a false start against Northwestern but those were my only two penalties. My redshirt freshman year I had a holding penalty.

Q: How much do you think you helped yourself by staying senior year?

A: It has helped me a lot. Last year I didn’t feel I was good enough to come out, I wanted to improve on things and those things I improved on. I feel I’m a smarter and better player than I was last year. I’m smarter in identifying the defenses. I worked on the little things in my game and I’ve gotten a lot better.

=> Read more!

Given that this is one of the deepest drafts in recent memory for offensive tackles (Pittsburgh's Keith Colbert said it is the best in the 24 years he has been in the league), and given that the Seahawks need to start thinking about replacing Walter Jones, who for the second straight offseason had shoulder surgery, this may be the best time for the Hawks to take an offensive tackle. I was told by a source and Rob agrees that the Seahawks could/should take a tackle in the first or second round. Rob thinks that if one of the three backs we mentioned yesterday -- Darren McFadden, Rashard Mendenhall or Jonathan Stewart -- are available, take them. But if they are not, the first round could be used to get the left tackle of the future. With that in mind, here are some of the possibiltiies:

1) Jeffrey Otah, Pittsburgh. He is a converted defensive lineman and a JUCO transfer who somehow just naturally grasped the position. He had a poor workout here today, but he still is going to be a first-round pick. He may be a top 20 pick. If he is around, Rob says the Hawks should definitely nab him.

=> Read more!

(Do you see yourself as a kick and punt returner?)

Special teams is something Ive definitely been doing all my college career
kickoff returning. If the coaches think I can perform well at the next
level at kickoff return, thats something I would look forward to doing
as well as playing running back.

(receiving skills?)

I had 22 catches this year and have seen limited action in that area I guess
because we have great receivers on that end. The receivers get the ball. I run
the ball. But at the same time, Ive received dump-off passes, swing passes
and screens. Im pretty familiar to the passing game.

=> Read more!

Here is a link to the story I wrote for today's News Tribune, which covers a few other topics discussed with Mike Holmgren yesterday here at the combine.

Where do you stand on the Shaun Alexander debate?

"I am speaking at his church coming up on Saturday. I don’t see it as much of a debate. Shaun, we know the type of back he can be. We know he has been hurt and it has affected his play the last couple years. I am not ready to buy into the fact that he hit 30 and all of a sudden he can’t play anymore. As I have said so many times, he is the lightning trod all last season. It is going to be a show-me type of year though. But I am not ready to write that one off yet."

Given what he will make next year, and given his price relative to his productivity, do you have to ask him to take a pay cut?

"I don’t have to ask him to do any of that. Someone else can do that if they choose to do that."

Did you hear his stance on that? On the radio he said classy organizations don’t ask their players to do that.

"I would argue with him about that. Sometimes you have to do those things. You absolutely have to do those things. And I wasn’t being a wiseguy about that. But I don’t have to do that anymore. Someone else does. And those discussions, I haven’t been privy to that discussion yet. When the time comes, if we have to have that discussion, we will have it. Balancing the salary cap and getting everything working properly, we have good guys who do that. I am still hopeful we can get something long-term with Trufant and give us a little relief from the salary cap. I hope so."

We ran into Mike Holmgren wandering through the combine and spoke to him for about 20 minutes. Two names being considered for the running backs coach are Mack Strong and Ernest Byner. Holmgren said that Mack has to figure out if he actually wants to get back into it, or whether he wants to take some time off to get fully healthy. The other thing playing into this is that it is apparent that it is only going to be a one-year contract, after which Jim Mora is likely to hire his own guy. It is hard, Holmgren said, to get somebody to pick up their entire family and move out to Seattle knowing it is only going to be for one season. But, he said, there may be guys willing to do that to stay in the game, get the experience, etc. I think that is the reason they are targeting Mack, because he is in town, has familiarity, Holmgren is comfortable with him and he may not care if the job ends after one season.

John Carlson, Notre Dame, TE:He is 6-47/8, 255 pounds. He had 40 receptions for a 9.3-yard
average and three touchdowns in 2007.

Q: How did playing in Charlie Weiss' offense help you prepare for the pros?
A: "It was beneficial to play under coach Weiss, obviously. It was beneficial to experience
tha change of coaches and to have to adjust to a new system in my college career. I learned
a great deal from coach Weiss and hopefully I'll be able to pick up the next offense more quickly."

=> Read more!

I hooked up with Rob Rang, one of Sando's go-to guys regarding the draft, who agreed to work with me on draft stuff and the blog, giving his opinion about various players and various positions.

Since I think the Seahawks are targeting a running back early in the draft, Rob and I discussed the position at length and what he thinks works best for the Hawks.

By far the top three players at the position are Arkansas' Darren McFadden, Oregon's Jonathan Stewart and Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall. Though McFadden has some "character issues," Rob said he still will be a top 10 pick. He said you can go back and forth between Stewart and Mendenhall, depending on the person doing the choosing. They are both good players and both would fit perfectly in the Seahawks' backfield. Unfortunately, Rob says, neither will be available when the Seahawks are picking 25th. They should go somewhere between 10-20. If they are there, Rob says, the Seahawks should snatch one of them up quickly. But since he doesn't think either will be there, he said the Seahawks would be better off taking a tight end like Fred Davis or John Carlson, then waiting til the end of the second round or third round to go after the back.

=> Read more!

(What was the thought process of coming out early)
�I know a lot of people think I just upped one day and said OK I�m going to the NFL but it was a long process and we went about it the right way. I talked to Coach Fran � me and Coach Fran have a real good relationship and he gave me his output and what he thought. Coach Sherman helped me out a whole lot
through the process and I prayed a lot. It was a family decision. I felt my time at A&M
was up and I felt like I couldn�t do much more in progressing as a player so I decided to come out.

=> Read more!

This is old news by now. Sorry for the delay. I was out having a late dinner when the Locklear news came down and I assumed that my desk had put the information on the blog last night. Obviously they had not. It is a $32 million deal with $12 million guaranteed, and essentially solidifies the main concerns along the offensive line. The biggest question remaining there is does Rob Sims become the starting right guard, does Ray Willis become the starting right guard, or do the Seahawks feel they need to go out and get another player to fill that spot and have Sims and Willis for depth and development?

I am heading over to the combine right now. I will post some quotes from select players once I am there, as well as glean as much information as I can from the running backs who are brought through. Also, former Seahawks quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn, now coaching the Redskins, is having a press conference this afternoon so I will update you with quotes from that as well.

The Seattle Seahawks designated cornerback Marcus Trufant their franchise player, it was announced by the team today.

By placing the franchise tag on Trufant, Seattle will tender a minimum of the average salary of the top five cornerbacks in the National Football League, or a 20 percent salary increase, whichever is greater. Trufant will be free to negotiate with any other team, but the Seahawks can match any offer or receive two first-round draft choices if they decide not to match.

“We are excited that Marcus will remain a Seahawk,” said President & General Manager Tim Ruskell. “We will continue to talk with his representative in hopes of securing a long-term deal which is our goal.”

Trufant, a Tacoma native and Washington State product, was originally selected by the Seahawks as the 11th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. He has started all 78 career games played and finished second on the team in 2007 with 85 tackles (78 solo), leading the team with 16 passes defensed with a career-high seven interceptions, returning one for his first-career touchdown while earning his first-career Pro Bowl berth.

The Seahawks have hired Chris Beake as their offensive quality control coach. Beake will replace Gary Reynolds, who left Mike Holmgren's staff to join Nolan Cromwell at Texas A&M. The interesting thing about Beake is that he used to be -- are you ready for it? -- Jim Mora's linebackers coach in Atlanta. Here is a link to a story that lays out his background pretty well. He has no playing experience but to make up for that shortcoming I am told he works his tail off. He should be a good hire, and it wouldn't surprise me if he gets more responsibility next year, when Mora takes over for Holmgren.

A lot of folks were requesting information about the tight ends here in Indianapolis. I just spent the past 90 minutes sitting in on and listening to interviews with many of them. The ones who said they already have met with the Seahawks are John Carlson of Notre Dame and Craig Stevens of California. That's not to say that others have not, but those are the ones who specifically said they met with Seattle. A couple others said they have meetings tonight. Mostly they are meet and greets, nothing in depth.

The ones who were most impressive to me just in an interview/personality capacity were Martellus Bennett of Texas A&M, Martin Rucker of Missouri and Brad Cottam of Tennessee.

=> Read more!

I just spoke with Josh Brown's agent, who said he has spoken with the Seahawks but no deal obviously was able to be reached. He did not want to get into specifics but he did not sound optimistic about where things stand with negotiations. The issue, as always, is compensation. This is not from the agent, but I think that Brown is seeking something near what Adam Vinatieri signed with Indy, around $2.5 million per season. The Seahawks are coming in under that, obviously. The agent said that he has no future negotiations scheduled, though he was confident he would meet with the Seahawks at the combine here in Indianapolis. I spoke with one person with a pretty good feel for the situation who said he would not be surprised to see the Seahawks let Brown go and then go after a kicker in the later rounds here, particularly because having to franchise Trufant puts them in a tough spot cap-wise. I think the feeling there is that given the money, a talented kicker can be found in the draft, the same way that Brown was drafted after letting Rian Lindell go. Stay tuned.

Marcus Trufant was designated as a "non-exclusive" franchise player, which means that he still can negotiate with other teams once free agency starts. If he signs with another team, then the team that signs him must give the Seahawks two first-round draft picks. The Seahawks also have the right of first refusal on any offer Trufant receives. Trufant has not signed the Seahawks tender offer and it is my understanding he will not sign it for a while.

As for where they stand in negotiations, I don't know exact numbers but it seems apparent to me that the sides are pretty far apart. I think that Trufant's camp is of the mindset that the market has been set with the Nate Clements' contract of eight years and $80 million. I don't think they are looking for something that large because Clements will not collect at least the last three years of that contract, but the average of around $9 million or $10 million per season has been established. Now, would Trufant give the Seahawks a home-town discount? My guess -- and this is only a guess -- is probably, but not significant, not like $2 million or $3 million per season. Now that the Raiders have franchised Nnamdi Asomugha, one thing to keep an eye on is what Asante Samuel signs for. He was franchised last year. From what I am hearing, he is asking for six years and $62 million. If he gets that -- or gets something less, like five years and $45 or $50 million -- it validates the Clements contract as something other than a fluke and again puts pressure on the Seahawks to come closer to the $9 million or $10 million a year number. Right now, they can argue that was only one team going crazy. But if two teams do it, and it becomes a trend, then ...

One last thing to keep in mind. Since Asomugha is Oakland's exclusive franchise player and he can only negotiate with them, if Samuel re-signs with New England, that leaves Trufant as the best corner on the market (which is a relative term). I find it hard to believe that a team would give him a big contract AND give up two first-round picks, but that possibility remains under the rules of the CBA.

I just got off the phone with Marcus's agent, who had just landed in Indianapolis. He did not have a great deal of time to talk but confirmed that Marcus Trufant was the player the Seahawks decided to franchise. The franchise tag is worth around $9.5 million. This does not mean they are no longer negotiating. I am at my layover in Chicago but will provide more information as it becomes available. The Hawks are not going to issue a release until tomorrow.

I am back from my time off, at the airport flying to Indianapolis for the combine. The Hawks have to name their franchise player by tomorrow, but they could do it as soon as this afternoon, I am told. It will be either Josh Brown, Marcus Trufant or Sean Locklear, depending on how negotiations with the three proceed between now and tomorrow's deadline. We will update the blog as soon as we know which way the Hawks are going.

I will provide as much information as I can from the combine. The schedule, which starts tomorrow, is as follows:

Thursday, Feb. 21: Offensive Linemen, Kickers, Punters, Long Snappers, Tight Ends

Friday, Feb. 22: Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Wide Receivers

Saturday, Feb. 23: Defensive Linemen, Linebackers

Sunday, Feb. 24: Defensive Backs

Obviously, the focus for the Hawks in the draft is running backs, tight ends, defensive lineman and offensive lineman, though that could change depending on what happens with their free agency. If there is anybody you specifically want information on or from, let me know and I will do my best to provide it.

As noted earlier, Frank is on vacation. He'll be back at work this weekend, covering the NFL combine in Indianapolis.

In the meantime, please try to keep the conversation civil. You may have noticed some comments have been deleted - we'll continue to do so as warranted. Nobody is trying to be Big Brother here, but remember, this is a forum for discussing the Seahawks, not for anonymously insulting strangers. The blog becomes a worse place for everybody when it disintegrates into name-calling.

In the meantime, here's a Chicago Tribune column questioning the Redskins' hiring of Jim Zorn.

The Seahawks have named former Washington Redskins quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor to replace the departed Jim Zorn in similar capacity, the team announced this afternoon.

Also, the team signed guard Mike Wahle to a multi-year contract. Wahle, a two-time Pro Bowl pick, started 16 games for the Carolina Panthers in 2007 and has started 128 of 142 career games.

Originally selected in the second round (24th overall) of the 1998 Supplemental NFL Draft by Green Bay, Wahle played seven years for the Green Bay Packers before signing as a free agent by Carolina in 2005. In 2005 and 2006 he played in the Pro Bowl.

Lazor will begin his sixth NFL season in 2008 after spending the previous four with Washington, serving his final two years as quarterbacks coach. He originally began his Redskins career as an offensive assistant in 2004 after a season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2003.

Before breaking in to the NFL, he was an offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the University of Buffalo from 2001-02. He began his coaching career at his alma mater, Cornell, working with running backs, receivers, quarterbacks and tight ends while also serving as the recruiting coordinator from 1998-2000.

While at Cornell, he set 26 school passing and total offensive records.

The Washington Redskins announced today that they have named Stump Mitchell as assistant head coach/running backs.

Mitchell spent the last nine seasons with the Seattle Seahawks as their running backs coach. During that time Seattle running backs recorded 1,000 yard seasons seven times (Ricky Waters 1999-00, Shaun Alexander 2001-05). Under Mitchell's tutelage, Alexander was the NFL MVP in 2005 when he set an NFL record with 28 total touchdowns.

"Stump is an excellent teacher,” said Jim Zorn, Redskins head coach and former Seahawks quarterback coach.

“He’s been a running back in this league and I’ve gotten the opportunity to know him well during our time together in Seattle. I’ve seen first-hand how he teaches and he is a great addition to our coaching staff.”

Prior to joining the Seahawks, Mitchell served three seasons as head coach at Morgan State University (1996-1998). He spent the 1995 season as offensive coordinator at Morgan State before being promoted to head coach the following season. His coaching career began as the running back coach with the San Antonio Rough Riders of the NFL Europe League (1991) and he later was the head coach at Casa Grande High School in Arizona (1991-1994).

Mitchell was drafted in the ninth round of the 1981 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. He spent his entire career with the Cardinals (1981-1989) and still ranks first in franchise history in total yards with 11,988 and ranks second with 4,649 rushing yards on 986 attempts and 32 touchdowns.

If you're talking about the Pro Bowl today, you're probably in the minority. The buzz surrounding the NFL's all-star game is like the sound of one bee in the forest - very quiet.

The Pro Bowl – which was won by the NFC, 42-30, on Sunday – doesn't have to be an afterthought to the NFL season. It's my opinion the Pro Bowl needs to be the kickoff to the NFL season.

Every year the NFL schedules an exhibition game to coincide with the Hall of Fame inductions. It's usually the first game of the season, and most teams treat it like the exhibition that it is: Starters play a series or so and then head to the sidelines.

Instead of having that "exhibition," why not make have the Pro Bowl then instead of the week after the Super Bowl? The sell is easy: The stars of today and yesterday, all in the same weekend. Shoot, I might even remember to watch that game.

The roster could be expanded to have plenty of players so no one is being taxed too much in the first exhibition game of the season. A lot of players who skip the game now because of injury issues might even play in this game.

Face it, the Pro Bowl in its current form of following the Super Bowl, is like being offered a Little Smokey after dining on prime rib. If it's going to be an appetizer, it might as well come before the main course.

The press conference was to announce that Jim Mora will replace Mike Holmgren as head coach after next season, but somebody forgot to tell Mora because he didn't show up. Actually, Tim Ruskell and Tod Leiweke said that both Mora and Holmgren did not want to make the announcement a big deal, so they both decided not to show up, letting the decision-makers make the announcement. I would probably argue that the need to call a press conference inherently makes it a big deal, but ...

Anyway, Mora gets a four-year extension as head coach next season. Financial details were not available. Ruskell was insistent that Mora interviewing with Washington had nothing to do with this decision. He said the Seahawks did not give Mora any assurance when he was back with Daniel Snyder, in part because they didn't know what Holmgren's decision was going to be. They said this came together sometime after Ruskell returned from the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

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The Seahawks will have a press conference on Wednesday at noon, at which they will announce that Jim Mora is going to be the replacement for Mike Holmgren as head coach next season, a story first reported by Fox Sports' Jay Glazer. The Seahawks would not confirm the story, though the calling of the press conference is virtually confirmation. Apparently, hiring Mora gets around the Rooney Rule, which requires one minority candidate to be interviewed for any opening, by naming him with a contract the successor, which means there officially is no opening. Among the many questions, it will be interesting at tomorrow's press conference to see how the organization says it is going to handle the transition from Mike Holmgren's staff to Mora's staff.

With Frank on vacation, it falls to your friendly local sports copy desk to share what alert commenter cititravis pointed out earlier: Foxsports.com and AOL.com are reporting that the Seahawks have decided to make assistant head coach Jim Mora the team's coach when Mike Holmgren retires following next season. We've rousted Frank, who will have something for tomorrow's paper.

With the next few weeks slowing down in the NFL, I am taking some time off until the combine in Indianapolis, which begins on Feb. 21. I am traveling there on the 20th and will provide as much stuff as I can from there. I haven't had extended time with my wife and kids since the bye week in October, so I'm going to re-introduce myself to them. There are a few outstanding issues regarding the Seahawks, including the hiring of a QB coach and negotiating with their own free agents before free agency starts in March. If there is any news that happens between now and the time I return, it will be posted on the blog by someone in the office. I know it's a difficult time for rabid Seahawks fans right now because everybody wants answers about what the offseason will bring, and the chance to discuss those issues. Feel free to keep the conversation going about those things, and hopefully there will be some news to consider between now and the time I get back.

Under Tim Ruskell's mandate of acquiring guys with character, this is very unlikely to happen. But it seems pretty clear that the Giants don't need Shockey, who broke his leg and ankle a few weeks before the end of the regular season then watched his team roll its way to the Super Bowl. His replacement, Kevin Boss, did a nice job filling in for Shockey, and had a big play in the Super Bowl that helped the Giants win. I'm sure Shockey's teammates weren't too pleased to see video of him drinking beers in a luxury suite instead of on the sidelines with them, and the dynamic between Shockey and Eli Manning reportedly is unstable at best. The Seahawks need a tight end, and they likely could get Shockey for a reasonable draft pick. Again, unlikely to happen but something to think about.

Here is a conspiracy theory that has emerged from Super Bowl XLII for everybody to chew on -- and as many of you know, I love conspiracy theories; there are no coincidences in the world.

Does it seem odd that Sen. Arlen Specter would bring up this investigation into the Patriots' spying stuff in the week leading up to the Super Bowl? Some think it is a mere publicity stunt by Specter to draw attention to himself. (As an aside, I didn't realize this until somebody told me this this week, but Specter is the person who came up with the single-bullet theory in the Warren Report investigating the assassination of John Kennedy.)

Anyway, here is something else that was brought up. Guess who Specter's biggest contributor is? Comcast, based in Philadelphia. Guess who has an ongoing feud with the NFL about the inclusion -- or exclusion, as it were -- of the NFL Network on cable television. Comcast wants to charge consumers something like $5 a month, the NFL Network wants it part of basic cable.

So the thinking is that if Specter can call into question the Spygate investigation by citing the NFL's antitrust exemption, and something indeed unsavory comes out of it -- like the fact the NFL did not look back further than 2006 into New England's cheating and never interviewed this videotape guy Matt Walsh -- than perhaps Specter can get the NFL to give some concessions to Comcast on the NFL Network topic.

One of the big things that came out of commissioner Roger Goodell's press conference the other day -- besides Spygate stuff -- is that the league is thinking about re-seeding the playoffs. The thinking is they want teams to play the entire 16 games, and they don't want coaches mailing it in like Tampa Bay's Jon Gruden did this year -- and to a lesser extent what the Seahawks did against Atlanta in the last game of the season. What Goodell said was that if a team with a wild card berth has a better record than a team that wins a division, than the wild card team under the new scenario would get the home game. This year, Jacksonville would have had a home playoff game against Pittsburgh and New York would have had a home playoff game against Tampa Bay. Not only does it give the higher-seeded team the decided home-field advantage -- particularly in the case of Qwest Field -- but think of the value of the revenue streams for the home team, both in and around the stadium.

I went to a function in Scottsdale yesterday afternoon hosted by an NFL agent, and I got into a discussion with a guy about the Chicago Bulls, and the way that team was dismantled after they won their sixth championship. At the time, Bulls GM Jerry Krause - aka Crumbs -- said, "Franchises win championships, individuals don't." It was perceived at the time -- I think correctly -- that Krause wanted to prove that he could win the titles that Michael got credit for by rebuilding the team. Krause felt like he never got his due.

I am not saying that the Seahawks are in the exact same situation, but it got me wondering about the dynamic between Tim Ruskell and Mike Holmgren now that Holmngren is in the final season of his contract before retiring. There are a few scenarios I can think of, but what if Holmgren feels it is absolutely necessary to re-sign a particular player -- Marcus Trufant, for instance -- to help the team win. And what if Ruskell doesn't like Trufant as much as Holmgren does, and he says to himself, "Mike's leaving, I don't care what his opinion is because he doesn't have to live with the long-term ramifications of the decision." Now all of a sudden, it appears to Holmgren that Ruskell is undermining his final season as a coach in the NFL -- which is what the perception was in Chicago, the reason that Phil Jackson left.

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Here is the link for a very in-depth story about the Packers' loss to the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl, and several players and coaches are very critical of Mike Holmgren's play-calling that day in San Diego. It's a pretty interesting read.