No news on defensive tackle Colin Cole. Free agent wide receiver Michael Clayton canceled a trip to Seattle and will re-sign with his current team, Tampa Bay, the Tampa Tribune is reporting.

The Tribune also is reporting that Houshmandzadeh will not take a trip to Tampa Bay on Sunday, as reported earlier.

Cole apparently is a hot commodity, with the Packers and Tampa Bay interested in signing him. The Packers would like to use him as an end and a nose tackle as they move toa Bay Cole would be r a 3-4, and in Tampa Bay with Cole would be reunited with his former Packers defensive coordinator Jim Bates.

The tour around the league apparently won't stop at Minnesota for free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Per Adam Schefter of the NFL Network, the Bengals receiver plans to visit Tampa Bay on Sunday and perhaps Philadelphia as well.

Houshmandzadeh said he planned to make a decision by Sunday, but with possibly two more trips in store, that could delay his decision.

Reports have the Seahawks setting parameters on how much would offer him, and perhaps Houshmandzadeh is looking for a better deal elsewhere.

Several news outlets, including the New York Daily News, are reporting that defensive tackle Rocky Bernard has inked a deal with the New York Giants. Terms have not been disclosed, but now that Bernard is officially moved on, the Seahawks may be working harder to get a deal done with Green Bay free agent defensive tackle Colin Cole.

Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Inquirer reports that free agent receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh plans to make a decision on where he will play by Sunday, choosing between Seattle, Minnesota or a return to Cincinnati.

Reedy reported that the Bengals already have an offer on the table for Houshmandzadeh.

Houshmandzadeh also talked to Bengals.com. Here's an excerpt on what he said about his visit to Seattle.

Houshmandzadeh left Seattle without a deal but with favorable impressions of the city and organization. His two children got a kick out of their plane landing on Lake Washington near the Seahawks facility.

"Training camp right on the lake," Houshmandzadeh said. "And they're a team that has had a lot of success. They had a down year last year (4-12) but they had a bunch of injuries."

Arizona free agent defensive end Antonio Smith signed a five-year, $35 million deal to play for the Texans, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Cardinals lose an important player off of its talented defensive line with Smith's departure, as the fracturing continues in Arizona.

Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback and Tacoma native Jon Kitna escaped from Detroit, as the Lions traded him to the Cowboys, NFL.com is reporting. Kitna apparently will serve as the backup to Tony Romo with Brad Johnson gone, and rejoins former teammate Roy Williams.

And you've probably already heard about the Matt Cassel trade to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Patriots traded Cassell and linebacker Mike Vrabel for the Chiefs' second round pick, the 34th pick overall. I'm surprised the Patriots didn't get the first rounder for Cassel, but maybe they didn't want to pay the salary for a top pick.

Team sources confirmed an earlier report by the National Football Report that Green Bay free agent defensive tackle Colin Cole is in Seattle talking with Seahawks officials about the possibility of joining the club.

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According to Sean Jansen of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh has wrapped up his visit with Seattle is on his way to Minnesota to visit with the Vikings.

Here’s a wrap-up of the first day of free agency and how it impacted the Seahawks.

Heading to Seattle?

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh
Status: Met with team officials on Friday and discussed terms. The Bengals receiver is believed to be seeking a three-to-four year deal at $10 million per, which is on the high side. Houshmandzadeh may make a decision on where he will go tonight, but appears to be waiting for other teams to get involved. Philadelphia has reportedly backed off, leaving the Hawks, Minnesota, the N.Y. Giants and perhaps a return to Cincinnati as possible options.

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Adam Schefter of NFL.com is reporting that Seattle Seahawks free agent running back Maurice Morris signed a three-year, $7 million deal to back up Kevin Smith in Detroit.

Although Morris was productive during his seven-year tenure in Seattle, the deal does not come as a surprise, as Seattle is expected to go with the running back tandem of Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett.

Eliminate those thoughts of Jacksonville free agent wide receiver Reggie Williams returning home to play for the Seattle Seahawks.

Williams, a Lakes High and University of Washington grad, was arrested in Houston and charged with DWI and possession of .97 grams of marijuana, both misdemeanors.

According to the report, Williams allegedly failed three field sobriety tests but refused to voluntarily provide a blood and urine sample.

The arresting officer did obtain a search warrant and obtained a blood specimen, the report said.

Williams was initially pulled over as part of a routine traffic stop according to the police report because he was unable to maintain a single lane of traffic and because he failed to signal he was changing lanes.

The report indicates Williams was cooperative.

Williams opted out of his contract with Jacksonville and said he was interested in returning to the Seattle area and playing for the Seahawks.

The Newark Star-Ledger is reporting that Seattle Seahawks free agent Rocky Bernard will visit the New York Giants today. The Ledger reports that Bernard was on the Giants' radar when he became a free agent three years ago.

Also, according to this report from the Sacramento Bee, the San Francisco 49ers signed fullback Moran Norris and receiver/returner Allen Rossum.

The Seattle Seahawks confirmed that receiver T.J. Houshmendzadeh is in town visiting with team officials and taking a look at the facility.

Also, Seattle defensive end Lawrence Jackson talked with KJR’s Mitch Levy this morning about his rookie season and some of the criticism he received from folks in the media and fans.

Levy stated he was disappointed in Jackson’s rookie season, and asked how Jackson felt about his rookie performance.

Jackson admitted he did not play up to his expectations, and was frank about his frustration with how people perceived he performed. Jackson says he’ll remember what the critics said.

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Alex Marvez of Fox Sports is reporting that according to two sources, T.J. Houshmandzadeh will visit with the Seattle Seahawks today. The Cincinnati receiver said Seattle’s one of the teams he’s interested in playing for, and would certainly be a nice fit in Seattle’s system. I'm still waiting for confirmation from the Seahawks.

Tampa Bay also completed a trade, picking up Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow for undisclosed picks, according to Adam Schefter of NFL.com

Some links to start this first fill day of free agency. I’ll have reports throughout the day as I learn more about what’s happening.

Seattle receiver Bobby Engram tells Associated Press reporter Tim Booth while attending the UW-Arizona State men's basketball game on Thursday that he isn’t optimistic about returning to the Seahawks.

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As the hours tick down toward the NFL free agency period beginning at 9:01 p.m. this evening on the West Coast, we take a look at the Seattle Seahawks free agency prospects and the chances of them remaining in Seattle. We’ll update this list regularly once the player movement begins on Friday.

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The NFL Network is reporting that Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree is reconsidering running the 40-yard dash at his pro day on March 26 in Dallas.

Crabtree told NFL Network that running the 40 is “a 50-50 deal,” and will re-evaluate whether or not he will work out for scouts at a time earlier than his personal pro day.

Sports Illustrated is reported that Ohio's state's Malcolm Jenkins best 40-yard time was a 4.52 or 4.53, which may result him dropping down the draft board.

Jenkins reportedly ran in the 4.56-4.58 range in his first attempt.

By comparison, Illinois cornerback Vontae Davis ran a in the mid 4.3s today, and may vault Jenkins on some draft boards.

Jenkins also struggled in some of the footwork drills for defensive backs.

Seattle Seahawks linebacker participates in a charity event in Centerville, Ga., near his hometown of Baldwin, JASON VORHEES/THE (MACON) TELEGRAPH.

Jay Adams of the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph, near Seattle Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill’s hometown of Milledgeville, caught up with Hill at a charity event in this article.

Hill says he’s grateful Seattle designated him with the franchise tag

“Obviously, I’d rather get a long-term deal done, but I can’t complain,” Hill told Adams. “They committed to me with the franchise tag. I accepted and I’m going to give a full commitment back.”

Hill went on to say that he’s looking forward to playing for new Seattle head coach Jim Mora.

“I think it will bring a new spirit,” Hill said of Mora taking over in Seattle. “Mike Holmgren was more of an old school-type coach and Jim Mora’s a new-school, player’s-type coach, so I think it will just bring a new feel to Seattle.”

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I just got back from Indianapolis this afternoon. The media availability ended on Sunday, so most reporters left Sunday night or Monday morning.

I didn’t get a chance to get this on the blog on Sunday, but I recorded some video of Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins when he talked on Sunday.

Of course, the question everyone involved in the combine wants to know is how fast is Jenkins? We’re going to find out on Tuesday, when he runs the 40-yard dash as part of his workout.

Mike Mayock of NFL.com said if Jenkins runs a 4.45 or better he has a shot to solidify a spot as a top-10 pick and lock-down cover corner in the draft. However, if he dips into the 4.5s, then the questions will continue and people will continue to talk about Jenkins converting to a safety.

Mayock ranks Jenkins 16th on his board.

During his interview on Sunday Jenkins said he’s pretty confident he’ll run under 4.5. If he does, the Seahawks no doubt will consider taking him with the team’s No. 4 pick.

Don Banks of Sports Illustrated points out the importance of Jenkins running well, which I first saw on Rob Staton’s Seahawks Draft Blog.

Also, B.J. Raji ran a 5.13 in the 40-yard-dash, which is pretty fast for a big guy. I thought he’d a 5.3-5.4 guy. Raji put up 33 reps in the 225-pound bench press workout.

Watch Jenkins talk about the speed issue in this clip I recorded on Sunday.

A shot of NFL scouts timing the 40-yard dash at Lucas Oil Stadium, (AP)Darron Cummings.

I got a chance to go inside the stadium and watch some of the combine workouts this afternoon. Each reporter that volunteered to attend a workout session was assigned a player to write a few paragraphs evaluating that player’s performance for the pool report. A report is compiled on each player, and then put together by the Pro Football Writers Association and circulated among its members.

I was assigned Central Washington quarterback Mike Reilly.

Remember, I was a receiver, not a quarterback in college. But here’s what I wrote.

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With Michael Crabtree’s foot injury and Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith going AWOL happening on a weird Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Rob Rang, senior analyst at nfldraftscout.com, was gracious enough to take a few minutes to discuss the impact those two stories might have on the draft in general, and Seattle’s No. 4 selection in particular.

On the Crabtree situation, Rang had this to say:

“I think that Crabtree is still going to have to be at least a consideration for the Seahawks. I mean anytime you have a player that is as talented as he is, I mean you go back and watch the film and he is still among the elite players in the draft. He’s still our No. 1 player at this moment.”

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There's yet another twist in the Michael Crabtree story. The Texas Tech receiver talked to Dallas Morning News reporter Rick Gosselin this evening. Crabtree told Gosselin that he's had the fractured foot for a year, and he doesn't plan on having surgery.

He also reiterated that he plans to run in March.

"I don't know where that report came from," Crabtree told The Dallas Morning News. "It [stress fracture] has been there for about a year and it's never caused me any pain. I can play with it the rest of my life. It won't stop me from running. I'm going to run."

Stay tuned.

Adam Schefter of the NFL Network is now reporting that Texas Tech wide receiver will in fact run two 40-yard dashes at is pro day on March 26, and then have the surgery to insert a screw in his foot soon after.

It appears Crabtree wants to prove how fast he is before April's draft.

Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji is a big dude. And he’s another player who Seattle could set their sights on with Michael Crabtree’s injury situation.

Raji, considered the top defensive tackle prospect currently in the drafted, measured in at 6-foot-1 ½, and weighed 337 pounds, which is a little higher than the 323 he would have preferred to come in at.

He’s benefited from an impressive performance in individual drills during Senior Bowl week, and the fact that there are no elite level prospects at his position this year.

Raji says he’ll compete in the all of the workouts at the combine this week, and looks forward to the continued rise of his draft stock.

He had his first interview with New Orleans on Friday. He says he hasn’t spoken to any other teams.

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With the likelihood of the Seattle Seahawks drafting Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree perhaps fading with the announcement of his foot injury, the Seahawks could look to grab a diamond in the rough later in the draft.

One player that has that potential is Washington State product Brandon Gibson. The Rogers High of Puyallup product has good size, measuring in at 6-0, and weighing 212 pounds. Gibson said the Seahawks already have talked to him.

After contemplating coming out after a successful junior season, Gibson decided to return hoping to increase his draft stock. Instead he suffered through a 2-10 season with the Cougars, was double-teamed most of the year and didn’t have a quarterback who could get him the ball with all the injuries his team suffered at the position. However, Gibson says it still was the right decision.

“My senior year, things didn’t go as planned,” Gibson said. “But, you know, you’re only in college once. You’re only a senior once, so I definitely wanted to enjoy that time there.

“Things didn’t work out the way I would’ve liked. I didn’t play as well as my junior year and we just didn’t have as good of team. But I definitely think that I benefited in becoming a better football player and gaining more knowledge about the game.”

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Seattle head coach Jim Mora talked about addressing Seattle needs for next season, saying the team will do so mostly through the draft and not free agency. We talked to Mora before the Michael Crabtree story broke on his fractured left foot, so Mora did not address the issue.

Mora said each team gets 60, 15-minutes interviews with the players of their choosing. Seattle’s vice president of player personnel Ruston Webster conducts the interviews, with team president and general manager Tim Ruskell and Mora sitting in.

“I think you can get a feel for a young man’s personality,” Mora said. “For how they interact socially. For how they compete. And, like I said, our interviews our productive.”

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NFL.com is reporting Michael Crabtree has a slight stress fracture in his left foot that will require surgery to insert a screw, according to league sources.

I'm following up on this right now, but obviously this is going to have an effect on who Seattle drafts at No. 4, with most drafts pegging Crabtree as Seattle's selection.

Seattle head coach Jim Mora also talked today. I'll have more on the Crabtree injury and the Mora conversation later.

UPDATE: NFL Network's Adam Schefter is now saying the injury will require Crabtree to miss 10 weeks. Obviously this is big news, and makes it even more riskier for Seattle or anybody else to take Crabtree that high.

UPDATE
Here's Schefter's story. According to his report, the injury was revealed during medical testing at the combine, and Crabtree most likely will cancel his Pro Day in Dallas scheduled for next month.

Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree listens to a question during a news conference at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Friday in this Associated Press photo by Darron Cummings.

He didn’t say much, but what Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree did say, reporters here hung on every word as Crabtree held court for 10 minutes Friday afternoon.

Crabtree said he measured at just over 6-foot-1 and weighed 215 pounds. He’ll hold his pro day on March 26 in Dallas, where he’ll perform all of the workouts, including the 40-yard dash. Crabtree won’t do anything in Indianapolis because he’s still recovering from an ankle injury he suffered against Baylor at the end of November. He said he’s 90 percent right now.

Crabtree said Seattle is one of the teams who has contacted him, and that he believed he be a good fit for the Seahawks.

Here’s the entire transcript of Crabtree’s interview.

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According to this report by Adam Schefter of the NFL Network, Seattle linebacker Leroy Hill reportedly turned down a six-year, $36 million deal offered by the Seahawks, forcing Seattle to use the franchise tag to keep Hill around.

And with Hill locked up, the Seahawks currently have about $20 million in salary up against the cap tied in its linebackers, with Lofa Tatupu and Julian Peterson also signed to lucrative, long-term deals.

He’s played in a major media market in Los Angeles with no NFL football team, so USC quarterback Matt Sanchez knows how to handle the spotlight.

He has an easy, unflappable way about him during interviews. He’s witty and open in front of a crowd, able to coax a few laughs out of gruff, veteran sports writers -- similar to the personality of current quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

But could Sanchez be the heir apparent to Seattle’s longtime quarterback?

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It’s basically a three-man race for who will be the top offensive tackle taken in this year's draft between Alabama’s Andre Smith, Virginia’s Eugene Monroe and Baylor’s Jason Smith.

Although he’s dropped on several draft boards, Michael Oher of Mississippi also is in the running. CBS Sport’s Clark Judge has an interesting perspective on Oher and the other top offensive tackle prospects.

All four presented themselves well for the most part when they spoke to reporters, with Monroe and Jason Smith coming off a little better than Andre Smith and Oher.

Andre Smith said he weighed 332 pounds and played at as much as 345 – not the 380 that was rumored – during the season for the Crimson Tide.

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University of Oregon product Max Unger is rated as one of the top centers coming out the draft. Photo by Ric Tapia of NFL.com.

With Leroy Hill situation now behind us I'll focus more on updates today and what some of the NFL prospects are saying. I'll start with a conversation with University of Oregon offensive lineman Max Unger from Thursday.

Running backs and wide receivers will be available for interviews today. I'll try to catch up with a few of each and post their comments. I'll also have interviews with a few coaches and general managers as they talk throughout the day. Seattle head coach Jim Mora will not talk today, but he will talk by the end of the week

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Seattle-area reporters talked with Seattle Seahawks president and general manager Tim Ruskell about making the decision to franchise linebacker Leroy Hill, along with the team’s preparation for the draft and free agency.

The conversation lasted for about 20 minutes, so I thought I would share that with you here. The full transcript is offered below. I’ll touch on some of the highlights.

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From Eric Williams in Indianapolis:

The Seahawks today designated linebacker Leroy Hill with the organization's non-exclusive franchise tag. Hill will receive the $8.3-million, one-year tender offer from the Seahawks while negotiations continue on a longer-term deal.

The deadline for using the franchise tag was today.

The Seahawks are negotiating with Hill on a longer-term deal, and by designating him with the non-exclusive franchise tag, it gives the team a longer period for negotiations.

"We're not exactly close but it's been good-faith negotiations," team president and general manager Tim Ruskell said. "And this allows us to keep doing that, while protecting our rights to the player."

Eric will follow with more details later today.

Linebackers Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill have served as part of the defense's backbone for the Seattle Seahawks the last few years.

We’re waiting like everybody else for the Seattle Seahawks to announce whether or not they will franchise Leroy Hill before today’s 1 p.m. deadline (4 p.m. here on the East Coast).

Obviously this is a tough decision for the organization to make, which is probably one of the reasons they are using all of the time allotted to come to a conclusion.

Neither Seattle general manager Tim Ruskell or head coach Jim Mora are slated to speak to reporters this morning. And because of the new setup here at Lucas Oil Stadium, it will be hard to mingle with coaches and executives as they leave and enter the building. But at some point today we will get a report on the status of Hill.

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I know what you’re saying. What’s going on with the NFL Combine, held at Lucas Oil Stadium (shown here), and when do things start to heat up? Well, there’s not much going on right now here in Indianapolis, with most NFL executives, scouts and media arriving today, along with the 300-plus players who will participate in the event checking in.

It's freezing here, with temperatures in the 30s and a biting wind blistering through the city. It's expected to snow tonight and get colder as the week goes by. Thankfully this deal's being held indoors. With my smart packing I forgot to bring a coat and had to buy one today.

We’ll get our first access with players on Thursday, starting with offensive lineman, specialists and tight ends. We’ll have regular reports here throughout the day.

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According to this free agent prospect analysis by Pro Football Weekly, Seahawks fullback Leonard Weaver could be one of the hot commodities in free agency with his rare combination of good blocking skills and pass-catching ability. Says Weaver’s agent, Harold Lewis:

“As far as him staying in Seattle, I’m sure Leonard would be very happy,” Lewis told PFW. “But just being a realist, I don’t see it.” The reality, according to Lewis, is that Weaver shapes up as a potentially hot commodity on the open market. “He’s more of a hybrid running back who can knock over anybody,” Lewis said. “When you look at the successful teams right now, you see two-back systems usually with one big running back. Leonard fits that mold, and there should be lots of interest in him.

ESPN’s Mike Sando focuses on the drafting patterns of NFC West GM’s in the first two rounds in this blog entry.

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Here’s our first positional roster analysis for 2009 as we head into the combine. With rosters being expanded to 80 players, this is more of a rough, overall look at who is on the roster early in the offseason, and what issues the team will need to address in the next couple months with the draft and free agency on the horizon. We’ll update this several times before training camp begins in July, so this will serve as our first peek.

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Here’s some links to get you started as we head off to Indianapolis this morning.

Looks like the Cardinals will slap the franchise tag on linebacker Karlos Dansby, which could help set the market for Seattle’s Leroy Hill. The deadline for the franchise tag is Thursday.

According to this report from Pro Football Weekly, Hill’s status in Seattle could also be influenced by a talent-laden draft filled with good linebacker prospects.

More Pro Football Weekly: A free agent profile on Baltimore linebacker Bart Scott.

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With the NFL Combine now less than a week away, we’ll begin shifting our focus to the players that will be competing in that event next week in Indianapolis. We’ll also be there providing regular coverage beginning on Tuesday. Here’s some links that will provide some information on some of the players that will participate in the combine.

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Looks like the New York Jets will be in the market for a new quarterback. ESPN is reporting that Brett Favre has instructed his agent to tell the team that he plans on retiring. Here’s Favre statement that he released.

“[G.M.] Mike [Tannenbaum] and [owner] Woody [Johnson], as well as the entire organization, have been nothing short of outstanding,” Favre told Werder via e-mail. “My teammates[,] Thomas [Jones] and Kerry [Rhodes] included, were a pleasure to play with. [Coach] Eric [Mangini] could not have been any better. I enjoyed playing for him. My time with the Jets was short, but I’m honored to be given that chance.”

Eleven new coaches will take the field next season. Don Banks of Sports Illustrated takes a look at the new head coaches for 2009 and what the chances are of any of them leading their team to a quick turnaround like Miami and Atlanta in 2008.

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New Seattle Seahawks head coach Jim Mora joined KJR’s Mitch Levy on air for the first time this morning to talk Seahawks stuff. Listen to the conversation in this audio link.

Mora addressed several topics. He talked about his time as head coach for the Atlanta Falcons, and said he wished he had stayed closer to his passion of being involved in the defense. Mora said he became more of a head coach instead of a defensive-minded head coach, and wants to make sure that he does the latter here in Seattle.

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West Coast Defense – it’s a catch phrase uttered in the latter stages of our interview with new Seattle Seahawks defensive backs coach Tim Lewis.

Lewis referred to the “dynamic” process the defensive coaches were going though in building Seattle’s defense from the ground up, and used the term West Coast Defense to describe what Seattle’s defense might be in the 2009 season.

Well, we’ve heard the term West Coast Offense used to describe the offensive system created by Bill Walsh in San Francisco and Don Coryell in San Diego, which relies on a quick-timing, passing game to move the ball down the field. But what’s the West Coast Defense?

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Some links to chew on this morning.

Seattle finishes in the middle of the pack at 15th overall in this special teams ranking performed annually by Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News.

NFL.com's Pat Kirwan lists the top 10 things to look for this offseason.

The cutting has began, as the first day of the NFL waiver period began on Monday.

ESPN’s Mike Sando looks at ways the Seahawks can save money under this year’s cap.

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It’s only been a week since the Arizona Cardinals lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII, and already the team has several issues to address this offseason.

As expected, offensive coordinator Todd Haley bolted to Kansas City to take the head coaching job there.

And defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast was fired by head coach Ken Whisenhunt, with Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker coach and former Seattle Seahawk Keith Butler rumored to be the top candidate for the job.

Wide receiver Anquan Boldin says his relationship with the Cardinals brass is not repairable, and wants out.

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There’s been some changing around in the latest mock drafts by some of the top analysts following this year’s draft.

Rob Rang of NFL Draft Scout.com changed who Seattle will pick for the third time so far this year, and has Seattle taking Malcolm Jenkins with their No. 4 overall pick. Rang’s colleague Chad Reuter has Seattle taking Michael Crabtree.

Todd McShay of Scouts Inc and ESPN has Seattle taking defensive tackle B.J. Raji with the No. 4 overall pick.

And Nolan Nawrocki of Pro Football Weekly has Seattle taking offensive tackle Jason Smith from Baylor. This pick might make some sense with Seattle going to more of a zone blocking scheme, with an emphasis on more athletic lineman.

Soon-to-be free agent T.J. Houshmandzadeh says he wouldn’t mind playing for the Philadelphia Eagles next season.

And former Seattle Seahawk and current Atlanta Falcon Todd Weiner is retiring.

Here's the full transcript of our conversation with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley from this afternoon, courtesy of the team's PR staff.

On his nickname, Gus: “You know, it’s a nickname that I had when I was two years old, and everywhere I went, it’s carried on. So I would say it’s pretty much 100% Gus, except if you looked at my social security card or driver’s license. I prefer Gus. [I got the nickname] from my brother, like I said, when I was two years old. It was one of those nicknames that was just brought up in a family setting and it stuck.”

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A day after talking to new offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, the Seattle Seahawks made new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley available to Seattle-area beat reporters this afternoon.

Bradley was just as impressive as Knapp a day earlier during the 30 minutes or so we had a chance to talk with him.

He talked about his defensive philosophy and how he intends to implement that system here in Seattle.

He’s a football guy who grew up around the game. The youngest of six kids, he had two brothers play in college – Scott Bradley was a defensive back at Iowa State and another brother, Kelly Bradley, played quarterback for a national title team at Montana State in 1984.

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Here’s the full text of today’s interview with Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, courtesy of the team’s PR staff.

Opening statement: “I have been reading a little bit that we may run the ball a little more this year, so I got to give you my foundation of where that comes from. It actually starts with my dad. My dad was a high school football coach in Southern California at La Mirada High School, for about 25 years. And he coached offensive line. So I think I got a little smart because I avoided getting my hands in the dirt and getting beat up six months out of the year.

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Seattle Seahawks new offensive coordinator Greg Knapp spoke to Seattle-area beat reporters this afternoon and covered a lot of ground in a 40-minute conversation.

Knapp provided an idea on what to expect offensively from the Hawks this season, talked about his coaching philosophy and his coaching background.

Here’s some of the highlights.

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The NFL released its official list of players invited to the scouting combine, which takes play at the end of this month in Indianapolis.

Local players competing in the workouts include Puyallup native and Rogers High product, WSU receiver Brandon Gibson, Washington offensive lineman Juan Garcia and Central Washington products quarterback Mike Reilly and tight end Jared Bronson.

The event takes place from Feb. 18 to Feb. 24.

The Seahawks also have announced dates for their offseaon training camps.

They are:

April 7-9: veteran camp (The Seahawks get an extra camp because they have a first-year head coach in Jim Mora).

May 1-3: minicamp, with draft choices also taking part here.

June 10-12: mandatory camp.

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Not to disagree with Eric, but I thought the officiating was poor, and the culmination of what was a season of poor officiating. And since he's flying back and can't update this, I figured I'd give you guys something else to chew on.

Anyway, we've been shown an incessant loop of James Harrison's 100-yard interception return for a touchdown. First of all it was a horrible decision by Kurt Warner, who stared down Anquan Boldin like a teenager would a playboy centerfold. He might as well have announced at the line of scrimmage that he was throwing it to Boldin.

Harrison also made a great play and a fantastic run, but was there some illegal help namely a clip by the Steelers Lamar Woodley, #56, on Arizona's Tim Hightower, #34, just before Harrison gets to the end zone. Well, here's the video and you decide.

A day after the Pittsburgh Steelers won their sixth Super Bowl title, most talk down in Arizona is centered on the fact that fans there feel they got screwed on a couple calls in the Super Bowl.

Sound familiar? It had some Seahawks fans rooting for Arizona on Sunday.

Matthew J. Darnell of Yahoo’s NFL football blog is imploring Arizona fans to not be like Seahawks fans, who he says are still bitter over the way the officials handled Super Bowl XL.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are again Super Bowl champions, coming from behind to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23. It was a great game played by both teams, and ironically Pittsburgh's offense had to go down and score late in the game for the Steelers to earn the victory.

Pittsburgh's Santonio Holmes made some great play and probably earned some money for himself with his performance last night. His touchdown catch in the back of the end zone where he tiptoed the sideline was probably one of the best catches under pressure that I have seen. I'm heading down to the locker room and will have more later.

The Arizona Cardinals need to get points on this drive or this game is over. With the open of the fourth quarter, the Steelers continue to control the clock and the young Cardinals continue to make stupid mistakes.

Three personal foul penalties kept Pittsburgh's drive alive. The Steelers only got a field goal, but a 20-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter is pretty strong for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh is blanketing Larry Fitzgerald and making other guys make plays, and so far the Cardinals have struggled to maintain consistent drives.

Many reporters in the press box are calling it the most amazing play in Super Bowl history.

Defensive MVP James Harrison jumped a slant route intended for Anquan Bolden and weaved his way 100 yards for a touchdown to put the Steelers up 17-7 on the final play of the half.

The play was reviewed upstairs because it looked like Larry Fitzgerald may have stopped him short of the goal line, but the play stood.

It was a huge momentum-swinging play and may have sealed Arizona's fate. The Cardinals were down 10-7 but looked like they would get a score and go into halftime up 14-10.

Fitzgerald basically ran a pick route to clear space for Boldin, but Harrison didn't rush the passer and slid back into coverage for the pick.

Arizona gets the ball back to begin the second half, so we'll see how they respond.

Arizona couldn't manage a first down on the Cardinals opening possession, baffled by the Steelers zone blitz.

Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is winning the battle right now. He's basically forcing Arizona to go to their hot routes, and then Pittsburgh's defensive backs, knowing where Arizona is going to go with the ball, are jumping the routes.

Pittsburgh got the ball back and drove right down the field again on the legs of Willie Parker and the hands of tight end Heath Miller. Bruiser Gary Russell plunged in from a yard.

It's early in the second quarter and Pittsburgh's up 10-0. But that is more like a 20-0 lead with the way the Steelers play defense.

Total yardage in first quarter -- Pittsburgh 140, Arizona 13.

Arizona has to make sure to keep running their offense and not try to get it back all at once.

Ben Roethisberger bowls in from a yard and looks like he gets in fo the score, although it looked like Center Justin Hartwig pulled him into the end zone. The play is being challenged by Arizona.

Turns out Ben was short, and the Steelers have to settle for a 18-yard field goal by Jeff Reed.

Arizona defense toughen up in the red zone.

But Pittsburgh just moved down the field on the Cardinals defense, as Arizona looks a little punch drunk early on. In particular, the Steelers are exploiting Arizona's defense down the middle of the field with tight end Heath Miller and Hines Ward.

Running back Willie Parker looks healthy. It could be a long day for the Cardinals.

... and they're going to score. I predict a 24-20 win for the Steelers. We'll see if that holds up.

We're about a half hour before game time here and the stadium is pretty much full. I took a walk around the stadium with Aaron Fentress, a reporter with The Oregonian, and the Black and Gold is out in force. I would say about 80 percent of the crowd are Pittsburgh Steelers fans.

The Arizona fans that we did see appeared in awe of their team being here, and were clicking pictures at a steady pace, while the Pittsburgh fans were drinking copious amounts of alcohol and getting ready for the game. The reporter sitting next to me said the crowd looked similar to when Pittsburgh played Seattle in Super Bowl XL three years ago.

When the Steelers took the field the crowd errupted and all you could see were gold terrible towels waving in the crowd.

The weather is perfect -- about 60 degrees, a little breezed and a few harmless cloud stretched along the skyline.

We also caught a glimpse of former Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren in the pirate ship in the North end zone, doing pregame work for NBC. It was a little strange seeing Holmgren in a suit instead of on the sidelines. That's all for now.

With mock drafts currently listing the Seattle Seahawks drafting Michael Crabtree, I decided to try and roundup some more information on him. And who better to talk to but Michael Irvin, a friend of the Crabtree family and one of the people advising the redshirt sophomore as he prepares for the upcoming April draft.

Crabtree, who recently announced he's entering this year's draft, is working out with Olympic champion sprinter Michael Johnson and receiving advice from Irvin and Deion Sanders as he prepares for the combine and his pro day. Crabtree will not run the 40-yard dash at the combine, but will run at his Pro Day.

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Here’s some stuff to get you ready for Super Bowl XLIII here in Tampa. We’ll be blogging live from Raymond James Stadium during pregame festivities and throughout the game, so check here for thoughts and observations on the matchup between Arizona and Pittsburgh.

Super Bowl links

Today’s big game pits Arizona’s unstoppable offense vs. Pittsburgh’s immovable defense.

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