New Seattle defensive tackle Colin Cole talked with Seattle-area reporters about his decision to join the Seahawks Monday afternoon.

He said he was excited to come to Seattle and ready for an opportunity to start alongside defensive defensive tackle Brandon Mebane.

At 6-1, 330 pounds, Cole will be more of a run stuffer, and Mebane is expected to rush the passer more. Cole said he enjoyed his time in Green Bay, but decided to come to Seattle because he believed the Packers would not give him an opportunity to start.

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Even in double coverage T.J. Houshmandzadeh can come up with the touch catch (Tony Overman/The Olympian).

One thing you know about T.J. Houshmandzadeh is he will get open, and once he’s open, catch the ball. At 6-1, 200 pounds, he's the big receiver the Seahawks have been looking for. He still has enough speed and quickness to create separation, yet he can use his body to shield defenders from the ball in tight situations, and has great ball skills.

A look at his numbers over the past four years proves his value as a possession receiver. Houshmandzadeh leads the league in receptions over he last four years with 372. That's right -- more than Larry Fitzgerald (368) and Steve Smith (351). Terrell Owens? Not in the conversation (262). Wes Welker? Hasn't done it for long enough (319). Hines Ward? Nope (295).

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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.

The Pittsburgh Steelers gave linebacker James Farrior a five-year, $18.25 million contract extension today, with $5 million guaranteed. Here is a link to the ESPN.com story.

I mention this not because I have any special affinity for Farrior or the Steelers -- and I know most of you are disgusted by the Steelers -- but because Farrior was one of the linebackers who was going to be a free agent this summer -- along with Leroy Hill.

So not only does this take one more linebacker off the table in free agency, thus making Hill inherently more valuable, it also gives you at least some parameters for what Hill should earn.

You figure Lofa got a $42 million contract extension over six years, an average of $7 million a year. Farrior got an average of about $3.5 million a year, half of what Lofa got. Given that Hill is much younger than Farrior and with much more upside, you figure he has to be seeking close to $5 million or $6 million a year.

These figures are not exact because the story says Farrior is only supposed to play for three more years, and guaranteed money obviously plays a factor in all this, but it is at least a starting place.

The Seattle Seahawks have re-signed veteran tackle/guard Floyd Womack to a one-year contract, the team announced this morning.

Womack, drafted by Seattle with the third of three fourth-round choices (128th overall) in the 2001 NFL Draft, has played in 76 games with 32 starts. He played in 14 games with one start last year for the Seahawks.

To make room on the roster, the team released defensive tackle Jonathan Lewis, who signed as a free agent on January 15.

The Cincinnati Enquirer got an email from Jim Steiner, Shaun Alexander's agent, this morning, telling him that he is contacting the Bengals about a possible spot for Shaun. Here is the link.

The Seahawks have agreed to terms with these players. They have not yet officially signed.

Safety Jamar Adams, Michigan
CB Donovan Alexander, North Dakota
WR Travis Brown, New Mexico
WR Michael Bumpus, Washington State
LB Matt Castelo, San Jose State
G Dustin Dickinson, Houston
CB DeMichael Dizer, Grambling
LB David Hawthorne, Texas Christian
S Kelin Johnson, Georgia
T William Robinson, San Diego State
WR Anthony Russo, Washington
S Eric Wicks, West Virginia

That is it for me, folks. I am finishing my daily story and heading back across the lake. Good day!

Here's a list of the Hawks who will be free agents if not signed by March 1.

Unrestricted free agents
LB Kevin Bentley
PK Josh Brown
DT Chuck Darby
WR D.J. Hackett
TE Bennie Joppru
ILB Niko Koutouvides
OT Sean Locklear
TE Marcus Pollard
CB Marcus Trufant
OG Floyd Womack
DT Ellis Wyms

Restricted Free agents
RB Alvin Pearman
FB Leonard Weaver.

Here is a link to a story I wrote this morning about Marcus Trufant and his impending free agency, particularly as it relates to San Francisco corner Nate Clements, who last offseason signed an eight-year $80 million contract.

The Seahawks and Trufant seemingly are stuck at a stalemate in negotiations and probably will go into the offseason to determine his value. He is not as good as Clements, but that contract skewed everything. Now, is Trufant worth the $5.5 million a year that Nate Vasher signed for, or closer to the $9 million a year -- his average if you realistically exclude the final three years of his deal -- that Clements signed? Tim Ruskell admits it's a tricky balancing act -- and my guess is that a lot of that answer will be determined during this season.

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In light of Jordan Babineaux getting a contract extension on Tuesday, I checked with Marcus Trufant's agent to see if anything was happening there. Mike Sullivan said that he and Tim Ruskell have had discussions regarding Trufant's impending free agency next offseason, but that nothing is currently happening.

We'll be adding former USC tackle Kyle Williams to the roster this afternoon. He joined the team in time for this minicamp. I saw him out there yesterday (No. 79) and thought of long-ago No. 79 Grant Williams, which tells you I've been covering this team a little while.

In other roster-related stuff, the league has made note of unrestricted free agents who were not asked to re-sign. For Seattle, the list included DE Kemp Rasmussen, CB Jimmy Williams and retiring C Robbie Tobeck. According to this league calendar maintained by the NFLPA, June 1 was the "deadline for old club to send tender to its unsigned Unrestricted Free Agents to retain rights if player is not signed by another club by July 22 or beginning of veteran training camp, whichever is earlier."

With former Hawks DT Sam Adams making some free-agent visits, I thought back to some of his more memorable moments in Seattle. Very few players in league history could match Adams' combination of size and quickness. Based solely on talent, he really could have been a Hall of Fame player, in my estimation.

One play stands out in my memory. The Seahawks were playing the Bills in the Kingdome during the 1999 season. Adams timed one pass rush so perfectly that he sacked Doug Flutie before the QB could fully retreat from center. I remember a picture showing Adams taking down Flutie before the wide receiver had come off the line of scrimmage. The photo showed the receiver, split wide left, still looking back at the ball as if to time his release, and Adams was already making the sack. The linemen were still pretty much in their stances. There weren't many quarterbacks as quick as Flutie, which made the feat even more impressive.