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Seahawks' staff getting to know each other

Seattle's offensive staff has five new coaches this year

By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer

KIRKLAND -- Longtime coach Jim Lind has seen a lot during his 17 years as an NFL assistant, the past nine of which have come with the Seattle Seahawks.

He's worked with more than 50 coaches during his NFL career, a handful of whom have gone on to become head coaches.

But Lind, who has called Mike Holmgren his boss since 1992, has never seen anything like the changeover the current Seattle Seahawks' staff has undergone on offense.

"We probably spend a little more time in meetings," Lind said of an offensive staff that includes six new coaches. "But it's kind of exciting, too. When you have change, you've got to perk up a little bit. That's good."

The only holdover from Holmgren's original Seahawks staff in 1999, Lind is one of just two current Seahawks offensive assistants who hold their same titles from last season. Offensive coordinator Gil Haskell and Lind, the tight ends coach, are mostly surrounded by new faces. Receivers coach Keith Gilbertson was with the team last season but has since changed jobs from his post of assistant offensive line coach.

"It's different," Haskell said of all the new coaches. "It's very different. We lost good coaches. But these guys are quality guys."

The most important new face might belong to veteran offensive line coach Mike Solari. The former Kansas City offensive coordinator was brought in after Bill Laveroni was fired in January. Seattle's offensive lines have underachieved over the past two seasons, and the Seahawks believe that Solari can be the man to help bring out its best.

"He is a great teacher," Holmgren said. "You watch him work, and he has the guys' attention. They are listening to him. He is trying some new things, and time will tell how it goes."

Solari came into the NFL as a special teams coach with the Dallas Cowboys in 1987 and took over as the San Francisco 49ers' offensive line coach in 1992. A former offensive lineman, Solari found his niche coaching the big guys up front. He became Kansas City's o-line coach in 1997 and held that position for nine years before getting promoted to offensive coordinator in 2006.

After back-to-back losing seasons, the Chiefs fired Solari in January. The Seahawks were all too happy to hire him as Laveroni's replacement, while Solari is glad to be back coaching linemen.

"I just love working with the offensive linemen, their work ethic," he said earlier this week. "They're guys that don't get their due credit. They're hard workers and team guys who work and play hard for the team."

Solari's assistant line coach, Mike DeBord, is also a former offensive coordinator. He spent the past three seasons in that capacity at the University of Michigan, but joined the Seahawks because he wants to work in the NFL.

The other new coaches were brought in after longtime assistants moved on.

Quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn went to the Washington Redskins, where he started as offensive coordinator and was quickly promoted to head coach. Running backs coach Stump Mitchell followed Zorn to Washington, where he will hold the same title with the Redskins.

Wide receivers coach Nolan Cromwell went to Texas A&M to serve as offensive coordinator for new Aggies head coach Mike Sherman. Offensive quality control coach Gary Reynolds also went to Texas A&M.

The new staff includes Solari, DeBord, quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor, running backs coach Kasey Dunn and quality control coach Chris Beake.

The Seahawks know Dunn well, having included him as part of a minority internship program during training camp of 2003. Beake has ties to the team in that he served as a quality control coach under current Seahawks defensive assistant Jim Mora in Atlanta.

Lazor, a 35-year-old former Redskins assistant, has already made an impression on Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

"He is a real smart guy," Hasselbeck said. "I think he has what you would say are the ingredients to someday be a head coach in this league."

Seattle's new receivers coach isn't really so new. Gilbertson, a Snohomish native who once served as the head football coach at the University of Washington, was promoted from his post as assistant offensive line coach.

"It's not all that different," Gilbertson said. "My title was assistant offensive line coach, but I really spent about 99 percent of my time working with the passing game. So it hasn't been that big a transition."

The Seahawks have plenty of new coaches in new roles, but they're hoping to continue their recent run of success. And maybe with a few fresh ideas, perhaps take another step.

"To hear something different, if it's a new idea from the outside, that can only be positive," Gilbertson said. "At the same time, to see old friends go, guys that you've established friendships with, it's tough. But when it's a situation that allows them to advance their career, then you're happy for them."