DETROIT – Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes might have a new set of rules to sustain his stress level, but the doctors apparently forgot one stipulation.
Rhodes needs to stay out of the coaching booth when his team is involved in a close game. Like, say, only three touchdowns ahead of the competition late in the fourth quarter.
That was the case in the NFC championship game, when Rhodes got so emotional after a letdown by Seattle’s defense that he had to be calmed down by some of the Seahawks assistants.
“We gave up a late play in the game, and I erupt; I go ballistic,” Rhodes recalled Wednesday, referring to a 47-yard touchdown reception by Carolina’s Drew Carter that cut the Seattle lead to 34-13 lead with five minutes left. “I’m swearing and stuff – the whole nine yards. And (quality control assistant) Zerick Rollins and (acting defensive coordinator) John Marshall were like: ‘Ray, calm down. You either calm down, or you leave the booth.’
“But that was the first eruption I’ve had since then.”
Then was early September, when Rhodes suffered a minor stroke that forced him to change his lifestyle. He traveled with the team to Detroit but is trying to keep his stress level at a minimum.
“When you live your life with that John Wayne mentality, you’re going to change,” Rhodes said. “I had trauma; I had a stroke. That’s going to affect your brain, so you’re going to change.
“… At one time, you think you’re invincible. But when it happens, the reality sets in that either you change or you die. You have to make that choice. If you want to enjoy your family, then you change.”
Rhodes is still working in an advisory role while Marshall makes the calls, so his responsibilities are the same as they have been for most of the season.
But with the hype of the Super Bowl comes another stressful part of Rhodes’s job. This week, all assistant coaches are required by the league to be made available to the media.
“It’s the absolute worst part of the Super Bowl for me,” he told a group of reporters while sitting in a conference room at the team’s hotel Wednesday. “I’ve really been behind the scenes, even when I was healthy. But this is that time when you do have to talk. I was a head coach, so I know that when you have to do stuff, you have to do them. But I’m not that comfortable.”
Dyson sits, but probable: Andre Dyson continues to be hobbled by a quadriceps injury, but head coach Mike Holmgren said Wednesday that he still expects his starting cornerback to play in the Super Bowl.
Dyson missed Wednesday’s practice but could be on the field today. He is listed as probable for Sunday’s game.
Rookie fullback Leonard Weaver returned to practice for the first time in six days after being sidelined by illness.
One for the trunk: Shaun Alexander’s carload of awards grew by one Wednesday, when he was named the FedEx Ground Player of the Year. Alexander edged out fellow running backs LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego) and Tiki Barber (New York Giants) for the award.
Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer got the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year award in the same presentation, beating out Peyton Manning (Indianapolis) and Tom Brady (New England) for an honor recognizing the league’s best quarterback.
Finalists for the award were based on weekly winners during the season. Alexander only received one weekly award – four less than Tomlinson and Palmer – after rushing for 165 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-16 win over the St. Louis Rams on Nov. 13.
Still no respect: During the week of the NFC Championship Game, The NFL Network continually referred to a Seahawks receiver named Dexter Jackson.
At least the network was somewhat close. In Wednesday’s edition of The Detroit News, a photo caption referred to Jackson as Keenan Howry.
Howry is a University of Oregon product and former Minnesota Vikings return man, but he has never played for the Seahawks.
Quick slants: Holmgren said he is not concerned about his quarterback’s inexperience in Super Bowl games. “I expect him to play very well on Sunday,” Holmgren said of Matt Hasselbeck. “He has prepared himself well all season.”
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