By Mike Kahn
SportsLine Executive Editor
Jan. 8, 1998

SEATTLE -- The upper crust of the Seattle Seahawks went fishing Wednesday and, by Friday morning, landed the Big Salmon, Mike Holmgren.

Holmgren

Related Links Audio: Holmgren grateful for Packers Complete playoff coverage More NFL coverage: Playoff Game Notes The Week in Photos Call the plays in a Packers Zone cap! Forum: Is this the right job for Holmgren?

was introduced Friday as the sixth coach in the 23-year history of the Seahawks. Holmgren, 50, resigned after seven seasons as coach of the Green Bay Packers to take over the Seahawks, who fired Dennis Erickson on Dec. 28.

Holmgren also will be in charge of all personnel decisions, carrying the title of executive vice president of football operations. He will report to president Bob Whitsitt.

The dancing is over. Holmgren flew from Green Bay to Seattle Tuesday with his wife Kathy and daughter Gretchen, who will graduate from high school in June. Despite the rumors of Holmgren's interest in dual roles at Philadelphia and Baltimore -- with sneaking suspicions still swirling around his old haunts with the San Francisco 49ers -- this was always the job for him.

It wasn't about money. This has nothing to do with location. After spending nearly a lifetime in the Bay Area, moving to Seattle won't be that different than moving down the street -- particularly after seven years of coaching the Packers, whose season ended on a last-second loss to the 49ers Sunday in the NFC wild card game.

ESSENTIALLY, THIS DEAL, believed to be eight years and worth between $35 million and $40 million, was the only one that could get him out of Green Bay. All week, Holmgren's agent, Bob LaMonte kept saying, "We had fruitful discussions." No doubt that kind of money can buy a lot of fruit, and this isn't about fruit.

Before bidding ado to the media in Green Bay this week, Holmgren said that for him to go somewhere else, "Things have to be exactly right" during his 21-day window to get a general manager/coaching job, or he will be held to his present contract to the Packers. The out clause in his contract after this year had to be for at least a front office position if he would be coach. Whitsitt came around after watching what has happened the past year in the NFL, with four of the eight teams still playing having coaches with dual roles.

Holmgren

Mike Holmgren has the power in his hands. (AP)

was 84-42 with the Packers -- including NFC titles in 1996 and 1997 -- and won Super Bowl XXXI, which included him being named NFL coach of the year. Before being hired by the Packers in 1992, he was quarterbacks coach, then offensive coordinator of the 49ers beginning in 1986. That followed 15 years as an assistant in college football and prep coach in San Francisco.

Now he has moved up another notch. No matter how Bill Parcells got the nickname "Big Tuna," it stuck because he is the biggest fish in the sea on the East Coast. For that same reason, Holmgren is the Big Salmon in Seattle. Although they share the same girth and similar football brilliance, Holmgren doesn't have anywhere near the explosive personality of Parcells.

In fact, he's a far more likable guy, despite some recent temper tantrums during a frustrating season with the Packers. But he wasn't going to work for mercurial owners such as Jeff Lurie in Philly and Art Modell in Baltimore when both pinch pennies and interfere. It didn't matter what the rumor mongers said.

Seahawks owner Paul Allen has more money than Modell and all the other AFC Central owners combined. He also doesn't interfere. He comes to all the games just as he flies down to as many Portland Trail Blazers (a team he also owns) home games as he can. But instead of meetings with the coaches, he'd rather play old Jimi Hendrix tunes on his guitar or write his own songs than get into Xs and Os.

He leaves that up to Whitsitt, who is president of 13 companies Allen owns in the Northwest.

THEREIN LIES THE KEY TO THIS DEAL. Whitsitt likes Randy Mueller, vice president of football operations a lot, but he knew better than to sacrifice Holmgren for Mueller. Mueller is a great guy and a growing figure among personnel folks in the NFL. But should he have say over Holmgren?

No way.

And that was ultimately Whitsitt's decision. Holmgren will lean on Mueller but make the final call to Whitsitt. It was only logical. Holmgren did include the importance of his relationship with the owner and the "president" of any organization in his final address to the folks in Green Bay. Whitsitt's history as a wheeler-dealer of personnel is in the NBA, initially with the Seattle SuperSonics and now with the Trail Blazers. He understands his strengths and his weaknesses. He knows how and when to go out on a limb for somebody when others will not.

That's why this was a slam-dunk, if only because he has NFL limitations.

The Seahawks are close to being legitimate contenders in the AFC race, and only a lackluster approach from Erickson (31-33 in four years) prevented this team from reaching its potential. Remember, Whitsitt fired a Hall of Fame coach named K.C. Jones from the Sonics to bring in a guy coaching in Spain named George Karl, so he's not afraid to make major moves. The result was a .700 winning percentage for Karl in six-plus seasons, the best in franchise history.

THE CRUX OF THE MATTER IS WHITSITT'S comfort zone with the same guy handling both jobs. A year ago, he refused to consider the possibility. Now, with four of the eight teams still playing -- the New York Jets (Bill Parcells), Denver Broncos (Mike Shanahan), Miami Dolphins (Jimmy Johnson) and Atlanta Falcons (Dan Reeves) using the same guy to handle on-field and off-the-field personnel decisions, he completely reconsidered in the case of Holmgren.

"In the NBA, you might not be in the office for two weeks," Whitsitt told CBS SportsLine. "So how can you be a general manager, too? In the NFL, you are in your office Monday through Friday. With the right kind of fit in the front office, it can work."

It was a ready-made concession on the table. Thursday night in Seattle reminded the Holmgrens of their Pacific Rim roots and thus the deal was complete.

Fishing has always been a matter of hobby in the Pacific Northwest, but catching the "Big Salmon" is the biggest catch of all.