SEATTLE -- Matt Hasselbeck misses Steve Hutchinson's
leadership and intimidation.
Mike Holmgren, in his 36th consecutive year of coaching
football, misses "really one of the best linemen I've ever been
around."
Robbie Tobeck misses his best friend.
The Vikings' tricky "poison pill" contract clause that
snatched All-Pro Hutchinson from Seattle in March hasn't exactly
killed the Seahawks -- they are 4-1 and back atop the NFC West
heading into Sunday's game with Minnesota (3-2) and its new left
guard.
But it's definitely made them sick.
"Yeah, I hate him. We all hate him," Hasselbeck said, laughing
and joking that he also misses Hutchinson's dark, flowing hair.
"He's kind of one of those guys that is impossible to hate,"
the Pro Bowl quarterback said.
"We know that he wanted to be back here. For three years he
complained and whined, because he is an offensive lineman and
that's what offensive linemen do, saying how he wishes he could
sign a deal."
Last spring, that wish came true.
Seattle made its first-round draft choice in 2001 its transition
player due for a mandated one-year contract. Hutchinson was miffed
the Seahawks hadn't already given him a multiyear deal, as they had
for left tackle Walter Jones a year earlier. So he signed
Minnesota's free agent offer sheet worth $49 million over seven
years, with a $16 million signing bonus.
Seattle had the right to match, but the richest deal ever for a
guard proved too pricey even for team owner and software
gazillionaire Paul Allen.
Minnesota and Hutchinson's agent, Tom Condon, created
unprecedented clauses which stipulated the entire contract would
become guaranteed if Hutchinson was not the highest-paid lineman on
his team. So Seattle would have had to give him a deal at least
equal to Jones' average annual salary of $7.5 million -- unheard of
for a guard -- or guarantee all $49 million, unheard of for anybody.
The Seahawks lost an arbitrator's ruling over whether
Minnesota's contract violated the league's collective bargaining
agreement, then declined to match.
"Hutch made out like a bandit," Hasselbeck said, admiringly.
Holmgren said that "as far as the structure of any contract
like that, I don't think clubs should do that."
"There are loopholes, and you get some smart guys figuring out
how to do things ... but to me it's against the spirit of the
rule," said the coach who was Seattle's general manager from
1999-2002. "I would hope that it wouldn't happen again to anybody,
not just us, but anybody."
The Hutchinson contract issue, according to NFL spokesman Greg
Aiello, "was one of many things discussed with the players
association that was not resolved" during negotiations on the new
CBA, which was finalized in March.
NFLPA general counsel Richard Berthelsen said the league would
not concede other areas of the CBA where the union wanted gains in
exchange for closing the loophole. Rather than delay the entire CBA
and potentially have a work stoppage, the two sides tabled the
issue.
The new CBA isn't up for renewal until 2011. Berthelsen didn't
rule out a revisiting of the issue before free agency begins again
in March.
The union, of course, thinks poison pill clauses like
Hutchinson's are pure genius.
"There's no reason for players not to use them," Berthelsen
said.
The Seahawks could have made all this moot had they given
Hutchinson the more restrictive franchise-player designation. But
they didn't want to spend tackle-like millions on a guard after
re-signing Jones to a $52.5 million, seven-year extension the
previous spring.
Offensive linemen with franchise-player designations must be
offered a one-year salary at the average of the top five of all
blockers, regardless of position.
"Obviously we didn't want to lose Steve. If we'd known then
what we know now, we certainly would have done it a different
way," Holmgren said.
The Vikings wouldn't have.
They were 25th in the NFL in total offense last season and 27th
in rushing. Now, with Hutchinson and left tackle Bryant McKinnie
blocking for emerging runner Chester Taylor, Minnesota is 12th
overall and 17th in rushing.
"He's a beauty," center Matt Birk said of Hutchinson. "I
think he's as good as there is at that position."
First-year coach Brad Childress said Hutchinson "changes the
line of scrimmage."
His leaving changed Seattle's OL. The Seahawks have gone without
a touchdown in two of five games. Last season, they led the league
in scoring.
First-year starter Chris Spencer, drafted in 2005 as a center,
is struggling with holding penalties, false starts and allowing
sacks as the fill-in for Hutchinson's replacement, injured Floyd
Womack.
Detroit beat up league MVP Shaun Alexander in the season opener.
Alexander kept playing on a badly bruised foot, which he eventually
cracked during a Sept. 24 win over the New York Giants. Alexander
will miss the third game of his career on Sunday and remains out
indefinitely.
And Hasselbeck has been sacked 17 times through five games. He
was sacked just 27 times last season.
Still, Holmgren doesn't begrudge Hutchinson.
"It's hard for me to be too mad at him because he's one of my
favorite guys of all time."