Seahawks Notebook | Mike Holmgren may have had second thoughts about leaving

RENTON — The Seahawks were 1-4 when coach Mike Holmgren was asked about taking a mulligan on his final year with Seattle and coming back for one more season.

"I don't think that's my decision anymore," Holmgren said on Oct. 14. "I think we've kind of crossed that bridge.

"Interesting question, though."

It's also a question that has continued percolating and led to some questions about whether Holmgren wasn't exiting so much as being walked out the door. During a radio interview on KJR-AM Thursday morning, Holmgren was asked if at any point anyone within the Seahawks organization made him feel as if he was not welcome back to coach the team beyond the 2008 season.

"You're asking a very unanswerable question," Holmgren said.

He then provided some answers, saying he discussed his future with his wife, Kathy, intimating that he may have had second thoughts about that decision, but at that point the organization had already charted its course for the future with Jim Mora.

"Kathy and I had talked about what we were going to do," Holmgren said. "I communicated that fairly with the organization, but like a friend of mine, Brett Favre, people change their mind on occasion. But while this is going on, organizations have to make decisions.

"Jim was here, he was in place, I had communicated honestly what my future I thought was going to be, and then everyone did what they had to do."

Praise for patched line

Holmgren said for a unit that lacked continuity, the Seahawks' offensive line did well last week.

Only one of the five was in the starting lineup in Week 1 of the season. Sean Locklear was playing left tackle instead of right, Ray Willis was at right tackle, Steve Vallos was the center, Floyd Womack was at left guard, and Mansfield Wrotto was making his first NFL start as the right guard.

"I think there are a couple of guys that, in my opinion, had their best games," Holmgren said. "Floyd Womack had his best game. I mean, he played a very fine football game. Steve Vallos, for the amount of experience he has, he played fine. The other guys did a good job. Wrotto, having played his first game really, you know what, exceeded expectations for a first game. So it was all good. I think they rose to the challenge, and I was pleased with that."

It appears that the Seahawks will go with the same group at the same positions this Sunday at St. Louis, as left tackle Walter Jones didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday. Holmgren feels the current line is playing with something at stake.

"They're playing for their future, and that should be motivation enough," Holmgren said.

Another Pro Bowl

for Trufant?

In what has been an overall down year for the Seahawks as a team, cornerback Marcus Trufant has played well, for the most part. He only has one interception but is tied for the team league in passes defended with 11 and is fifth in solo tackles with 49.

Are those numbers good enough to get him back to the Pro Bowl after his Hawaii debut last season? Probably not. But at least Trufant has been healthy all season, unlike many of his teammates, and he still gets respect from those he covers.

"He is a fantastic football player, outstanding one-on-one coverage ability, does a great job in zone and makes tackles in the running game," St. Louis Rams wide receiver Torry Holt, himself a Pro Bowler in years past, said of Trufant. "I've been saying this for years, when he was coming out of college and his time in the league, that he has some of the best feet by any corner in the NFL. ... You have to be on top of your game going against him."

Notes

• QB Matt Hasselbeck (back) and LB Leroy Hill (pinched neck nerve) missed a second straight practice.

• CB Josh Wilson, who didn't practice Wednesday because of the effects of a concussion from last week, returned to practice Thursday, as did WR Koren Robinson.

Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com