Hawks Owner Likes Erickson

Seattle Seahawks majority owner Ken Behring, speaking publicly for the first time since he fired coach Tom Flores last month, said he likes Dennis Erickson a lot but hasn’t offered him the head coaching job yet.

Behring said he’s also scheduled interviews with several other candidates.

If Erickson, Miami’s highly successful coach, is Behring’s leading candidate, he wouldn’t say Monday.

“There’s pluses and minuses with everybody,” Behring said at the Seahawks’ headquarters, adding he wasn’t sure whether a new head coach would be hired this week.

“We want to make sure we’re making the right moves,” he said. “This is a long-term deal.”

Behring said he has three or four other interviews scheduled. He said he planned to interview fired defensive coordinator Rusty Tillman in Danville, Calif., this morning, but refused to identify other candidates.

Erickson, 47, who has won two national championships and has a 63-9 record in six seasons at Miami, was interviewed by the Behrings on Saturday in Danville. Erickson will coach the East team in the EastWest All-Star Shrine this Saturday in Palto Alto, Calif.

“In my interview with him, he never mentioned money,” Behring said of Erickson, an Everett native. “You have to have a chemistry. In one meeting, it looked fine. But you need it both ways. You’re getting in bed with somebody for about five years or longer. Four years or whatever it is.”

Behring said his interview went well, though. He said he liked Erickson because of his record.

“It’s pretty hard to beat,” Behring said. “It’s pretty hard to fault that. And he’s in a tough program. It’s tough at Miami. You either win or you’re in real trouble down there.”

Behring said he admired Erickson’s pro-style offense at Miami and thought he could make a quick adjustment from college to the NFL. “I think he’s a very smart offensive

mind,” Behring said. “I’m sure some of his staff would be pros. It’s not like they would be all college people.”

Behring refused to confirm reports that negotiations between an Erickson representative and Behring’s lawyers began Monday. “I think there’s some type of meeting,” he said. “I’m not sure. Nothing is going to be done (Monday).”

Flores, fired Dec. 29 along with his 12 assistants, earned $1 million per season in a three-year contract that expired. Erickson, 47, is expected to be seeking a five-year, $1-million-a-season contract.

Behring said Erickson told him he liked Seattle’s talent and particularly liked two-year quarterback Rick Mirer.

“We’ve got the ingredients and we’ve got a quarterback that Dennis really thinks is one of the greatest,” Behring said.