Emtman Remains Eager To Play Free-Agent Star Ends Shopping Tour With Seattle

As he strolled through Seattle Seahawks headquarters looking for work Sunday, Steve Emtman didn’t have to carry around his resume.

He did, however, have copies of his X-rays in hand.

They were brought along to certify that he has, indeed, recovered from the string of injuries that doomed his three-year stay with the Indianapolis Colts.

But what the Seahawks know - along with at least five other teams involved in the Emtman Sweepstakes - is that you don’t need X-rays to truly see what is inside of Steve Emtman.

And that’s a great deal of desire to play football.

“To me, it’s a matter of wanting to start over and prove myself as a football player,” said Emtman, a free-agent defensive tackle currently accepting bids for his services. “I haven’t proven anything and I want to go out there and earn anything I get. I want to come in and earn the respect of my teammates.

“I have a lot of work to do.”

The only question remaining is with whom will he play?

The Seahawks were the final whistlestop on a tour that wound through Carolina, Miami, Atlanta, Denver and San Francisco.

The Cheney native and former University of Washington star could not place a timetable on his decision, considering this too important of a move to make capriciously.

“A decision like this you can’t put a deadline on,” Emtman said. “Originally, I wanted to be in camp by tomorrow, but that’s not going to happen. Now I’m saying Wednesday, but I have to wait and see how everything works out.”

After being the first player drafted in 1992, Emtman saw two serious knee operations limit his first two seasons and neck surgery ruin last year.

Viewed as too expensive at the scheduled $2 million this season, Emtman was asked to take a major pay cut by the Colts and was eventually waived - a move that Emtman now says was both “the best and worst thing that ever happened to me.”

“I’m kind of starting my second career and I’m glad to have the opportunity to start over and prove myself again,” the 25-year- old said. “I’ve had a rough three years and spent all my time rehabbing from injuries. Now, I want to get into an organization and be part of it and help get my career back on track and help them go where everybody wants to go - to the Super Bowl.”

Seattle has several factors working in its favor:

Head coach Dennis Erickson. Erickson and Emtman have been existing on curiously parallel planes. While at Washington State, the coach recruited Emtman out of Cheney High. Emtman chose Washington, though, where he was the heart of a team that shared with 1991 National Championship with - ironically - Erickson’s Miami Hurricanes.

“No question, Erickson is a proven winner and I think the organization is headed that way,” Emtman said. “I’m very impressed with the direction this organization is headed.”

Location. “It’s big,” Emtman said of the importance of returning to Seattle. “Obviously, I’d love to be back home, the fans are great here. They’ve supported me in my career in Washington. It wouldn’t be bad coming back to Seattle and doing the same thing with the Seahawks. That would be fun.”

And the family on the ranch in Cheney? “No question, it would be nice for them to get in a car and drive 4 or 5 hours instead of having to hop on a plane.”

Defensive line. “There’s a lot to offer here,” he said. “They’ve got a great defensive line with two great inside guys (Cortez Kennedy and Sam Adams). Anybody could line up and get a lot of sacks next to those guys.”

Emtman, who would be used at defensive end, had a brief talk with Kennedy after Sunday’s morning practice. “He gave me a few words; he wants me to be here,” Emtman said. “Obviously, it would be great to play next to the best defensive tackle in the game.”

History. As a kid, Emtman used to go out and watch the Seahawks practice when they had training camp in Cheney.

One element working against the Hawks is the Kingdome’s artificial turf - the type of surface that may have played a role in Emtman’s two knee injuries.

Is that a criteria in the decision?

“Yeah and no,” he said. “It is a bit, but it’s not going to be a deciding factor by any means. My biggest thing is finding a winner and an organization that is going to give its all to win.”

And money, well, that’s way down on Emtman’s list. He’s already an extremely wealthy man.

Money he has. Fun, he hasn’t had.

“Money is not a big thing to me. If it was, I would have taken $2 million tax free two years ago and retired,” Emtman said, referring to an insurance settlement he could have collected in the event of a careerending injury. “Steve Emtman wants to play football. Steve Emtman wants to win the Super Bowl. Steve Emtman wants to help a team get there.

“I want to be part of turning something around - and have fun playing football again,” he said. “I haven’t had much fun playing football for a while.”

The Seahawks, certainly, are willing to give him that opportunity.

, DataTimes