Counting On Experience Seahawks’ King Knows Time Is Rookie Holdout’S Enemy Seahawks Training Camp

Lamar King wouldn’t presume to make Chris McIntosh’s contract problems his business.

But business aside, he doesn’t mind making a personal evaluation.

McIntosh is the Seattle Seahawks’ rookie offensive tackle who has missed 16 days of training camp with the Seattle Seahawks, plus the exhibition opener with the Colts.

He’s the last remaining holdout among first-round National Football League draft picks, now that Kansas City has signed receiver Sylvester Morris.

At issue more than money is the length of the contract. The Seahawks are intent on five years.

“Since 28 of the 30 players (drafted in the first round) have signed five-year deals, Chris should come in and sign a five-year deal,” said Mike Holmgren, the Seahawks’ executive vice-president, general manager and coach. “I would think now something could happen here.”

King went through the same thing last year, as a holdout first-round pick. King sat out two weeks of camp before agreeing to terms.

It was something he said he had to do, a business decision he won’t second-guess. So he understands what McIntosh is going through. If he had it do it over, King said Wednesday, he’d have to do the same thing.

“It’s business,” he said. “I don’t know the business. I had to leave that up to my agents. They’ve been in the business a long time.”

But King also warned McIntosh - indirectly, of course, informally, in an interview - what he’s missing.

“I would encourage McIntosh to come to camp,” King said. “You can’t learn sitting home.

You got to be out here banging with the pads.

“A young guy like me from a small school, missing two weeks hurt big-time. I didn’t catch up until halfway through the season.”

King is the Seahawks’ right defensive end who last season blocked a Green Bay field goal on Monday Night Football that set in motion Shawn Springs’ 61-yard touchdown romp.

Although he can afford some of the luxuries of the good life, King is not that far removed from working for a living.

Out of high school, he put in his time at Taco Time. He loaded trucks for United Parcel Service. He could measure the kind of day he had with UPS by the strain in his back.

“I’ve done my share of hard work,” King said after Wednesday’s practice at Eastern Washington University. “I graduated (from Chesapeake High in Baltimore) in ‘94. I didn’t know if I wanted to go to school or go to work. A friend worked for UPS.”

The buddy got him on. He said he worked for UPS for a year, up at 3:15 a.m. to load trucks. A year of hefting parcels made college football look pretty good to the 6-foot-3, 294-pounder, who wound up at Saginaw Valley State.

Working for UPS was actually a pretty good gig.

“That was a good job, yeah,” he said, smiling. “This is a better one.”

King talked about what’s at stake when days of missed training accumulate with a player fresh out of college.

“Last year, I was uncomfortable out here early,” he said. “I didn’t know the plays, didn’t really know my teammates. I was hesitant.”

This year, with a full season and his second training camp to draw from, King is settling in.

“I’m comfortable,” he said. “Last year, I was guessing, wondering if I was going to mess up. I feel confident now, just going out there reacting to what I see.”

As for the moderate to tepid expectations the Seahawks are raising among preseason experts, King said, “The magazines don’t know what we do in practice. Every day we’re out here, getting better. Come (regular-season) Sunday, you’re going to see a bunch of guys flying around, banging people in the mouth.”

That blocked field goal in Green Bay?

“When I tipped it and Springs picked it up I tried to catch him,” King said. “He was a little too fast for me, like 30-40 yards ahead when he ran it in. But I got a game ball from that. It’s sitting in my mother’s dressing room, in our house.”

Back to work, and play

Jon Kitna was back at the controls Wednesday, a day after resting his sore throwing arm.

The Seahawks’ starting quarterback started Wednesday morning’s practice with a sleeve covering the elbow of his throwing arm. He discarded it and appeared to throw pain-free.

“I just wanted to make sure everything stayed tight in there,” Kitna explained between practices. (But) When I was throwing early, it (the sleeve) was causing more pain than anything. So I took it off, and it felt great.”

Arm ache is something quarterbacks deal with, the second-year starter from Central Washington said.

“Any time you’re throwing 500 balls a practice, a lot of times twice a day, you’re going to have some soreness,” Kitna said. “Every quarterback does. It finally got to the point where I was a little concerned about it. I took a day off and it felt great.”

That business dismissed, the Seahawks were able to enjoy a mid-practice break, when the defense and offense vied for an extra hour of late-night free time.

The Seahawks have Wednesday nights off. The 11 p.m. curfew is extended an hour for for the unit - offense or defense - that wins a practice competition.

Wednesday, it was linemen fielding punts. The big guys from the defense beat the offensive linemen when Matt LaBounty and Antonio Cochran held on to Jeff Feagles’ punts.

Guard Pete Kendall from the offense had the ball dribble off his hands and nearly every pad in the uniform.

The other starting guard, Floyd Wedderburn, short-armed his try.

The defense wasn’t perfect. Michael Sinclair circled under a high spiral, then watched it fall in front of him, untouched, to hoots and howls.

Kitna had an explanation.

“Feagles wears a white jersey,” he said (the offense wears blue, the defense white). “Feagles is basically part of the defense. Here’s my conspiracy theory:

“He kicks nice little end-over-end balls to the defense and spirals to the offense that are coming down backwards. You know, the offense didn’t have much of a chance.”

Holmgren had previously let incumbent kicker Todd Peterson go for the offense against rival Kris Heppner, a strong-legged rookie from Montana. Heppner is 2-0 in that competition.

Holmgren, tongue-in-cheek, said it was time to give Peterson’s ego a rest.

“Todd’s lost two to Hugh Heffner,” Holmgren said, referring to Heppner. “Kickers can be a little fragile. So I figured, we’ll try this one. I’ve done it in the past where they go out and catch passes - five offensive linemen, five defensive linemen - but the last time I did that (in Green Bay) Gilbert Brown pulled a hamstring.”

Notes

Veteran wide receiver Robert Brooks worked out for the Seahawks on Tuesday, hoping to revive his career with his former coach in Green Bay. Brooks was to work out with Denver on Wednesday. “He looked good,” Holmgren said.“I’ve said he’s the toughest guy I’ve ever coached. I believe that, but his body has been through the ringer a little bit. My concern is, can he hold up?” … It wasn’t clear what the Seahawks were prepared to offer. “If and when Chris (McIntosh) comes in, I think I’ll have about $15,00 to spend,” Holmgren said, jokingly. “I could throw a party for the coaches.” … Kitna said halfback Ricky Watters is in the best shape in training camp he’s been in the three years the two have been teammates… . An MRI on rookie guard Daniel Collins shows a strained MCL, which will sideline him for about 10 days, Holmgren said… . The receivers had a better practice Wednesday, “but there was only one way to go,” Holmgren said, meaning up. “They had to be better today because how they practiced yesterday was unacceptable.”