Holmgren's Not Trippin', But His Wife Is

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

DETROIT -- Mike Holmgren has a chance to do something no other NFL coach has done -- become the first coach to win a Super Bowl with two different teams.

But if his Seattle Seahawks manage to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, his wife Kathy won't be here to see it.

As a Christmas present, Mike Holmgren arranged for Kathy, a nurse, and Calla, one of the couple's four daughters and a doctor, to make a 2 1/2 -week trip to Congo as part of a humanitarian mission. Kathy will be traveling to the same aid station where she worked as a missionary nurse 35 years ago, when the country was called Zaire.

She is scheduled to leave Thursday.

Holmgren said arrangements were made four months ago, long before the Seahawks qualified for the Super Bowl, and the possibility of a conflict never occurred to him.

"We didn't even think about the dates being a problem," Holmgren said Sunday at the Seahawks' hotel in Dearborn, Mich. "It was the best present I could ever give her."

Kathy Holmgren serves on the board of Northwest Medical Teams International, the nonprofit organization arranging the trip. Mike Holmgren said he didn't want her to reconsider making the trip.

"She said, 'Are you upset I'm not going to be there with you?' I said, 'Nah,' " he said. "I'm very proud of her. She works very hard at a lot of things that are a lot more important than coaching a football game. Her heart is here even though she's going to be in Africa with my daughter. . . . It's a 17-day trip. I'll let them know who wins when they get back."

'It Was a Big Jerk'

Getting to Super Bowl XL was easy for the Seahawks compared with getting into the media center. A van carrying Shaun Alexander, Matt Hasselbeck, Walter Jones and several other players was struck by a mechanical security fence. The players were jolted but uninjured.

The van was struck from the side and below by automatic gates as it tried to go through the entrance at the hotel complex.

"It was a big jerk. That was about it," Jones said. "It was a freak thing. But everyone laughed it off."

Alexander said there was a loud bang that startled the players and especially shook the driver.

"It was crazy," Alexander said. "We all got tossed around a bit inside. But we're all okay."

Alexander said the players were in the second of two vans transporting the Seahawks. He said the first van was full of public relations personnel and cleared the gate safely -- "of course," he joked.

Cowher Faces Up

Steelers Coach Bill Cowher's chiseled profile and massive chin are camera magnets -- particularly when he's in mid-scowl. Claiming that "I smile a lot, too," he admitted, "sometimes I let my emotions get the best of me, but you've got to be yourself." . . .

Seattle's Pro Bowl-bound rookie middle linebacker, Lofa Tatupu, said he is no longer feeling the effects of the slight concussion he suffered in a collision with Carolina Panthers tailback Nick Goings during the NFC title game. Tatupu finished the game. Goings exited with a concussion. "I'm all right," Tatupu said. "I'm back to normal. All the cobwebs are gone. I feel good." . . .

Holmgren said he is "somewhat optimistic" that Seahawks safety Ken Hamlin will be able to resume his career. Hamlin has been unable to play since suffering a fractured skull, a blood clot and bruised brain tissue during a mid-October incident with two men outside a Seattle nightclub.

"It was a sad thing that happened to Kenny," Holmgren said. "The good thing is, he has his health up. I can't tell you what his football future is, but he will be there Sunday. He had an emotional impact on this team before his injury and after."

Quotable

"Shaun is the type of back who can break one for 60 or 70 yards. Jerome is the kind of back who can break a DB."

Seattle defensive end Bryce Fishe r , on the difference between Shaun Alexander and Jerome Bettis in short-yardage situations

-- Mark Maske, Jason La Canfora and wire services