Mike Holmgren’s attempt to keep Josh Brown failed

By GREGG BELL | The Associated Press • Published July 28, 2008

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KIRKLAND — If Mike Holmgren shakes his head as he watches the Seahawks’ placekicking battle between Olindo Mare and Brandon Coutu this summer, it may not be because he’s unhappy with either guy.

He’s disappointed there is even a competition.

Seattle’s coach and one-time general manager says he uncharacteristically got involved in contract negotiations with former kicker Josh Brown during free agency in March — to no avail.

Brown signed instead with the rival St. Louis Rams for $14.2 million with a $4 million signing bonus, the league’s largest for a kicker. The deal was worth only about $200,000 more than what the Seahawks were offering to keep their remarkably accurate long-range weapon on field goals.

“I was disappointed,” Holmgren said Monday, the day of Seattle’s first training camp practice devoted entirely to special teams. “I did get involved in that a little bit, which I don’t normally do with contracts and so on anymore. And I thought it was too bad.”

Holmgren believes a lack of understanding among the Seahawks, Brown and Brown’s agents led to Brown’s departure.

Brown played his first four NFL seasons for the Seahawks. He was a good friend of quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and other teammates and had a weekly morning radio show on a Seattle country-music station.

“I don’t think the communication was really great all the way around. And it surprised me,” Holmgren said. “I believed he liked it here, people liked him. There wasn’t a great deal of money difference.”

The Seahawks have said Mare, a former top scorer with the Miami Dolphins, and Coutu, a seventh-round draft choice from Georgia, are evenly matched heading into preseason games. Those begin Aug. 8 at Minnesota.

YIKES ON HIKES: Holmgren said he expects starting center Chris Spencer and veteran Chris Gray, expected to back up Rob Sims at right guard this season, to be out another five or six days. Spencer is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Gray, entering his 16th season, injured his back in practice Saturday.