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Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The NFC West fared worse on average than any division in our latest NFL power rankings. After placing the Seahawks among the top 10, most voters viewed Arizona and St. Louis with skepticism. They gave the 49ers virtually no shot at contending.

Counting all 40 votes for NFC West teams, the 10 panelists produced a 20.1 average ranking for teams in the division. The NFC East led all divisions with a 9.53 average ranking, followed by the AFC South (10.4), AFC North (15.7), NFC North (18.23), AFC East (18.35), NFC South (19.65) and AFC West (20.03).

I ranked NFC West teams at 17.5 on average, higher than any panelist. My ratings for the Seahawks, Cardinals and 49ers were consistent with how other panelists saw those teams. Some panelists ranked those teams higher than I ranked them. But no panelist ranked the Rams higher than my No. 19 ranking. I'll get into the reasoning a bit later.

Reading the chart: The second through fifth columns show how ESPN.com panelists ranked each team in the division. The final column shows how each panelist ranked NFC West teams on average. The chart is sorted in order of highest average ranking for the division. Each team's column includes two shaded cells. Red shading highlights out the team's highest ranking. Yellow shading highlights the team's lowest ranking.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Mike Holmgren enters his final season as Seahawks coach under unusual circumstances. The team has already named Jim Mora as his successor. The arrangement made sense because the organization wanted Mora as its next coach, and naming him as the successor would project stability.

"We are all committed to making this work," Holmgren said at the scouting combine today. "I'm going to be me and the players are going to respond. And then when I'm gone, it will be Jim's team. We're all committed to that."

Holmgren addressed a number of subjects in his first comments since shortly after the season:

• He's close to naming a running backs coach to replace Stump Mitchell, but nothing is done quite yet.
• New offensive line coach Mike Solari is, in Holmgren's words, "having to learn our stuff and at the same time, he brings a tremendous amount to the table."
• Keith Gilbertson, whose role on the staff has grown over the last couple seasons, will help make up for the departures of assistants Jim Zorn and Stump Mitchell (in terms of maintaining continuity).
• "Getting Mike Wahle was huge," Holmgren said. Wahle, the free-agent offensive lineman Seattle signed recently, could start at left guard.
• Veteran right guard Chris Gray has told Holmgren he wants to return. Gray is feeling good, Holmgren said, adding that Gray provides "insurance" at center and guard.
• On Zorn's surprise hiring as Redskins coach: "I couldn't be happier. Jim Zorn is one of the fine men I've ever been associated with in this business. He has worked hard for this. It just happened a little faster because he was going to get his chance after he was a coordinator. Now it happened in the course of three days. Good for him."
• Holmgren is not ready to give up on Shaun Alexander. He doesn't buy into the idea that Alexander is suddenly washed up now that he's in his 30s. Holmgren pointed to injuries and diminished line play.

Seattle could save $4.6 million in cap space this year by releasing Alexander with a June 1 designation (an additional $2.3 million would count against the cap in 2009). "I'm not ready to write that one off yet," Holmgren said. President Tim Ruskell will make the ultimate decision. "I have not been privy to that discussion yet," Holmgren said.

Holmgren said he hasn't decided what he'll do after this season. He plans to take a "sabbatical" and pursue as-yet-undetermined interests. Holmgren has said previously he still has the itch to serve in a GM-type role. A job similar to the one Bill Parcells holds with the Dolphins is something that might fit Holmgren well if he decides to return to the game.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike McAllister

HONOLULU -- Here's one reason why the Seahawks are confident than Jim Mora is the right guy to fill the head coaching vacancy when Mike Holmgren retires after the 2008 season:

Marcus Trufant, Pro Bowl cornerback.

In his first season working with Seattle's defensive backs, Mora was instrumental in raising their level of play. Nowhere was that more evident than Trufant (in photo), the former first-round draft pick in 2003 who had been solid, but not necessarily spectacular, in his first four NFL seasons.

In the last two years, Trufant had intercepted just two passes. Under Mora's guidance, though, Trufant intercepted a career-high seven passes this season, second-highest total in the NFC. He added another interception in the Seahawks' wild-card win over the Redskins.

"He challenged Tru ... and Tru stepped up," Seahawks linebacker and fellow Pro Bowler Lofa Tatupu said Wednesday. "The way he got Tru to play is a credit to him. We saw the real Marcus Trufant this season."

Of course, cynics might note that the biggest reason for Trufant's improved play was the fact he will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and, thus, had incentive to raise his market value.

But Trufant is quick to give credit to Mora for turning him into a more imposing figure on the corner.

"He put it on me, to go out and play," Trufant said. "He didn't want me to play safe, but to just have fun."

Trufant said that while he hasn't been holding back in previous years, he might have been more cautious than he needed to be. But an improved ability to read the quarterback, an increased confidence and getting the green light to take more risks were vital to his improvement.

"You always feel more comfortable over time," Trufant said. "And your confidence level goes up. That plays a big part."

The news of Mora's impending promotion to head coach was something the Seahawks Pro Bowlers didn't learn until after practice Wednesday. In fact, Trufant didn't know about it until the media (OK, me) asked for his reaction.

"Mora is a great coach," Trufant said. "He has lots of energy. He's a player's coach. He has an aura about him; you can feed off his energy."

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck praised both his current and future head coaches, but also took a more practical approach.

"I don't know what to say other than that's a year away," Hasselbeck noted. "I usually don't look that far ahead."

And while Holmgren, who turns 60 in June, may be planning to retire, Tatupu doesn't think it'll last long.

"I think he comes back to coaching," Tatupu said. "He's too young."

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Seattle Seahawks became the latest team to sacrifice flexibility for continuity by naming their next head coach before the current one finishes his term.

Jim Mora will replace Mike Holmgren for the 2009 season in Seattle, just as Jim Caldwell will take over in Indianapolis once Tony Dungy is finished.

This isn't quite a trend, but the concept does invite questions.

If the coach-in-waiting somehow compromises his ability to perform his duties as promised, an organization could find itself in a tough spot. Why take that chance with an early commitment?

And if teams can name head coaches without opening up the process to minorities -- a non-issue in the Colts' case because Caldwell is black -- then why have the Rooney Rule?

The first question comes down to organizational preference. The second one begs explanation.

"Look, we don't want anyone to do any end-run around the Rooney Rule," said civil-rights attorney Cyrus Mehri, whose work on behalf of the Fritz Pollard Alliance helped shape the process, "but if you already had contractual succession planned, and that means in writing, then we don't have a problem with that."

Most teams simply aren't willing or able to name their next coach in advance.

The situation isn't practical without approval from the current head coach. Holmgren and Dungy are special men in that way. Both are comfortable enough to conduct their jobs without feeling threatened having the next guy on staff.

In Seattle, CEO Tod Leiweke and president Tim Ruskell have brought stability to the Seahawks in recent seasons, helping Holmgren do a better job on the field. The Colts will have strong leadership as long as president Bill Polian is running their operation.

"Those who crafted the (Rooney Rule) said that this is how an organization should perform," Leiweke told reporters today. "If you can have succession from within an organization, that is what a team should aspire to. That is how enlightened companies operate."

The Rooney Rule sought to improve a process marked by good-old-boy attitudes.

"We're just trying to be consistent," Mehri said. "Consistent with what happened with Mike Martz following Dick Vermeil (with the Rams) and Caldwell following Dungy.

"What has happened in Seattle seems to be following exactly the same approach. And I got reassurances today from the league that it follows the exact same language as with Caldwell, so really it's the identical situation."

Ease into the weekend by reading the top stories from around the league. We then invite you to leave work an hour or so early. Thanks for your continued support.

• This may come as a shock to you guys, but I have Cowboys coaching fatigue right now. Jerry Jones called a news conference today to announce the hiring of Hudson Houck as offensive line coach. I've never heard of a team holding a news conference for an offensive line coach. It's like Jerry can't let go of the season. If you're scoring at home, head coach Wade Phillips makes about $3 million per year. Houck and the Cowboys' co-head coach, Jason Garrett, make a combined $4 million.

• My old pal Kevin Sherrington wonders if Phillips' parking space at Valley Ranch is in jeopardy.

• Junior Seau says he's not going to get "too Oprah" about playing his former team. He actually makes some pretty interesting observations about how he may have overstayed his welcome.

• Christopher Gasper of the Boston Globe works in an Enron reference in the lead to a story on the Pats' offensive line. Nice work, sir! Now, return your father's overcoat immediately.

• Quick story on the Chargers' team chaplain.

• In five years, we could be talking about the Chula Vista Chargers.

• The Packers' KGB may have the gift of phophesy. This is an interesting little story about how the spiritual defensive end bought a religious DVD for his teammates and coaches.

• And in staying with the religious theme, a Catholic missionary priest in northern Peru loves his Packers.

• Packers safety Atari Bigby hit a rough patch midway through the season, but he's rolling again now.

• Lori Nickel talks to Archie Manning about another Mississippi native.

• Bob Raissman has made a shocking discovery: The NFL cares more about ratings than providing the best environment for players. Didn't see this one coming.

• Brett Favre doesn't believe in the SI cover jinx. But he did confirm that he's adding a guest home for Peter King.

• Not that anyone cares about the Pro Bowl, but Patrick Kerney and Walter Jones will not be attending.  

• Mike Preston has been all over the map on the Ravens' coaching search. First, he made it out to be the most prestigious job in football. Now, he's saying the club is an embarrassment. And I wonder if he'd be calling Jason Garrett "the myth that Jerry Jones created" if the Cowboys assistant had accepted the offer in Baltimore.

• Jim Mora may have emerged as the leading candidate in Washington.

• Jerry Jones angered every owner in the league when he made Garrett the highest paid assistant in football.

• Herschel Walker will provide details of his personality disorder in an upcoming book. Make sure and read Vince Dooley's first quote. An absolute classic.

• According to Al Breer, Wade Phillips isn't worried about how much Jason Garrett's making.

As news of Bobby Petrino's escape from Atlanta began to spread Tuesday afternoon, I thought back to my interview with Falcons owner Arthur Blank the previous evening. Were there any clues I missed?

Was Arthur winking at me when he said he felt better about Petrino at 3-9 than he did when he first hired him 11 months ago? The owner looked like a beaten man several hours after watching the face of his franchise wearing everything but leg irons as he was sentenced to 23 months in prison.

I can't imagine how he feels this morning after being betrayed again. On the bright side, though, no animals were harmed during Petrino's departure.

If Blank was shocked by this latest development, he's a lot more naive than we've given him credit for. As Len Pasquarelli points out, Petrino's not the type of guy looking to put down his roots somewhere. His dream job has always been any position other than his current one.

And with apologies to Falcons fans, I don't blame Petrino for leaving. Even though Razorback fans are a notoriously tough bunch to please, it's still a much better fit.

By all accounts, Petrino never won the trust of his players in Atlanta. He was the opposite extreme from Jim Mora, who wanted to pal around with the team's star players. He didn't display any sort of emotion that might elevate a team that was outmanned almost every time it took the field.

His job description changed dramatically once Vick was out of the picture, and it never seemed like he was up to the task. He saw the job for what it was: a career killer. He looked down the road and didn't see any scenario in which he could turn the franchise around.

At Arkansas, he'll be able to implement his offense in an environment where players won't be questioning his every move. As long as he keeps a close eye on his cellphone (see Houston Nutt), he should be fine.

I'm told Arkansas was targeting TCU's Gary Patterson before Petrino decided to bail on the Falcons. And if I'm the Razorbacks, I'd keep Patterson's resume handy.

Falcons Pro Bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall found out today what life is like in the post-Vick era. A franchise that once enabled its marquee players to act immaturely can no longer afford to show mercy.

New head coach Bobby Petrino whiffed Sunday when he didn't yank Hall from game after his three penalties (two personal fouls) were followed by a sideline tirade. The Falcons made up for it with a $100,000 fine. And now that Hall released details of the fine when his coach preferred to keep it in-house, I'm thinking the cornerback will miss at least the first half of the Texans game.

Atlanta Journal Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz provided some interesting details on why he thinks former coach Jim Mora lost the locker room.

[Mora] started playing favorites with players, particularly with Hall. He became their pal. Discipline was lax. By year three, Mora had lost the locker room.

There was an incident in training camp when the coach organized a "team-building" outing to the movies. Players and coaches loaded buses to see "Invincible." But Hall spun out of the parking lot in his Lamborghini. Mora not only allowed it, he jumped into the Lamborghini with Hall. Veterans watching from the bus were stunned.

Posted by Mike Sando

Jim Mora was bummed when the Falcons fired him after the season, but he can't be missing Flowery Branch too much these days. While the team he coached for three years deals with the Michael Vick saga, Mora is focusing most of his energy on a Seattle secondary that has underachieved in recent seasons.

Mora knew the Vick questions would be inevitable as the Seahawks opened camp this morning. Had he seen anything in Vick tod make him suspect anything close to what the government has laid out in its dogfighting case? Has he remained in touch with Vick? Is he happy he's no longer in Atlanta? Was his relationship with Vick a strong one? These were the types of questions a few of us threw Mora's way after practice.

"We have a very good relationship," Mora said. "He and I exchanged text messages Wednesday. I just wanted him to know that I was thinking about him. That is not to condone what he supposedly did at all. Just on a human level, this is a guy I've known for three years and I wanted him to know I'm here.

"It's tough for me to comment on because I dont' know how I feel about it. I go back and forth. I think you can probably understand that. It's been an emotional six months, what I went through there, and it's a tough call for me. I'm trying to keep my focus on my family and the Seattle Seahawks."

The allegations against came as a shock, he said: "Certainly. Just like Dan Reeves said, I never saw that side of him. What I saw was a real professional, a kid that cared about his teammates, cared about people in general, was a hard worker, was always there, always on time.

"And once again, he is accused of these things. He hasn't been convicted. I didn't ever see anything that indicated that side of him."