Hawks' new look includes coaches

KIRKLAND -- He hunkers down, straddling the line of scrimmage to scrutinize his players' positioning, and whirls away just before the ball is snapped.

He grabs a lineman and, to drive home his coaching point, rams the 310-pounder into the player he's supposed to be blocking.

He has his own players wondering if they should soundproof their meeting room because, as veteran guard Mike Wahle puts it, "I'm not sure if he has a quiet voice."

When it comes to the Seahawks coaching staff, intensity has a new name: It's Mike Solari.

Hiring the veteran NFL line coach was the first move the Seahawks made after coach Mike Holmgren and club president Tim Ruskell expressed their exasperation with the team's anemic running game last season -- and their determination to not have a repeat performance this season.

That was in late January. Since then, multiple league sources have said that the team's best move during what has turned into an offseason of offensive turnover would be the addition of Solari -- because he'll bring needed tenacity back to the O-line and also help the development of the younger linemen with his emphasis on technique and teaching.

"He is intense," center/guard Chris Gray said Monday on the first day of the veterans camp, which followed the full-squad minicamp over the weekend.

Gray should know. Entering his 16th NFL season, and 11th with the Seahawks, Gray has played for seven line coaches overall and three in Seattle. Now, eight and four.

"You can tell he loves his job, and it shows. He's just passionate about what he does," Gray said. "It's definitely been a good move."

But the addition of Solari, who molded the best lines in football during his 11-season tenure with the Kansas City Chiefs, is just the intense tip of what has been an iceberg-sized revamping of the offensive staff for what will be Holmgren's final season.

In addition to Solari, there are four other new coaches and a fifth -- Keith Gilbertson -- is coaching a new position.

Five of the moves were predicated by other coaches leaving.

When quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn left to become head coach with the Washington Redskins, and took running backs coach Stump Mitchell with him, Bill Lazor and Kasey Dunn were hired to replace them.

After wide receivers coach Nolan Cromwell and quality control coach Gary Reynolds went to Texas A&M, Gilbertson was shifted from assistant line coach to fill Cromwell's spot, Mike DeBord was hired to take Gilbertson's old job and the team hired-up by getting former Atlanta Falcons linebackers coach Chris Beake to replace Reynolds in what has traditionally been an entry-level job.

Forget all the new players, you can't even tell all the new coaches without a program.

With all this newness comes some uncertainty, but also a renewed emphasis on making good impressions for the players.

So far, better than good.

"These new guys have worked hard since they've been here. They've watched all our old film. They've asked questions," offensive coordinator Gil Haskell said. "It's a good fit. You watch us practice and you wouldn't know that we have new coaches out there. We won't miss a beat."

But the lightning rod for all things new is Solari, who is familiar with how the Seahawks do things offensively from the time he spent with the San Francisco 49ers (1992-96).

"My job is just to make sure that the offensive line is performing at a championship level," Solari said. "One of the reasons why I was hired was because of the background knowledge of the San Francisco offense. I know what drills we need to do and what building blocks to do to progress.

"The blueprint is here. We just have to master the techniques and the fundamentals as players. My job as line coach is to put them in position so they can master those fundamentals and techniques."

Regardless of what it takes.

"That's what coach Solari brings -- an intensity," Wahle said. "All his players are going to know the X's and O's. They're going to know what everybody does on each play. And they're going to be accountable for themselves and one another.

"And that's the most important thing."

HAWK TALK: Right guard Rob Sims is not participating in this camp because he will have arthroscopic surgery Tuesday on his right knee. The procedure is being done now so he will be ready for the next camp in June and when training camp opens in late July. ... The club signed two players: wide receiver Joel Filani and defensive tackle Kevin Brown. To clear roster spots, wide receiver Travis Brown and defensive tackle Kelly Talavou were released.

WHO'S COACHING WHOM?

The turnover on the Seahawks offense hasn't been limited to the players. There also are five new coaches and a sixth who's coaching a new position:

Mike Solari

COACH: Offensive line

WHO HE REPLACES: Bill Laveroni, who was not retained after last season.

AGE: 53

BACKGROUND: Chiefs offensive coordinator the past two seasons and line coach from 1997-2005. Served as assistant coach with the Cowboys (1978-88), Cardinals (1989) and 49ers (1992-96).

Bill Lazor

COACH: Quarterbacks

WHO HE REPLACES: Jim Zorn, became Redskins head coach.

AGE: 35

BACKGROUND: Redskins quarterbacks coach the past two seasons and an offensive assistant for two seasons before that. Also was the offensive quality control coach for the Falcons in 2003.

Kasey Dunn

COACH: Running backs

WHO HE REPLACES: Stump Mitchell, who left to join Zorn's staff with the Redskins.

AGE: 38

BACKGROUND: Coached in college for 15 years, most recently as assistant head coach at Baylor (2007) and at WSU (1998-2002). Was recruited out of North Kitsap to Idaho by Keith Gilbertson.

Keith Gilbertson

COACH: Wide receivers

WHO HE REPLACES: Nolan Cromwell, who became offensive coordinator at Texas A&M.

AGE: Turns 60 on May 15

BACKGROUND: Was the Seahawks assistant O-line coach last season and offensive consultant in 2005. Also tight ends coach in 1997-98. The Snohomish native was head coach at UW (2003-04), Cal (1992-95) and Idaho (1986-88).

Mike DeBord

COACH: Assistant offensive line

WHO HE REPLACES: Gilbertson, now the wide receivers coach

AGE: 52

BACKGROUND: Coached in college for 27 years, most recently as the offensive coordinator at Michigan (2004-07).

Chris Beake

COACH: Offensive quality control

WHO HE REPLACES: Gary Reynolds, who became assistant to the head coach at Texas A&M.

AGE: 35

BACKGROUND: Was the Falcons linebackers coach from 2004-06, and an assistant with the 49ers before that (1999-2003).

-- Clare Farnsworth