Head Hawk With Rocky Start Behind Him, Erickson Ready For Wins

Nothing can rival how awful Dennis Erickson looked on the day in 1989 he announced he was leaving Washington State for Miami.

He had constantly changed his mind about the decision. His gaunt face and sunken eyes couldn’t hide the stress.

But 1995 and 1996 came close.

Erickson, an Everett native, had coveted the Seattle Seahawks coaching job since the birth of the franchise in 1976. When he finally got it in 1995, chaos ensued.

The Seahawks lost games and lost at the gate.

There were demoralizing off-field incidents - Ken Behring’s escapades, the Lamar Smith/Chris Warren/Mike Frier auto accident and Brian Blades’ manslaughter trial.

Erickson contributed with his own DUI arrest. And finally, Behring tried to move the team to California.

Welcome home, Dennis.

“It was a mess,” Erickson reflected recently before the Seahawks broke training camp in Cheney. “I prefer not to talk about the DUI thing, it’s over and done with. But we weren’t organized. It was just a bad deal.

“The biggest thing was the move. I came here for one reason and that was because it was Seattle and where I wanted to be. All of a sudden we were going to Los Angeles.”

Many snickered it was fitting that a team was moving on Erickson, instead of vice versa. He was getting his comeuppance for leaving WSU and Wyoming after short stays.

Apparently the football gods didn’t agree because in the last several months, Erickson’s been handed a wealthy new owner, blueprints for a new stadium and a load of new talent.

“We finally got lucky,” Erickson said. “Finally, after all the negatives, things started turning around and evening out.”

And all of Erickson’s goals - playoffs, Super Bowls, franchise stability - appear feasible.

He has another understated goal: To continue coaching. If the last two years weren’t enough to drive him into a TV booth or early retirement, it’s probably safe to say he’s a sideline lifer.

No burnout here.

“I’ll go as long as I can,” said the 50-year-old Erickson, who at age 4 watched films of prep games coached by his father, Pinky. “It’s what I’ve always wanted to do and will always do.

“There are moments when you have your ups and downs and you wonder what the hell you’re doing in this business. But coaching over the years, I’ve had a lot more ups than downs and not many people can have that in their jobs.”

Now, Erickson must turn Seattle’s promise into victories. Some are hinting that making the playoffs are a prerequisite to his remaining coach.

He sidesteps the speculation. Instead, he talks of creating a model franchise. He’s seen enough turbulence and quicksand.

“We’ve got the right guys in place and we’re going to be competitive every year,” he said. “Eventually we’re going to get to the Super Bowl. I want us to have an organization that’s looked upon as solid in the NFL.”

To do so, Erickson must alter attitudes. Players had grown too comfortable with losing the last two seasons. Perhaps the sting of repeated setbacks had dulled into an acceptable ache.

It’s part of the reason for the numerous roster changes during the off-season, particularly on defense.

“The majority felt bad after losses, but it wasn’t all 53 of them, so we needed to make changes,” Erickson acknowledged. “There were times over the last two years when we didn’t play as hard as we needed to. We weren’t quite good enough in a lot of positions to get over the hump. We’re getting closer, no question about it.”

He senses renewed interest in the Seahawks, even in preseason.

“There was probably more chemistry in that (Kingdome) for our first preseason game than I’ve seen in a while,” he said.

Erickson’s been instilling chemistry and confidence in players since he entered coaching in 1969.

John Friesz was at Coeur d’Alene High school in 1984 when he attended Erickson’s football camp at the University of Idaho.

“I wasn’t even sure I could play high school football,” said Friesz, now the Seahawks starting quarterback. “But that week we were together, he saw some potential in me. He finalized a lot of different things in my mind and a lot of it was learning coverages and making quick decisions.”

Lessons Rick Mirer never learned during his Seahawks’ career.

“Whether it was Rick’s fault or my fault … I’ll take as much blame as anybody,” Erickson said of his former quarterback. “Athletically he did some really good things. He had a little trouble picking up what we were doing, but the bottom line is we weren’t winning.”

Erickson’s reputation for innovative offense and turning out quality quarterbacks remains intact.

Former Miami quarterback Gino Torretta, cut during Seahawks training camp, said Erickson walks a fine line between getting players relaxed and focused.

“He let us play (at Miami). If we made a mistake we kept playing and I would make it up to him,” Torretta said prior to being released. “Obviously to win the Heisman and the awards I won, he put me in a position to do that.”

Erickson hasn’t changed much since he landed his first head coaching job at Idaho in 1982 and was given the nickname “The Chief” by then-assistant John L. Smith.

“He’s got a couple more silver hairs,” Friesz said. “There are a lot more demands on his time. He’s talking with the trainer, the media, talking about contracts. Yet he hasn’t missed a quarterbacks meeting.”

Some coaches revel in fast-paced lifestyles, befriending actors or other luminaries. Erickson would rather golf with his buddies.

Otherwise, Erickson is all football.

“The thing he knows is personnel and how to evaluate it. Always has,” said Gregg Smith, an assistant coach with Erickson at Idaho, Wyoming, Washington State, Miami and Seattle. “And it’s even more critical at this level.”

This season is critical for Erickson, who is 15-17 in two seasons.

“We’re capable of getting into the playoffs. Then after that, who knows what happens,” Erickson said.

Galloway may play in opener

An magnetic resonance imaging test revealed Saturday that Joey Galloway only has a sprained right foot. “He’s a lot better than he was,” Erickson said. “Things could change, but he may be ready for the opener.”

Backup receiver James McKnight will be sidelined three to four weeks with a sprained medial collateral ligament.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo