Renton – Is T.J. Houshmandzadeh experiencing buyer’s remorse?
The Seattle Seahawks receiver says he does not regret his decision to sign with Seattle as a free agent during the offseason, even though they are virtually out of the playoff hunt for a second straight season with a 3-6 record.
Houshmandzadeh’s other choices included the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle’s opponent this week, who sit at 8-1 and lead the NFC North, and a return to his former team in Cincinnati. The Bengals are now 7-2 and leading the AFC North.
Houshmandzadeh said all three teams offered about the same amount of money, and his decision ultimately came down to choosing between Minnesota and Seattle. What made the deal for the Seahawks was the quarterback situation, with Houshmandzadeh feeling better about Matt Hasselbeck running the show, rather than the inexperienced Tarvaris Jackson in Minnesota.
But Houshmandzadeh signed his five-year, $40 million deal – $15 million of which is guaranteed – before the Vikings coaxed Favre out of retirement. So does he still think he made the right decision?
“Had he (Favre) been there I don’t know what would have happened,” he said. “He wasn’t there, so I felt I had to do what was best for me. And if you look at both teams, yeah, I knew Minnesota was going to be good, but I thought we were going to be really good, too.
“So hindsight is better than foresight, you know? And like I say, nine games into it, it doesn’t look like I made a great decision, but it’s too early.”
Houshmandzadeh said his visit to Minnesota was a good one, and he liked coach Brad Childress, receivers coach George Stewart and owner Zygi Wilf. He also liked the fact that Minnesota had one of the best backs in the league in Adrian Peterson, running behind a solid, offensive line.
“He went above and beyond to try and get me to go to Minnesota,” Houshmandzadeh said about Wilf. “And so that’s why it was hard. I liked the receiver coach a lot. And the owner was really cool, and Childress was cool. So it was tough.”
Hasselbeck is pleased Favre wasn’t with Minnesota at the time Houshmandzadeh was looking for future employment.
“I’m just glad Brett didn’t come out of retirement around that time because he just probably would have picked Brett,” Hasselbeck told Minnesota reporters in a conference call on Wednesday.
The Vikings view Houshmandzadeh’s decision as a blessing in disguise. Still needing another receiver, Minnesota took a risk and drafted talented athlete Percy Harvin in the first round, and he has performed well as a receiver and returner for the Vikings.
Harvin has 31 receptions for 422 yards and three scores, has nine carries for 46 yards, and leads the NFL with an average of 30.7 yards on 29 kickoff returns with two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Houshmandzadeh has been solid for the Seahawks. He leads the team with 50 receptions and has 582 receiving yards for an 11.6 yards-per-catch average with three TDs.
Houshmandzadeh’s recent play and swagger has helped him emerge as one of the leaders on the team. Houshmandzadeh recently told Seahawks coach Jim Mora that he doesn’t believe the Seahawks will lose another game this season if they play like they did against Arizona last week, minus the mistakes in the red zone that kept them from scoring touchdowns.
“You can’t just say one year, ‘Oh, it was a bad decision,’ Houshmandzadeh said. “I feel like I can play a long time because I feel good. I haven’t played a lot of football early in my career. Knock on wood, I’ve never had a major injury. So I feel I (can) play for a lot more years to come”
Eric D. Williams: 253-597-8437
