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Alexander remains out, Hutchinson returns to Seattle

Oct 18, 2006 - 12:43 AM Minnesota (3-2) at Seattle (4-1) Sunday 4:15 pm EDT

SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Three-time Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson returns to the Pacific Northwest on Sunday. But he will not be protecting Matt Hasselbeck or blocking for Shaun Alexander.

Instead, Hutchinson will protect Brad Johnson and block for Chester Taylor when the Minnesota Vikings visit the Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks are 4-1 without Hutchinson. But his absence on the left side of the line next to Pro Bowl tackle Walter Jones has been felt by Seattle.

Hasselbeck has been sacked 17 times in five games after getting dumped just 27 times last season. The pass rush is causing Hasselbeck to get rid of the ball quicker than he would like, resulting in seven interceptions. He had nine all of last season.

Chris Spencer, a first-round pick in 2005, has started the last two games at left guard. Floyd Womack started the season at the position, but suffered a knee injury in Week Three.

The absence of Hutchinson was never more evident that in a 37-6 loss at Chicago on October 1. With him, the Seahawks would have had a better chance against the Bears' pass rush. Defensive tackle Tommie Harris recorded two sacks in his matchup against Spencer, who was a center in college before shifting to guard.

"There's no doubt it's a tough loss, but I think it's one we'll overcome," Hasselbeck said of losing Hutchinson. "But at the same time, there are things Hutch brought to our team in terms of leadership in the locker room. On the field, he brought a nasty streak, an intimidation factor. You can't really replace that."

Seahawks president of football operations Tim Ruskell has done a masterful job since taking over in February 2005. But not placing a franchise tag on Hutchinson after Super Bowl XL was a mistake.

Ruskell had plenty of unrestricted free agents he had to address. He re-signed Alexander, the reigning MVP and rushing champion, as well as Pro Bowl fullback Mack Strong and defensive tackle Rocky Bernard.

But by placing the transition tag instead of the franchise designation on Hutchinson, Ruskell committed to paying the average of the top 10 salaries of offensive linemen ($6.39 million) instead of the average of the top five ($6.98 million).

The strategy backfired when the Vikings signed Hutchinson to a seven-year, $49 million deal - the richest ever for a guard.

The Seahawks could have matched, but the offer sheet contained a provision that would have guaranteed the entire contract for Seattle, but not for Minnesota. Under the deal, if Hutchinson was not the team's highest-paid offensive lineman by the second year, he would be guaranteed the entire salary. For Seattle, Jones was already the highest-paid lineman, which made Hutchinson's deal nearly impossible to match.

Ruskell responded to the loss of Hutchinson by signing outside linebacker Julian Peterson and wide receiver Nate Burleson, a former Viking.

Then last month, Ruskell acquired Deion Branch from New England for a first-round pick in 2007 and signed the wide receiver to a six-year, $39 million deal.

Branch paid dividends last week, catching six passes for 76 yards, including two touchdowns, in a 30-28 win at St. Louis.

Without Alexander, who will miss a third straight game with a cracked bone in his foot, the Seahawks will utilize three-receiver alignments with Branch, Darrell Jackson and Burleson.

Alexander felt the absence of Hutchinson in his first three games, averaging just 62.3 yards per game on the ground. Last season, he rushed for a league-high 1,880 yards and set a single-season record with 27 touchdowns.

Taylor is the beneficiary of a strong left side of the line with Hutchinson and tackle Bryant McKinnie. Signed as a free agent in the offseason, Taylor has rushed for 421 yards in five games.

The Vikings are coming off a bye.

The Seahawks posted a 27-23 win at the Metrodome in the last meeting on December 12, 2004.