"This is the speech coach Mike Holmgren should give tonight when he addresses his players on the eve of the Seahawks' first day of practice:

"Welcome back, gentlemen. Let me say that starting today I want you to think of this season differently than any season in your career, whether it's Pop Warner, prep or the Pro Bowl.

"This isn't just another NFL season we're entering. It's a rescue mission.

"Have you men been paying attention to the sports scene in this town? Have you scanned the sports pages?

"I mean it's as arid as the Kalahari Desert, as desolate as the surface of the moon. Sea of Tranquillity? In this city, it's more like the Sea of Hostility.

"The sports fans here are as desperate for good news as the brokers on Wall Street. Seattle's sports stock has plummeted like Starbucks'.

"Ask Nate Burleson.

"He grew up here. He went to Mariners games. He saw Ken Griffey Jr. score from first on the double by Edgar Martinez that beat the Yankees.

"He saw the Sonics in their heyday. He cheered for Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. He watched that 1996 NBA Finals against the Chicago Bulls. He felt the pain of that Game 6 loss. Treated it like a personal insult.

"Nate's a Seattle sports fan. He caught passes for O'Dea before he caught them for us. Look at your teammate. He's hurting right now, and it's up to us to ease his pain and the pain of the thousands of fans just like him.

"In case you've spent the entire summer in the weight room, let me remind you that the Sonics are gone, gentlemen. They left for Oklahoma City, where they have been renamed the Thunder.

"OK, hold down the laughter. Yeah, I know, 'What a rinky-dink nickname, right?' It belongs in the arena league or maybe team tennis.

"But let's stay on point. This city is hurting right now. It feels as if it was sold out by the NBA. So this is what I want you to do. Safeties. Linebackers. I want you to hit every tight end, every running back this season as if they were wearing Clay Bennett masks. He's the guy who ripped the Sonics from Seattle.

"I want you cornerbacks to crack every wide receiver who dares come across the middle. I want you to treat them the way David Stern treated Seattle.

"It's up to us, gentlemen. We are the bearers of good news this season. We are the light at the end of Seattle's sports tunnel."