From Eric D. Williams of The News Tribune:

Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren has never directly said he will return to the league as a coach or general manager after he leaves at the end of the season to take a year sabbatical to spend time with his family.

But heading into his final home game at Qwest Field, Holmgren has thrown around enough obvious hints that most around the league expect Holmgren either back on the sidelines or running a team sooner rather than later.

During his Wednesday press conference, Holmgren tossed out his latest metaphorical salvo when asked what the chances are of him returning to the game after he’s done with his 10th season in Seattle, motioning behind his head like he needed a backscratcher.

“Right in the back of my (mind), that little itch I can’t scratch, it’s still there,” Holmgren said. “Maybe someday.”

Asked if he wanted to coach another season, Holmgren wouldn’t bite.

“I’m not getting into specifics,” he said. “We’re just talking about itches here.”

Seattle players who have been around Holmgren for awhile would not be surprised if he returned with another team.

“I think he’ll be back, but who knows?” said quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who has been with Holmgren in Green Bay and Seattle. “It’s just a hunch.”

Linebacker Julian Peterson, who has played with Holmgren for the past two years and against him another six while in San Francisco, agreed.

“I see him taking a break for a year or so,” Peterson said. “But you know, once it’s in your blood, it’s kind of hard to step away.”

Holmgren likely will return for two reasons. The first is obvious – the bitter taste of ending a coaching career on a low note with Seattle at 3-11, experiencing the team’s worst season since 1992.

The second has to do with unfinished business. Holmgren would like another chance to be both the general manager and coach of a franchise, the dual roles that first lured him to leave Green Bay and take the job in Seattle in 1999 over similar jobs in Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Holmgren worked as both the team’s coach and general manager from his arrival in 1999 through the 2002 season. However, Holmgren reportedly relinquished the GM position after years of front-office tension between him and then-president Bob Whitsitt became public. Whitsitt was later fired following the 2004 season.

Holmgren said when he first took the Seattle job, he did not do his research and didn’t realize how tough the rebuilding process would be. An onerous salary cap situation forced him to let players such as defensive lineman Phillip Daniels and quarterback Warren Moon leave. Holmgren also admitted to micromanaging and not delegating enough as general manager.

However, Holmgren said he believes the two roles are still manageable if you surround yourself with quality people, and points to Seahawks CEO Todd Leiweke as the type of executive you need in place to help manage a team.

“When you read or write or hear people say you can’t do that, it’s usually started by out-of-work general managers,” quipped Holmgren. “ … If you have both positions, Jimmy Johnson (at Miami) certainly did it and did it very well. So it can be done, OK?

“But what is important if you have both positions is that the people around you helping you do this – feeding you information and coming to those meetings with the right stuff – it’s important that they’re good guys.”

Opportunities should be available for Holmgren after he leaves Seattle. San Francisco has been widely rumored to be interested, and he has ties to the Bay Area. Recently, Dallas has joined the speculation because of Holmgren’s relationship with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

Some Seattle players, such as fullback Leonard Weaver, are anxious to see if their former coach will return – either on the sidelines as a head coach or in the front office of another team.

“I don’t really know what he has in store,” Weaver said. “I would love to see him come back in some shape or form. Whether it’s another team, I don’t know what his plan is, but it would be good to see him come back and not give it up.”