`Special' Treatment Awaits Lamar King -- Rookie Heads To Camp After Ending Holdout

CHENEY - The Seahawks welcomed Lamar King to town last night. Team management handed him a lucrative contract to sign. The coaching staff gave him a thick playbook to study.

And the players have a special gift in store for the rookie defensive end from Saginaw Valley State who missed nearly two weeks of training camp. It is an unwritten NFL policy that rookies undergo special treatment from veterans.

For instance, after every practice, rookie quarterback Brock Huard carries Glenn Foley's or Jon Kitna's shoulder pads and helmet. The treatment given to first-year players who hold out can be much worse.

But Seahawk Coach Mike Holmgren won't let King suffer too much.

"As long as you set the tone about hazing early on . . . we don't haze," he said. "Now what goes on in the locker room and the verbal stuff, that's pretty good-natured most of the time. If it got any worse than that, then I would have to step in."

That likely means King won't receive the same type of treatment given to past rookies, who have been taped to tackling dummies after practice.

"Things are a bit different now than when I came in," said strong safety Darryl Williams, who has played in the NFL for eight years. "When I came in, guys could get on you pretty good for coming in late. But it's a business now and guys understand that."

King missed 21 practices while his agents and team management worked on a five-year deal that will pay him at least $5.1 million, including a $3.6 million signing bonus. If incentives are reached, the total value could increase to $8.175 million.

Holmgren acknowledged that a deal had been reached, but he was reluctant to comment on King until the contract was signed.

"I've been through this too often, where you get these things where there is an agreement, and then all of a sudden nothing is signed and then something happens to the agreement," Holmgren said. "The process right now is taking place. Nothing is signed. There is an agreement. But let's wait. I'm reluctant to jump the gun."

Even if King signed and practiced today, he probably would not play in Saturday's exhibition game against Buffalo at the Kingdome.

No matter how physically fit King is, he'll have a lot of learning to do, players said.

"When you're a first-rounder, they expect you to come in and play," Williams said. "It's none of this, `You can wait two or three years, wait around and learn the system.' You've got to play now, and he's behind.

"I'm not going to mess with him. I'm going to leave him alone. Everybody was a rookie. They know how it is. It's bad enough that you've got to try to catch up and you've got somebody bothering you. . . . We've got to win some games and we need him to win games."

Buffalo can wait

The Seahawks, by design, have done very little to prepare for Buffalo.

"We're still getting a lot of our own stuff done, and I'm sure Buffalo is," Holmgren said. "You go in there and you want to execute well. You don't want to jump offside. You don't want to do the things that have plagued us before."

Players said the purpose of the game is to become more familiar with the new schemes on both sides of the ball.

Notes

-- Defensive end Phillip Daniels participated in contact drills yesterday.

-- Williams had his left knee drained of fluid earlier this week. He felt discomfort and had been limited at practice.

-- Play of the day: Running back Ricky Watters knocked over linebacker James Logan and high-stepped for a long gain.

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Seahawk Profile.

Name: Louis Riddick. Position: Strong safety. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 210 pounds. Number: 42. Age: 30. College: Pittsburgh. NFL experience: Seven years. How acquired: Free agent, 1999. Who's the toughest player you've ever gone against? Former San Diego Charger Rod Bernstine. "We hit one time and I thought he killed me. He was a big, big, hard fast runner. His knees when he was running came up to your face. Definitely the hardest guy I've ever had to tackle." Inside tidbits: Born in Quakertown, Pa. . . . Played with the World League champion Sacramento Surge in 1992. Camp highlight: He has been responsible for many of the bone-jarring hits at training camp. "The hits have been nice, but my highlight so far has been the speed at which I'm learning the system." Favorite movie: Die Hard. "I've seen it about 25 times. . . . I've always been a big Bruce Willis fan because he's from the East Coast." Favorite musician: Anita Baker. What's your football fantasy? "To actually hit somebody hard enough to where his helmet just falls apart. Ear pads, inside pads and face mask just broken."

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-------------- SIGNING STATUS --------------

The signing status of the first-round picks in the 1999 NFL draft (all contract amounts in millions, with signing bonus in parentheses):

:-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. Player : : : . : Pos. : Team : College : Contract . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 1. Tim Couch : : . : QB : Browns : Kentucky : 7 yrs, $48 . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 2. Donovan McNabb : : . : QB : Eagles : Syracuse : 7 yrs, $54 ($11.3) . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 3. Akili Smith : : . : QB : Bengals : Oregon : Unsigned . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 4. Edgerrin James : : . : RB : Colts : Miami : Unsigned . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 5. Ricky Williams : : . : RB : Saints : Texas : 7 yrs, $11.1 ($8.8) (1) . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 6. Torry Holt : : . : WR : Rams : N.C. State : 5 yrs, $10 . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 7. Champ Bailey : : . : CB : Redskins : Georgia : 5 yrs, $9.64 ($5.2) . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 8. David Boston : : . : WR : Cardinals : Ohio State : 4 yrs, $7 ($3.8) . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 9. Chris Claiborne : . : LB : Lions : USC : 4 yrs, $7.62 . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 10. Chris McAlister : . : CB : Ravens : Arizona : 4 yrs, undisclosed . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 11. Daunte Culpepper : . : QB : Vikings : C. Florida : 5 yrs, $7 (2) . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 12. Cade McNown : : . : QB : Bears : UCLA : 5 yrs, $15 ($6.1) (3) . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 13. Troy Edwards : : . : WR : Steelers : La. Tech : 5 yrs, $6.5 . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 14. John Tait : : . : OL : Chiefs : BYU : Unsigned . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 15. Anthony McFarland : . : DL : Bucs : LSU : 5 yrs, $8.5 ($4) . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 16. Jevon Kearse : : . : DE : Titans : Florida : 5 yrs, $6.1 ($3.85) . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 17. Damien Woody : : . : C : Patriots : Boston Col. : 5 yrs, $6 ($3.55) . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 18. Matt Stinchcomb : . : OL : Raiders : Georgia : 5 yrs, $5.8 . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 19. Luke Petitgout : . : OL : Giants : Notre Dame : 5 yrs, $5 ($3.2) . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 20. Ebenezer Ekuban : . : DL : Cowboys : N. Carolina : 5 yrs, $5.65 . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 21. L.J. Shelton : : . : OT : Cardinals : E. Michigan : Unsigned . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 22. Lamar King : : . : DL : Seahawks : Sag. Valley St.: Unsigned . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 23. Antoine Winfield : . : CB : Bills : Ohio State : 5 yrs, $7 ($3.5) . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 24. Reggie McGrew : : . : DL : 49ers : Florida : 7 yrs, $7.4 ($2.5) . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 25. Antwan Edwards: : . : DB : Packers : Clemson : 5 yrs, $5.35 . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 26. Fernando Bryant : . : CB : Jaguars : Alabama : 5 yrs, $5.3 ($2.1) . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 27. Aaron Gibson : : . : OL : Lions : Wisconsin : 4 yrs, $3.95 ($1.6) . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 28. Andy Katzenmoyer : . : LB : Patriots : Ohio State : 4 yrs, $3.34 ($1) . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 29. Dimitrius Underwood : . : DL : Vikings : Michigan State : 5 yrs, $5 (4) . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 30. Patrick Kerney : . : DL : Falcons : Virginia : 5 yrs, $5 . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------. : 31. Al Wilson : : . : LB : Broncos : Tennessee : 5 yrs, $5.6 ($1.7) . :-------:-----------:----------------:--------------------------.

(1) With incentives could be worth $68.4 million. (2) With incentives could be worth $20.5 million. (3) With incentives could be worth $22 million. (4) Was granted his release.

Source: ESPN.com