"Right in the back of my [mind], that little itch I can't scratch, it's still there," he said at his news conference in Seattle. "Maybe someday."

Hmmm.

Holmgren, 60, has been a head coach since 1992, the longest consecutive tenure of any current NFL head coach. And even though he has promised his wife, Kathy, that he'll step away from the game for at least a year, Holmgren has dropped recent hints that suggest pro Football hasn't seen the last of him.

That's good news for the NFL, because Holmgren remains one of the game's brightest minds. Forget the fact that his team, which hosts the Jets today, is 3-11 in his final season in Seattle. Injuries have played a major part in the Seahawks' undoing, and perhaps the players unwittingly eased up, knowing that Holmgren will not be around next year. He will be replaced by secondary coach Jim Mora Jr., the former Falcons head coach.

First things first for Holmgren. Despite speculation that he'll be considered for what is expected to be several coaching vacancies, people close to Holmgren strongly suggest he will take a year off to re-charge. But even if Holmgren were to come back to the NFL, it might not be as a head coach. Think Bill Parcells. Think Football czar of an organization. Maybe even team president.

For now, it's a little R & R. At least that's the plan.

"What's that saying, 'Never say never'?" Holmgren asked. "I think I'm going to take the year off. That's my thinking right now. I've been doing this a long time, and I haven't taken any breaks in 17 years as a head coach. I'm looking forward to riding my motorcycle and reading a little bit more, and maybe taking some trips and doing some stuff I haven't been able to do for a long, long time. I'm calling it a sabbatical leave."

At least one member of Holmgren's family hopes the sabbatical is a bit more permanent than Holmgren suggests.

"Kathy, my wife, is calling it a retirement, but I'm calling it a sabbatical leave," he said. "I think I have to learn how I'm going to react to this. That's the number one thing during this time, that I have to see how I handle this. My feeling is that maybe next year I'll hop back in and do something after this year."

Could it be sooner than that? Not likely. But not impossible.

Sources familiar with Holmgren's situation tell me there might be one or two teams out there that might be able to convince Holmgren to sign on after the season.

One of those teams is Dallas; team owner Jerry Jones has worked with Holmgren on the league's influential Competition Committee. Jones has said he will retain Wade Phillips in 2009, but if the Cowboys don't make the playoffs, those plans might change.

The other is Washington, where Daniel Snyder is uncertain about whether he'll retain Jim Zorn as his coach beyond this season.

Even if Holmgren takes a well-deserved break, the feeling here is that he definitely will be back. Despite the fact that he was stripped of his general manager duties by the Seahawks after the 2003 season, he remains convinced that he has solid credentials as a Football executive. And he yearns to have a major say in personnel acquisitions. People who know Holmgren well say he still is hurt about having his front-office duties removed, and that his competitiveness is one reason he wants to have a major say in another team's operation.

In the meantime, he prepares for his final home game as the Seahawks' coach. Oddly enough, he'll face the quarterback he molded into a star during his days with the Packers. Holmgren vs. the Jets' Brett Favre, with both men on different teams.

"You really hope that you can make a difference on the field and maybe off the field, just a little bit for your players," Holmgren said. "In Brett's case, he has had a lot to do with my success in this business."

And vice versa.

"I would not be here today if it were not for Mike Holmgren," Favre said. "The things he taught me really hit me later how much of a perfectionist he was, how hard he was on me. That's the way I study and prepare today. He put me in position to succeed."

They will meet one more time, Holmgren trying to go out with one last win at home and Favre trying to preserve the Jets' playoff hopes against his old coach. Holmgren hopes he can rein in his emotions.

"Hopefully, I'll do a decent job calling plays and stuff in the game," he said. "And then after that, there's going to be some emotions on Sunday."

Jets AT SEATTLE,

4:05 p.m.

TV: Ch. 2

Radio: WEPN (1050)