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As Tacoma News Tribune beat man Mike Sando framed it Wednesday: "The umbrella in Mike Holmgren's tropical punch stiffens at the mere suggestion he went easy on receiver Koren Robinson last season. ..."

"I plead guilty to the fact that I just didn't throw him on the trash heap," the coach explained from the NFL owners meetings in Hawaii.

For the first time since Robinson served a four-game NFL suspension for substance abuse, Holmgren went into detail about his controversial handling of the former first-round draft choice.

According to Sando, the two men had worked out a secret agreement whereby Robinson could play in the team's first-round playoff game if he agreed to seek professional help as soon as the season ended.

"And he did that," Holmgren said. "He came through the program and did a great job. He'll be in Seattle for our offseason conditioning program.

"I think he's a talented guy and a good person. He needed to get a wake-up call."

Hopefully, last season's suspension -- which according to Sando, resulted from a positive test for a substance associated with the party drug ecstasy -- will serve well in that capacity.

For those who haven't been paying attention, Robinson has a long, well-documented history of off-field problems.

Indeed, the Seahawks installed large digital clocks throughout their headquarters in order to help him get past tardiness issues, but Robinson still had trouble arriving on time.

Holmgren benched him for a Nov. 21 game against Miami after Robinson violated an unspecified team rule. Robinson then served his four-game league suspension, only to miss practice one day before the team's regular-season finale against Atlanta.

Holmgren benched Robinson for that game. The two met in Holmgren's office the following day. The coach was willing to make a deal.

Robinson split playing time with Jerry Rice as Seattle lost its first-round playoff game against St. Louis.

"He had come off league suspension for four games, lost a ton of money last year (in fines and lost salary)," Holmgren said. "And people said I was soft. I did everything I could within the purview of a head coach with fines and benching him.

"I don't know what else you could do other than just cutting him loose, which I wasn't going to do. I like the guy personally very much. He didn't play in eight games last year at all. It was bad.

"But he is not malicious, he is not hurtful. He cares, he wants to compete. He just had these demons."

The good news?

Robinson was one of 20 Seahawks on hand when the team's off-season program cranked up on Monday. Nobody was more pleased with the mercurial receiver's presence than quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

"Koren is here for the first time -- ever," Hasselbeck said. "Despite the talk of him being here last year, he was never here last year. That's a sign that maybe he's going to take it seriously."

He darned well better. ...

As ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli put it Friday. "Basically, despite unwavering support from his coach, Robinson is working on his last chance."

The Seahawks have recently made it clear that players must abide by basic team rules to remain employed. Tim Ruskell, the team's new president, outlined his expectations in a letter to players.

"We must all be held accountable for our own actions, year-round," Ruskell wrote.

Robinson might be out of second chances, but his mother, Suzette Sims Robinson, insists that her son is a changed man. "He finally just realized what he could lose and what would be missing in his life," she told Sando in a telephone interview.

"I'm glad he seems to have refocused because I was worried at one time that he may have lost it, and I think he said that he did," Ms. Robinson added. "But this year he seems to be back to where his eyes are now back to the prize."

But even she isn't ready to take any chances.

Ms. Robinson told Sando she'll leave her home in North Carolina to live with her son in Seattle this season, bringing along Koren's 3-year-old son as a reminder of what's at stake.

"That's my plan until I get on his nerves or he gets on mine," she said with a laugh, "and then we have to have a break. ..."

By the way. ... If you're wondering about Hasselbeck's "all that talk" comment regarding Robinson taking part in last year's program without actually showing up, I can flesh the story out a bit.

In an interview published in last year's Fantasy Football DraftBook magazine, I asked Robinson directly: "I know the team's program started the first week of April, but I heard you were there as early as March. When did you get started?"

To which Robinson replied: "March 15 or something like that."

Yeah. ... Or something like that.

Now, I don't like to sit here and call somebody a big, fat liar. Fortunately, I don't have to. Robinson's own words do the dirty work for me.

I'll also toss in the following exchange from that same interview, conducted last May.

"Harris: Looking back at last season, your numbers obviously came down a little bit, but I understand that you've been working hard to turn things around this offseason.

"Robinson: Yeah, I'm trying to go ahead and show the coaches and everybody that I'm dedicated to the team. You know being a part of this offense, I have to dedicate myself and show them what I'm willing to do.

"Harris: Trying to show some leadership, eh?

"Robinson: Yeah, and in a way I feel like I am that type of player, my teammates need me stepping up, trying, doing the little things that will help them out, too. Showing that I'm trying to get it right and hoping they will follow in suit. ..."

We know how that worked out. ...

All of which explains why -- even as team officials insist they're confident Robinson can turn things around, the Hawks continue to work on contingency plans in case he comes up short again.

In addition to Friday's signing of veteran free agent Joe Jurevicius, discussions with Redskins officials officials about a possible trade for Rod Gardner reportedly continue at pace.

According to Washington Post staffer Nunyo Demasio, Seattle, Cleveland and Minnesota are said to be the teams most interested in Gardner, with the San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers also in the mix.

Gardner's failure to reach an extension agreement with prospective bidders has been an issue for all involved. ...

In a couple of related notes. ... Tight end Jerramy Stevens, whose off-season work ethic has been similar to Robinson's -- in other words: questionable, was also among those in attendance when workouts began on Monday.

One prominent skill player not on hand was Shaun Alexander, who was given the franchise tag last month, but has shown no indication that he is ready to sign the $6.32 million tender. ...

Other Fantasy-specific news and notes of interest this week. ...

In an article published Wednesday, Minneapolis Star Tribune staff writer Kevin Seifert reported that Mike Tice downplayed the possibility that one of his top three running backs -- Michael Bennett, Onterrio Smith and Mewelde Moore -- will be traded before training camp.

As a result, all three will compete for the starting job.

"I think it makes a lot of sense to put it out there between three young men and see who wants to step up and be the guy," Tice said. "I certainly know they all want to do it. One guy is going to be the king, and another guy is going to be spell guy. The third? He's going to be the ticked-off guy. That's just the way life has to be sometimes.

"We'll see who does what in training camp."

Asked specifically if anyone has an edge in the looming three-way battle, Tice seemed to be leaning towards Bennett.

"He had a great preseason last year before getting hurt," the coach said. "I thought he was ready to take it the next level. ..."

Tice also said he's "praying" that Bennett stays healthy to at least give him a fair chance to win the job.

Following up on an item touched upon in last Sunday's Fantasy Notebook. ...

According to Rocky Mountain News beat man Jeff Legwold, Reuben Droughns, who has been cleared to seek a trade, will have to fight for playing time whether he is in camp at fullback or running back.

"It all depends on who wins out at what positions," head coach Mike Shanahan explained. "If he played the fullback position, he's going to have to beat out Kyle Johnson and Cecil Sapp and Brandon Miree. (Johnson and Sapp) played quite well last year.

"They both probably played a little bit better at the fullback position (than Droughns) just because they're a little bit more physical.

"Reuben gives a little different dimension as a receiver; he can obviously run the ball. He does a great job of catching the ball. Everybody's got strengths and weaknesses. As we go into the season, we're just going to try to find the top five, top six guys.

Who's going to win out? I don't know, but you always want that depth because. ... As you saw (last season) you can lose them in a hurry."

In a related note. ... Shanahan added that Quentin Griffin, who is recovering from surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, has started to run during rehabilitation but is not making cuts. ...

One more halfback-centric item. ... The word out of Maui this week indicates that discussions aimed at a swap of Bills halfback Travis Henry and Cardinals offensive tackle L.J. Shelton were revived at the NFL owners meetings this week, and there is a decent shot the proposed trade will be consummated around draft time.

The final hurdle, per Pasquarelli: In addition to getting Shelton, Bills general manager Tom Donahoe also wants to switch spots in the second round. That would mean Buffalo would move to the No. 44 slot overall and Arizona would slide back to the No. 55 spot.

Pasquarelli went on to advise readers that Cardinals head coach Dennis Green has balked at that component of the trade but apparently still wants Henry to fill the hole left by Emmitt Smith's retirement, so that he could then use his first-round choice in the draft (the No. 8 position) to grab a much-needed cornerback.

The speculation had been that Green was eyeing a running back with his first-round choice. Apparently, he feels he can get a young runner, such as J.J. Arrington of the University of California, in the second round. ...

According to Sporting News columnist Dan Pompei, even though the Dolphins released David Boston, it won't be a shock if the plus-size wideout winds up in Miami again next season.

Pompei went on to note that Boston had a nice visit with the new coaching staff before his release, and the Dolphins have expressed an interest in bringing him back at a reduced salary.

If Boston returns to the Dolphins, it probably will be after the draft. ...

And finally, a few rules-related items. ...

When he wasn't regaling reporters (while simultaneously horrifying owners and league officials tales of past steroid use, league-wide abuse and the likely origin of same -- New Orleans head coach Jim Haslett hailed the NFL's stated desire to improve player safety, but Haslett believes that safety should start at home.

"Some of the things that bother me about the players, they don't wear hip pads, they don't wear thigh pads, they don't wear knee pads, none of them wear a mouthpiece," Haslett told Pittsburgh Post-Gazette staffer Ed Bouchette. "None of them wear the right shoes, especially the offensive linemen.

"Then, they get a thigh bruise and they don't know why."

Haslett said wearing pads was mandatory in his day, but the league does not crack down on it anymore.

The coach added that players don't wear the pads and wear lighter shoes that don't provide as much protection because it makes them feel faster and look cooler.

Meanwhile, a rule that would outlaw the so-called "horse-collar tackle," in which a defender grabs the back inside of an opponent's shoulder pads and rides a player down, was tabled until the next round of league meetings in May.

As noted last Sunday, several of those tackles resulted in serious injuries last season, most notably Dallas safety Roy Williams' tackle of All-Pro receiver Terrell Owens of Philadelphia.

Don't assume delay means defeat.

"Look for it in some form to be passed in May," Falcons general manager Rich McKay, co-chairman of the league's powerful competition committee said of the proposal. "The coaches are concerned with the language of it and how we can refine it."

Asked about the historical perspective on legislating tackling techniques, Titans head coach -- and McKay's competition committee co-chair -- Jeff Fisher replied: "Well, at one time we didn't have face masks. When we added them, they started grabbing them and we said, 'We can't do that.'

"There are just too many injuries with this tackle."

Sounds like a done deal to me. ...