The Seahawks didn't just hope Charlie Whitehurst would be a successful quarterback

The fullback said it was good to get closure on the whole situation.

Not that it helps now.

"I really don't care about the 'I'm sorry.' That moment could have been a real, real historic moment. CJ probably would've been 30, 40 yards away from the record, and that was taken away from us. The sorry really doesn't mean anything to me. All I can do is move on and try to get the record this year," Hall said.

At the time, Johnson was about to start celebrating in the back of the end zone before the Titans realized Hochuli had thrown a penalty flag near the line of scrimmage. Hochuli later called it a blatant hold by Hall on his lead block against linebacker David Hawthorne. But he told Hall he was graded down for that call, costing him the chance to work a playoff game.

If the run had counted, Johnson would have had 182 of the 234 yards he Aaron Curry needed to set the season rushing record.

"I do give him credit for saying he made a mistake," said Hall, a former Marine. "Some people know they're dead wrong and refuse to say they're wrong. He's a special guy for admitting he made the wrong call and letting everybody know that and being open with that.

The Seahawks didn't just hope Charlie Whitehurst would be a successful quarterback. Seattle believed it, which is why the Seahawks moved down 20 spots in the second round of the April draft and gave up next year's third-round pick for the privilege of paying him. So did Whitehurst's 214-yard, two-touchdown performance constitute a huge step forward?

"I think it is for you guys," coach Pete Carroll said, motioning to the room of reporters. "We really thought we saw enough of Charlie to make a really good evaluation. ... Charlie's going to really help us. Nothing he's done has told us anything but that."

There is something to that optimism over Red Bryant's move from defensive Matt Hasselbeck  tackle to defensive end. Largely an afterthought his first two years at tackle, Bryant is now playing the run-stopping end in Seattle's scheme — referred to as the five-technique — and he showed an ability to penetrate the backfield and disrupt Tennessee's ground game.

Cornerback Josh Wilson isn't ready to relinquish a starting job. He became a backup last season after the Seahawks signed Ken Lucas, only to earn it back. And when training camp opened, Kelly Jennings was working with the first-unit defense. Well, Wilson not only started Saturday's game, but he made a heck of a play to drive on a ball and pick off Vince Young in the first quarter.

Was that an actual sack we saw Saturday? There were two of them actually, but T.J. Houshmandzadeh you're forgiven if you didn't quite recognize what happened when defensive end Chris Clemons beat two blockers and tackled Chris Simms for a 13-yard loss on Tennessee's third possession. That's a sack, and Seattle had only two of them over the final five games combined last season. Well, Clemons had one sack, rookie Dexter Davis had another. Was it an exhibition mirage, or is Seattle getting traction in its attempt to chase the quarterback?

Where are the Seahawks going to find depth for the offensive line? The backup center is Ben Hamilton, better known as the starting left guard. The backup left tackle was Mansfield Wrotto, who was a guard until this season. The backup right tackle to Sean Locklear was Joe Toledo because Ray Willis did not play. With Chester Pitts still not cleared to practice, Seattle has some work to do to fill out the roster.

Is Seattle's pass defense improved? Sure, the Hawks intercepted two passes, but they also allowed Young to complete all four passes he attempted on Tennessee's first drive, accounting for 70 of the Titans' 79 yards on the touchdown drive.