Seahawks unsure about Ty Law

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P-I REPORTER

KIRKLAND -- If the Seahawks are serious about upgrading their secondary for the 2006 season, they could do a lot worse than to sign Ty Law.

What the club must determine during Law's two-day visit that began Wednesday is the seriousness of reports the Pro Bowl cornerback is seeking about $10 million in guaranteed money.

"If (agent Carl) Poston comes and says, 'Hey, my guy is in love with your team and he wants to play for the minimum,' then things might be different," Floyd Reese, general manager of the Tennessee Titans, told the Tennessean last week.

"But I am sure he would be very, very expensive," Reese said. "You never say never, but I am going to guess he is going to be out of our price range."

Reese's comments were in response to Poston saying Law was interesting in talking to the Titans.

When it comes to Law, talk is not cheap.

But he has the credentials to match that purported lofty asking price: A five-time Pro Bowl selection, including last season; a starter since 1996, his second season with the New England Patriots; a proven veteran who still was ranked among the top three corners in the league last season by one scouting service.

Dealing with Law can quickly become a game of pro and con, as the Seahawks are discovering.

Pro: Law shared the league lead with 10 interceptions last season, his first with the New York Jets after 10 with the Patriots.

Con: He is 32, an age at which the skills that allow a corner to perform at a Pro Bowl level can begin to erode, and quickly.

Pro: Law is just that -- a consummate pro.

"There are certain guys that you just know are winners -- they've got it in their eyes, they've got it in their hearts and they just play with it on the field," Jets running back Curtis Martin told reporters in August after Law signed with the team. "Ty is one of those guys."

Con: Procuring that talent and intangibles doesn't come cheaply. The Patriots released Law after the 2004 season when he declined to restructure a contract that included a payout of $12.5 million for 2005. In February, Law and the Jets agreed to part ways because he was due $11 million to trigger an option for the next three years of his seven-year, $50 million contract, which the salary-cap strapped club couldn't afford.

Pro: Despite playing his 11th NFL season in 2005, Law also made 62 tackles.

Con: He had surgery on his left foot in January 2005 to repair ligament damage that ended his 2004 season in October.

One thing is certain. The Seahawks have targeted cornerback and safety as need areas entering this next stage of free agency and the NFL draft later this month.

HAWK TALK: The Seahawks continue to talk with the agent for free-agent safety Lance Schulters, who visited last month. ... Quarterback Gibran Hamdan and punter Gabe Lindstrom, two of the 11 Seahawks allocated to the NFL Europe spring league, have been named players of the week. Hamdan had a 158.3 passer rating, the highest possible, in the Amsterdam Admirals' win; Lindstrom averaged 49.3 yards