This Week’s Man Crush: T.J. Houshmandzadeh

Top free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh did a lot of things this week. He flew around the country visiting teams who desperately need his services. He took a seaplane ride to Seahawks headquarters when visiting our soggy burg. And then he penned his name on a contract that will pay him $40 million over five years to play in Seattle.

Houshmandzadeh is a great fit for the Hawks who need a big productive receiver who won’t blow out his knee in pre-game warm ups. He was quieter yet more productive than his overhyped teammate Ocho Cinco last season in Cincinnati.

The other thing Houshmandzadeh did was make the Seahawks’ first round draft pick prognostications more muddled. Taking the much ballyhooed Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree with the fourth overall pick in the draft now seems silly. Why throw more money at a position where Houshmandzadeh , Deion Branch and Nate Burleson earn some of the top salaries on the team?

Now that the Seahawks have reportedly become a run-first offense, the question seems even more pertinent. Never mind Crabtree had foot surgery yesterday to correct a stress fracture and will be on the shelf for the next 10 weeks. Do you really want to see your new wide receiver on draft day hobble up to the stage on crutches to shake Roger Goddell’s hand? No, you don’t. Will Crabtree need help putting on the baseball cap? Yes, he will.

With the Houshmandzadeh in the house, it seems more likely the Hawks go either offensive or defensive tackle. But the signing has also thrown a monkey wrench into mock draft predictions. Yahoo! and Scout.com now have B.J. Raji (DT, Boston College) going to Seattle fourth overall, but he doesn’t seem to fit the bill character wise for GM Tim Ruskell. On one occasion Raji was suspended from his Boston College team and had problems keeping up his grades. Pat Kirwan of NFL.com has Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford going to the Hawks. Mel Kiper and his hair still have Seattle picking Crabtree. Bottom line, the predictions are all over the map and whoever is chosen with the fourth overall pick probably won’t contribute right away.

The new Hawks receiver also will increase the number of misspelled names in sports blogs that cover Seattle teams. Add Houshmandszadeh to the list of the impossible to spell: Zduriencik, Wakamatsu and Sarkisian.

About the Man Crush: This is a weekly installment for the blog where, for good or for bad, I’ll highlight one stand-out player or sports celebrity.