CHICAGO (AP) -- Mike Holmgren brought more than his Super Bowl ring and a new playbook when he moved to Seattle. He brought rules. Rules for practice, rules for meetings and rules for, well, just rules.

Whether it was the new offense or bans on mundane things like tank tops at meals, it was an entirely new way of life for the Seahawks, and Holmgren knew it would be an adjustment.

"You're not coming into a team that was 4-12 or 3-13 where, all of the sudden, they will accept anything you say unconditionally and just do it because they're tired of that type of situation," Holmgren said.

Such as, say, the Chicago Bears, Holmgren and the Seahawks' opponent Sunday.

When Dick Jauron arrived in Chicago in January, the Bears were mired in a downward spiral after two 4-12 seasons. Forget the Super Bowl Shuffle, a winning record was cause for celebration. Fans were discouraged and players were disgusted.

"We're tired of going 4-12 and being the (joke) of the NFL," Curtis Enis said.

So when Jauron and offensive coordinator Gary Crowton unveiled their new, wide-open, up-tempo offense, players bought right into it. It didn't matter that the Bears were running an offense no other NFL team had tried, or that they were going to be doing it behind a quarterback who'd yet to start a game.

"We were looking for something new, we were looking for a change of pace," offensive tackle James "Big Cat" Williams said. "We wanted something to believe in."

Their faith in Jauron and the new system was rewarded last weekend with a 20-17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. It was their first victory in a season opener since 1996.

Jauron, a former Holmgren assistant, was also the only rookie coach to win his debut. Of the nine new coaches in the NFL, only Jauron and Green Bay's Ray Rhodes have winning records; San Diego had a bye last week.

As for the Seahawks, they're still trying to adjust. In one of the more stunning upsets last weekend, Seattle lost 28-20 to the Detroit Lions, a team Holmgren struggled against when he was in Green Bay.

The loss was bad enough, but even more disturbing was the way the Seahawks played. There were breakdowns on special teams, including a punt snap that went 10 yards over the kicker's head.

There were 34 yards lost on five penalties, a particularly galling statistic because Holmgren and his staff spent so much time trying to eliminate them.

"Coach obviously let us know he was disappointed in our effort and how things went on Sunday," Seattle quarterback Jon Kitna said. "We've got a lot of things to get better at, and we knew coming in that it was going to take some work until we got up to speed. But we'll keep plugging away."

Holmgren arrived in Seattle to huge expectations. This was, after all, the guy who revived the Packers and made them perennial contenders for the Super Bowl. The guy who nurtured a raw young quarterback into a three-time MVP. The guy who could make winners out of ordinary players.

But while those Super Bowl predictions from fans were nice, they weren't realistic, Holmgren said. Not this year, anyway.

"We were brought back down to earth just a little bit last week," Holmgren said. "What I really did is try and temper the enthusiasm with a little realism. We're going with a young quarterback. We have been pretty nicked up, particularly at the wide receiver position. We don't have all our horses there."

Star receiver Joey Galloway is a holdout.

"Learning a new system, it just takes some time for a new coaching staff to come in and teach a new system, particularly to a team that has been right there," he added. "These guys were pretty close. So the sell was a little bit tougher. But I've been very, very pleased with how they've accepted the changes. It just takes some time, particularly on offense."

SEATTLE Season schedule and results

CHICAGO Season schedule and results

September 12 Detroit L 20-28 September 19 @Chicago 1:00pm ET September 26 @Pittsburgh 1:00pm ET October 3 Oakland 8:20pm ET October 17 @San Diego 4:05pm ET October 24 Buffalo 4:15pm ET November 1 @Green Bay 9:00pm ET November 7 Cincinnati 4:15pm ET November 14 Denver 8:20pm ET November 21 @Kansas City 1:00pm ET November 28 Tampa Bay 4:05pm ET December 5 @Oakland 4:15pm ET December 12 San Diego 4:05pm ET December 19 @Denver 4:15pm ET December 26 Kansas City 4:05pm ET January 2 @NY Jets 1:00pm ET

September 12 Kansas City W 20-17 September 19 Seattle 1:00pm ET September 26 @Oakland 4:15pm ET October 3 New Orleans 1:00pm ET October 10 @Minnesota 1:00pm ET October 17 Philadelphia 1:00pm ET October 24 @Tampa Bay 1:00pm ET October 31 @Washington 1:00pm ET November 7 @Green Bay 1:00pm ET November 14 Minnesota 1:00pm ET November 21 @San Diego 4:15pm ET November 25 @Detroit 12:40pm ET December 5 Green Bay 1:00pm ET December 19 Detroit 1:00pm ET December 26 @St. Louis 1:00pm ET January 2 Tampa Bay 1:00pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

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