Gibbs opts for retirement

At the introductory news conference for general manager John Schneider in January, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll stressed how excited he was to have veteran line coach Alex Gibbs join his staff.

The Seahawks would be committing to the zone-blocking scheme and who better to oversee it than the man who has been called “The Godfather of Zone Blocking.”

The relationship abruptly ended Saturday, however, when a “worn out” Gibbs, 69, announced that he was retiring. Gibbs, who was officially hired on Feb. 4, left on Sept. 4.

“We wish Alex the best in his retirement,” Carroll said in a statement. “We’re grateful for the time we had with him and we’re all better for it.”

As the players return Monday to begin preparing for their Sept. 12 regular-season opener against the San Francisco 49ers at Qwest Field, assistant line coach Art Valero will oversee a unit that has been hit by injuries this summer. Quality control coach Luke Butkus also has been helping Gibbs and Valero coach the O-line.

Saturday’s roster moves to reach the league-mandated 53-man limit left the club with 10 offensive linemen: injured first-round draft choice , Gibbs’ handpicked player to step in at left tackle; incumbent starters , and , who comprise the right side of the line; and , who have split time at left guard with the No. 1 line during the preseason; , who started the last two preseason games at left tackle; , who is in the final stages of his recovery from having microfracture surgery last season; , who has started games at center and guard; and , who was acquired in a trade last week with the Detroit Lions.

The club also is finalizing a deal to obtain Stacy Andrews in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.

But just how many will be ready to play against the 49ers remains to be seen.

Gibbs will be missed, but the ground work for the zone-blocking scheme has been laid under his direction.

Now, it will be up to Valero and Butkus to move things to the next level after the Seahawks averaged 71 rushing yards per game and 3.6 yards per carry during the preseason.

“I can’t tell you how much I’ve already learned from Alex,” Valero said during the offseason. “It can only help me as I continue in my career.”

If only he had known how prophetic those words were.