The man who many claim is the greatest offensive line coach in football history is now, literally, writing the book on offensive line play.

At the age of 81, Jim Hanifan, offensive line coach on a pair of Super Bowl-winning teams, describes the drills, techniques and fundamentals of offensive line play in a collection which should be available soon through Amazon.

"I always wanted to do it," said Hanifan, in Coeur d'Alene last weekend to support his longtime friend and former player, Dale Nosworthy, who was putting on his annual benefit golf tournament and auction to help out a longtime friend.

Hanifan's other book, an autobiography which came out in 2003, contained mostly stories of his nearly half-century career as a college and pro football coach. This one is strictly the nuts and bolts of blocking.

The book has been in the works for 2-3 years, he said.

"It took longer to do the Bible than it took to do this thing," Hanifan said.

BEFORE FLYING back to St. Louis, Hanifan weighed in on a few other topics of interest, to NFC West fans in particular:

On the Seahawks throwing the ball on second-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the closing minute of the Super Bowl, instead of handing the ball to Marshawn Lynch and letting him live up to that "Beast Mode" nickname again:

"What happened to (Seattle) is, (New England) stayed nickel," Hanifan said. "New England went goal line, so Russell Wilson comes up to the line of scrimmage, and all of the gaps are taken, he can't hand the ball off to Marshawn, so he's got to go to the other option."

So Lynch couldn't have run it in anyway, even against a defense stacked to prevent that? Seems like we've seen it happen before.

"You were going to have guys that you couldn't block," said Hanifan, who won Super Bowl titles as offensive line coach with the Washington Redskins (1991) and St. Louis Rams (1999).

You've only got five offensive linemen ... they've got more than you've got. ... NFL caliber linemen and linebackers, untouched, should be able to make the tackle."

What else could the Seahawks have done?

"The head coach or the offensive coordinator could have yelled out "jumbo" or "heavy" package," Hanifan said. "That's what they should have done. Now you have the blockers. Now you hand the ball off to Marshawn, and now you win the game.

"They gave Russell the option to run or pass. What they didn't expect was, down there on the 1-yard line, was for New England to go goal line. Didn't expect that. Thought they'd stay in nickel defense.

"What a way to lose a game."

Shouldn't Jerry Kramer, All-Pro guard for the Green Bay Packers and former Sandpoint High and University of Idaho star, already be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame by now?

"He isn't in the Hall of Fame?" Hanifan said. "I would have to think he should be."

On the state of the Seahawks' main rival, the San Francisco 49ers, who not only parted ways with their successful coach, Jim Harbaugh, but also unexpectedly lost three key members of their defense to retirement. Are the 49ers in for a hurtin' this year?

"I think so," Hanifan said. "They'll miss Harbaugh. There's several guys they're going to miss - the linebacker (Patrick Willis) ... both linebackers (Willis and Chris Borland) ... you got a couple real question marks on defense.

"I don't think (quarterback Colin Kaepernick's) a question mark. He's a pretty good ballplayer. A real threat; can run like a deer. But I think it's a tough division."

On the rumors that the Rams, a team he once coached for, and now provides the occasional commentary for on the radio, may be moving back to Los Angeles. The Rams left L.A. (Anaheim, actually) for St. Louis in 1995. Does he think they are headed back to L.A.?

"Yes, I do," Hanifan said. "Couple reasons why.

"Stan Kroenke, the owner, is a business guy first, already owns the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche ... and the Rams. Also, he came in second for owning the L.A. Dodgers. He owns a house in Malibu, he bought 60 acres in downtown Inglewood ... all those tell me, guess what? Stan is a businessman, and this looks like too good of a business deal."

There's also talk the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers are interested in relocating to L.A. Could all three teams end up there?

"Someone's not going to make it," Hanifan said. "In my mind, it's going to be the Rams and the Chargers. ... I think it has to come down by the end of the summer."

But won't losing the Rams devastate St. Louis? It would be the second NFL team to leave that city -- the Cardinals, a team Hanifan was once the head coach, left after 28 seasons in St. Louis for Arizona in 1988.

"I hate like hell to see it," said Hanifan, who retired from coaching in 2003. "I've lived in St. Louis for a long time. I've actively coached NFL teams in St. Louis for 19 years. I love St. Louis, so it hurts to think the Rams are going to be gone."

He noted there's some talk if that happens, Jacksonville might be interested in relocating to St. Louis. The Jaguars owner, Shad Khan, is a University of Illinois graduate, he lives in the Champaign-Urbana area, and owns a company headquartered there. So St. Louis might not without the NFL for long.

"I'm hoping, but who knows?" Hanifan said.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.