KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Mike Holmgren expects to find out a lot about the Seattle Seahawks tonight when they go against a franchise that he coached for seven years.

	The Seahawks are thankful Mike Holmgren is on their sideline.

That's about as far as he will go in talking about his inner thoughts this week.

"If you can go in and you can compete against the Green Bay Packers or against any of the top teams in the league, then you can kind of measure where your team is," Seattle's first-year coach said.

The Seahawks lured Holmgren away from the Packers in January, making him their general manager as well as the top-paid coach in the NFL with an eight-year, $32 million contract.

"The Packers are a top team," Holmgren said. "It's a confidence thing for your own team. We're too early in this thing to say we've arrived."

Seattle and Green Bay each go into the game in Green Bay with 4-2 records and with a share of the lead in their divisions, the AFC West and the NFC Central.

The Seahawks beat Buffalo 26-16 in Week 7, while the Packers won 31-3 in San Diego.

Holmgren is trying to keep his emotions under control this week. He'd like to win the game against his former team, but he said he'd be happy if the Seahawks can have a strong game.

"I don't know if there's anything at stake personally," Holmgren said. "I want the team to play well. I'd be very disappointed if we don't compete. I want us to go in there and function and function well. I think we will. I think we'll battle."

Holmgren will be returning to Green Bay for the first time since Sept. 3, when he attended the funeral of Fritz Shurmur. Shurmur, Holmgren's defensive coordinator in Green Bay, was going to be Holmgren's defensive coordinator in Seattle. He died of cancer.

Holmgren doesn't know what kind of reception he will get from Green Bay's fans.

"They have some of the greatest fans in the world, and they root for the Green Bay Packers," he said. "When I was there, they rooted hard for me. But I'm no longer a Green Bay Packer."

One Green Bay player whom Holmgren won't like to see again is Brett Favre, who led Holmgren's Packers into two Super Bowls. Holmgren considers him the best quarterback in the league.

"I think he has the physical tools right now that no one can match in the game," said his former coach. "He has the ability to take over a game by himself, which is the mark of a great player."

Holmgren revealed he placed a phone call to Favre about a month ago after Favre went on national television and said all the right things about how he got along with Holmgren in Green Bay. It was the first time the two men had talked since Holmgren departed the Packers.

"We had a wonderful conversation," he said. "He knows how I feel about him. He and I and our so-called problems -- there weren't any problems. Did I call him into my office on occasions? Yes. Would I correct him and yell at him a little bit? Yes. My relationship with him was great."

Holmgren doesn't have a Favre in Seattle, but he has Jon Kitna, the AFC's top-rated quarterback, and Derrick Mayes, a receiver whom he acquired from the Packers in a trade for a seventh-round draft choice in August. They teamed for two touchdown passes against the Bills.

After Sunday's performance, Kitna has thrown seven touchdown passes and two interceptions with a 58.8 completion percentage (87-for-148).

Mayes is the Seahawks' top receiver with 25 catches for 392 yards and four touchdowns.