e first championship parade for a team in one of the four major

SEATTLE - Fresh off spending more than two hours winding his way in front of a parade crowd that surpassed the population of Seattle, Pete Carroll was ready for the post-season to finally arrive. Saints #93 Jersey . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. "These players know that they got better all the way to the last game of the season. Thats always out there for us and that will continue to be our focus." Carroll and his team were feted in grand fashion on Wednesday, enjoying the first championship parade for a team in one of the four major sports in the city of Seattle since 1979. Seattle officials estimated the crowd along the parade route at 700,000 while owner Paul Allen, addressing a celebration at CenturyLink Field, said it was 1 million fans that crammed downtown streets. Carroll was at the front of the parade and later was leading the charge that this team he helped put together is not expecting to be a one-year wonder. "They have come together to do something very special and its not just one year," Carroll told the crowd. "Were just getting warmed up if you know what Im talking about." That means Carroll doesnt believe the Seahawks need to make major off-season additions as they did a year ago when Seattle signed defensive linemen Cliff Avril, Tony McDaniel and Michael Bennett in free agency and traded for Percy Harvin. Seattle will continue to mine the draft for gems like those they have found in the past and look at free agency but Carroll said they are very comfortable with the roster they have moving forward. "The priority is for us to get back to work and work really hard again. Thats going to be more important. Its not going to be something from the outside of us. We have what we need, we just need to get back to work when the time comes with the right attitude and the right focus. Thats all Im concerned about." It appears Seattles free agency focus will be on trying to retain players on its current roster that could be coveted by others. Wide receiver Golden Tate and Bennett will both be free agents in the off-season and both expressed their desire to return to Seattle. Tate is at the end of his rookie contract, while Bennett gambled on a one-year deal with Seattle last off-season and now could be in line for a significant pay increase after a standout season with a team-high 8 1/2 sacks in the regular season and another 1 1/2 in the playoffs. Bennett became the interior pass rusher that Carroll has sought since his arrival in Seattle and part of a defensive line rotation that caused havoc. "I want to be back here 100 per cent," Bennett said. "I love the team. I love my teammates. Pete does a great job letting us play. I want to be a part of that. I know we can go back and win a Super Bowl again with all of these guys." Tate was Seattles leading receiver this season, his fourth with the team after being a second-round pick in 2010 as part of Carrolls first draft class. Tate said he would consider accepting a "little" less money for a chance to stay with the Seahawks. "In my eyes I would rather stay and play in a great organization, in a great city, around great people, around great teammates for a little less than go to a crappy city and win a ball game every now and then and be miserable for six months and have a fan base that doesnt care about the sport," Tate said. "Youve got to give a little or take a little, whatever. Well see how it works out. Hopefully, it does work out. I think Ive done everything in my power to earn the trust and respect of this organization." Carroll said Seattle will go into the off-season very healthy, the only lingering concern being a possible surgery on the toe of left tackle Russell Okung, who was injured in Week 2 against San Francisco and aggravated it later in the season. Harvin came out of the Super Bowl fine with his hip and now gets an entire off-season to get healthy. Saints #29 Jersey . The black mask made its debut Thursday night in James first game since he broke his nose. He said he received word from league officials Friday that they wanted him to instead wear something that would allow opponents to see his face. Saints #22 Jersey . The 38-year-old became an unrestricted free agent in July after spending a little over a year with the Calgary Flames.KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Considering where Jeff Gordon was after Richmond, left out of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship in part due to some late-race shenanigans, he couldnt have been happier on Sunday. Not only is Gordon in the Chase, hes making a charge. Gordon finished third at Kansas Speedway behind winner Kevin Harvick and runner-up Kurt Busch, his third top-10 finish in four races in NASCARs playoffs. Thats allowed him to climb to fourth in points, 32 behind leader Matt Kenseth with six races left in the season. "Earlier this year, I was probably as frustrated as Ive ever been in a racecar. We were just missing something," Gordon said. "Right now, my team has been bringing great cars to the track, not just in the Chase, but I think three, four races prior to that we started to make gains." Still, those gains wouldnt have been enough for Gordon to squeeze into the Chase when at least three organizations appeared to manipulate the ending to the race at Richmond. NASCAR chairman Brian France used his power the following weekend to make an unprecedented expansion to the field after two separate investigations revealed that Gordon did not have a fair chance to race his way into the 12-driver Chase because of the late-race controversy. Now, the four-time champion is making a move toward the top of the table. He finished sixth in the Chase opener at Chicago, struggled to a 15th-place finish at New Hampshire, and then bounced back with a fourth-place run at Dover. His performance on a slippery surface at Kansas Speedway on Sunday sends him to Charlotte brimming with confidence. "Its a team effort," Gordon said. "Im just proud of how weve fought through everything weve fought through this year, and were making the most of it." Gordon isnt the only one making a Chase charge. Harvicks third victory of the season shot him to third in points behind Kenseth and five-time champion Jimmie Johnson. He was 39 points back heading into the weekend and trimmed off 14 points from his deficit, putting him within striking distance of his first championship. "Everybody wrote us off at the beginning of the year," said Harvick, who recalled that nobody wanted to talk to him at the series annual media day. "Were just going to keeep going our thing, and hopefully keep doing it quietly and have fun at it. Saints #76 Jersey. " Even though hes won 22 times in the Sprint Cup series, and has long been considered one of its best drivers, Harvick hasnt been able to break through for a championship. He had back-to-back third-place finishes in 2010 and 11, and was fourth in the Chase last year. It would also tie a nice bow on his lengthy career with Richard Childress Racing. Harvick is heading to Stewart-Haas next year after more than a dozen years with the same team. "Were committed to try to win the championship," Childress said. "We owe it to our sponsors and our fans to give them 100 per cent, and thats what we agreed to do, and thats what were going to do until Homestead. No matter what happens between now and then, thats our goal is to go after the championship. What a great way to go out." Harvick also indicated that it would be the proper way to go out. "Its business, but its also you have a sense of pride," he said. "You want to go out with a sense of success and everything has gone well." Harvick and Gordon both have plenty of work to do if they want to catch Kenseth and Johnson, two drivers who are certainly familiar with the pressure of winning a championship. Kenseth, who won Saturdays Nationwide race, struggled to tame repaved Kansas Speedway on Sunday. He made a late charge just to finish 11th, allowing him to maintain a three-point lead over Johnson, who finished sixth for his 10th straight top-10 finish at the track. "It was just a struggle all day, even when we were in front. It was as struggle," Kenseth said. "It was so incredibly treacherous." Johnson also called the racing treacherous. There were 15 cautions, a record for a Sprint Cup race at the track, and one of the wrecks claimed Chase contender Kyle Busch. Johnson managed to navigate through the carnage to another solid finish, one that he hopes will put him in position to win his sixth Sprint Cup championship. "We had so many things happen to us and still salvaged a very strong finish," he said. "We got a little points on the No. 20 and put a bunch on the No. 18, so in the big scheme of things, it was a very good day for the team." ' ' '