Stevens finally catches on

Shaun Alexander generated a 13-yard run with a stutter-step move. Matt Hasselbeck then threw a well-timed 13-yard completion to Darrell Jackson on a curl route.

Both nice plays on a touchdown-producing drive, but they became a virtual afterthought when Hasselbeck fired a long pass from Atlanta’s 35-yard line. It appeared tight end Jerramy Stevens might not be able to catch up to the ball, but he extended every centimeter of his 6-foot-7 frame to make the reception in the back of the end zone that staked Seattle to a 21-0 lead at Qwest Field on Sunday.

It would hold up as the winning score in a 21-18 victory. It was the type of catch that goes straight to video – on all the nightly sportscasts and eventually the Seahawks’ 2005 highlight tape.

It was the type of catch the fourth-year pro Stevens makes routinely at training camp, but it never seems to happen in the regular season. Fullback Mack Strong called it one of the top five catches he’d seen in his 13 NFL seasons.

“I think my favorite touchdown was my rookie year when I caught that little fade against St. Louis for my first NFL touchdown,” Stevens said. “But it was a big one. We won this game, so it’s bigger.”

Question is, could it lead to bigger and better things for the talented Stevens, who hasn’t made the impact expected when he was picked in the first round of the 2002 draft out of the University of Washington.

“We need him to play like that,” said Hasselbeck, who connected with Stevens three times for 49 yards. “He’s doing a great job. He’s done a great job all off-season.”

Stevens, who has averaged a quiet 21 catches in his first three seasons, had three receptions for 41 yards in the opener at Jacksonville. He’s getting more playing time with the absence of Itula Mili, who is recovering from an intestinal blockage.

“This is the Jerramy that everybody thought we would see when we drafted him,” running back Shaun Alexander said. “Everybody grows and learns at a different pace. We’re just glad it’s finally here because he’s going to help us win many ballgames.”

Stevens punctuated his touchdown catch by flipping the ball to his father, clad in a Stevens’ No. 86 jersey and seated in the end zone section.

“It was a great one,” coach Mike Holmgren said. “He needed something like that. It was a good throw by Matt. The play was actually designed for (Joe) Jurevicius, but Jerramy kept with the route like he should and Matt found him.”

Inside run

Alexander isn’t known for dishing out bruises on power runs between the tackles, which is probably why Holmgren called on Alexander to sprint around the left end twice on third-and-1s on separate drives in the second quarter. Alexander picked up 16 and 17 yards, respectively, and both drives resulted in touchdowns.

But in the fourth quarter, when Seattle was desperately trying to run time off the clock, Alexander showed he could make a tough run when he picked up four yards on third-and-1 from Seattle’s 18. He was met in the hole by 219-pound Bryan Scott, but Alexander plowed over the safety for first-down yardage. The drive didn’t yield points, but Seattle chewed up seven minutes.

“I told some of the guys before the game started that playing aggressive and playing with passion is a choice,” Alexander said. “I felt that was a great time to let everybody see some aggression.”

Holmgren wrote “Run the ball” in bold letters on the play-sheet that he carries on the sideline. Seattle did just that as Alexander finished with 144 yards on 28 attempts.

Along came Jones

Seattle’s offensive line had one of its better days against one of the NFL’s best defenses. The Seahawks averaged 4.8 yards per rush. Hasselbeck, who entered the game with a sore arm, was sacked twice, but there were numerous plays when he was able to scan the field for second and third options.

Atlanta, which led the NFL in sacks last season, held Philadelphia to 301 yards in a 14-10 season-opening victory on Monday night.

“If you look at the difference between this game and our game last week we hit the quarterback early (in the opener),” linebacker Keith Brooking said. “We didn’t (Sunday) and we couldn’t stop the run, so they got it rolling in the second quarter.”

Per usual, left tackle Walter Jones neutralized another quality opponent, end Patrick Kerney, who had 13 sacks last season. Kerney moved from left to right end to replace Brady Smith, who was sidelined with a calf injury.

“He’s the best tackle in the game, hands down,” Kerney said. “The thing that makes him better than anybody else is you have to bring your ‘A’ game against his run-blocking, too.”