Duo finding rhythm

SEATTLE – The roar at Qwest Field went up as Matt Hasselbeck’s pass settled into the arms Seattle’s biggest offseason free-agent acquisition.

Cheers of “Hooooosh” echoed off the overhang of the stadium’s metal roof and back down to the field as T.J. Houshmandzadeh celebrated a touchdown by soaking in the love from fan base welcoming the receiver to town.

And even in a meaningless preseason game, a 27-13 victory over the Denver Broncos, it felt like the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

An hour and a half earlier, Hasselbeck and Houshmandzadeh misfired on the Seahawks’ first play from scrimmage. But five catches, one touchdown and 41 yards later, it appeared the two had a good thing going by the time the starters left the game at halftime.

“After the first throw, they got going, and they found a rhythm,” Seahawks coach Jim Mora said. “They were communicating better verbally and non-verbally. You could see them doing things on the field with their eyes. It was good to see, because that’s what we want to be able to do.”

Sure, this team, like any other, has its flaws. So far the running game – “A work in progress,” Mora called it – isn’t moving the ball consistently. The No. 1 defense, trying to show last year was a fluke, instead looked a lot like the unit that ranked 30th in the NFL in total defense last season. And Sean Locklear, who has to fill in for a future Hall of Famer at left tackle while Walter Jones heals from knee surgery, had a rough outing Saturday night.

But in the spirit of Jim “glass-is-half-full” Mora, we’re going to focus on one of the positives from Saturday night. Aside from the fact that Hasselbeck survived his first contact since last season and came away from it seemingly unscathed, perhaps nothing else gave reason for optimism than the way the veteran quarterback got in sync with his new receiver as the game progressed.

And it’s still very much a work in progress. Aside from that first-play misfire, there were a couple of other plays where quarterback and receiver were not on the same page.

“We misfired a bunch, but we also connected a few times,” Hasselbeck said. “He and I, we’ve got a good working relationship. I think we’ll get on the same page real quick.”

But three plays after than initial misfire, Hasselbeck found Houshmandzadeh on back-to-back passes to move the chains and get the Seahawks into Denver territory on a game-opening touchdown drive.

After Seattle’s next three drives ended in punts, quarterback and receiver got back to work with the Seahawks needing to go 80 yards in just under three minutes. Houshmandzadeh caught three passes on the drive, including a 13-yard reception on third-and-15 to put Seattle in a position where Mora felt comfortable going for it on fourth down. He also caught the touchdown pass – a perfectly executed fade route with time running out in the half – that put Seattle up for good.

The two are hardly a polished pass-and-catch duo just yet. In between those two completions, Hasselbeck just missed an open Houshmandzadeh in the end zone.

“Got a little way to go,” Houshmandzadeh said. “We have some games to get it corrected and a bunch of practices to get it right.

“He’s not used to me 100 percent yet, and to be able to just trust that I am always going to get open. I think that’s the key, trust.”