Long Odds Don’t Faze Seahawk Davis Has Been There, Done That

Four years after being drafted in the seventh round by Tampa Bay, wide receiver Tyree Davis is still trying to launch his NFL career.

He appeared in one game with the Bucs in 1995 and didn’t catch a pass. He was cut by Cincinnati in training camp last year.

Just don’t expect Davis to quit trying, as evidenced by his six receptions and eye-catching special teams work in the Seattle Seahawks’ preseason loss to Minnesota on Saturday.

He has been beating the odds since he was a youngster in Altheimer, Ark., where he spent summers running around barefoot with seven brothers and three sisters. That was so his shoes would last through the school year.

He began working at age 9. His mother juggled three jobs.

“Some of the things other kids considered necessities, I considered luxuries,” said Davis, who signed a free-agent contract on July 16, the first day of practice in Cheney. “I went out and worked for things.”

Davis emerged from the poverty. So did his siblings, which includes older brother Willie, a receiver with the Tennessee Oilers. Davis said all his brothers earned college scholarships and most have degrees. An older sister played basketball at national power Louisiana Tech and another sister is a college professor in St. Louis.

“It was very competitive (growing up),” Davis said. “When you have older brothers, you try to emulate and pattern yourself after them. There was a standard that was set and we tried to keep the level high.”

Davis knew his father, but he wasn’t a factor in his life. His mother was.

“She’s a strong woman,” Davis said. “My mom instilled in us that education was the key and the way you were going to make it was by putting God in your life.”

When Willie made the NFL, he bought his now-retired mother a house before he bought his own. He also bought his mom a Cadillac Seville. The Davis family has a habit of helping one another. Mom’s the backbone.

“She always sent us to church on Sunday,” Davis said.

Davis would like to spend Sundays this fall and winter catching passes for the Seahawks. Earlier this summer he teamed with Jon Kitna to help Barcelona win the World Bowl.

“If he keeps having performances like (Saturday) he has a chance to make this team,” coach Dennis Erickson said of Davis.

“The guy is good,” cornerback Fred Thomas said. “Whatever the defense gives him, he’ll take.”

Davis takes nothing for granted.

“It was a big relief to get that first one over,” Davis said. “Coming in, I didn’t really know anybody and the coaches probably didn’t know that much about me.”

They do now.

Waiting game

The holdouts of first-round draft picks Shawn Springs and Walter Jones continue. Nothing new on the Springs front. There was minor progress in talks with Jones, Seahawks executive vice president Mickey Loomis said.

Ajili Hodari, one of Springs’ agents, said his client has done all the compromise in the negotiations with Seattle.

“They have not moved off a certain number from where we started and we’ve made some substantial movement,” Hodari said.

The sides are less than $100,000 apart, which is still a considerable gap, he added. “Shawn would like to be there because he’s a football player and would like to contribute what he can to help the team.

“But he also understands the process and understands what fairness is, and he’s not sure why the team doesn’t want to treat him fairly. They made some movement (before the draft) to get him and it was like the Mars landing. They jumped for joy when he was there at the third pick. Their actions since have been inconsistent with the prior movement.”

Coach Erickson is getting antsy.

“You get the third and sixth pick, expect them to come in and start for you and you can’t get them into camp… it’s very frustrating for us as coaches,” he said. “If they expect to start that first game, they’re going to have to get in here. There’s no way that in a three-week period they can get ready to play. Shawn might have a better chance than Walter because of the learning process in the offensive front, particularly at left tackle, is as hard as it is.”

Moon update

Warren Moon’s 15-year-old son, Joshua, involved in an auto accident Friday night in Houston, suffered a mild concussion, bruised kidney and cuts to his forehead and scalp.

Joshua is on medication and is feeling better every day, according to Moon.

Moon spent some time with his son during the weekend, but returned to practice Monday.

Camp sights

Receiver Eddie Goines, trying to earn a roster spot, practiced without his bulky knee brace for the first time. Goines has missed the last two seasons recovering from two separate knee surgeries. … Defensive end Phillip Daniels left practice with a migraine headache. He also was bothered by a migraine during Saturday’s preseason game. … On the first play of a team drill, quarterback John Friesz completed a long pass to Joey Galloway - the same play that resulted in an interception Saturday on the first play of the game. , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo