Daily Workouts Could Be Lineman’S Nightmare
If he didn’t hate it so much, Brian Habib probably would enjoy blocking Sam Adams for a couple hours every day.
The one-on-one drills between offensive and defensive linemen are a daily battle at the Seattle Seahawks’ training camp at Eastern Washington University. The usual matchups, offense listed first: Habib/Kevin Glover-Adams, Walter Jones-Phillip Daniels, Howard Ballard-Michael Sinclair and Glover/Pete Kendall-Cortez Kennedy. The winners: Both sides of the line.
“It’s a dogfight every day; it really is,” said Habib, who played at Denver the last five seasons. “Playing against a guy the caliber of Sam is going to make me a better player - at least that’s what I tell myself when I’m getting my butt beat.”
Habib, just slightly smaller than an apartment complex at 6-foot-7 and 299 pounds, holds his own against Adams, who established residency in the backfield at camp last year. Adams is a handful to block, particularly in a drill that favors the defensive player.
“They continue to improve all the time and you’ve seen it in a week,” head coach Dennis Erickson said. “Habib and Glover block those guys pretty good sometimes and that’s what makes it good for both sides.”
“It’s a nice, crisp practice,” Sinclair said. “We help each other. There’s no sense pushing a guy over a pile and blowing out a knee. We know how to practice hard and take care of each other, too.”
Alive and kicking
Wade Richey, rookie place kicker from LSU, has boomed numerous long-distance field goals in the first week of camp. That’s no surprise - he once made a 70-yarder in practice. “With wind, it’s actually farther than that,” he said, “but I normally get picked on if I say how far.”
Todd Peterson is cemented as the No. 1 kicker. Richey, who has an NFL leg but is still working on accuracy, is hoping to stick, if not in Seattle then elsewhere.
“Whatever happens, happens,” he said. “I know I’m out here to better myself and learn from Todd and Pete (Rodriguez, special teams coach) has shown me a lot.”
“Most NFL kickers and punters don’t make it in their first year,” Rodriguez said. “There are days he’ll look like a world beater and other days he’ll hit one, then mishit one. He’s got potential, it all depends on his work ethic over the next year or two.”
Notes
The Seahawks and Warren Moon haven’t talked in eight days. The last communication between the two was last Tuesday’s fax in which the Seahawks said they won’t budge from their contract offer. … Defensive tackle Dan Saleaumua (strained abdominal muscle) could be back at practice as early as today. An MRI showed no signs of a hernia. … Center Greg Bloedorn’s MRI confirmed a sprained knee ligament. He’ll miss at least six weeks. … The temperature soared to 103 degrees, topping Sunday’s 101… . Two practices are scheduled today: 8:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m.