Nowhere to run for Wallace
KIRKLAND, Wash. — Seneca Wallace is looking more like an NFL quarterback this off-season. His likely reward: a demotion to the practice squad and a reduction to less than a fourth of his current salary.
Wallace’s predicament illustrates the Seattle Seahawks’ strength at football’s most important position.
“We’re sitting in a good situation,” quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn said following minicamp practice Wednesday.
Pro Bowl choice Matt Hasselbeck and former Super Bowl winner Trent Dilfer are the Seahawks’ top two quarterbacks.
Wallace, a fourth-round pick from Iowa State in 2003, was third in line until veteran Brock Huard unexpectedly sought a return to the team he left two years ago. Huard’s one-year, $565,000 deal includes $535,000 in guaranteed money, all but assuring him a spot on the final roster.
Wallace’s salary of $305,000 is not guaranteed, and he is the only Seattle quarterback eligible for the $73,950-a-year practice squad. Given that Seattle generally keeps three quarterbacks, Wallace faces an uphill climb.
“That’s the nature of the business,” Wallace said. “The only thing I can do is go out there and show everyone I can play and move the ball and not make mistakes.”
Wallace is unimposing at 5-foot-11 and 202 pounds. He is more muscular this year and can crank out 18 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press.
“I focused on getting my arm stronger so I can make every throw that the other guys throw,” Wallace said.
Scrambling ability made Wallace dangerous at Iowa State. His passing and command of the offense were areas he sought to improve this off-season.
“Last year, what he couldn’t do was take what he’d learn in the classroom and get on the field with it,” Zorn said. “Everything was very separated and segmented for him. Now it’s all coming together and he’s able to see it in his mind and be able to transfer that on the field.”
The exhibition season could be crucial for Wallace.
A strong showing could force the team into a difficult choice, or make Wallace attractive to another club.
“He’s not an afterthought at all,” Zorn said.