Bierria’s hard work , patience equals start
The low point for Terreal Bierria came when the Seattle Seahawks relegated him to injured reserve a year and four days ago.
And when Bierria clawed his way back to health, subjecting his right shoulder to painstaking rehab, the Seahawks rewarded him by drafting another strong safety, Michael Boulware, and declaring the rookie a favorite to start.
Five months later, with the season opener set for Sunday, Bierria is more relevant to the Seahawks than ever. He’s the starter and a player Seattle coaches hold up as a role model for those whose careers aren’t going as planned.
“We drafted Boulware to be the strong safety, and Terreal fought for his spot and had a great camp,” coach Mike Holmgren said this week. “I think that’s a wonderful statement by a young player that he accepted the challenge and he didn’t just say, ‘There is a high draft pick and they’ve already made up their mind.’ ”
The plan is for Boulware to become the starter at some point, perhaps even later this season. But Bierria hopes to be more than just a caretaker at the position. He remains well ahead of Boulware on the learning curve, no surprise given Boulware’s transition from college linebacker.
Bierria stands out in the secondary with his 6-foot-3, 211-pound frame. He stood out at training camp, too, making the quarterbacks take notice.
“To play safety, you have to be able to play the run, you have to have good range and you have to be able to cover the tight end in man coverage,” quarterback Trent Dilfer said. “And typically a guy can do two out of three.
“Terreal is a guy who can do everything.”
A fourth-round pick from Georgia in 2002, Bierria entered the draft with one year of eligibility remaining. He stood out at the college scouting combine by emerging with the longest broad jump of anyone tested (10 feet, 10 inches).
As a rookie, Bierria made an immediate impact on special teams, convincing coaches to keep him over veteran Maurice Kelly and others. The shoulder injury, suffered in the third exhibition game of 2003, provided a detour to the training room – and obscurity.
“I just had the motivation to try to get well, rehab well and come back,” Bierria said. “To get that starting position is real big.”
Making his first NFL start in the Louisiana Superdome is bigger yet, given Bierria’s roots in the state. About 60 supporters will make the trip to New Orleans from Bierria’s hometown of Slidell, La., located just across Lake Pontchartrain.
Titans, Dolphins start new backs
The Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins took vastly different approaches to replacing departed running backs.
Of course, their situations were vastly different, too.
Both teams will test the changes in the season opener today – a day earlier than expected because of approaching Hurricane Ivan.
Travis Minor was named the Miami Dolphins starter at running back, but coach Dave Wannstedt also planned to use Sammy Morris and Leonard Henry as part of a running back-by-committee approach. The trio combined for 59 carries and 152 yards during the preseason.
The Dolphins spent the last few days searching for help, and may have found some Wednesday when they acquired Lamar Gordon from the St. Louis Rams for a third-round draft pick in 2005.
The 6-foot-1, 228-pound Gordon was the Rams’ third-string back behind Marshall Faulk and first-round pick Steven Jackson. But he certainly will move up the depth chart in Miami.
Gordon hopes to play in the opener. He was up late Wednesday night studying the playbook.
“If I learn the plays, I’ll play,” he said. “Physically, I’m ready to play. The wording is the same. Protection is the same. The reads are the same.”
Tennessee didn’t have to rush things with second-year running back Chris Brown. A third-round pick from Colorado, Brown spent last season playing behind the team’s all-time leading rusher, Eddie George.
And when the Titans released George in July after eight seasons and more than 10,000 yards rushing, Brown stepped right into the starting role.
“At least in our situation we’ve had the entire off-season to prepare for that,” Titans right tackle Fred Miller said. “We knew maybe Eddie wouldn’t be here, so we had that in the calculation. Ricky (Williams) left (Miami) a couple days before camp. That’s very unexpected. If they’d had a little notice, maybe they could’ve traded for somebody.”
Brown led the AFC this preseason with 240 yards rushing, showing speed the Titans haven’t had in years; he broke a 73-yard run against Green Bay in the preseason finale.
Gannon in charge of Raiders
Oakland Raiders’ quarterback Rich Gannon, whom many thought would be shown the door when a younger and cheaper Kerry Collins was signed in May, ensured his job security this week, and starting spot, by agreeing to restructure a burdensome $7 million base salary.
He converted $2.5 million of that total into unlikely-to-be reached playing time and performance incentives that require him to exceed by 50 percent last season’s injury marred totals. If Gannon does reach the incentives, the $2.5 million wouldn’t be applied to the cap until the end of the regular season.
Around the league
Cleveland Browns running back Lee Suggs did not practice, leaving him doubtful for Sunday’s opener against the Baltimore Ravens. … Indianapolis Colts safety Mike Doss is expected to miss at least three weeks with a pulled hamstring. … Houston Texans starting fullback Moran Norris aggravated a shoulder injury and was listed as questionable for the opener against the San Diego Chargers. … San Diego wide receiver Tim Dwight is expected to miss Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury.