Hasselbeck exits after limited role
As much as most of the 4,500 fans who turned out to watch the Seattle Seahawks scrimmage wanted to see Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander tear up the sweltering Woodward Field turf in Cheney, that wasn’t the point.
Head coach Mike Holmgren used it to evaluate backup positions on offense and piece together a defense that will be young, and right now, not at full strength.
Hasselbeck marched the No. 1 offense down the field on the first possession of the scrimmage, completing all four of his passes against the No. 2 defense for 53 yards and a 30-yard touchdown pass to Jerome Pathon. He only took part the rest of the way in red zone drills, in which he went 4 of 7 for 23 yards with a touchdown.
Alexander had planned on playing, but isn’t quite 100 percent after his debut in Cheney on Tuesday.
“His hamstring has been bothering him a little bit,” Holmgren said. “The trainer came up to me and said that he tried to warm up and felt a little twitch in there, so I said it isn’t worth it.”
Backup running back Maurice Morris also sat out with a hamstring injury, so Kerry Carter got most of the carries, rushing eight times for 29 yards.
Seneca Wallace, the leading candidate to back up Hasselbeck, took the majority of the snaps during the scrimmage.
He completed 9 of 12 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown during the scrimmage, and went 2 for 6 for 21 yards and a score during red zone drills.
“I think Seneca is going to be just fine,” Holmgren said. “The preseason is hugely important for him. He has really gotten better every day he has been a Seahawk. I have high hopes for him. Now having said it, he has to go out and do it.”
Wallace’s TD pass in the scrimmage came on an 11-yard bullet to Bobby Shaw, who made the catch despite interference.
Wide receiver is another position Holmgren is closely scrutinizing, with 11 receivers in camp and only six or seven making the team. Only five-year veteran Darrell Jackson, with three 1,000-yard seasons, nine-year veteran Bobby Engram and special teams ace Alex Bannister appear to be locks.
“I am anxious to see how the film looks there (at wide receiver),” Holmgren said. “All in all, I thought our execution was pretty good. I felt we dropped a couple balls that we should have caught. I will know better after I see the movie.”
Pathon, signed in the off-season after three seasons in New Orleans, led the receiving corps with four catches for 55 yards.
“You know, I try to come out every day and try to improve and try and make a difference,” said Pathon, who has 63 starts in seven NFL seasons. “It’s really difficult to really stand out among the top receivers. It’s really exceptional the talent they have there. I made a few plays, but definitely, I’ll take it.”
“Our wide receiver group has been doing a good job all camp,” said Hasselbeck, who left no doubt as to who his go-to guy was when his first three passes of the scrimmage all connected with Jackson. “Jerome is a guy we added this off-season, and he is a guy who has played a lot. He has done really well and he looked good today.”
On the defensive side of the ball, the Seahawks were missing tackles Rashad Moore (shoulder) and Cedric Woodard (knee), linebackers D.D. Lewis (concussion) and Lofa Tatupu (hamstring), and safety Ken Hamlin (shoulder) – all of whom could start this year.
Seattle’s No. 1 defense proved stingy, however, not allowing the No. 2 offense to cross midfield during the scrimmage, where possessions started at the 30-yard line.
“We should (look good),” said defensive end Grant Wistrom, credited with two sacks. “We were going against the No. 2’s out there today, so the one unit should look pretty darn good out there. You should win games you’re supposed to win and looking at what we did today, we probably would have won that football game against our No. 2’s. But that is what is expected of us.”
Backup strong safety Terreal Bierria, who started 12 games last year before being replaced by then-rookie Michael Boulware, scooped up running back Marquis Weeks’ fumble and returned it for a 40-yard touchdown for the only defensive score of the day.
Notes
Coach Mike Holmgren took over the stadium public address system near the end of the scrimmage, telling the fans, “We appreciate you, we love you,” and asking them to “stay with us.” … Linebacker Tracy White had the hit of the afternoon, sticking Kerry Carter as he tried to hurdle a defender. … Seahawks kicker Josh Brown hit field goals from 41 and 46 yards during the scrimmage, but missed wide right from 55 yards. That kick had more than enough distance, though, landing a few rows back in the end-zone seats.