Seattle quarterback Hasselbeck questions a few players” devotion
KIRKLAND, Wash. – There’s voluntary, and then there’s involuntarily voluntary.
The Seattle Seahawks’ recent minicamp seems to be the latter, based on what some of the players are saying about their AWOL teammates.
“To me, it’s a respect issue,” Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said Thursday as the team wrapped up a four-day, voluntary minicamp. “Speaking just for myself, I respect you if you work hard and you approach your job professionally. I’ll leave it at that. That’s where I stand.”
Hasselbeck didn’t need to name names. He is, after all, an offensive player, and three offensive starters skipped the voluntary camp.
Running back Shaun Alexander is tied up in a contract disagreement that is likely to keep him out of practices all summer. Tight end Itula Mili and wide receiver Darrell Jackson skipped the four-day voluntary camp after attending a mandatory camp last week.
Hasselbeck’s frustration is about more than just the minicamp. He has been peeved all off-season that the team’s voluntary workout program has had inconsistent attendance.
Apparently, Hasselbeck has grown tired of teammates who are less than eager to volunteer their time.
“This is a job,” he said. “It’s not really a game; it’s a job. You need to approach it that way.”
There are only a limited number of days the coaches can require players to be around during the off-season, so the Seahawks have to rely on another type of pressure to keep guys around.
“The peer pressure that the teammates put on each other means more than anything a coach does,” Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said. “We’ve always had pretty good attendance – not 100 percent, but pretty good attendance.
“The way that we do it, we don’t ask the world of these guys. It’s not prison. We want them to enjoy it. Some of them live pretty far away.”
On the positive side, most of the eligible Seahawks were around all week. Fifty-nine of the 64 roster players – excluding rookies and NFL Europe allocations, whom are not allowed to participate – attended the voluntary practices that started Monday. Eight of those players rehabbed injuries during the sessions: guard Steve Hutchinson (shoulder); defensive end Bryce Fisher (foot); defensive tackles Rashad Moore (shoulder) and Cedric Woodard (ankle); cornerbacks Marcus Trufant (shoulder) and Bobby Taylor (knee); and safeties Ken Hamlin (shoulder) and Marquand Manuel (wrist).
All in all, Holmgren was impressed with what he saw during the camp.
“I thought we had a good four days; I really did,” he said. “I was pleased. The guys worked hard. We got some teaching done and introduced some new things. I was very pleased with the effort.”
Notes
Tight end Ryan Hannam had surgery to help relieve some swelling in his knee. Hannam probably won’t practice again until training camp. … Of the other injured players, only Cedric Woodard and Marquand Manuel appear likely to take part in next month’s minicamp. The others will start practicing at training camp in late July. … Wide receiver Koren Robinson returned to practice after missing Wednesday’s session because of a prior commitment.