Stevens running with opportunity

KIRKLAND, Wash. – An odd thing happened during the second half of the Seattle Seahawks’ 13-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys 12 days ago.

Already devoting much of their defense to stopping Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, the Cowboys made a halftime adjustment that focused on another one of Seattle’s offensive weapons.

Tight end Jerramy Stevens.

On an offense that includes four players who have been to a Pro Bowl, Stevens sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. But he’s done enough damage this season that the Cowboys took notice.

He caught three passes in the first half of that Oct. 23 game, so Dallas spent part of the second half playing nickel cornerback Terence Newman across from Stevens in an effort to take him out of the game plan.

“That means that I’m starting to get some respect,” said Stevens, who will turn 26 years old a week from Sunday. “I’m making more plays, so that’s good. That tells me that (defenses) feel like I’m somebody they need to be responsible for.”

That kind of respect comes from the numbers Stevens has put up this season, all of which are on pace to rank among the best in franchise history.

With 22 receptions, 308 yards and two touchdowns, Stevens is on pace to shatter his own career bests. He could also challenge team records for receptions by a tight end (46, Itula Mili in 2003), receiving yards by a tight end (529, by Charle Young in 1983) and touchdowns by a tight end (four, by Mili in 2003).

Stevens is also averaging 14.0 yards per catch, which would rank as the second-highest total in franchise history. Young averaged 14.7 yards per catch in 1983.

As far as productive tight ends go, Stevens could be the best the Seahawks have ever seen.

“This year, it seems like everything’s just connecting,” running back Shaun Alexander said. “We could tell, at the end of last year, that he was just like, ‘I’m about to take this thing over.’ Something hit where it was like, ‘I got it now.’

“And he’s doing it. He’s what has made our offense go to No. 1.”

Stevens, a 2002 first-round draft pick out of the University of Washington, has shown flashes of greatness in the past. But not until this season has he become the kind of weapon that makes other coaches adjust their game plans.

Stevens was putting up similar numbers early last season but couldn’t keep it up down the stretch. He was eventually replaced by Mili as the starter in late November but still finished the season with career highs in receptions (31) and receiving yards (349).

In order to assure that he could maintain his production throughout a full season, Stevens worked harder in the weight room this past summer than he ever has before.

“The fact that I’m stronger, and I’m lighter, means that my body’s not taking the same pounding,” Stevens said Thursday. “I definitely feel fresher than I did at this point last year.”

The hard work seems to have already paid dividends, and Stevens has been a more important part of Seattle’s offense. His 6-foot-7 frame and unique speed for a big man add an extra dimension to an offense that already has plenty of weapons.

“He’s got such a chance to be good – really good,” offensive coordinator Gil Haskell said. “He only played for a year and a half at Washington (after playing quarterback at River Ridge High School in Lacey, Wash.). Suppose he played four-and-a-half or five (years) at Washington, then he’d be like everyone else.

“He’s just getting over that. He’s over all the baloney, and now he’s playing. He’s only going to get better.”

Stevens’s emergence might come as a surprise to his opponents, but he knew he had it in him.

“I don’t know if it’s what I expected, but that’s what I hoped for,” Stevens said. “I just want to help this team win. I’ve made some plays that have helped us win, and that’s what I was focusing on all off-season.”

Notes

Seahawks defensive end Grant Wistrom was excused from Thursday’s practice for personal reasons, but he is expected to be available for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. … The Cardinals updated their injury report on Thursday, and tight end Teyo Johnson, a former Mariner High School star, was added to the list. He is questionable with injuries to his shin and calf.