Fans get last chance to bid Hawks well
KIRKLAND, Wash. – As they stood and cheered, more than 67,000 strong, fans of the Seattle Seahawks thought they were giving their team a final sendoff to the Super Bowl last Sunday afternoon.
But it turns out the so-called “12th Man” will get one more chance to see their team at Qwest Field.
The Seahawks are hosting a fan send-off ceremony Sunday morning in the stadium’s north plaza. Gates open at 7 a.m. with festivities set to begin at 8 a.m. Admission and parking are free.
The players are scheduled to be at the stadium, where head coach Mike Holmgren and team president Tim Ruskell will address the crowd. The team will then head to the airport to board its flight to Detroit, where it will face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL one week later.
Steel-ing signs?
After spending his first three NFL seasons playing under coach Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh, current Seahawks defensive lineman Rodney Bailey would appear to be a secret weapon in the coming days of game preparation.
But Bailey, who played with the Steelers from 2001 through 2003, said he doesn’t have any inside information to share.
“It’s been a couple years since I’ve been there,” he said. “I’ve moved around a little bit since then, so it’s changed a lot.”
The Seahawks picked Bailey up last September, after he’d been released by the New England Patriots on the final cutdown day.
Bailey played in eight games for Seattle during the regular season, registering 13 tackles.
Tatupu returns
Middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu was back on the practice field Thursday after sitting out the previous day as a precaution. He suffered a mild concussion in Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers.
Two other starters, wide receivers Darrell Jackson (knee) and Bobby Engram (hip), were held out of practice for the second consecutive day but are expected to be available for the Super Bowl.
Reserve defensive tackle Rocky Bernard (foot) has also missed two practice days this week but should play in the game. Bernard, who suffered his injury in the win over Washington 13 days ago, had a career-high 8 ½ sacks during the regular season.