Making a fresh start

SEATTLE – A visit to Husky Stadium brought back some memories Wednesday morning, and not all of them were good.

In their first return trip since the end of their nightmarish 2000 and 2001, the Seattle Seahawks held a training camp practice while trying to purge some memories in the process.

“This is one of the best venues in all of college sports to play a game,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said while looking around the University of Washington’s football stadium Wednesday. “But I think when we were here, when they were letting us borrow their field on Sundays, it had that feel like there was a really big game the day before here. Like this was the second-best game going on … maybe the third if Bellevue and Eastlake (high schools) are playing.”

Since spending two largely unsuccessful seasons with Husky Stadium as their temporary home, the Seahawks have emerged as a legitimate NFC contender year in and year out.

Boy, how times have changed.

“We weren’t a very good team, and I wasn’t a very good player, and it probably showed,” Hasselbeck said of the Seahawks’ short tenure playing at Husky Stadium. “We had a lot of stuff working against us. But it was much more fun (Wednesday).”

Also trying to shake some memories was offensive assistant Keith Gilbertson, whose last coaching experience at Husky Stadium was during a 1-10 season in his final year as UW’s head coach in 2004. But on Wednesday, the Snohomish, Wash., native was thinking of the good times he’d had with the Huskies.

“I had a lot of good days in here,” said Gilbertson, who spent two years as UW’s head coach after Rick Neuheisel was let go. “I had 10-plus years here (including his time as an assistant) and met a lot of great people. It was a great time for me. I have nothing but fond memories of this place.”

The morning practice might not have left any indelible memories, but the estimated 1,000 fans who took advantage of free admission seemed satisfied.

Among the highlights were a one-handed catch by D.J. Hackett, a long Seneca Wallace-to-Nate Burleson hookup over the middle and an impressive play that saw cornerback Marcus Trufant wrestle a pass away from Hackett for an improbable interception.

“It was an amazing play,” Hasselbeck said. “Hack (Hackett) is taller, bigger and stronger. I am throwing the ball to Hackett, and Tru comes down with the ball. It’s a good play.”

Coach Mike Holmgren said he’s continued to be impressed by Trufant this camp.

“In this training camp, the one thing that we have stressed with him was the play right at the end at the (pass),” Holmgren said. “He has been victimized a little bit by that over the years.

“And this camp, clearly, he makes plays now. He is thinking about it and he is improving in that area.”

The star of the session, though, had to be Hasselbeck. In addition to several crisp passes that spread the ball around to Hackett, Burleson, Deion Branch, Bobby Engram and tight end Marcus Pollard, the 31-year-old quarterback even hammed it up a bit after a short scramble.

Hasselbeck, who was wearing a red jersey that signified he was not allowed to get hit, ran by some half-hearted pursuers before doing a slow-motion slide on the turf. When the crowd starting laughing and cheering, he took a bow, pivoted, and then took another.

The practice represented the only time the Seahawks will open a practice to the public during training camp. Their Kirkland facility is not set up for spectators, so the team decided to move one practice to the more spacious Husky Stadium for the fans.

Fans weren’t the only people looking on, as UW coach Tyrone Willingham and the Husky football players were among the spectators.

Fortunately for the Seahawks, UW’s stadium is mostly used for college games these days. Since the stadium now known as Qwest Field opened in 2002, Seattle’s NFL team has had some moments that are hard to forget.

“I think we are quite different now than we were then,” Holmgren said.