Preaching patience

KIRKLAND, Wash. – Earlier this week, Jason Babin started feeling comfortable and stopped feeling like one of the new guys at the Seattle Seahawks’ practice facility.

By Friday afternoon, he was reunited with his wife and two children, who finally arrived from Houston to move into Babin’s new condominium on Seattle’s Eastside.

On Sunday, the 27-year-old defensive end is hoping to make his debut with the Seahawks.

“After this week, I think I conveyed to (the coaches) that I’m more comfortable now and that I know the defense better,” Babin said on Friday afternoon. “It’s tough when you’re not here during the preseason and in (training) camp, where they can see what you do. You’re really behind the eight ball, and it’s unfortunate.”

Babin, who was traded from Houston on Sept. 1, is one of three Seahawks who are still trying to find their niche in Seattle – both on and off the field.

“Most of my time is obviously spent here,” quarterback Charlie Frye said from the Seahawks’ locker room on Friday afternoon, “because I really don’t know where else to go. I guess that’s a good thing for me because I’m trying to learn the (offensive) system as fast as I can.”

Babin, Frye and defensive tackle Ellis Wyms are still adjusting to a new town, a new team and new teammates. The three veterans all changed teams for similar reasons, and they all seem reinvigorated by a fresh start.

But one thing that has eluded all three of them is playing time. Only Wyms, a 28-year-old who was cut by Tampa Bay on Sept. 1, has seen any action in a game. He played less than a dozen plays in the second half of Sunday’s loss to Arizona. Babin has not dressed for either of the Seahawks’ first two games, serving as one of the team’s eight inactive players.

Then there’s Frye, who started the opening game of the season but was playing for another team. The Cleveland Browns traded the quarterback to Seattle two days after the season opener, during which he struggled so badly that he was eventually benched.

“I’m still getting used to it,” Frye said of his sudden change in teams. “I was the starter for a long time. But I just try to look at the positives.”

For now, the Seahawks’ newest veterans are trying their best to exercise whatever patience they can muster.

“It’s been different,” Wyms said. “I don’t want to say it’s been difficult, because I knew what to expect coming in.

“The opportunities will come for me. I know I’m a good football player, and that I’ve been a good football player for a while. I’ve just got to wait my turn.”

For Babin, being patient has not been as easy as it sounds.

“You never get used to not playing,” said Babin, who started 28 games during three seasons in Houston. “Coming in here, I knew I wasn’t going to play for a couple weeks, but it’s probably more frustrating than I’ve ever been playing football.”

Injuries to special teams players like linebacker Kevin Bentley and tight end Ben Joppru might open the door for Babin to be activated this week. The inactive list is not announced until Sunday.