Travis Moger / travis.moger@gmail.com

Seahawks Reporter

 

Renten, WA – Both Coach Holmgren and the Seahawks players emphasized the fact that despite the Seahawks and Rams abysmal 2-11 records, both sides will play hard-hitting and inspired football this Sunday, reminiscent of the NFC West rivalry of the past.

However, the Seahawks will most likely be without at least two key play-makers in Matt Hasselbeck (back) and Walter Jones (knee). Both players did not practice today. Leroy Hill (arm), Koren Robinson (knee) and Josh Wilson (concussion) also did not practice today. Red Bryant (ankle) was limited in practice.

Five rams players did not practice: Fakhir Brown (ankle), Josh Brown (groin), Torry Holt (rest), Richie Incognito (ankle) and Gary Stills (knee). La'Roi Glover (knee) and Leonard Little (hamstring) were limited.

Coach Holmgren spoke briefly of the run game with regards to Julius Jones getting no playing time against New England. He insisted that he did not play Julius because of the productivity of Mo Morris and TJ Duckett, and that Julias will get in the game again.

Seneca Wallace looked exceptionally crisp in practice today, sharing reps with Charlie Frye. Seneca expressed his gratefulness for the playing time he is getting despite the circumstancing and said that he believes the Rams/Seahawks rivalry is still alive and going strong.

Quite possibly the most entertaining moment of Wednesday’s activities at the VMAC came during a conference call with Torry Holt. When asked for his thoughts on Coach Holmgren, Holt responded: “I like Coach Holmgren. I hope he doesn’t retire. And the reason why I like Coach Holmgren, I just like how – excuse my French – I just like how (expletive) competitive he is. Some people see him as an (expletive), but I like his (expletive)-ness.”

Torry Holt on Holmgren

by Curtis Crabtree
KJR reporter
curtiscrabtree@clearchannel.com

Charlie Frye continued to play a very solid football game. Frye went 19-of-29 for 219 yards and two touchdowns. He did leave the game with a knee injury, don't know the extent of it as of yet.

T.J. Duckett actually turned in a strong performance as well, and he may have needed it. Duckett had six carries for 26 yards, but none came in short yardage situations. Every carry Duckett received was in a 1st-and-10 situation. Forsett didn't have a strong showing tonight. Forsett only had nine yards on four carries including a lost fumble. However, Forsett was the primary return man in both kickoff and punt situations.

I have a feeling that the Chargers heard about Forsett's performance last week and were ready for him.

Lofa Tatupu also left the game with a knee injury of unknown severity as well. Frank Hughes of the Tacoma News Tribune labeled it as a bruised knee.

In my opinion, Jordan Kent solidified a roster spot tonight. With another four catches for 47 yards and another touchdown reception, I would be shocked if he wasn't one of the final 53 players on this team.

Don't read too much into Seneca Wallace's 2-for-4, 15 yard, 1 INT performance tonight either. Wallace took limited team snaps this week and wouldn't have played if Frye hadn't been dinged up in the fourth quarter.

The Seahawks now have to trim their roster by five by tomorrow. Here is a guess of the roster moves the Hawks will be making.

WRs Joel Filani & Trent Shelton - released

Filani and Shelton haven't done much of anything to stand out in camp. Filani did have a touchdown reception against the Vikings but both him and Shelton have dropped a lot of passes in camp and the Seahawks need to get a long look at the guys who are on the bubble of making the roster at the position.

C Nick Jones - injury/waived

Jones hurt his leg in practice on Saturday. He is small for an NFL lineman and was signed mainly for depth when Chris Spencer was out with a back injury.

LB Will Herring - Non-Football Injury

Herring has recurring joint inflammtion and it isn't getting any better. Early in camp, Herring looks as though he was close to coming back, running on a side field multiple days, but it hasn't happened. David Hawthorne has made a strong push for a roster spot in Herring's absence and Herring can come off this list if he does get healthy. The Seahawks would have the option to not pay him.

T William Robinson - Injured Reserve

Robinson sustained a high ankle sprain during the preseason opener in Minnesota and wasn't making a strong case to make the squad before the injury. Robinson was still in a walking boot last week.

by Curtis Crabtree
KJR reporter
curtiscrabtree@clearchannel.com

Things may be looking up Justin Forsett making this roster after all. Forsett has played well enough to make his way on to the team. The thought was it may be at the expense of T.J. Duckett.

On Seattle's first two third-and-short situations tonight, the backfield consisted of Owen Schmitt at fullback and Leonard Weaver at tailback. Weaver converted on 3-1 from the SD 34-yard line with a five yard carry, and Schmitt was stopped short and 3-1 from the SEA 48-yard line early in the second quarter.

If this tandem can prove to be a solid comination in short yardage, the writing may be on the wall for Duckett that he doesn't have a future with the team following the final preseason game on Friday.

Darren Sproles is absolutely cutting up the Seahawks defense on the ground right now. Sproles is even smaller than Forsett at 5' 6" tall. Maurice Morris has four carries for 28 yards and Julius Jones has six carries for 33 yards at this point. It will be interesting to see if Forsett gets any carries against the Chargers first-team defense.

Charlie Frye has looked markedly better than last week against the Chicago Bears. He is staying the pocket, setting his feet before throwing and he isn't showing the "happy feet" like he had against the Bears. Frye is 10-18 for 140 yards and a touchdown, a 68-yarder to Nate Burleson on the game's opening possession.

He did just leave Logan Payne hanging out for a big hit by Quentin Jammer here at the end of the quarter. Other than that, he's looked pretty solid so far. One thing is for sure, he's better than David Greene as a third-string quarterback.

by Curtis Crabtree
KJR reporter
curtiscrabtree@clearchannel.com

Here is tonight's inactive list. Thanks to Clare Farnsworth of the Seattle P-I.

Seahawks:

K Brandon Coutu (groin)
QB Matt Hasselbeck (back)
LS Tyler Schmitt (back)
C Nick Jones (calf)
C Chris Spencer (back)
T William Robinson (high ankle sprain)
T Sean Locklear (knee)
T Samuel Gutekunst (herniated disc)
DT Red Bryant (knee)
WR Deion Branch (knee)
WR Bobby Engram (shoulder)
DE Chris Cooper (hamstring)
DT Larry Tripplett (knee)

Chargers:

RB LaDainian Tomlinson
LB Shawne Merriman
C Nick Hardwick
T Marcus McNeill
DT Jamal Williams
TE Antonio Gates

by Curtis Crabtree
KJR reporter
curtiscrabtree@clearchannel.com

RENTON - For the first time since having arthroscopic knee surgery on August 1, Red Bryant returned to practice this afternoon.

The Seahawks are taking it easy with Bryant as he only participated lightly in team drills this afternoon. However, following practice, Bryant worked out for 10-15 minutes hitting a blocking sled at the far end of the field.

Jeb Putzier also was practicing again today after missing the last few practices with a back injury.

The team entered the first day of the normal in-season practice schedule this morning after receiving yesterday off. Yesterday, the team went to see a movie together while the coaches stayed around the building to continue working.

Matt Hasselbeck again missed practice today as he continues to rest a sore back. Mike Holmgren talked to the media this afternoon and said that Hasselbeck will most likely not play this Monday against the San Diego Chargers.

"If he's not going to play in the game, I'll probably leave him here," Holmgren said.

Seneca Wallace, who has been dealing with a sore groin, practiced again today although he only ran a limited number of reps in the team drills. Wallace will be able to play this Monday, however, Holmgren said Charlie Frye will get the start and receive the majority of the playing time in the game.

A new addition to the did-not-practice list this afternoon: Brandon Coutu. Coutu sat this afternoon's session as well. It is unknown why Coutu missed the practice at this time.

Chris Spencer was also back to full-participation in practice this afternoon. Spencer returned to the field earlier this week, but had been limited in the number of reps he took.

"That was encouraging," Holmgren said. "Very, very encouraging. He went through practice and we fumbled a couple snaps, but the important thing was he got back out and did some stuff."

Holmgren said that he didn't think Spencer would play against the Chargers, but that he could play against the Oakland Raiders next Friday.

The first-string defense picked apart fourth-string quarterback Dalton Bell this afternoon. Bell, who was working with the second-team offense, threw into double-coverage and had a pass intercepted by Deon Grant. Later on, during goalline drills, Bell was pressured and threw a pass to a blue jersey that was picked off by Julian Peterson. The pass was intended for backup center Nick Jones.

Bell did have a nice pass he completed to tight end Joe Newton in-between Leroy Hill and Grant.

Leonard Weaver took a handoff from Frye on a draw play and exploded into the secondary for a nice gain.

Seneca Wallace completed a pass to John Carlson on a deep crossing route over safety Jamar Adams for a lengthy gain as well.

Injury Report:
QB Matt Hasselbeck (back), QB Seneca Wallace (groin/limited participation), LS Tyler Schmitt (back), LB Will Herring (joint inflammation), T William Robinson (high ankle sprain), T Sean Locklear (knee), T Samuel Gutekunst (herniated disc), DT Red Bryant (knee/limited participation), WR Deion Branch (knee), WR Bobby Engram (shoulder),  DE Chris Cooper (hamstring), DT Larry Tripplett (knee)

Post-Practice Interviews

Chris Spencer - Click Here

Mike Holmgren - Click Here


Questions? Comments? Feel free to e-mail me at curtiscrabtree@clearchannel.com If you want to know how a specific player or position battle is shaking out. I will do my best to answer any and all questions.

by Curtis Crabtree
KJR reporter
curtiscrabtree@clearchannel.com

RENTON - The last two-a-day practice of training camp came to a close this afternoon with a special teams practice held inside the team's brand new indoor facility at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

The highlight of this afternoon's practice was watching punting battle between Ryan Plackemeier and Reggie Hodges trying to hit the roof of the building.

At its highest point, the roof stands over 100 feet above the playing surface. However, beams supporting the roof come within 95 feet of the field.

Both Hodges and Plackemeier hit booming punts into the air that came close to hitting the beams. The two stayed after practice concluded trying specifically to hit the roof.

However, the roof slants downward from west to east, making it actually a little closer to the field on one sideline than in the middle of the field. Plackemeier moved over to that sideline and was able to hit the beams with two punts.

During the remainder of the special teams session, the team worked on punt protection and both kick and punt returns. The practice also focused on blocking gunners on punt return units.

Ben Obomanu and Justin Forsett were returning punts while Michael Bumpus and Forsett returning kickoffs.

This morning, we finally found out that Samuel Gutekunst has been missing practice with a herniated disc.

Training camp breaks tomorrow after one final morning practice. The team will then get into their everyday practice routine on Friday with a 1:30 p.m. practice.

Injury Report:
QB Matt Hasselbeck (back), QB Seneca Wallace (groin/limited participation), LS Tyler Schmitt (back), LB Will Herring (joint inflammation), T William Robinson (high ankle sprain), T Sean Locklear (knee), T Samuel Gutekunst (herniated disc), DT Red Bryant (knee/limited participation), WR Deion Branch (knee), WR Bobby Engram (shoulder), TE Jeb Putzier (back), DE Chris Cooper (hamstring), DT Larry Tripplett (knee)

Post-Practice Interviews

Reggie Hodges - Click Here

Ryan Plackemeier - Click Here


Questions? Comments? Feel free to e-mail me at curtiscrabtree@clearchannel.com If you want to know how a specific player or position battle is shaking out. I will do my best to answer any and all questions.

KJR Reporter Jason Puckett

Renton - Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck once again missed practice with a sore back.  Hasselbeck was seen on the field in the early portion of the morning practice but he was only in shorts and a t-shirt, no shoulder pads or helmet. 
After the morning session was complete, Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren said he was not overly concerned that his starting quarterback has missed a big chunk of time here recently. 

Holmgren said it was also way too early to tell if Hasselbeck would play Monday night against the San Diego Chargers.   The question now is how much will the bothersome back leak over into the regular season?

Holmgren noted that it wasn't entirely necessary that Hasselbeck take the majority of the snaps in preseason, he mentioned that Hasselbeck is a veteran player and that the learning curve for him is not as great as a younger player.

However, Holmgren did say that he would like to have him to take a few more reps before the regular season begins.

Seneca Wallace was back at practice today and did participate in some team drills, but the majority of snaps that he took in a team setting was just wide receivers against defensive backs and linebackers.   Wallace had been limited in the last few days with a sore groin.

Starting center Chris Spencer was back at practice today and in full pads but similar to yesterday, Spencer was limited in team drills.  In fact, Spencer did not take a snap when the offense scrimmaged against the defense.

Holmgren noted that he's encouraged to see the progress of Spencer so far in camp and he's hoping that Spencer continues to improve.

Rookie defensive tackle Red Bryant was also a welcomed site back at practice but walked out of practice about 45 minutes in.   Bryant has been hampered by an injured knee in training camp. 

Just like Spencer,  Holmgren was encouraged to see his big body rookie back in the mix, but at this time the team is just trying to ease him back in.

One of the highlights so far in camp has been the defensive end battle between Darryl Tapp and rookie Lawrence Jackson.

Over the last two days, Jackson has been working with the number-one defensive unit at the right defensive end spot, in addition, defensive coordinator John Marshall indicated that Jackson will start Monday against the Chargers. 

Holmgren said the battle between Tapp and Jackson will go down to the wire and that the competition between the two has created good depth at the defensive end spot.

Switching gears to the offense, here's another quick update on Deion Branch:  The injured WR once again worked off to the side of practice and this time Branch was running sprints with a harness.  In addition, Branch was running up the hillside backwards, which is adjacent to the practice field. 

After practice Holmgren noted that he had hoped that Branch would be ready for the first game against the Buffalo Bills.

Injuries:

No real new injuries with the Seahawks.  Hasselbeck missed practice with a sore back.  Jeb Putzier didn't practice today, he injured his back yesterday. 

Play Of The Day:

The play of the day came from the defensive side of the ball as Josh Wilson tipped a pass over the middle and it was picked off by rookie Jamar Adams and the free agent from Michigan rumbled down the field for what would be six points.

Inside The Lockeroom:

Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren  Click Here

Seahawks defensive back  Kelly Jennings Click Here

by Curtis Crabtree
KJR reporter
curtiscrabtree@clearchannel.com

RENTON - Mike Holmgren was on the war path once again this afternoon.

A sloppy preseason game against the Chicago Bears this weekend, followed by a few lackluster practices has pushed Holmgren to the edge. This afternoon, poor execution on screen passes forced both Holmgren and offensive cooridnator Gil Haskell to become animated.

Charlie Frye threw high on a screen pass to the right to fullback Leonard Weaver. Weaver had to jump and tip the ball just to have a chance to catch it, which he did. A few plays later, Frye threw a pass behind running back Justin Forsett which let Holmgren loose. Holmgren barked at his offense to run the play again so they could get it right.

After practice, the defense retired to the locker rooms while the offense stayed on the field for an extra 20 minutes to run screen passes. Holmgren even became so involved he started showing the players how to run the plays himself, moving around and telling them when they needed to release.

"It was needed," Forsett said. "It was just trying to get the timing right. A screen's timing is everything and he wants everyone to be on the same page."

If there is one plus to the anger over the screen game, it at least shows their dedication to running the screen play more often year. With a running back corps that has very good hands, the screen is a weapon the team hopes to utilize much more this season.

Matt Hasselbeck missed practice this afternoon after his sore back tightened up once again during this morning's practice. Seneca Wallace also didn't take any snaps during the team drills as he continues to rest a sore groin. That left all of the quarterback reps to Charlie Frye and Dalton Bell.

Tight end Jeb Putzier missed this afternoon's session as well after injuring his back in the morning practice. Back injuries seem to be the injury of this year's camp. Hasselbeck, Putzier, Chris Spencer and Tyler Schmitt have all missed time due to injured backs.

Walter Jones, Ray Willis and Mike Wahle all sat out this afternoon as well. Jones and Willis sat out as part of their one-a-day practice schedule as they are recovering from off-season surgeries. Mike Wahle received the afternoon off to rest.

The defense made several nice plays during the afternoon session. Safety Brian Russell made a nice read on a run play. Dalton Bell faked a dive to fullback David Kirtman and then flipped a toss out to T.J. Duckett. Russell read the play perfectly and hit Duckett at the line of scrimmage.

Josh Wilson made a fantastic deflection of a pass from Bell to Jordan Kent across the middle.

Tight end Joe Newton was able to reel in a high pass from Bell and get both feet inbounds along the left sideline. Bell's pass sailed high and Newton leapt and was able to bring the pass down.

Tight end John Carlson was also able to haul in a nice pass from Bell with tight coverage from D.D. Lewis. Carlson was able to get seperation at the last instant and make a catch over Lewis. Lewis then looked at the reporters standing along the sideline and started shaking his head.

"He pushed me in my back, man," Lewis said. "He pushed me in my back, that's why I started shaking my head. It's all good though, it's just part of the game."

Injury Report:

QB Matt Hasselbeck (back), QB Seneca Wallace (groin), LS Tyler Schmitt (back), LB Will Herring (joint inflammation), T Walter Jones (shoulder), T William Robinson (high ankle sprain), T Ray Willis (knee), T Sean Locklear (knee), T Samuel Gutekunst (unspecified), DT Red Bryant (knee), WR Deion Branch (knee), WR Bobby Engram (shoulder), TE Jeb Putzier (back), DE Chris Cooper (hamstring), DT Larry Tripplett (knee)

Post-Practice Interviews

Josh Wilson - Click Here

Justin Forsett - Click Here

D.D. Lewis - Click Here


Questions? Comments? Feel free to e-mail me at curtiscrabtree@clearchannel.com If you want to know how a specific player or position battle is shaking out. I will do my best to answer any and all questions.