Everett, Wash.
Published: Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Trufant selected to first Pro Bowl

Cornerback is one of six Seahawks named to the Pro Bowl Tuesday

By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer

 There were no sounds of cash registers opening when sports agent Michael Sullivan picked up the telephone on Tuesday afternoon. No pens hitting checkbooks or fingers punching calculator buttons, either.

But there may as well have been.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant was one of two Sullivan clients to get named to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday, and the 26-year-old Trufant's timing couldn't have been better.

"Anytime you get named to a Pro Bowl," Sullivan offered in a short phone interview Tuesday afternoon, "it's great timing."

And yet, in Trufant's case, it's lucrative timing.

Heading into his first spring as a free agent, Trufant will carry the "Pro Bowl corner" tag into negotiations after being honored for the first time in his five-year career.

Trufant was one of six Seahawks to be named to the NFC squad, joining annual honorees like quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, tackle Walter Jones and linebackers Lofa Tatupu and Julian Peterson as well as defensive end Patrick Kerney, who is making his second trip but first as a Seahawk.

All but Hasselbeck were named as starters.

As the only first-timer on that list, and the only one eligible for free agency, Trufant has the most to gain with his selection.

"We've been hearing he's an elite corner the last three years," said Sullivan, who refused to be quoted about any contractual discussions he's had with the Seahawks, "and this just shows what his peers and people around the league think of him."

Trufant, who turns 27 on Christmas Day, leads the NFC with seven interceptions. In his final game before players and coaches turned in their Pro Bowl votes, Trufant had a three-interception performance to help beat the Philadelphia Eagles 10 days ago.

Seattle's other Pro Bowlers didn't need any late heroics, having earned Pro Bowl reputations over the years. Jones (eighth), Peterson (fourth), Tatupu (third), Hasselbeck (third) and Kerney have all been there before.

Kerney might be having the best season of any defensive player in the NFC. With a league-high 13.5 sacks, Kerney has a chance to break the franchise's all-time record of 16.5 (Michael Sinclair, 1998).

Hasselbeck is also re-writing the Seahawks' record books. He's already set the franchise record with 319 completions this season and is likely to set team marks for attempts in a season (he needs 21 to match Dave Krieg's 1985 total) and passing yards (he's 221 away from his own 2003 record).

And when it comes to franchise records, Jones matched one on Tuesday. Only Cortez Kennedy has been invited to eight Pro Bowls as a Seahawk. This marks the seventh year in a row that Jones has been invited to Hawaii.

Tatupu leads the Seahawks in tackles (101), while Peterson has 68 tackles, nine sacks and two interceptions.

Return man Nate Burleson was named as an alternate to Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears.

Two other Seahawks players who seemed to have an outside shot of going to the Pro Bowl but did not get selected were wide receiver Bobby Engram and safety Deon Grant.

Engram ranks third in the NFC with 85 receptions, three behind Dallas tight end Jason Witten for the league lead. The only NFC wide receiver with more catches is Marques Colston of the New Orleans Saints, with 86. Engram also has a career-best 1,013 receiving yards this season.

But the fans, players and coaches that voted opted for the more familiar names of Terrell Owens (Dallas), Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona), Donald Driver (Green Bay) and Torry Holt (St. Louis).

Coach Mike Holmgren said on Monday that Engram was having a Pro Bowl year, but neither the coach nor any of his players were available for comment Tuesday.

Grant still has an outside shot of being named to the Pro Bowl because Washington safety Sean Taylor was given the honor posthumously. Taylor's replacement was not announced Tuesday.

Six Pro Bowlers marks the third-highest total in franchise history. Only the 1984 and 2005 teams, with seven each, sent more players to Hawaii. It's the first time since 1999 that Seattle has sent more defensive players (four) than offensive players (two) to the Pro Bowl.

The Dallas Cowboys are sending a league-high 11 players this year. The Pro Bowl will be played Feb. 10.

Two former Seahawks -- Minnesota guard Steve Hutchinson and Dallas safety Ken Hamlin -- were also named to the NFC's Pro Bowl team Tuesday.
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