Everett, Wash.
Published: Monday, August 25, 2008

Seahawks wideout battle still wide open

Tonight's game should go long way in deciding who will start in place of Branch, Engram

By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer

 During a rare preseason when the opportunities have been particularly abundant, the Seattle Seahawks' wide receivers know that they don't have many more chances to make a last impression.

Tonight's preseason contest against the San Diego Chargers will mark the second-to-the-last chance for the Seahawks' wideouts to show what they can do in a game situation before the team cuts down to 53 players. With two projected starters sidelined by injuries that could keep them out of the regular-season opener, Seattle's young foursome of Courtney Taylor, Ben Obomanu, Logan Payne and Jordan Kent aren't just battling for roster spots but also for significant playing time.

"Two weeks from now, we're playing a football game -- no matter what -- and coach (Mike) Holmgren is going to name a starter," Taylor said of the Sept. 7 regular-season opener at Buffalo. "So, of course, time is running out."

As competitions go, this one has been like the 5,000-meter run. Each trip around the track sees someone else move to the head of the pack, while the other runners are never far behind.

The competition has been so fierce that Payne ignored the discomfort of a cracked rib and jumped back into the pool shortly after missing only about a week of action.

"You want to give yourself a chance," said Payne, who was the star of the first week of training camp but cracked a rib in the Aug. 2 intrasquad scrimmage. "If I'm in the training room, it's hard. I've got to be out here making plays, showing what I can do and how I've gotten better from last year."

In preseason games, Payne and Kent have gotten the most action. Taylor and Obomanu have yet to catch a pass, and so Holmgren said this week that the coaches will game-plan for them tonight.

"I want to see Courtney touch the ball (and) Ben touch the ball," he said. "I think they're just as capable (as the other receivers).

"We have to sort that out. So we're going to try and force-feed that just a little bit to see how we're going to line up the first game."

With Deion Branch still recovering from offseason knee surgery, and Bobby Engram sidelined by a cracked bone in his shoulder, the Seahawks could be looking for an opening-week starter to team with Nate Burleson. Taylor has the inside track on the starting job, but the three others are in hot pursuit.

"All of us are making plays," said Obomanu, who played with Taylor at Auburn University. "Every day at training camp, somebody has their day. One guy will be making great plays, and then the next day it's somebody else.

"That competition will make us all better. We're all working hard on the field every day."

Obomanu is the most experienced of the young receivers, having played 12 games and caught 12 passes since coming into the league as a sixth-round pick in the 2006 draft. Taylor has the most playmaking ability but was hamstrung by injuries as a rookie in 2007.

Payne and Kent closed any gaps during training camp, though in different ways. Payne showed an Engram-like ability to find seams in a defense and catch passes from the slot, while Kent has been a big-play target who has caught five passes for 68 yards and a touchdown in the preseason.

Two games into the preseason, and with just two to go, the battle for playing time is just as tight as ever.

"I feel like we've been doing the same job that we have from Day 1," Taylor said, "and that's all the young guys: from Logan Payne to Ben to Jordan Kent and even (rookie) Michael Bumpus.

"We've all been doing a good job, and that's not going to stop. We're going to keep competing, and when Sept. 7 hits, whoever's the starter is going to be the starter."
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