KIRKLAND — A not-so-funny thing happened to many of the Seattle Seahawks’ young receivers on their way to another offseason of anonymity.
Sometime between the end of a 2007 season that saw Ben Obomanu, Courtney Taylor, Logan Payne and Jordan Kent get plenty of praise behind the scenes, and the beginning of the upcoming season, Seattle’s young receivers became targets.
Not just of practice passes, but also of Mike Holmgren’s ire.
Earlier this week, the Seahawks’ intimidating head coach screamed at the mild-mannered Obomanu during a practice drill. A few minutes later, Holmgren barked at Payne.
The honeymoon is over for the Seahawks’ young foursome.
“They could make a mistake last year, run a completely different play, and the coaches were like: ‘That’s OK. He doesn’t know what he’s doing,’” said receiver Nate Burleson, the 26-year-old veteran of the group. “But now, they’re held at a higher standard. They’re responsible to go out there and perform like a starter.”
In the professional world, being the target of criticism is better than not being noticed at all. And so, in an odd way, the Seahawks’ young receivers may well have arrived.
“You want that hands-on attention, especially from a guy like Coach Holmgren, who you respect,” Taylor said. “When he’s down my throat or someone else’s throat, you look at it like: If he’s not saying anything to you, you might be on your way out the door.”
The current minicamp has gone on without starting receivers Bobby Engram, who is skipping the voluntary session while in a contract dispute, and Deion Branch, who will be out until at least September following knee surgery.
That leaves Burleson and a young receiving corps that includes eight other wideouts who have a combined 12 receptions at the NFL level. Obomanu, a third-year player who has appeared in just 13 professional games, is the second-most-experienced receiver at camp. Taylor, Payne and Kent, who spent most of last season practicing but not appearing in games, have had to grow up fast.
“It’s a bigger transition than it was last year because more is expected of us,” said Taylor, who was a rookie in 2007. “But you welcome it. That’s why you’re here: for those challenges. That’s what it’s all about.”
The Seahawks expect the 35-year-old Engram to report to training camp next month and play during the regular season. Burleson is also penciled in as a starter.
Beyond that, the Seahawks have plenty of question marks.
So the buzz word at the current camp, with four receivers battling to open the regular season as the No. 3 wideout, is opportunity.
“It’s a good opportunity for all of us,” Obomanu said, “and at the same time, a good learning experience.”
Added quarterback Matt Hasselbeck: “It’s a great opportunity for these guys. I would say that they are doing their best to take advantage of it.”
Based purely on experience, the 25-year-old Obomanu appears to have the inside track on the No. 3 receiver job. There’s a chance he could even start, seeing as the Seahawks would prefer to move Engram back to his natural role as a slot receiver.
But all four youngsters have shown enough flashes that the coaching staff has confidence in them to fill in the void left by Branch’s injury and D.J. Hackett’s free-agent defection to Carolina.
“They’re very different,” offensive coordinator Gil Haskell said. “What Jordan gives you, he’s a tall, fast man. Logan, he’s a tough (guy) who can catch the ball. Courtney Taylor might be the most skilled of them all. And Ben does it right every time.
“So you’ve got very different guys. They’ve just got to keep (improving).”
If the young receivers are searching for inspiration, they don’t need to look far. Burleson was in a similar situation heading into his second NFL season with the Minnesota Vikings. After catching just 29 passes as a rookie, he broke out for 63 receptions and a team-high 1,006 yards in 2004.
“Everybody focused on Randy (Moss), and no one knew who Nate was,” Burleson said. “And these guys are in the same position. Who knows who Logan Payne is? But he can come out and establish himself as a big-time player.
“These guys have a chance to establish themselves — overnight — as the next Wes Welker (the New England receiver who caught a league-best 112 passes last season). That’s what they’ve got to understand.”
Before that can happen, the Seahawks’ young receivers have to endure a little tough love.
“That’s pretty standard procedure,” Payne said of the motivational tactics the coaches have taken with some of Seattle’s inexperienced wideouts. “We’re young, so (Holmgren is) going to try to over-coach us, get on us and make sure we’re doing what we need to do. And we need that kind of stuff right now.”
Burleson, for one, believes the youngsters will be up to the task.
“I’ve heard that the receiver position is a position of interest right now,” Burleson said, “but honestly, I’m not worried. It’s good to have young guys because they’re hungry.”
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