| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2010 3:01 am |
||||||||||
 |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
Sports 
|
||||||||||||||
Tough call due on Trufant RENTON — Wide receiver Michael Bumpus was waived by the Seahawks Tuesday, trimming the Seahawks' roster down to 75 players.The former Washington State standout is the final of the first-round of cuts — four players were let go on Sunday — and things will get much more difficult as Saturday approaches. That is the day when NFL teams must trim their rosters down to 53 players, and for the Seahawks, it's also the day they must decide on Marcus Trufant's immediate future. Trufant, the team's top cornerback, has been on the physically unable to perform list with a back injury, and if he isn't activated by Saturday, he will miss the Seahawks first six games before being eligible to come off of the PUP list. “We'll take it right down to the wire,” Seahawks coach Jim Mora said. “We won't make that decision until we absolutely have to. We'll do it with a lot of input from our doctors, our training staff, and Marcus himself. Hopefully it's not a hard decision, hopefully it's a positive decision, but we'll have to see.” While the decision on Trufant will be decided by his health, the future of many other Seahawk hopefuls will ride on what they've done in practice so far, as well as what they do in Thursday's exhibition game. “You can't be too dogmatic when you come into camp, with these preconceived notions of who's going to be on your team and who's not,” Mora said. “They change over the course of camp. There are some races that are coming right down to the end, and we as a team, as an organization, have to make the right decision.” So what are those tough decisions? Even with Bumpus and Billy McMullen, who was waived earlier in training camp, out of the picture, wide receiver is still one of the most competitive positions on the field. While T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Nate Burleson, Deion Branch and Deon Butler all seem assured of spots, there is a tight battle still going on between Ben Obomanu, Courtney Taylor, Jordan Kent, Logan Payne and Mike Hass for one or two roster spots. That Bumpus was an early cut shows just how much better Seattle's situation is at receiver this year. Last season, the undrafted rookie played five games and started one, whereas this year he is one of the first players cast aside. Another tight battle is for the final job or two on the defensive line. Can the undersized but productive Nick Reed earn a spot on the roster, or can Baraka Atkins do enough Thursday to win a job. Or perhaps undrafted rookie Michael Bennett, whose versatility as an end and tackle makes him valuable, will make the team. And of course there are the kickers. Seahawks president Tim Ruskell said before training camp that his team will definitely not carry two kickers again this year, so either Brandon Coutu or Olindo Mare will be gone after Saturday. Matt Handsomebeck? Based on facial symmetry, which is apparently a measure of attractiveness, Matt Hasselbeck is the fourth most handsome quarterback in the league according to a Wall Street Journal story. With a 99.56 percent symmetrical face, Hasselbeck is fourth in the league among quarterbacks behind only Matt Ryan, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, and the Seattle quarterback ranks four spots ahead of Tom Brady. “Solid,” he said when told of his No. 4 ranking. “There's not a lot of competition out there though. It's an ugly bunch of quarterbacks these days.” Taking roll In addition to the trio of Walter Jones (knee), Trufant (back) and Chris Spencer (quad), who continue to be out with more serious injuries, the Seahawks were missing six other players Tuesday: receiver Logan Payne (unknown), receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh (general soreness), center Cory Withrow (unknown), quarterback Seneca Wallace (groin), cornerback Travis Fisher (hamstring) and safety C.J. Wallace (ribs). Fans asked to arrive early Because of construction around Qwest Field, the Seahawks are asking fans to show up early if possible for Thursday's 7 p.m. exhibition game. Touchdown City, located in the Qwest Field Events Center, is open at 4 p.m., and the stadium games open at 5. Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more Seahawks coverage, check out the Seahawks blog at heraldnet.com/seahawksblog |
- Sorry, Hawkeye; M*A*S*H gets bowled over
- Former Whidbey student shot
- County archive software paid for but waiting for set-up
- Ruling expected on Sultan beating statement
- ‘Roadkill’ caucus seeks a voice for centrist Democrats
- Police seek witnesses in two accidents
- PAWS calls out for critter care-givers
- Boeing has a busy test schedule
- Ex-Boeing engineer jailed for espionage
- Morning mystery: What happened to House Bill 3181?
- Lynnwood sets height limit on grass: 8 inches
(10) - State Senate votes to toss I-960's tax-raising hurdle (9)
- School levies in Snohomish County all passing, Marysville bond failing (6)
- A tidy lawn could be law in Lynnwood (4)
- Vote on school levies by Tuesday (3)
- Two suspects sought in Everett shooting that injured two (3)
- County archive software paid for but waiting for set-up (3)
- Former Whidbey student shot (2)
- Snohomish County's bargain housing won't last (2)
- Reader poll: Should the WIAA add lacrosse as a sanctioned sport? (2)
- Jackson girls outlast Meadowdale owdale
- OBT raises barre in children’s program
- Junior firefighters
- School levies passing
- Mavericks topple Wolfpack
- Get a second look at Second City Feb. 13
- Sports Briefs
- Warriors advance 11 to regional meet
- Arlington's Cascade Valley Hospital celebrates expansion, national award and 100 years of service
- Business Licences Feb. 2010
- Technology tips for launching your own business
- Business Events Feb. 2010
- Tech Talk: No excuse today for going without a Web site
- State already raising fees and rates that restrict business growth
- Some legislators again targeting people’s initiative petition rights
|
 
|
|
|
|
| TODAY'S TOP JOBS |
| View All Top Jobs |
| Top Cars |
|
| Top Homes |
|
|
ADVERTISEMENT |
|
|
|Contact Us
|Advertiser Services
|Home Delivery
|Newsstand Locations
|Classifieds
|Feedback
|About the Company
|Work@the Herald
|Site Map |
|
COMMENTS | Be the first to comment
Log in or register to post a new comment.
To read other terms and conditions, click here