Seahawks set for camping
Published 9:00 pm Thursday, July 27, 2006
When the final few Seattle Seahawks arrive in Cheney today, coach Mike Holmgren will undoubtedly greet the players with a familiar speech about how competitive training camp will be.
He’ll probably talk about the value of roster spots, the importance of making an impression and the age-old adage that no starting position is guaranteed.
And at this point, some of the veterans may as well roll their eyes.
As the defending NFC champions, the Seahawks shouldn’t really have much competition for starting spots over the next month. With the exception of a handful of spots, everyone is pretty much set in stone.
That means a lot of the intrigue of past training camps has gone the way of Seattle’s postseason losing streak.
Can Maurice Morris bump league MVP Shaun Alexander out of the backfield?
Is this the year Seneca Wallace challenges Matt Hasselbeck to be No. 1 quarterback?
Is an improved Ray Willis ready to wrestle the left tackle spot away from Walter Jones?
Not quite.
So fans looking for juicy storyline will probably have to turn toward less intriguing battles as the next four weeks unfold. Here is a look at a few of them:
* Cornerback: First-round pick Kelly Jennings will be given every opportunity to win the job, but Kelly Herndon and Jordan Babineaux are hoping to delay his starting debut.
* Defensive tackle: Seahawks have their top four back (Chartric Darby, Rocky Bernard, Marcus Tubbs and Craig Terrill), but the addition of 306-pound veteran Russell Davis puts the starting spots up for grabs.
* Left guard: Floyd Womack is expected to be Steve Hutchinson’s heir apparent, but the Seahawks could have other options in veteran Tom Ashworth and backup center Chris Spencer.
* Punter: Last month’s release of veteran Tom Rouen leaves a battle between rookie Ryan Plackemaier and NFL Europe standout Gabe Lindstrom.
* Return men: Punt returner Peter Warrick was hobbled most of last year, while kickoff return man Josh Scobey didn’t make many big plays.
Other than that …
Oh, sure. There will be injuries that send everything into a tailspin. And aging starters like fullback Mack Strong (34), center Robbie Tobeck (36) and right guard Chris Gray (36) could realistically lose their starting spots at some point this season if their play falls off.
But for the most part, the Seahawks’ depth chart is pretty easy to figure out six weeks removed from the regular-season opener.
Note: The Seahawks announced the signings of fourth-round pick Rob Sims and seventh-round pick Ben Obamanu, and second-round pick Darryl Tapp has reportedly agreed on a deal, leaving cornerback Kelly Jennings as the only unsigned draft pick. Sims is a guard from Ohio State, Obamanu is a wide receiver from Auburn and Tapp is a defensive end from Virginia Tech.
