Trufant one-ups Tatupu
Published 11:30 pm Sunday, December 9, 2007
SEATTLE — The early-morning flurries left no visible signs of snow by the time Sunday afternoon’s game between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals kicked off.
But when it comes to the Seahawks’ defense, another kind of weather pattern has been in recent forecasts.
When it rains, it pours.
For the second week in a row, a Seattle defender had three interceptions in a single game. Cornerback Marcus Trufant matched the same feat turned in by linebacker Lofa Tatupu one week earlier, only this time the performance had an added twist.
“He one-upped me,” Tatupu said. “He got in the end zone.”
Trufant scored his first NFL touchdown, and the first by a Seattle defender this season, with an 84-yard return in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 42-21 win.
“I almost didn’t know what to do with myself,” Trufant said of his first touchdown at any level. “Making plays and scoring touchdowns is big.”
Trufant made plenty of plays in Sunday’s game. Trufant made his first interception at an opportune time, picking off Kurt Warner’s first pass following a successful onside kick by the Cardinals late in the third quarter. His second interception came when Trufant stepped in front of Larry Fitzgerald and tip-toed the sideline for the 84-yard touchdown. His third interception came with 58 seconds remaining in the game.
Trufant joined Tatupu, Kenny Easley, Eugene Robinson and Darryl Williams as the only Seahawks to get three interceptions in a single game. Trufant now has a career-high seven on the season, which ranks second in the NFL.
“They say that interceptions come in bunches,” Trufant said, “and they came in bunches (Sunday).”
Fighting mad: Before a pair of Cardinals players got into a post-game altercation in the visiting locker room, there were several on-field exchanges between them and the Seahawks.
The most noticeable one came early in the fourth quarter, when Arizona defensive tackle Darnell Dockett and Seahawks center Chris Spencer got into it at the end of a play. The scuffle eventually involved several other players before order was restored.
In the midst of that altercation, Dockett yanked off Spencer’s helmet while the Seattle offensive lineman was lying at the bottom of the pile.
“He didn’t think anybody was going to see it,” Spencer said of Dockett’s act, which drew a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct to keep the Seattle drive alive. “He didn’t think he was going to get caught.”
Asked why the altercation started, Spencer said: “He got upset that I pancaked him (a defensive player getting knocked onto his backside is sometimes referred to as a pancake block). He tried to roll on top of me. It was building all game. He was in there battling.”
Dockett was not available for comment, as it was reported that he and teammate Darryl Blackstock got into some kind of altercation in the visiting locker room after Sunday’s loss.
One for the big guy: After Sunday’s win, owner Paul Allen surprised head coach Mike Holmgren by giving him a game ball.
The win was an historic one for Holmgren, who moved ahead of Chuck Knox in regular-season wins (81) and total wins (84) for the most in franchise history.
“Just to be mentioned in the same breath with Chuck Knox is pretty neat,” Holmgren said after Sunday’s win. “It was very special for me today.”
Perfect timing: The addition of special teamer Josh Scobey came at a perfect time — for both Scobey and the Seahawks.
Scobey, a former Seahawk who was signed last week, got to celebrate an NFC West title on Sunday. And he wasn’t just riding the coattails of others. He made two special teams tackles, downed a punt at the Arizona 12, and tackled Cardinals punter Mitch Berger for a safety.
“He was a little bit of a spark,” linebacker Kevin Bentley said. “We know what he’s capable of, and he came in and did just what he’s capable of. It might have been a shock to everybody else, but it wasn’t a shock to us. We’ve seen him do that plenty of times since we’ve been here.”
Scobey was on the 2005 Super Bowl team but was released after an injury-plagued year in 2006.
Seattle’s special teams weren’t perfect, however. Long snapper Boone Stutz continued to struggle, misfiring on a play that cost Seattle an extra-point attempt.
Familiar killer: Speaking of ex-Seahawks, the most effective player on Arizona’s offense Sunday was a guy who’s spent plenty of time in Seattle.
Former Seahawks wide receiver Jerheme Urban had six receptions for a game-high 123 yards for the Cardinals on Sunday, when he also had his second touchdown of the season.
“This is a big game for our team, so obviously I wanted to play well coming back here,” Urban said, “but it wasn’t so much a personal thing.”
Urban spent his first three NFL seasons with the Seahawks but was eventually released after struggling with foot problems. He went to training camp with the Dallas Cowboys and was released before catching on with Arizona.
Urban, who turned 27 last month, saw extended playing time Sunday because starter Anquan Boldin was inactive due to a toe injury.
Balancing act: As promised, the Seahawks split playing time between halfbacks Shaun Alexander and Maurice Morris on Sunday.
Alexander was on the field for 22 plays and had 38 yards on 10 carries. Morris saw action on 26 plays and carried 13 times for 36 yards. He also caught three passes.
While the running game struggled for most of the day — Seattle had 80 rushing yards on 28 carries — the short-yardage game was more effective than usual. Alexander’s best run, a 25-yarder, came on fourth-and-1.
Quick slants: In each of the past three games, the Seahawks have made big defensive plays to end opening drives. A Leroy Hill sack ended a St. Louis drive two weeks ago, while interceptions by Tatupu (against Philadelphia) and Deon Grant (against Arizona) killed opening drives in back-to-back games. … After the third quarter, the Seahawks announced the winner of their annual High School Coach of the Year. Lewis &Clark football coach Tom Yearout won the award, while the other finalists included Snohomish’s Mark Perry and Mariner’s John Ondriezek.
