Seahawks: Battle for receiver jobs turns physical today

Published 11:26 pm Friday, August 1, 2008

SEATTLE — For a good part of the past eight days, the Seattle Seahawks’ wide receivers have had their body of work scarred by asterisks.

When Logan Payne makes a nice catch over the middle, a safety will remind him that he could have delivered a blow so hard that the ball would have popped out.

When Jordan Kent reaches up for a pass on the sidelines, a cornerback will let him know that he was a forearm away from losing possession.

Said receiver Ben Obomanu: “A lot of times you’ll do things in practice, and the DB’s (defensive backs) pull up and say, ‘I would’ve made that play. You wouldn’t have caught that pass.’”

Today, the defenders get to put their money where their mouths are.

When the Seahawks hold their annual intrasquad scrimmage at Qwest Field, the gloves will be off. No one keeps score, but the hitting is live. And the receivers will be fair game.

For a trio of Seahawks receivers, today marks the first step toward earning valuable playing time. Payne, Kent and Obomanu are battling injured Courtney Taylor for the role of No. 3 receiver. While starter Deion Branch recovers from knee surgery, the young players see opportunity for playing time behind Nate Burleson and Bobby Engram.

“We still have the scrimmage and the preseason games, so we really don’t know what to expect,” Obomanu said. “The competition has yet to separate itself. It’s about who’s going to take advantage of the opportunities.”

With three more weeks of training camp, and four preseason games, the competition is a long way from being complete. But today’s game will be the first chance to make a public statement, under game-like conditions, for Seattle’s receiving corps.

“I wouldn’t expect anything that happens (today) to determine the final (decision) because we have all the preseason games,” coach Mike Holmgren said. “But it’s one of the tools we use, and it’s a good one. The player usually shows his best stuff because he’s excited. It’s different than practice.”

During the first eight days of training camp, the foursome has shown plenty of glimpses but no clear-cut favorite. Payne was the star of the camp’s first few days, but he dropped a few passes late this week. Obomanu has been quiet, while Kent is still trying to turn his massive potential into production. And Taylor, who appeared to be the favorite heading into camp, has struggled with a hamstring injury.

On paper, the four receivers bring different skills.

Payne has an Engram-like feel for the game and ability to find open spots in the middle of the field. Kent has the best size (6-foot-4) and speed (he was a track star at Oregon). Taylor offers the most potential running after the catch. And Obomanu has experience and versatility.

“It’s a good group of guys,” receivers coach Keith Gilbertson said. “They want to be better. They work hard. It’s been a real positive couple of weeks for us here.”

While Burleson and Engram have the top two spots locked up, the other receivers battle for any playing time they can get. Branch was initially expected to miss multiple games at the beginning of the regular season, but his rehabilitation is so far ahead of schedule that the Seahawks are holding out hope he can be ready for the opener.

Until then, the young foursome will battle for playing time.

That battle begins today.

“It’s time to put up or shut up,” Obomanu said, “for the offense and the defense.”