KIRKLAND – Shaun Alexander went to the Pro Bowl last February, and on Sunday the Seattle Seahawks’ running back will get to personally thank the man who was responsible.
Deuce McAllister of the New Orleans Saints backed out of the annual game due to a knee injury. In three days, the two Pro Bowl-caliber backs will square off at the Superdome when the Seahawks and Saints do battle in New Orleans.
Both running backs are excited about the matchup.
“Obviously, you want to go out and put up good numbers,” McAllister said, “because you know the other guy is going to get his chance.”
The pair has forged a friendship over the years, dating back to the days when they used to square off in games between Alexander’s Alabama team and McAllister’s Mississippi Bulldogs. Most of their phone conversations since then have unraveled into friendly trash talk between two of the NFC’s top runners.
“I’m sure there will be a lot of bragging after this game for somebody,” said Alexander, whose 1,435 rushing yards last season were just 206 fewer than McAllister.
The 6-foot-1, 232-pound McAllister is two inches taller and seven pounds heavier than Alexander, but the runners have similar running styles and can catch the ball out of the backfield.
On Sunday, they’ll get a chance to go head-to-head. Then the trash-talking will continue.
“Right after we figured out the schedule, I stopped all communication with him,” Alexander said. “I’ll pick it up after the game, hopefully.”
Sign of the times: The Seahawks’ offense got the ultimate sign of respect Wednesday when coach Mike Holmgren called off the two-minute drill at practice.
“It’s a nice feeling,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. “That’s a really good sign.”
The two-minute drill is designed to prepare teams for comeback drives. It was a necessity for the 2002 Seahawks, who often found themselves rallying from big deficits.
But during the 2003 season, Seattle frequently had the opposite happen, getting out to a big lead and trying to hold on.
“We practice the four-minute drill, where we’re up (on the scoreboard) and we just need to run the ball or get a high-percentage completion to get a first down,” Hasselbeck said. “It’s like we expect to be up, and we’re practicing those situations. That’s really, really good.”
Not that the Seahawks are always ahead. Hasselbeck led Seattle to three victories last season during which the Seahawks were trailing or tied late in the fourth quarter (St. Louis, San Francisco and Chicago).
Tubbs, Bannister practice: The Seahawks had all but two players on the practice field Wednesday, although it’s still uncertain who will be available for Sunday’s game.
Defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs (hamstring) and wide receiver Alex Bannister (shoulder) returned to practice, and both are listed as questionable for the opener.
The only active players who did not practice were linebacker Chad Brown (broken fibula) and offensive lineman Jerry Wunsch (sprained ankle). Brown won’t play until sometime next month, while Wunsch is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.
Wunsch suited up for practice Wednesday but did not participate. Bannister wore a red jersey to signify no contact.
Scanning the waiver wire: Safety Marquand Manuel, whom the Seahawks picked up off the waiver wire Monday, took part in his first practice with the team Wednesday.
The Seahawks could add another veteran or two, but they probably would wait until next week. That way, they would not be on the hook for the player’s entire 2004 salary.
If a player signs after the first game and is released before the eighth game, his team would only have to pay half of his annual salary. If he signed this week and was released next week, the player would get a full, 17-week paycheck.
Still seething: In case anyone thought Holmgren forgot about last year’s loss in Baltimore, maybe they should think again.
Holmgren was talking about Seattle’s road woes Wednesday when the 44-41 overtime loss came up. He’ll always remember that game as one that the Seahawks should have won if head official Tom White hadn’t mistakenly stopped the game clock as time ran out.
Although the NFL eventually apologized for the mistake, Baltimore’s win still stands.
“Don’t forget, we won that game,” Holmgren said during his Wednesday press conference, drawing laughter from reporters. “There’s only one guy in the world that doesn’t think we won that game.”
Quick slants: New Orleans quarterback Aaron Brooks has been practicing this week after missing part of the preseason with a strained right quadriceps muscle. He proclaimed himself “100 percent.” … The Saints have sold out 30 consecutive regular season and playoff games, dating back to 2000, but still had almost 6,000 tickets remaining for the Seahawks game as of Wednesday morning.
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