KIRKLAND – Fans who might get frustrated by Shaun Alexander’s boom-or-bust running style are not alone. Even Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren sometimes finds it difficult to watch his Pro Bowl running back.
“Let me put it this way: I probably have to control my own emotions more,” Holmgren said Wednesday when asked if Alexander’s running style dictates his play-calling. “If I make the conscious effort, ‘I’m going to stay with the run,’ I’m staying with the run. If I talk to myself, have one of those little discussions before the game, I’m going to stay with the run.”
Holmgren’s patience paid off last week, when Alexander bounced back from a four-carry, three-yard effort in the first quarter to finish with 144 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The performance was typical of Alexander, with nine of his carries going for one yard or less and another eight going for nine yards or more. Just seven of his 28 carries went for between three and five yards.
“He’s the type of runner that, you get one (yard), one, 30,” Holmgren said. “You can probably say that about a number of guys in the league. Then you have the guys that (run for) three, three, four, three, four, three.”
Asked which running back he preferred, Holmgren took Choice C.
“I’d rather have a guy that scores 20 touchdowns a year, which (Alexander) does,” he said. “Our guy does that. He gets down to the red zone, and he wants the ball. He knows how to get in there, and he does a good job with it.”
Alexander has also drawn outside criticism because of a running style that sometimes shirks contact. But the 28-year-old running back has yet to miss a game in his NFL career, and his stretch of 82 games in a row is the second-longest current streak among featured tailbacks (Curtis Martin, 109).
“At the end of the year, if you have a guy who scores 20 touchdowns, gains 1,500 yards, goes to the Pro Bowl, does all those things, you’re probably happy you have him,” Holmgren said. “And Shaun, I’m glad we have him. If you can have a guy not get hurt and play for you all season long, that will be a positive for your football team.”
Looking for more: Although he is only 24 years old, cornerback Marcus Trufant has more NFL starts as a Seahawk (32) than any other current defensive starter. So Holmgren expects him to play better than he has so far this season.
“My expectation level for him is high,” Holmgren said. “Anytime he falls short of that – fair or not fair – I will talk to him about it.”
Holmgren did just that last week, when he was so disappointed in Trufant’s opening-game performance that he brought him into his office for a one-on-one meeting.
“It wasn’t really a scolding,” Trufant said Wednesday. “It was just one of those things where he expects a lot out of me, and he just wants me to go out and have a great year. He just wants me to play great football.”
Trufant admitted that his play could have been better in the first two games, but he’s not overly concerned.
“I still feel like I’m a young player, and I still feel like I have a lot to learn,” said Trufant, a Washington State University product who was chosen with the 11th overall pick in the 2003 NFL draft. “But I feel like I’m getting more comfortable, and I’m getting better every year.”
Mili returns to field: For the first time since suffering a painful intestine disorder two weeks ago, tight end Itula Mili was back at practice Wednesday.
“It’s nice to run around in pads,” said Mili, who lost 15 pounds from his 260-pound frame during the ordeal. “I don’t feel like quite the same person yet.”
Mili started experiencing sharp pains a few days before the season opener, eventually causing him to go to the hospital. Doctors found a blockage in his intestine that, according to Holmgren, was later determined to be a result of Mili having his appendix removed as a child.
“I’ve never experienced something like that, but I’m just glad that I was able to recover as fast as I did,” Mili said. “This is something that usually takes people a lot longer to recover. I’m just glad that I can get back on the field.”
Injury update: Neither Mili nor wide receiver D.J. Hackett (knee) were on Seattle’s injury report, meaning they are both expected to be available for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
The only Seahawks listed on the injury report are offensive linemen Wayne Hunter (hamstring) and Floyd Womack (triceps), both of who will miss the game.
Arizona’s injury report includes two players who are questionable with knee injuries: starting middle linebacker James Darling and rookie cornerback Antrel Rolle, who was the team’s first-round draft pick.
Mike Holmgren, aka Killer?: Seattle’s inability to maintain big fourth-quarter leads has led some outsiders to wonder if the team lacks a killer instinct.
Holmgren was asked about that during his Wednesday press conference, and his answer sounded a little harsh.
“I don’t know exactly what that means,” he said. “I don’t think so. I like to kill anybody just like the next guy.”
He was, of course, speaking in football terms.
Quick slants: Ray Rhodes’s anticipated return to practice did not happen. Holmgren told his defensive coordinator not to attend the Wednesday afternoon practice because Rhodes worked a long day on Tuesday. Rhodes watched the practice from his office window and could take part in practice today or Friday. He is expected to be in the coaches’ booth on Sunday. … Approximately 800 tickets remained for Sunday’s game as of Wednesday morning. The game is almost certain to be televised on Channel 13.
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