KIRKLAND — Bobby Engram didn’t get called into Mike Holmgren’s office this week; he simply stopped in uninvited.
The Seattle Seahawks’ veteran wide receiver just wanted to remind Holmgren that he’s fully recovered from any health problems and that he’s ready to do whatever is needed. And then he reminded Holmgren that what’s needed — at least for the next week or two — is a starting receiver.
And so Engram, whose method of persuasion is apparently just as clutch as his third-down production, was named the starting receiver for this Sunday night’s game against the New Orleans Saints.
The ever-changing Seahawks’ receiving corps is getting another facelift this week, with the longest-tenured member getting another shot at the starting lineup. Engram, 34, is taking over for injured starter Deion Branch this week.
“If I’m doing my team the best service by playing my role in the slot and helping us win games, then I’m fine with that,” Engram said. “But right now, we need some more help because of the injury situation.”
With Branch and D.J. Hackett sidelined by injuries, the Seahawks will take the field without either of their Week 1 starters. Nate Burleson has started the past four games at split end in place of Hackett, and now Engram will step in for Branch at flanker.
Why Engram?
“It’s either him or me,” 64-year-old offensive coordinator Gil Haskell quipped on Wednesday. “No, we couldn’t have a better guy to count on. Matt’s very comfortable with him.”
That would be quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who has not been shy about his comfort level with Engram since the duo arrived within a few months of each other in 2001.
“To me, Bobby’s Bobby,” Hasselbeck said Wednesday. “Half the routes we have, I could throw with my eyes closed to Bobby.”
Branch is expected to miss two games due to a sprained foot, returning sometime around the Oct. 28 bye. Hackett might be back practicing as soon as next week after missing four games with a high ankle sprain. So the Seahawks need someone to fill the starting role for just one game, possibly two.
While Engram has started plenty of games in three-receiver sets with the Seahawks, he hasn’t been listed among the two starting wideouts since catching a game-high six passes in Super Bowl XL. So, he felt the need to remind Holmgren that he hoped to return to that role for now.
When asked by reporters what he had told Holmgren during their Tuesday meeting, Engram deadpanned: “To play me or else.
“No, I just wanted to tell them that I was ready to help this team,” he added. “‘Give me some chances to work in the base offense.’ I know Ben (Obomanu) and I will be rotating, and I’m sure Courtney Taylor will get some reps, but I just wanted to put (the coaches) at ease and let them know that I can handle it.”
Holmgren said that he and Engram had a good conversation, albeit a predictable one.
“When he walked in the door, I knew exactly what he was going to say,” Holmgren said. “And he knew exactly what I was going to say. We know each other pretty well.
“Everybody wants to play more. Everyone wants the ball thrown to them, if you’re a receiver. The important thing is he’s feeling good.”
That wasn’t the case at this time last season, when the energetic Engram started feeling uncommonly lethargic for the first time in his NFL career. Doctors eventually diagnosed him with a thyroid condition that sidelined Engram for nine games in 2006.
This season, Engram has shown no signs of any health problems. He’s proclaimed himself fully recovered and has caught 19 passes, second only to Branch’s 22 among Seahawks receivers.
“Right now I feel particularly sharp and particularly energetic, and it’s just a blessing,” Engram said. “I was able to come back from last year, and the fact that I feel so good right now, I’m just ecstatic.”
While Engram is officially the starter, he’ll still see plenty of snaps in the slot position in three-receiver sets. Obomanu and Taylor, two Auburn products, can expect to play a lot as reserves.
As part of the same recruiting class at Auburn, Obomanu and Taylor know each other well. But they’ve never been active on the same Sunday for the Seahawks.
“It’s one of those things we talked about as freshman: both of us playing in the NFL,” said Obomanu, who missed the first three games of this season because of a hamstring injury. “Now it’s finally got a chance of coming true this week.”
While the Seahawks will be missing both their starting receivers this Sunday, there doesn’t seem to be much concern.
“It’s tough, but we’ve talked about it,” Hasselbeck said of losing Branch. “We’re ready for it; we’re prepared for it. We just have to play better when it happens.
“And I’m really talking about myself. I have to play better when it happens.”
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