KIRKLAND – Too often, he has appeared on opposing teams’ highlight reels, and now Seattle Seahawks strong safety Terreal Bierria will show up someplace else.
The bench.
Coach Mike Holmgren announced Wednesday that Bierria has lost his starting job in favor of rookie Michael Boulware.
“He’s done some really good things, and he’s been the victim of a couple things,” Holmgren said of Bierria. “That’s not unusual for a first-time starter.”
Boulware has made an impact as a nickel linebacker, but he has seen little action as a strong safety this season. He has four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown to beat the Miami Dolphins 21/2 weeks ago.
“I think we could use all the playmakers we can get out there right now,” Holmgren said. “He has earned the right to take a crack at this. He really has.”
Boulware played linebacker at Florida State but was taken in the second round of the April draft as a safety. He has made a lot of progress at the position this season.
“I’m definitely more prepared than four weeks ago, but I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go,” Boulware said. “Every day is going to be very crucial for me to get everything I can out of each day at practice.”
Bierria has been in coverage on some of the bigger plays this year, including two long touchdown passes that helped the St. Louis Rams record a comeback win over Seattle on Oct. 10. He also was in coverage on Keyshawn Johnson’s fourth-quarter touchdown Monday night and missed a tackle on the game-winning TD run by Julius Jones.
“It’s been an up-and-down season – for the whole team, not just me,” Bierria said. Of the benching, he added, “It is what it is.”
Bierria, who had never played safety in an NFL game before becoming the starter this season, made his first interception in Monday’s win. A sore back kept him out of practices Wednesday, and there’s just a 50-50 chance he’ll be available for Sunday’s game at Minnesota.
D-tackles hobbled: Injuries to three defensive tackles forced the Seahawks to use offensive linemen Wayne Hunter and Joey Hollenbeck at the position during Wednesday’s practice, and rookie defensive tackle Craig Terrill could get his first NFL start in Sunday’s game against the Vikings.
Marcus Tubbs (high ankle sprain) and Rocky Bernard (sprained ligament in his right knee) will not play Sunday and could be out for multiple games. Tubbs was sent home to be with his ill mother.
Cedric Woodard (strained left knee) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
That left Rashad Moore and Terrill as the only healthy defensive tackles for Wednesday’s practice. Terrill, a sixth-round pick from Purdue, has yet to play in an NFL game.
“I come out here and work hard every week, so that hasn’t really changed,” Terrill said. “I’m just looking forward to finally getting on the field this week.”
Hollenbeck, a practice-squad center, started as a freshman defensive tackle at Washington State University. He played both ways as a sophomore and moved to offensive guard as a junior.
Controversial call: Holmgren wasn’t too happy after seeing a replay of Johnson’s fourth-quarter touchdown Monday night.
Johnson only got one foot in bounds on the play, but NFL rules prevented the Seahawks from challenging the call in the final two minutes of a game. Officials had the option of looking at a replay, but did not.
“It was not a touchdown,” Holmgren said matter-of-factly on Wednesday.
The catch allowed Dallas to come back from a 10-point deficit in the final 1:45. Seahawks cornerback Ken Lucas was called for a holding penalty on the play, so Dallas would have had a first down at the Seattle 29 even if the touchdown was overruled. And it would have been impossible to overturn the call if officials had ruled that Bierria had somehow forced Johnson out of bounds on the catch.
It marked the second time Cowboys quarterback Vinny Testaverde has been involved in a high-profile, controversial call against the Seahawks. He was the quarterback who was stopped a yard or two short of the goal line in a 1998 game with the Jets, only to have referee Phil Luckett rule that the ball got into the end zone.
“I know I’m unpopular there (in Seattle), after the New York Jets incident,” Testaverde told reporters in Dallas on Wednesday. “Hey, that’s the way it goes. I’ve had my share go against me, too.”
Hungry men: As a reward for their play this season, Seattle’s offensive linemen got coolers full of meat, courtesy of quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.
“Sometimes it’s just smart to take care of the guys who take care of you,” Hasselbeck said. “… They love their food.”
Hasselbeck passed 1,000 pounds of meat out to the 10 linemen. That’s 100 pounds per man, which will last …
“About a good month,” left tackle Walter Jones said.
One obvious omission was veteran fullback Mack Strong, who does almost as much blocking as the linemen on a given Sunday. Strong said he doesn’t even expect to be invited over for dinner by his beefy teammates.
“They’ve all got money to spare, they have food to spare,” Strong said, “but when it’s time to eat, they don’t invite No. 38 over.”
Quick slants: Linebacker Chad Brown practiced with the scout team Wednesday but isn’t expected to play until next week’s game against the New York Jets. He has missed the past two games following a knee scope. Tracy White (hamstring) is scheduled to practice today but is questionable for the Minnesota game. … Cornerback Bobby Taylor (knee) is doubtful. … Wide receiver Jerry Rice injured his right leg early in Wednesday’s practice, then limped off the field and walked back to the locker room under his own power. There was no word on the severity of his injury.
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