CLEVELAND — Four weeks ago, with the possibility of a starting job opening up, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Bobby Engram invited himself to coach Mike Holmgren’s office and pleaded for the gig.
Holmgren gave him his shot, and it’s turned out to be a heck of a decision.
Since entering the starting lineup, Engram has caught 29 passes for 332 yards in three games. In Sunday’s loss to Cleveland, he put on his finest show yet, with 14 receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown.
Not only were the 14 receptions a career high, they also marked the second-highest total of any Seahawk — ever. The only person who caught more passes in a game was Steve Largent, whose asterisk-spoiled record of 15 came in a strike game in 1983.
“Unbelievable,” fellow Seahawks receiver Nate Burleson said after Engram’s Sunday performance. “Nobody works the middle like Bobby Engram. He’s virtually unstoppable. He just comes up with big play after big play.”
Engram has proven to be a productive receiver no matter what his role is. Typically a slot receiver, he stepped in when starting flanker Deion Branch sprained his foot last month and has flourished in the role. While Branch is due back as soon as next week, Engram hasn’t done anything to lose the job.
“(People in Seattle) know how good he is,” coach Mike Holmgren said after Sunday’s game. “Most of the people outside of Seattle probably don’t. But he’s a fine player.”
On Sunday, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck relied on Engram like never before. He was his go-to guy from the first drive of the game, and Hasselbeck continued to look for the veteran.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence and a lot of trust in Bobby,” Hasselbeck said. “When things break down, he and I have a pretty good relationship. We know what each other is thinking most of the time.
“He is playing a new position now, and so it’s a situation where he’s getting more opportunities than he has in the past. And he’s making the most of them.”
And, at age 34, Engram continues to make an impression.
“Usually when you talk about guys who have played that many years in the NFL (12 seasons), you just say, ‘Well, it’s because he’s so smart; that’s why he’s making plays,’” Burleson said. “Well, Bobby’s not only smart; he’s fast, and he’s strong. He’s just as fast as the rookies out there.
“He’s a tremendous talent.”
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