By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer
SAN DIEGO – They gathered into another huddle on what seemed like a lost afternoon. Admittedly, some of the Seattle Seahawks were wondering if perhaps the game were slipping away.
But when they looked into the blue eyes of their veteran quarterback, they just knew. On game days, something about Trent Dilfer’s eyes show all that needs to be said.
“He’s been through a lot,” wide receiver Darrell Jackson said. “He didn’t win the Super Bowl for nothing. He’s not 20-1 for nothing. He knows a lot, and that’s a great inspiration.”
The players aren’t the only ones who have faith in Dilfer’s ability. Despite a 13-0 deficit and an offense that had accumulated just one first down on its first three drives, Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren decided to let his veteran backup take a few shots down the field.
Three plays later, including a 43-yard touchdown pass from Dilfer to Jackson, the Seahawks were back in the game.
“(Dilfer) stayed pretty calm,” Holmgren said of the early deficit. “I was ranting and raving, and he does a nice job of staying composed. That’s a real strength of his. He has a real cool head, and he’s always thinking.”
There were too many factors to count in Sunday’s 25-22 win over the San Diego Chargers, and it would be oversimplifying things to call Dilfer the most important. But the 29-year-old quarterback showed once again that he knows what it takes to win. The last 14 times he has taken the field as a starter, Dilfer has led his team to victory. That includes last year’s Super Bowl, while he was playing with the Baltimore Ravens.
So there was not a whole lot of panic on the Seattle sideline when Dilfer and the Seahawks fell behind early in the game.
Dilfer, making his first start since Oct. 14, misfired on his first five attempts Sunday. Meanwhile, the Chargers put together two long drives and took advantage of a shanked punt to take the 13-point lead.
Holmgren knew that Dilfer would snap out of it.
“I think there was some rust there,” he said. “I thought Thursday’s practice, he was a little off. We talked about it, and he had a good practice Friday.
“He’s a veteran guy, and he has tremendous poise. He didn’t concern me, and I thought he played pretty well.”
After the initial rustiness, Dilfer finished the game with his most impressive stats of the season. Dilfer completed 14 of 23 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns despite playing with a receiving corps that included James Williams in the starting lineup for the first time ever.
Dilfer hit Jackson on touchdown passes of 43 and 48 yards in the second quarter to help Seattle take a 14-13 lead, then added another touchdown on Williams’ 37-yard catch-and-run in the second half.
Dilfer’s four passes of 30 yards or longer Sunday were only three fewer than starter Matt Hasselbeck has thrown all year. In fact, Dilfer has now completed one more pass of 30 or more yards this season than Hasselbeck has – despite the fact that he has thrown 237 fewer passes.
Despite his success as a starter, Dilfer refuses to grumble about his role of Hasselbeck’s backup for most of this season. The only reason he started against San Diego was because Hasselbeck is nursing injuries to his left shoulder and clavicle.
“It’s hard, but it’s my job,” Dilfer said after Sunday’s win. “It’s been a great year, because I’ve had to learn to do some things that I haven’t had to do in the past. Staying into the game, preparing like you’re going to play, then going and sitting and watching on Sunday has been tough. But it’s been great. It helped me today.
“I don’t think I played great today. There was rust early on. But I just trusted my instincts and trusted the people around me. When you do that, it makes up for some rust.”
What the future holds for Dilfer is still to be determined. His long-term situation will unfold this offseason, as he only signed a one-year contract with the Seahawks. On the more immediate horizon, there is no guarantee that Dilfer will start this Sunday against Kansas City. Hasselbeck said shortly after the win over San Diego that he still plans on playing this week.
“That’s the plan,” he said. “I just didn’t want anything to hinder me from coming back next week.”
Holmgren will have yet another controversial decision to make this week, and Dilfer probably won’t make any noise one way or the other. That’s just not the veteran’s style.
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