KIRKLAND – Shaun Alexander wasn’t the only Seattle Seahawk to display some fancy footwork in Sunday’s 21-7 win over the New Orleans Saints.
Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, known more for his arm than his legs, showed off some nimbleness of his own while avoiding Saints pass rushers.
The result was a sack-less game for Seattle’s opponent, which is something that happened only once during the entire 2003 season.
“I thought Matt Hasselbeck played a really fine football game,” coach Mike Holmgren said Monday. “He had to move around a couple times and really played a controlled, good football game.”
The controlled part is what makes the 2004 version of Hasselbeck different from the 2002 version. While he’s always had pretty good scrambling ability, Hasselbeck has shown in the past year that he has also developed strong awareness in the pocket.
In the first quarter of Sunday’s game, Hasselbeck sensed a New Orleans blitz and somehow eluded the rush. He then stepped up and completed a 40-yard pass to Bobby Engram, who fumbled the ball away at the end of the run.
Hasselbeck later escaped a certain sack when he broke free from the grasp of Saints defensive end Charles Grant and completed another pass to Engram for a 10-yard gain.
“I think the thing that helps is knowing the offense and knowing your guys – knowing where they’re at,” Hasseleck said. “If something breaks down, you remember where everybody is supposed to be, and you know where to look.”
While Hasselbeck probably won’t ever lead the league in rushing yards from a quarterback, his footwork has helped him get out of a lot of jams.
“For a tall guy, he has pretty good quickness,” Holmgren said. “What we’ve had to do is try and control that just a little bit, because I don’t want him to get too carried away doing that.”
Eyes on the storm: While the entire nation keeps tabs on Hurricane Ivan, the Seahawks watch with a vested interest. There is a remote possibility that the hurricane could change directions, head back to Florida, and affect Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay.
“I’m perfectly willing to invite Tampa to come up here and play,” joked Holmgren, whose team had an 8-0 record at home last season.
Coincidentally, the storm is headed toward New Orleans, where the Seahawks played on Sunday. The unpredictability of its path means the league won’t be able to decide on whether the Seattle-Tampa game will need to be adjusted this weekend.
“My feeling is that it won’t affect our football game on the day of the game, or on the day we travel,” said Holmgren, whose team is scheduled to depart for Florida on Friday. “We’re watching it. The league is watching it. Everyone in the country is watching it.
“The feeling, and the information that I have, is that it’s going to be north of there by the time we go down (to Tampa).”
The NFL moved last Sunday’s scheduled game between Tennessee and Miami back a day because the hurricane was slated to hit South Florida.
Not-so-special teams: Holmgren isn’t panicking despite the Seahawks’ poor performance on kickoff coverage Sunday.
New Orleans return man Michael Lewis averaged 32.3 yards per kickoff return, matching the best average in the NFL. Lewis’s best return went for 51 yards, and it could have been a touchdown if not for a collar tackle from Michael Boulware.
“It always is an area of concern,” Holmgren said of Seattle’s kickoff coverage. “It gave them pretty good field position a couple times. I will say their return guy is a special guy.”
After three big returns from Lewis, the Seahawks squib-kicked to him on their final kickoff.
“We have to see if our guys can cover and how they do,” Holmgren said. “We kicked it to him (originally). And they returned it on us a couple times. Our young guys on that team will learn from that.”
Homecoming: Among the Seahawks who once called Tampa home are quarterback Trent Dilfer and wide receiver Darrell Jackson.
Dilfer spent his first six NFL seasons playing quarterback for the Buccaneers, while Jackson attended Tampa Catholic High School.
Dilfer’s return is tempered by the fact that he went back as a member of the Baltimore Ravens for Super Bowl XXXV. Jackson will play in Tampa for the first time in his professional career.
This Sunday’s game against Tampa was supposed to also be a reunion for two former Seahawks. But injuries will keep wide receiver Joey Galloway (groin) and defensive end Lamar King (leg) from making the game.
King is out for the season after being placed on injured reserve, while Galloway is expected to miss four to six weeks.
Help wanted: Holmgren hinted that a roster move could be made this week.
The team gave tryouts to veteran safeties Kwamie Lassiter and Tod McBride last week in an effort to find depth at the position.
“There’s nothing to report yet,” Holmgren said Monday, “but there might be in the next couple days.”
Most teams avoid signing veterans during the first week of the season because they’ll then be on the hook for a player’s entire salary. If a player is signed after the opener, and released before Week 9, teams would only have to pay eight weeks worth of salary.
Quick slants: Offensive lineman Wayne Hunter re-joined the team Monday after being suspended for the opener. Hunter was suspended after violating the NFL’s policy on personal conduct in an incident 14 months ago. … Less than 2,000 tickets remain for Seattle’s first two home games: against San Francisco on Sept. 26, and St. Louis on Oct. 10. They can be purchased by calling 1-888-NFL-HAWK.
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