Lay off our running back

KIRKLAND — One day after getting into a spirited sideline discussion with running back Shaun Alexander, Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren had another target on Monday.

The public.

Using some of the sternness that he once displayed as a high school teacher, Holmgren cautioned outsiders not to put too much blame on Alexander for the Seahawks’ running woes.

“Shaun Alexander seems to be the lightning rod,” Holmgren said of the criticism, “and I am here to tell that there are times that there is nothing there. We are not blocking very well at this particular point. That must improve. And he has been a little unfairly criticized, in my opinion.”

Alexander has been criticized for most of the season, on talk shows and in the newspaper, for his lack of success. Holmgren has continued to defend him by saying that the running game is a team-wide problem, but on Monday the coach seemed more animated than usual.

“We’ve been forced to analyze it because of people — (reporters), our families, everybody — what they say is: ‘What’s going on with Shaun?’” Holmgren said Monday. “Because Shaun (was) the MVP (two years ago), Shaun’s a great running back: ‘What’s going on with Shaun?’

“I’m here to say that there is not a lot there. We have to be better at that. We have to fix that, and we’ve got some games now to do it when we come back.”

Holmgren would not get specific about where the assignment breakdowns were happening in terms of run blocking.

Holmgren and Alexander had a sideline exchange late in Sunday’s game, but that was only because the running back did not want to come out of the game. Holmgren decided to sit down Alexander and several other starters because the win was well in hand.

On Monday, Holmgren was acting as Alexander’s lead blocker. And quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was also coming to his running back’s defense.

“There’s no way it’s all him,” Hasselbeck said. “There’s no way. This is as big of a team sport as there is, and especially on offense. You get one guy not doing his job properly, and your chances of success go way down.

“(Alexander) should not feel the burden of all that because it’s definitely not one guy.”

Open screen door: Yes, those were screen passes that the Seahawks were using in Sunday’s game. The play had become such a rarely-used part of the offense over the years that it seemed like screens weren’t in the playbook anymore.

“We’re trying to get those going again,” Hasselbeck said. “Our timing is better on that.”

The Seahawks completed three screen passes for 33 yards on Sunday, including long gains of 18 and 13 yards.

Part of the reason for the sudden abundance of screens is new fullback Leonard Weaver, who is a better receiver than former starter Mack Strong but is not as sound as a blocker.

The other difficulty in screen passes is that they often require interior offensive linemen to get in front of the receiver in the flat and work as lead blockers.

Hasselbeck fine: After suffering a strained oblique muscle in Sunday’s win over St. Louis, Hasselbeck said he does not expect to miss any action due to the injury. He added that the upcoming bye will give him more time to heal the injury.

“Even I had gotten out of this game healthy, 100 percent healthy, a week off is nice,” he said on Monday. “Next Sunday, I’ll be sitting on my couch watching other quarterbacks getting blind-sided and things like that. And I’ll be on the couch. Monday morning will feel great.”

Hasselbeck said Sunday that his right side had been sore heading into the game. He appeared to aggravate the injury on a first-half hit from St. Louis defensive tackle Claude Wroten.

Hasselbeck was in obvious pain throughout the game but did not have to come out.

Getting an earful: Alexander wasn’t the only Seahawks running back to get a few choice words from his coach on Sunday.

Following a failed fourth-and-1 situation, Holmgren sought out Weaver and read him the riot act for a blown assignment.

After the game, Weaver said the tongue-lashing was warranted.

“When I don’t do my job, it’s his job to correct it,” Weaver said Sunday. “I don’t take it personal. I take it as a father telling his son: ‘Hey, you messed up; do your job.’ That’s Coach Holmgren, that’s what he does, and I don’t mind when he does it.”

Quick slants: Holmgren reiterated that defensive end Darryl Tapp (broken hand) and tight end Marcus Pollard (sore knee) were likely to undergo minor surgeries during the bye week. Tapp will probably be able to continue playing with a cast, while Pollard might miss a game or two, depending on what surgery his scoped knee required. … Since Holmgren took over as head coach in 1999, the Seahawks have a 2-6 record in games following the bye. They have won the last two, over Arizona in 2005 and St. Louis last season.

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