SEATTLE – If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Darrell Jackson might as well be sending flowers to St. Louis Rams receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce.
The Seattle Seahawks’ go-to receiver freely admits that he’s been watching the Rams’ wideouts on tape for years, looking for anything that might help his own game.
“You envy those guys,” Jackson said of the Rams’ Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. “You want to see what they do. You watch tape to see how they get open. You try to go out there and play like them, to make the same kind of plays they make.
“They’ve been making those plays for eight years, 10 years. They’ve been doing it over and over.”
The admiration, it turns out, is mutual. Holt has spent extra hours in the video room as well.
“A lot of times I watch film because I can take something from people’s game and add it to my game,” Holt said. “I watch Seattle’s offense. I’ve watched Kansas City’s offense. I’ve watched San Diego’s offense. I’ve watched Tampa’s defense.
“I’ve watched pretty much everybody in the National Football League at some point in the season already.”
As offenses go, the Seahawks have been one of Holt’s favorite.
“If you are talking about who is the better group of receivers in the National Football League, this group has to be mentioned,” he said of Seattle’s receiving corps. “… I think the Seattle receiver group is doing a very good job of helping out their football team win games. I definitely think they brought in one of the better groups in the National Football League.”
Holt and Bruce have long been considered one of the best starting duos in the league. Throw in emerging No. 3 receiver Kevin Curtis, who has 25 receptions this season, and the Rams have quite a trio.
But depth-wise, the Seahawks might have an advantage. Jackson, Deion Branch, Nate Burleson and Bobby Engram have each led a team in receptions during the past two seasons, while D.J. Hackett’s 15 receptions over the past four weeks are more than half of his career total (28) coming into this season. Seattle’s top five wide receivers have a combined 103 receptions this season.
“We’re real deep,” Jackson said. “It might be one of the deepest (groups) we’ve had.”
So does that kind of depth give the Seahawks the best receiving corps in the league?
“We’re still an up-and-coming group,” Jackson said. “We’re not quite like Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. I don’t think it gets much better than that.”
Branch wasn’t making any boastful claims, either.
“That’s something for you all (in the media) to judge,” he said. “I’m not worried about who’s better or not because it doesn’t make any difference. It’s all about who’s winning games.
“You can get the recognition, but if you’re not winning games and not in the Super Bowl, it doesn’t make any difference.”
The Seahawks’ receiving corps is finally starting to get some recognition.
But when it comes to the NFL’s best, the Rams’ duo continues to be part of the discussion. Even Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren couldn’t help gushing about Holt last week.
“It’s a shame that I have to play against him so much,” he said. “I really like him, and he’s a great football player.”
Holt has equally good things to say about the Seahawks’ Jackson.
“I only think D-Jack has scratched the surface of how good he can really be,” Holt said. “And I don’t mean that in a bad way. I mean that in a good way, because he’s really good now.
“… D-Jack is for real. D-Jack is the real deal.”
And Holt should know. The tape doesn’t lie.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
