CHENEY – Two days later, coach Mike Holmgren was still simmering about the Seattle Seahawks’ disappointing preseason opener.
“We were sloppy in some areas,” Holmgren said Monday of the Seahawks’ 13-3 loss to Dallas. “The biggest thing that bothered me was our procedural penalties. We had a couple holding penalties, but all in all, most of the penalties were procedural penalties.
“Those are things that I don’t expect to happen all that much, and they happened too many times in the first game.”
Seattle was flagged for seven penalties in Saturday’s game, including three that came on the Seahawks’ opening drive. Bobby Engram opened the game with a false start on Seattle’s first possession, and Holmgren’s frustration grew from there.
“I don’t ever expect that,” Holmgren said Monday. “We have played cleaner first games than that one.”
Much of Monday morning’s practice was spent trying to correct some of the mistakes that plagued the Seahawks in the game.
Players said they expect Holmgren to continue to harp on sloppiness throughout this week.
“My guess is that (Holmgren will have) a shorter fuse,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. “He can only say the same thing so many times. At some point somebody has got to do something about it, and unfortunately he’s usually the last guy. If we don’t correct our mistakes, he will correct them for us.”
Seattle (0-1 in the preseason) plays at Indianapolis on Sunday night.
Boulware returns: For the first time in nearly two weeks, safety Michael Boulware was back on the practice field Monday and feeling as healthy as ever.
“It feels really good to play and not have any pain,” said Boulware, who underwent surgery to repair a partial tear of the meniscus in his left knee. “That was my biggest thing (Monday), just trying to get through the day without having any pain or having to limp. So that was really nice.”
Boulware missed all of summer minicamps but returned for the start of training camp on June 29. His knee didn’t respond well, and he has since missed 18 non-special teams practices – including 14 in a row.
“I’m kind of fighting myself,” said Boulware, who hadn’t practiced since Aug. 2. “I know that I need to take it slow and be patient with myself with the injury, but at the same time, playing in games is something I pride myself on.”
On the mend: Three defensive linemen are expected to return to practice Wednesday after missing nearly three weeks of camp.
Defensive tackle Rocky Bernard (knee) and defensive ends Grant Wistrom (shoulder) and Joe Tafoya (shoulder) are all coming back from offseason knee surgeries. None of them has taken part in a training camp practice.
The only other players who have missed all of camp are defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs (Achilles) and wide receivers Darrell Jackson (knee) and Skyler Fulton (shoulder).
Others who are still sitting out with injuries suffered earlier in camp include wide receiver D.J. Hackett (hamstring), guard Floyd Womack (hamstring) and cornerback Jimmy Williams (ankle).
Williams was running sprints with a trainer during Monday’s morning practice and could be close to returning.
Wide receiver Keenan Howry (hamstring) and linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski (quadriceps) were back on the field Monday.
Quick slants: Seattle’s thin defensive tackle position took a minor hit Monday morning when Chartric Darby limped off the field after colliding with a teammate. Darby was not injured seriously and should practice today. … The defensive highlight of Monday’s practices came when safety Ken Hamlin intercepted a pass and ran down the right sideline. He stopped short of the goal line and struck the pose of a bowler, rolling the ball across the grass.
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