RENTON — At 35, playing for his fourth NFL team, Lawyer Milloy feels a bit like a rookie again.
For the first time since he was a rookie in New England in 1996, the four-time Pro Bowl safety will have to battle for a starting job. And the former Husky All-American who signed with the Seahawks over the weekend is just fine with that.
“If it’s my job to be a backup, that’s what I have to do,” he said. “I’ll accept that role. As a backup, you’re always pushing to be the starter. It was like that in my rookie year, and it’s going to be like that now … It’s almost like it has come full circle, but I’ve been in this situation before. It was a lot of years ago, but I think I know how to handle it.”
Milloy will compete with Jordan Babineaux to start at safety along with Deon Grant, and Babineaux, who has started 13 games out of 67 played in his career compared to the 196 Milloy has started in 202 career games, knows keeping the starting job will be a battle.
“I feel great, I’m definitely looking forward to it,” Babineaux said of the chance to compete for more playing time. “It’s going to be a tremendous challenge, there’s a lot on my plate, but I’m ready for the challenge, no doubt.”
For Milloy, who is from Tacoma, this season is a chance to finally play for his home team. There was speculation in 2006 that he might sign with Seattle, but Milloy instead ended up in Atlanta. After three years with the Falcons, Milloy finally gets his homecoming.
“It’s always a dream to play for the home team, to play for the team that you’ve been rooting for since you first picked up a football,” he said. “That was always the dream, but it just never had happened like that … This year, I got the opportunity and I’m cherishing it.”
With Sunday’s opener against St. Louis looming, Milloy has less than a week to get himself game-ready.
“I better be,” he said with a laugh when asked if he’d be ready for game action. “The speed of the game, I’ll have to catch up, but that happens each rep … Everything’s in fast forward for me now. But I’m going to do my best job to be prepared and be ready to go, and get on Qwest Field on Sunday and help this team win.”
Former Husky on practice squad
The Seahawks named their eight-man practice squad Monday, and it included former UW cornerback Roy Lewis. Lewis spent last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted rookie free agent.
“It’s great, it’s like a homecoming,” said Lewis, whose locker sits next to former Washington teammate C.J. Wallace. “This is like a dream come true … Not to say it wasn’t a good opportunity in Pittsburgh, I made the most of that last year, but now this is a new challenge.”
Five players waived by the Seahawks Saturday were added to the practice squad: receiver Mike Hass, receiver Logan Payne, running back Devin Moore, safety Jamar Adams and tackle Kyle Williams. The Seahawk also claimed linebacker Thomas Williams, who was waived by Jacksonville, and guard/center Blake Schlueter, who was waived by Denver.
Roll call
Cornerback Travis Fisher (hamstring), safety C.J. Wallace (ribs), receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh (soreness), defensive end Derek Walker (undisclosed), and newly signed tackle Brandon Frye (undisclosed) all sat out Monday’s practice. Receiver Deion Branch didn’t finish practice after suffering an apparent injury, the severity of which was not known.
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more Seahawks coverage, check out the Seahawks blog at heraldnet.com/seahawksblog
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