SEATTLE — During an odd sequence that lasted most of the second quarter of Sunday’s game, Seattle Seahawks running back Julius Jones and Washington running back Shaun Alexander spent several minutes stretching and bouncing on opposite sidelines in an effort to keep their bodies ready.
Two runners who have had plenty of exciting moments at Qwest Field were relegated to spectator duty.
Sunday was better left to another set of running backs.
Washington’s Clinton Portis ran around and through the Seattle defense to the tune of 143 rushing yards, leading the way to a 20-17 victory. And the Seahawks’ Maurice Morris, who has spent most of his career backing up Alexander and Jones, broke out for a team-high 103 in his first start since the Sept. 7 opener.
Coach Mike Holmgren decided to go back to a rotating-starter system after letting Jones carry the load for nine games. Morris, who had 13 total yards in the previous two games, broke out with his first 100-yard performance since Nov. 12, 2006.
“Me and Julius, we don’t care about who starts,” Morris said. “We just go out there and play football.”
One of the few times Jones heard his name called Sunday came during pre-game introductions. Thanks to some miscommunication between the team and the public-address announcer, Jones was introduced even though he was already on the field, and so neither of the Seahawks’ running backs came out of the tunnel.
Jones stood on Seattle’s sideline until there were just two minutes left in the second quarter, at which time he finally joined the offense and promptly broke off a 19-yard run. He didn’t play again until the early moment of the fourth quarter, finishing with 21 yards on just two carries.
“Mo (Morris) was going to start the game and then, as we have done with those guys when they have been healthy, if one guy is hot to start with, we let him play a little bit more,” Holmgren said afterward.
At least Jones saw some playing time. In his first trip back to Qwest Field as an opposing player, Alexander had to stand on the sideline while Portis and backup Ladell Betts carried the load.
The only time Alexander ran onto the field during Sunday’s game was when Portis limped off the field late in the second quarter. Alexander got only a few steps away from the Washington sideline when he was called back. Betts eventually took Portis’s place and scored a 1-yard run for Washington’s first touchdown of the game.
“We just didn’t know what was going on with the personnel,” Alexander explained to reporters afterward when asked about the only few steps he took onto the playing field. “Different personnel, it would have been my touchdown run.”
Alexander, who heard a scattering of boos when he ran out of the tunnel for pre-game warmups but also spent a few seconds waving to fans, said that he knows his role on the team.
“I told them from the very beginning that I will not be a distraction,” he said after Sunday’s win. “Even as hungry as I am to go out there and score touchdowns again.
“This is a team that can really go to the Super Bowl, or at least create some major damage in the playoffs. I need to take the humble road. It’s not my time yet.”
Alexander’s time came after the game, when he cherished a few precious minutes in the spotlight. Several Seahawks hugged him and wished him well, including quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who told him: “Welcome home.”
A few minutes later, after joining some players from both teams in a post-game prayer at midfield, Alexander said that his experience was a strange one.
It was definitely a weird feeling,” he said. “I came over here (to Qwest Field on Saturday) and walked into the visiting locker room, and it was definitely exciting but weird.”
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