Not just another preseason contest

  • By Scott M. Johnson / Herald Writer
  • Wednesday, September 1, 2004 9:00pm
  • Sports

KIRKLAND – For the good part of four months, while many of their teammates sprawled in the din of offseason relaxation, Taco Wallace and Jerheme Urban pushed themselves to the limit.

They spent their vacation time motivating each other through reps in the weight room or catching passes from Matt Hasselbeck in voluntary afternoon workouts. They ran pass routes until their legs were ready to collapse. They used the offseason to study up on the intricacies of the West Coast offense.

But if they make one obvious mistake tonight, none of it will matter.

When the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings square off at Qwest Field this evening, dozens of jobs will be on the line. Twenty-three of the players cut in the coming days will be wearing Seahawks uniforms tonight, including as many as five wide receivers.

Nine wideouts are currently on Seattle’s roster, and a case could be made for each of the nine to make the final cut to 53. But in the days following tonight’s preseason finale, some of them will have to go.

“This is their Super Bowl,” Seahawks offensive coordinator Gil Haskell said. “That is a lot of pressure.”

The Seahawks have so much talent at the receiver position that coach Mike Holmgren plans to sit starters Darrell Jackson, Koren Robinson and Bobby Engram for most or all of the game. The plan is to give Wallace, Urban, Jason Willis, Antoine Burns and D.J. Hackett long looks before the final cutdown.

“We have to let the young guys play against Minnesota,” Holmgren said earlier this week.

Alex Bannister, last year’s No. 4 receiver and a special teams ace, is also expected to miss the game due to a shoulder injury. That leaves the young quintet of receivers to battle it out tonight.

Wallace and Urban have experience on their side – albeit not a whole lot. Both were rookies with the Seahawks last season, spending most of the year on the practice squad before getting added to the active roster in December. They practiced in the West Coast offense, then carried the momentum into an offseason of blood, sweat and tears.

“To me, it was just my job, and I love it,” Urban said with a shrug. “I love coming in here and working out. It really wasn’t that difficult.”

Both players shined at minicamps, and Urban was the early star of training camp. But as the other receivers got up to speed, the competition heated up. Willis was so impressive that he replaced Urban in the starting lineup for a game. Hackett came back from a nagging hip injury and started to make eye-opening catches in practices. Then Wallace put on a show with three catches for 36 yards in last Friday’s preseason win over San Diego.

It became apparent to the coaches that none of the receivers was going to go away.

“Most teams don’t have as many players at that position,” said Haskell, the offensive coordinator. “We’ve been very lucky.”

Willis spent 2003 on the Seahawks’ injured reserve list due to a broken thumb, while Burns went to camp with the team last year before heading off to NFL Europe. Hackett is a rookie fifth-round draft pick from Colorado.

Jackson, Robinson and Engram are destined to make the roster, while Bannister is a likely candidate for the fourth roster spot. The Seahawks kept just four receivers on its active roster to start the 2003 season, but they’re likely to add one – possibly two – this time around.

Whoever shows the most tonight could win a spot on the active roster.

“I’m just looking at it like another game to play,” Wallace said. “I’m not putting too much pressure on me, and I hope the other guys fighting for a job aren’t putting too much pressure on themselves.”

Not making the cut wouldn’t be the end of the world. Wallace, Urban, Willis, Burns and Hackett are all eligible to be on the practice squad, which will be established next week. But after the way these guys have worked, not being on the active roster could be considered a major letdown.

“All five of them have worked hard,” Haskell said. “Now it depends on who makes plays. When they’re thrown the ball, do they catch it and run with it? Do they catch it and fall down? Or do they drop it? It’s simple as hell.”

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