KIRKLAND — On the awkwardness scale, Wednesday’s practice at the Seattle Seahawks’ practice facility ranked somewhere right behind meeting your ex-wife’s new husband.
While most of the players went through a typical practice session on the main field, long snapper Derek Rackley was on an adjacent field working with a newcomer named Jared Retkofsky.
The would be the same Jared Retkofsky who was signed to the practice squad one day earlier to make a push for Rackley’s job.
“You can’t really worry too much about that,” Rackley said with a shrug, three days after snapping a ball off line that contributed to a Ryan Plackemeier punt getting tipped. “You just have to go out and do your job.
“You try not to get caught up in what they’re doing upstairs. That’s the business aspect of it. You just have to play football.”
Rackley, 30, hopes to keep playing football for the Seahawks as long as possible, but coach Mike Holmgren has made it clear that he’s got to improve to keep his roster spot. Holmgren was critical of Rackley’s consistency during a Monday press conference, then the team signed Retkofsky the following day.
Rackley didn’t even find out about the signing until Tuesday night, when he was perusing the internet to see if the Seahawks had found a replacement for injured running back Alvin Pearman.
“Initially it was tough,” Rackley said of seeing that another long snapper had been signed. “But you have to understand that the coaches are trying to do whatever they can to have success, and you just have to roll with the punches.”
Retkofsky, 24, is a rookie out of Texas Christian who went to training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After he didn’t make the roster, he went back to his home state of Texas and started working on a ranch in a town called Roanoke. It wasn’t a very glamorous life, as evidenced by what happened to Retkofsky earlier this week.
“The day before I got called” by the Seahawks, he said, “I got pooped on by a cow.”
While Retkofsky was working long hours on the ranch, he did find some spare time to work on his long snapping. Sometimes he’d go out at dark and snap footballs by himself. Other days, he would enlist wife Briana to catch his snaps with a duffle bag.
Now, Retkofsky is practicing under more controlled circumstances. But working alongside the man he may eventually replace is not that easy.
“It’s very strange,” Retkofsky said of working with Rackley. “I don’t really know what they’ve seen in the past or what they see in me. I’m just happy to be here, and I hope to help the organization out.
“If I can, then great. If I can’t, then hopefully I’ll learn something by being here.”
Short-term memory: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger seemed genuinely shocked when asked about Super Bowl XL during his Wednesday conference call.
“Wow, they’re still talking about that (in Seattle), huh?” he said when a Seattle reporter asked him about the Feb. 2006 game against the Seahawks.
Roethlisberger went on to say that his most vivid memory of that Super Bowl was “not playing well.”
Roethlisberger was 9 for 21 passing that game, but he was also credited with a rushing touchdown. When told that many people in Seattle still believe the ball didn’t cross the goal line on that running play, Roethlisberger scrambled away from pressure again.
“I guess everyone’s entitled to their opinion,” he said during the conference call. “I’m just glad it’s in the books and it counts.”
Health update: Starting defensive tackle Rocky Bernard (ankle) was among the Seahawks players who didn’t practice Wednesday. His official status for Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh won’t be announced until Friday afternoon.
Linebacker Will Herring (knee) is also in limbo, while tight end Ben Joppru (ankle), cornerback Josh Wilson (ankle), wide receiver D.J. Hackett (ankle) and tackle Ray Willis (knee) appear unlikely to play.
Pittsburgh practiced without nose tackle Casey Hampton (thigh), safety Troy Polamalu (abdomen) and wide receiver Hines Ward (knee). Hampton and Polamalu are expected to play Sunday, while Ward’s status is still to be determined.
“It’s day-to-day and today’s a good day,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Wednesday morning. “We’ll go from there, but he’s questionable, to say the least, at this point.”
Roethlisberger was limited in practice due to a foot injury, but he is expected to play Sunday.
Take the under: The last time the Seahawks played a team from the AFC North, Seattle and Cincinnati combined for 750 yards and 45 points.
Don’t expect similar output this weekend, as the Seahawks (fifth) and Steelers (third) both rank among the NFL’s top five in points allowed. Seattle has given up just over 13 points per game, while Pittsburgh has yielded less than 12 per outing.
Quick slants: Because of Wilson’s injury, punt returner Nate Burleson is also expected to handle kickoffs this weekend. … Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said he spends some of his free time having wife Sarah quiz him on the Seahawks’ playbook. “Just during commercials at night when we’re watching television,” he said. “Or, after that, in bed. It’s very romantic.”
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