CHENEY – Blessed with a Pro Bowl running back and one of the best blocking fullbacks in the game, the Seattle Seahawks accomplished a feat last season that they might never duplicate.
It had nothing to do with yardage or touchdowns or even receptions out of the backfield. The amazing statistic was the number six – as in, how many running backs the Seahawks kept on their opening day roster.
Two rookies, tailback Kerry Carter and fullback Chris Davis, were so impressive at training camp that the coaching staff opted to keep them both on the roster.
Having six running backs means a team must make concessions at other positions, as was the case at wide receiver (four) and safety (three). Both those positions are deep this year, so it’s unlikely all six runners will be back.
“Nothing’s going to be given to us,” said Carter, who played mostly on special teams last season. “If anything, it’s going to be harder than last year.”
Starters Shaun Alexander and Mack Strong are going to make the roster, while return man Maurice Morris has pretty much nailed down the third spot. That leaves Carter, Davis, veteran Heath Evans and free agents Clarence Farmer and Tellis Redmon fighting for one or two roster spots.
“We have talent there, and we have guys who can play,” running backs coach Stump Mitchell said. “Unfortunately, we can’t keep everybody. It’s going to be a tough decision, but unfortunately it has to be made.”
Evans, who may be the most versatile because he can play both positions, knows better than anyone how hard it is to crack into the rotation. He’s been playing behind Alexander and Strong since 2001, with only 26 career carries to show for it.
“It’s been good, and it’s been rough,” he said of his first three NFL seasons. “No one in this league likes to sit, so obviously I wish I was playing more. But I’ve also gotten to work with Shaun and Mack and learn from them. (Mack has) 12 years of experience, (and) you can’t get that anywhere else except to play 12 years.”
Evans looked like the favorite to win the backup fullback job, but he got extended playing time Saturday night and literally dropped the ball. Twice, in fact.
Two mishandled swing passes overshadowed a decent blocking performance from the 25-year-old Auburn product.
“I let two balls go that should have been caught, and that was inexcusable,” he said. “I don’t usually have to worry about not catching the ball. That’s something I’ve always done well. But you live and you learn.”
“Saturday was a freak of nature,” said Mitchell. “One thing he does do is catch the ball, and that failed him.”
Davis, who missed almost all of last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, is Evans’s main challenger. He played the entire second half Saturday night and showed improved ability as a blocker and receiver out of the backfield.
At tailback, Carter saw his share of playing time in the second half while Morris nursed a strained quadriceps muscle. Carter had 25 yards on eight carries to go along with two receptions.
As long as Alexander and Morris are around, Carter won’t get many regular season carries. But the coaches love his special teams play, as well as his potential as a ball carrier.
“Kerry was a good find for us last year,” Mitchell said. “He showed that he had vision and could be a good West Coast (system) guy.
“Both those guys, Kerry and Maurice, made plays for us on special teams last year.”
Redmon and Farmer are longshots to make the team, with each of them probably needing another running back to get hurt for them to have a shot. Redmon returned punts and kickoffs during the preseason, averaging 3.0 and 20.5 yards per return, respectively. He has two carries for 7 yards in the preseason.
Redmon has already been cut by the Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens earlier in his career.
Farmer, a rookie from Arizona who led the Pac-10 in rushing as a sophomore, has yet to carry the ball in a preseason game.
There are plenty of options at running back for the Seahawks, but not enough roster spots. It’s probably safe to assume that there won’t even be six positions available this year.
“It’s going to be a dogfight,” Mitchell said.
Quick slants: After a Monday night dress-down from head coach Mike Holmgren, the Seahawks’ offense had one of its strongest practices of training camp on Tuesday morning. Holmgren was displeased with Saturday’s loss and Monday’s morning practice, so he addressed the offense at a private meeting Monday evening. “I thought it was an excellent talk,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. “He really challenged us, and we came out and had a great practice this morning.” … The Seahawks will hold a morning practice today, then break camp and head back to Seattle for one day before traveling to San Diego for Friday’s game against the Chargers.
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