CHENEY – Yes, it was only a preseason game.
But the sight of Denver running backs Quentin Griffin and Mike Anderson tearing through the Seattle Seahawks’ defense like a warm knife through butter had to pain Seahawks fans Saturday evening.
Just how bad was it?
The 206 rushing yards the Seahawks gave up Saturday were the most allowed by any team in 31 preseason games this year. Seattle’s defense hasn’t given up that many rushing yards in a regular season game since Oct. 2002 (223, vs. St. Louis).
Denver’s Mike Anderson had 120 rushing yards, including 106 in the second half alone.
Yet the Seahawks aren’t panicking about a performance that included 127 yards in the second half.
“I would be more concerned,” Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said, “if they gained 150 yards in the first half.”
Granted, Seattle’s backups were in the game when Denver did most of its damage on the ground. But two of the three middle linebackers battling for a starting spot – Orlando Huff and Niko Koutouvides – were on the field when the Broncos were running up the middle for chunks of yardage. Even starter Solomon Bates had limited success against Griffin in the first half.
“One of those guys is going to step up,” outside linebacker Anthony Simmons said. “They’ve all got a lot of talent, so it’s just a matter of who’s hungry.”
Despite the forgettable performance on Saturday, the Seahawks believe their run defense will be fine when the games actually count.
“Things didn’t really get too bad Saturday until the second half,” Simmons said. “Once we get all our guys in there playing together, I think we’ll be pretty good.”
After watching tape of Saturday’s game, Holmgren was frustrated by the offense while encouraged by the play of the defense.
“I think our defense is coming together nicely, I really do,” he said. “I am very pleased with how the young guys – (free safety) Kenny Hamlin in particular – have taken charge back in the secondary.”
Missing Walter: The annual Walter-Jones-skips-training-camp-but-still-has-a-Pro-Bowl-season thing might one day cost a Seahawks quarterback his health.
Matt Hasselbeck and Seneca Wallace spent part of Saturday’s game running for their lives, no thanks to Jones’ absence. Rookie Sean Locklear got his first start and was beaten for at least one sack while also struggling to pick up the Denver blitz.
“In the preseason, you don’t watch a whole lot of film on your opponent,” Locklear said. “You’re seeing a couple new faces, so you’re just trying to revert back to technique without knowing what the guy’s going to do.”
As for the sack he gave up to Denver linebacker Patrick Chukwurah, Locklear said he made one bad step.
“It’s just little things, technique and footwork,” Locklear said. “That’s what preseason is for.”
Wistrom getting close: Defensive end Grant Wistrom went through footwork drills on a nearby field, putting him one step closer to practicing with the team.
Wistrom is expected to begin taking part in practices next week, and there could be a chance that he’ll play against the Minnesota Vikings a week from Thursday. He has missed the first three weeks of camp due to plantar fasciitis, which is a heel injury.
Injury update: The Seahawks welcomed back two injured players to practice Monday. Quarterback Trent Dilfer (back) and cornerback Kris Richard (hamstring) returned to the field.
Running back Maurice Morris (quadricep) was the only player sidelined by an injury suffered in Saturday’s game. Eleven other Seahawks remain out due to injuries.
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