NEW ORLEANS – As the call came out for the Seattle Seahawks players to hurry or risk missing the team bus following Sunday’s game, Terreal Bierria did an uncharacteristic thing.
He complained.
“Aw, man,” the easy-going defensive back said from inside the Seahawks’ locker room. “I’ve still got family to see.”
In addition to having 60 family and friends waiting around to hug him, Bierria was in no hurry to leave a stadium where he’d seen nothing but success. After making his first NFL start at strong safety in Sunday’s 21-7 win over the New Orleans Saints, Bierria now boasts a 3-0 record at the Superdome.
The first two wins came in Louisiana state championship games following the 1994 and ‘95 seasons.
“It was great to be back home, playing in front of everybody,” he said.
Bierria made quite an impression early in his first start, leading the Seahawks with nine tackles. He also broke up a key third-down pass in the second half.
But Bierria’s day didn’t go exactly as he’d planned. He got beat for the Saints’ only touchdown and later missed a tackle on a 33-yard completion.
“I still have a lot of things I have to work on as far as my pass coverage,” said Bierria, who missed all of last season due to a shoulder injury. “But anytime you hold a team the caliber of the Saints to seven points at home, that’s big. I’m happy with it.”
A native of nearby Slidell, Bierria was just happy to finally get to play a game that had been circled on his calendar for months.
“It hit me this week,” he said. “We had the preseason, so other things were on my mind, but this week it hit me. It really hit me Thursday.
“It was great. … Just to get that W was real big.”
Blinding sight: While receiver Darrell Jackson looked as though he’d cured last season’s problem of dropped balls – he caught a team-high seven passes for 98 yards Sunday – teammate Koren Robinson was cursed with the drops against New Orleans.
Robinson caught his first three passes, then dropped three in the second half.
“Those things happen during a season,” Robinson said. “Bad things will happen, but you want to keep them to a minimum – especially after last year.
“But we got the victory, so now I have to go polish up what I need to work hard on and try not to let that happen again.”
Touchdown machine: Running back Shaun Alexander has now scored at least one touchdown in seven consecutive games, and 12 of the last 13, dating back to last season.
He had three Sunday.
“Boy’s got a nose for the end zone,” Robinson said.
Alexander now has 55 career touchdowns, good for third on the Seahawks’ all-time list. He’s just seven away from tying Curt Warner for second place.
Steve Largent’s team record (101) is still safe … for now.
No love lost? In their first meeting since Ken Hamlin’s helmet-jarring hit on Donte’ Stallworth last September, the professed friends were at each other’s throats all day.
Both players had to be separated on several occasions Sunday.
Fellow New Orleans wideout Joe Horn and Seahawks cornerback Ken Lucas had their share of spirited conversations as well.
“That was just competition,” Hamlin said afterward.
No. 1 sits: First-round pick Marcus Tubbs was one of the Seahawks’ six inactives.
Tubbs, a defensive tackle, is still recovering from a hamstring injury and is behind in his conditioning since missing the first few days of training camp.
Four first-round picks have been late to sign since Holmgren took over in 1999, and all four have been inactive for the opening games of their rookie seasons.
Tubbs, Jerramy Stevens (2002), Chris McIntosh (2000) and Lamar King (1999) all suffered minor injuries at training camp after reporting late.
Franchise debut: Left tackle Walter Jones, the Seahawks’ “franchise” player, played for the first time since the February Pro Bowl. Jones had skipped all of training camp as part of an ongoing contract dispute.
“I’m just glad to be back,” Jones said after helping the Seahawks rush for 169 yards, the team’s highest total since Nov. 2001. “I’m glad to be here, and I’ll do what I need to do to help this team win.”
Run stuffers: Since defensive tackle Rashad Moore first moved into the starting lineup alongside Cedric Woodard on Nov. 9, 2003, the Seahawks have held six of nine opposing teams under 100 rushing yards.
To put that number in perspective, Seattle held only three opponents under 100 yards during the entire 2002 season. New Orleans was held to 74 rushing yards Sunday.
Quick slants: Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren is now 4-0 in games played at the Superdome. … Seattle is 10-0 over the past two seasons when holding an opponent below 20 points.
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