Any of those football snobs who ramble on about the meaninglessness of the annual preseason finale could have learned something from the Seattle Seahawks’ win over Oakland on Thursday night.
Cornerback Jimmy Williams did well enough on punt returns to knock Peter Warrick off the roster.
Wide receiver Maurice Mann was impressive enough to earn an unlikely roster spot.
And as for fullback Leonard Weaver? Well, the ankle sprain he suffered in the win over the Raiders has now officially ended his regular season.
Warrick’s release, Mann’s inclusion and Weaver’s trip to injured reserve were the most notable of the Seahawks’ roster moves on Saturday, when the team got down to 53 players.
The decision regarding Weaver, who probably would have missed about half the season had he been kept on the roster, led to the trade of an undisclosed draft pick to land Philadelphia fullback Josh Parry. Parry started 12 games for the Eagles last season and is expected to back up Mack Strong.
Rookie fullback David Kirtman, who was battling Weaver for a roster spot, was released and is a likely candidate to be on Seattle’s eight-man practice squad, which can be established today.
Most of Seattle’s other moves were expected, although the roster breakdown is a bit unusual.
The Seahawks kept six defensive tackles – two more than last season – and went with just three tight ends, two of whom are currently injured. The decision to keep Will Heller as the third and final tight end means Seattle feels pretty confident Itula Mili will return this week from a minor knee injury. Starter Jerramy Stevens is expected to miss the first three games with a torn meniscus.
At defensive tackle, the Seahawks kept Chartric Darby, Rocky Bernard, Marcus Tubbs, Russell Davis, Craig Terrill and Chris Cooper. Cooper’s inclusion was a minor surprise, but his ability to play both tackle and end were factors in the decision.
Mann was the biggest long shot among those who survived the cut. He was on Seattle’s practice squad last season and made a valuable contribution by playing the part of Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith during practices leading up to the NFC Championship game. After Smith caught five passes for just 33 yards in the loss to Seattle, Seahawks safety Michael Boulware told Mann that he “did a better job than Steve Smith today.”
Mann led the Seahawks with 10 receptions in the preseason.
Another minor surprise was safety Oliver Celestin, who beat out Pruitt for the fourth spot on the roster.
Obomanu and Kirtman were the only players selected in the April draft to get cut, as the team kept just four rookies on the final roster.
As for the veterans, Warrick’s was the most notable name on the list of cuts. The 29-year old struggled with a knee injury throughout the 2005 season, and he didn’t make much of an impact as either a receiver or return man in preseason games this summer. Mann’s emergence, and Williams’s 46 yards on three punt returns while replacing Warrick in Thursday’s game, made the former Florida State star expendable.
Two veterans joined Weaver on injured reserve: safety Mike Green and defensive end Kemp Rasmussen. Because they are on IR, all three are ineligible to play at all this season.
Notes: The Seahawks tried unsuccessfully to deal for New England Patriots receiver Deion Branch over the weekend, ESPN reported. Branch is currently in a contract dispute with the Patriots, who reportedly balked at Seattle’s offer of a second-round pick. … Players will take today off and return to work Monday afternoon for a typical regular-season week of work. The Seahawks open the season at Detroit one week from today. … Holmgren believes wide receiver Darrell Jackson will start practicing this week and could see some playing time in Sunday’s game.
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