CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ If the 2007 Seattle Seahawks defense were to have a nickname, it might as well be The Longest Yard.
Seattle’s stingy defense has made a habit of stopping offenses when only one yard separates them from a first down.
“It’s the type of attitude you have,” defensive tackle Rocky Bernard said. “We’re not going to let guys those get cheap yards on us. Whether it’s fourth-and-1 or third-and-1, it’s basically all or nothing.”
The Seahawks were dealing out a lot of nothing again Sunday, when they stopped two Carolina Panthers running plays in key short-yardage situations.
Defensive end Darryl Tapp led the way on a one-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the Seattle 33-yard line in the third quarter. A few minutes later, with the score tied at 3 and the Panthers at the Seahawks’ 20, defensive end Patrick Kerney stopped Carolina running back DeShaun Foster for no gain on third down. The Panthers settled for a field goal.
“As a defensive line, we’ve been doing a good job of getting penetration up front, and the linebackers have been doing a good job of filling the holes,” Bernard said. “That’s all short-yardage defense is.”
The Panthers were just 1 of 5 when needing one yard during Sunday’s 13-10 win over the Seahawks, with their lone conversion coming on a fourth-quarter pass play.
Over the past five weeks, Seattle has stopped teams five times on fourth-and-1, including two goal-line stands.
“It starts up front,” safety Jordan Babineaux said. “We’ve been controlling the line of scrimmage in that situation. That’s the key to success in short-yardage situations.”
Engram rewards relatives: Seahawks wide receiver Bobby Engram had 75 people on hand from his hometown of Camden, S.C., Sunday, many of them wearing No. 84 jerseys.
And he rewarded them with a milestone.
Engram caught nine passes for 84 yards, giving him the first 1,000-yard season of his career. He leads Seattle with 85 receptions for 1,013 yards this season.
“He’s been big,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. “(Engram has been) a leader in our locker room and a leader on our team. I should probably throw to him more.”
Engram needs three receptions to tie his career high of 88, which he set in 1999 while playing with the Chicago Bears. Engram, who currently ranks third in the NFC in receptions, has an outside chance of going to his first Pro Bowl. The Pro Bowl teams will be announced Tuesday.
Before the game, Dorothy Engram said she was excited to get a chance to see her son play close to his hometown.
“This is wonderful,” she said after a two-hour drive from her Camden home. “It’s always good to have him close to home.”
Several other Seahawks players had large contingents of family and friends at the game.
Offensive lineman Sean Locklear (Lumberton, N.C.), linebacker Lance Laury and running back Maurice Morris (Chester, S.C.) grew up in the area. Safety Deon Grant’s mother was at the game.
OSU Beaver starts: After veteran Vinny Testaverde missed the entire practice week with undisclosed injuries, the Panthers went with rookie Matt Moore as the starting quarterback Sunday.
The Oregon State product made the most of his opportunity.
Moore completed 19 of 27 passes for 208 yards in a conservative game plan, leading the Panthers to a win in his first NFL start.
“For a young guy who comes in as an undrafted free agent rookie, he showed poise,” Panthers receiver Steve Smith said. “Everybody makes mistakes, but the way he handled his mistakes shows his poise and his potential for the future.”
Chipping away: After Seahawks defensive end Patrick Kerney turned in three three-sack performances in the past four games, the Panthers were ready for him Sunday.
Kerney saw lots of attention from tight ends and running backs, who helped right tackle Jordan Gross hold him without a sack.
“They did give me a lot more attention; I knew that coming in,” Kerney said. “But you have to be able to overcome the pressure, and I wasn’t able to do that (Sunday).”
Carolina blue: Charlotte hasn’t been very good to the Seahawks, who have struggled on offense in their only two visits here.
In a 2000 meeting with the Panthers, Seattle lost 26-3 while being held to 209 yards and 10 first downs. The Seahawks were 0-for-11 on third-down conversions in that game.
Seattle’s offense didn’t fare much better Sunday, converting just 3 of 12 third downs. The Seahawks had 282 yards of offense, but 175 of that came in the fourth quarter.
Deion Branch’s touchdown reception with one second left remains the only TD the Seahawks have scored in two visits to Charlotte.
Sims struggles: Because Floyd Womack spent the practice week filling in at other positions, Rob Sims held down the left guard spot on his own Sunday.
He didn’t do much to keep the job on a full-time basis.
Carolina’s Kris Jenkins made several plays and disrupted several others, and Sims took the blame for the 335-pound defensive tackle’s production.
“This definitely wasn’t one of my better (games),” Sims said afterward. “Kris Jenkins, I’ve got to tip my hat to him. He’s one of the best I’ve ever played. He’s everything he’s cracked up to be.
“… Sometimes they just get you. I know I got got (Sunday).”
Sims admitted that Jenkins simply overpowered him on one key play in which the defensive tackle stopped running back Shaun Alexander for a six-yard loss.
Sims has started every game this season, but over the previous two weeks Womack was getting some of his playing time. Coach Mike Holmgren said that he plans to rotate the duo for the rest of the season.
Quick slants: New Seahawks long snapper Jeff Robinson had plenty of chances Sunday and did consistently well. Robinson was signed last week to replace Boone Stutz, who struggled in eight games with the Seahawks. … Seattle did not use the shotgun formation very much until late in the game. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said the coaches are downsizing it in the offense and added that wind played a factor Sunday. … Hasselbeck completed 12 of 14 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter, which computed to a passer rating of 140.2. During the first three quarters, he completed 15 of 27 for 107 yards and a rating of just 64.9.
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