CHENEY – Because he was on the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad for just eight weeks last season, two short of the half season the team required, cornerback Brandon Haw was not eligible to get an NFC championship ring.
So he went out and earned a ring of his own.
The 25-year-old cornerback was a starter for the NFL Europe champion Frankfurt Galaxy.
“What the Seahawks did last year was amazing,” said Haw, who expects to get his World Bowl ring in October. “I was just blessed with the opportunity to watch it, to be on the sidelines for the Super Bowl. All the credit to those guys, and I’m just happy that I got to play in my own championship game and that we came up the winners.”
Haw joined the Seahawks’ practice squad on Nov. 29, 2005, was cut a week later, then re-signed on Dec. 9. He was with the team for the remainder of the season and attended Super Bowl XL, watching in street clothes as his Seahawks lost 21-10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Haw felt some disappointment by that result but was more emotionally attached to the World Bowl because he actually got to play in that championship.
“In my life, I had never won a championship before,” said Haw, who joins tight end Keith Willis as the only Seahawks awaiting World Bowl rings. “To have that ring is more priceless to me than any ring I could have gotten.”
The Rutgers product isn’t exactly resting on his laurels. He knows that winning an NFL Europe title does nothing for his chances of earning a roster spot with the Seahawks.
“I think it just gives you a chance,” he said. “You still have to come out here and play. You’re playing against great athletes, but it gives you a chance.”
Waiting for a chance: Punter Gabe Lindstrom expects the competition to heat up in this weekend’s preseason game, when he’ll get the opportunity to kick.
Rookie Ryan Plackemeier handled all the punting duties in the preseason opener and was one of Seattle’s few bright spots.
Lindstrom knew that he wasn’t going to punt in the game, but it was still hard for him to stand and watch.
“It’s tough anytime you have to watch and not play,” said Lindstrom, who will alternate punting opportunities with Plackemeier in Sunday’s game against Indianapolis. “But this week, hopefully I’ll get to show what I can do.”
Lindstrom, a 30-year-old rookie who’s been in five NFL training camps but never made a final cut, has done just about everything necessary to push Plackemeier at practices.
“It’s been great competition because we’re both killing the ball,” Lindstrom said. “It’s hard for either of us to stand out.
“If either of us were in another camp right now, we’d be killing the competition.”
Swing pass man: After catching 59 passes in 2002, running back Shaun Alexander has seen his number of receptions dramatically decrease in each of the past three seasons. He caught 42 passes in 2003, 23 in 2004 and 13 last year.
Alexander might not get back in the 50-catch range, but said he believes his annual decrease in receptions might come to an end.
“If teams were smart, they’d stack the box,” he said, referring to a defensive tactic that involves putting an extra safety near the line of scrimmage to help stop the run. “And if they do, we’ll have to find a way to move the ball better.”
Quick slants: Cornerback Jimmy Williams (ankle) returned to practice Tuesday. … Cornerback Kelly Herndon (quadriceps) took part in position drills but was not on the field for the team part of practice. … Defensive linemen Grant Wistrom, Joe Tafoya and Rocky Bernard are supposed to make their training-camp debuts today. … Former Seahawks receiver Jerry Rice will be in town today as part of a national radio show that’s touring NFL training camps.
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