KIRKLAND – Even when everyone else lost the faith, Isaiah Kacyvenski did not.
The Seattle Seahawks’ 26-year-old linebacker always believed he’d get another shot as a starter, and, due to unforeseen circumstances, it will happen Sunday in New Orleans.
“You don’t get many second opportunities in the NFL. I’m savoring every moment and making sure I cover all the bases,” Kacyvenski said of his chance to start at outside linebacker, almost two years after he lost his starting spot in the middle. “At the same time, I’m going to let it all hang out. I’m going to let all my experience do the work for itself and go out and have fun.”
If Kacyvenski needs advice on getting a second chance, he doesn’t have to look far. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who went through a similar starter-to-bench-to-starter two-step early in his Seahawks career, is one of Kacyvenski’s closest friends on the team.
Hasselbeck lost his starting job in 2001, then reclaimed it because of a teammate’s injury and never let go. He went to the Pro Bowl last season and is now considered one of the top quarterbacks in the league.
“That’s an awesome story. I love telling that story,” Kacyvenski said. “He had to go through so much. It seemed like the whole world was against him at one time. He just kept believing in himself, he didn’t stop working hard, and he did what it took to get to that level.”
Hasselbeck hopes there is a similar ending to the Kacyvenski story. He relates to what Kacyvenski went through in that each got a lot of bad publicity when the team struggled.
“Whether it’s your fault or not, you’re going to get a lot of that blame,” Hasselbeck said. “And he took a lot of that blame. That was hard for him.”
Kacyvenski’s main flaw as the starting middle linebacker in 2002 was an inability to shed blockers. It’s a skill that is essential to the position, yet two surgeries on the same shoulder limited Kacyvenski’s ability to take on bigger linemen.
“I wasn’t able to punch or get off because I was kind of playing with one hand,” he said. “It was getting really frustrating. I was using my head too much and using one arm trying to get off blocks.
“Now, I can really punch more and get off. But it’s a thing I really work on daily to get back to where I was before I got hurt. It’s nice to have that pop again.”
Hamlin practices: Safety Ken Hamlin returned to the practice field Friday after missing the previous day with a foot injury, but coach Mike Holmgren said Hamlin’s starting status would be a “game-day decision.”
Hamlin is listed as questionable on the injury report.
Two other players, offensive lineman Jerry Wunsch and defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs, also will be game-day decisions. Tubbs (hamstring) practiced all week. Wunsch (ankle) did not participate Thursday or Friday.
Wide receiver Koren Robinson, who missed Thursday’s practice because of a headache, was back on the field Friday and will play against New Orleans. Wide receiver Alex Bannister (shoulder) also is expected to play.
The only player who definitely won’t play is linebacker Chad Brown (broken leg).
Football Jones: Although he missed all of training camp for the third consecutive year, left tackle Walter Jones is expected to be in the starting lineup for another opener.
Jones signed a one-year tender worth $7.084 million earlier this week and began practicing with the team Monday.
“If last year’s first game was any indication, he’ll come in and play well,” Holmgren said. “He might get a little tired, I suppose, because he hasn’t played a lot of football. But he’s handled the week pretty well.”
Jones’ first task could be Saints defensive end Darren Howard, who has had 30 sacks over his first four NFL seasons. But Howard is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game because of a strained neck, meaning Jones may be lining up across from rookie Will Smith. The Ohio State product was the Saints’ first-round pick, 18th overall, in the 2004 draft.
Stallworth tired of “The Hit”: New Orleans receiver Donte’ Stallworth told the Times-Picayune that he’s seen “about a million” replays of the helmet-jarring hit Hamlin put on him in last year’s Seahawks-Saints game.
“It’s funny,” Stallworth told the New Orleans newspaper. “If you look at it, I got my helmet knocked off and all that, but he was the one that was actually knocked out, literally, and had to sit on the sideline for six or seven plays. But we lost. They won. We’re all going to try to correct that this coming Sunday.”
Another Saints receiver, Joe Horn, went as far as to say the Seattle defensive backs aren’t considered hard hitters.
“I respect those guys, but I’m not going to say they’re physical,” Horn told the Times-Picayune. “One of their safeties made a good hit on Dont. But Dont finished the game. It’s not like they made devastating, knockout shots that made them known around the league for being physical on defense.”
Quick slants: Players voted Hasselbeck (offense), Anthony Simmons (defense) and Alex Bannister (special teams) as the captains for this season. … The game is blacked out in New Orleans, marking the first time a Saints game has been blacked out there in two years. About 4,000 tickets remained as of Friday morning. … The Seahawks still have tickets available for their home opener, Sept. 26 against San Francisco. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster, the Qwest Field box office or by calling (206) NFL-HAWK.
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