CHENEY – As the number of unsigned draft picks vanish, and the training camp practices float away, the prospects of Chris Spencer earning a starting job seem to dwindle with each passing day.
But the way coach Mike Holmgren tells it, the Seattle Seahawks’ first-round draft pick might not have had much chance of earning a starting spot anyway.
“If Robbie (Tobeck) does what he is suppose to do, and he is in good shape and plays the way he is suppose to play, I expect him to be probably our center this year,” Holmgren said Tuesday. “At some point, Chris will be our center. But Robbie is playing well.”
As for Spencer’s rookie season, recent history is not on his side. Of the other seven first-round picks during Holmgren’s tenure, the four who were late to training camp had unproductive rookie seasons: Lamar King, Chris McIntosh, Jerramy Stevens and Marcus Tubbs. The rookie first-round picks who showed up in time for camp – Shaun Alexander, Koren Robinson, Steve Hutchinson and Marcus Trufant – all had varying degrees of NFL success.
” (Spencer) not being here right now, yeah, it hurts him. No question about it,” Holmgren said. “Any young player that holds out, I understand why it happens, but I am also going to say that it hurts him. It does. Typically they don’t make a lot more money; it just doesn’t work that way, particularly with rookies.”
Spencer is now one of 10 unsigned first-round picks. Both players selected before and after Spencer – No. 26 Jason Campbell by the Washington Redskins and No. 28 Roddy White of the Atlanta Falcons – have signed five-year deals.
Part of the hangup could hinge on the fact that the two players selected immediately ahead of Spencer (Campbell and Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers) are quarterbacks. That position typically draws higher contract incentives than an offensive lineman.
Neither the team nor Spencer’s representatives would comment on negotiations as of Tuesday afternoon.
While Seahawks team president Tim Ruskell said over the weekend that the team was “close” to signing Spencer, training camp is five days old and no signing has been announced.
Unhappy endings: The Seahawks ran some full-contact, scrimmage-like drills at the end of Tuesday’s morning practice that brought back some bad memories.
The final two drives, which were run by the No. 2 and No. 3 offenses, respectively, ended with dropped passes. Taco Wallace let a long Seneca Wallace pass slip through his hands, and then Jason Willis couldn’t handle a Gibran Hamdan throw over the middle.
The No. 1 offense had some success in the two-minute drill, driving down the field and scoring a touchdown on a short Matt Hasselbeck-to-Darrell Jackson pass.
But the No. 1 defense gained a measure of revenge, stuffing the offensive starters on third-and-1 on another drive when Grant Wistrom and Marcus Tubbs tackling Alexander behind the line of scrimmage.
Tubbs was a disruptive force in the drills, recording a non-contact sack on Wallace and pressuring him into another bad throw.
Back in uniform: After reporting to the team the previous day, running back Shaun Alexander made his practice debut Tuesday.
Alexander practiced on a limited basis in the morning practice before taking over the bulk of the work in the minimal-contact, afternoon session.
“He is moving well, and he is in good shape,” Holmgren said. “We didn’t bang him too much early in the (morning) practice. Then he got a couple carries, got hit a little bit. So that is good. He will be full board from here on out.”
Ouch!: A Monday collision temporarily cost the Seahawks two players.
Starting linebacker D.D. Lewis and rookie fullback Tony Jackson suffered mild concussions and did not practice Tuesday. Neither injury is believed to be serious.
With Lewis sidelined, the Seahawks used three different starting linebackers than they had the previous day. Rookie Lofa Tatupu worked in the middle, while Jamie Sharper and Tracy White were the outside linebackers with the No. 1 defense.
Sharper and Lewis have the inside track on starting jobs, while Tatupu and second-year player Niko Koutouvides are battling for the starting spot in the middle.
Also unavailable for Tuesday’s practices were offensive lineman Jerry Wunsch (sore foot) and wide receiver Marque Davis (hamstring).
Rookie linebacker LeRoy Hill, who had missed two days with a sprained left ankle, returned to action Tuesday.
Quick slants: Other than Bobby Engram, the candidates for punt-return duty have struggled to hang onto the ball. Bobby Shaw and Taco Wallace muffed back-to-back punts Tuesday morning. … While there was some talk about moving Floyd Womack to guard, Holmgren said Tuesday that the offensive lineman would start at right tackle this season “unless something crazy happens.” Womack started eight games at right tackle in 2004 in place of Chris Terry.
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