SEATTLE – In what may have been his final home game as a Seattle Seahawk, veteran cornerback Shawn Springs reminded the fans of the kind of player he is capable of being.
Springs continued to shine since being re-inserted into the starting lineup two weeks ago, breaking up two passes and playing solid defense against Arizona’s receiving corps Sunday.
“Weeks 10 through 16, I always play well,” said Springs, who was benched four weeks ago but eventually got his starting job back. “If you go back and chart my seasons, the last five weeks I play well.
“I feel a lot better. I feel good. I’m starting to feel how I felt when I was at camp. My shoulder feels better, I’m more confident. Not that I ever lost my confidence, but you feel like you can get into the groove of things.”
Springs suffered a cracked bone in his shoulder during the preseason and missed the first four games of the regular season. Even when he returned, Springs struggled in coverage and looked like a shell of his former self.
Lately, he’s been looking more like the Shawn Springs who went to the 1998 Pro Bowl.
While Springs admits that his health has been a large reason for the recent improvement, he was also up-front about another motivation.
“There’s free agency coming up,” he said.
Then the free-agent-to-be stopped and clarified himself.
“First, I want to go to the playoffs, and I want to win,” he said. “But then free agency might pop up. Whatever. That’s the honest-to-God truth about it. I want to win first, go to the playoffs, because that helps everybody. And I think we have the talent to do some things.”
What a rush: The Seahawks’ pass rush, which has received its share of criticism this season, was on display throughout Sunday’s 28-10 win over the Cardinals.
Seattle had a season-high eight sacks, which was one more than the previous three weeks combined.
“Today was one of those days,” said defensive end Chike Okeafor, who had two sacks. “Keep working hard, don’t get frustrated, and sometimes things come together.”
It marked a banner day for several Seahawks pass rushers. Okeafor and Lamar King each had a pair of sacks, and Brandon Mitchell, John Randle, Rocky Bernard and linebacker Anthony Simmons also got in on the action.
King, a 1999 first-round pick, entered the game with one sack this season. Bernard also had a single sack before Sunday.
Cough, cough: Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was one of several Seahawks who had to play through an illness Sunday.
The linebackers were hit the hardest, as D.D. Lewis and Isaiah Kacyvenski played despite a flu-like bug and Chad Brown had an upper-respitory virus that was so severe that he was inactive.
Linebacker Anthony Simmons missed the previous two games with a stained neck muscle, but knew that the lack of healthy bodies meant that he had to suit up.
“There was no way I was going to miss this game,” said Simmons, who had a team-high eight tackles. “I’m hurting, and I’m sure I’ll be hurting worse tomorrow, but that’s the price you play to win.”
Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Alexander: For the first 19 minutes of Sunday’s game, running back Shaun Alexander was nearly unstoppable.
Alexander had 109 rushing yards and two touchdowns four minutes into the second quarter before Arizona started to slow him down.
Alexander finished with 135 rushing yards and one pass reception.
“I think our tight ends did a great job (blocking) their guys, and I think it was Matt’s best day on audibles to the run plays,” Alexander said. “It’s exciting to get the running game going so early.”
With one game remaining, Alexander already has a career season. He now has a career-best 1,351 rushing yards as well as 15 touchdowns.
Hang 15: Hawaii native Itula Mili was stoked when he saw the first 15 plays in Sunday’s game plan earlier this week, mainly because he was expected to be one of the offensive focal points.
“I loved it,” he said. “I saw that they were going to dial up my number, just like they did the week before. That shows a lot of confidence in me.”
The veteran tight end responded by catching five passes on the opening two drives.
Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren likes to script the first 15 plays of every game to help the team get into a rhythm. His style has worked well this year, as Seattle has an NFL-best seven touchdowns on opening drives.
Ouch! Hasselbeck and Darrell Jackson were the two most notable injuries on an afternoon when the Seattle trainers kept busy.
Hasselbeck re-injured a left shoulder that has a torn labrum, then later turned his right ankle. Trent Dilfer finished the game in his place, but Holmgren said he expects Hasselbeck to be available next week.
“Christmas shopping is going to be a little tougher for me (Monday),” Hasselbeck said following the game. “I put it off, and I might need a wheelchair or something.”
Jackson suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter and did not return. X-rays came up negative, and he is also expected to be available for Saturday’s game at San Francisco.
Other injured players who should heal up by the weekend included running back Maurice Morris (back spasms) and linebacker D.D. Lewis (undisclosed).
Home sweet home: To honor the first 8-0 home record in team history, several Seahawks stopped to thank the fans following Sunday’s win.
Holmgren, Alexander and Jackson stuck around to shake the most hands afterward.
“My grandma told me when I was a little kid that kids can fight, but if you’re going to be in your own backyard, you better be able to win,” Alexander said. “Since she came into town (Saturday) for the holidays, I thought we’d better win.”
Quick slants: Brown was one of two defensive starters who were on the inactive list. Strong safety Reggie Tongue sat out because of a sore hamstring and was replaced by Damien Robinson. … Right tackle Chris Terry missed two practice days for the second consecutive week, so Floyd Womack started in his place. … Because of Morris’s injury, rookie running back Kerry Carter saw his most action of the season. Carter served as Alexander’s backup and also had a 33-yard kickoff return and a special-teams tackle. … With 10 receptions Sunday, Arizona receiver Anquan Boldin broke the season record for receptions by a rookie. Boldin now has 96 catches to break the 7-year-old record held by New England’s Terry Glenn (90). … Former Cardinals safety Pat Tillman made a special appearance in the team’s locker room prior to the game. Tillman is an Army Ranger who gave up football following the 2001 season so that he could fight for his country. He is back from Iraq, is stationed in Fort Lewis and has not spoken to the media since joining the military.
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