KIRKLAND – The message boards were lighting up like a scoreboard.
One overzealous Seattle Seahawks fan called Marcus Trufant the worst cover cornerback in the history of the NFL. Another called for his immediate demotion.
The date was Oct. 29, and the Seahawks had just lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. That game featured three plays in which Trufant got beat for 15 or more yards, the most notable of which was a 51-yard pass to Eddie Kennison on third-and-long late in the fourth quarter.
People were calling for Trufant’s head. With fans like these, who needs enemies?
More than five weeks have passed, and Trufant’s name hasn’t been typed in by many irate techno-geeks on message boards.
In his past five games, Trufant has knocked down six passes, intercepted another, and forced a fumble. Just as important, he hasn’t been in coverage on any of the four touchdown receptions the Seahawks have allowed in that span.
“He’s doing fine,” coach Mike Holmgren said of Trufant, who was the 11th overall selection in the 2003 NFL draft. “Part of that is just some experience and playing. Certain things now are becoming a little more natural for him.”
Trufant always has had the confidence of his coaches, but recently he’s winning over the critics too. The most closely analyzed cornerback in Seattle is actually gaining favor from the fickle fans.
“I feel like I’ve been making more of an impact the last couple weeks,” Trufant said. “I think I’ve been pretty steady all year, it’s just that I’ve just been making more plays lately.”
While some fans overreacted after the Kansas City game, Trufant said he never felt any of the backlash from that performance.
“Being a defensive back, you’ve got to shrug plays off,” he said. “At the same time, you’ve got to shrug off the good plays. You’ve got to stay even keel. You can make an interception on one play, but if you dwell on it, they might throw a deep ball over your head on the next play.
“You just try to move on from game to game. You can’t dwell on the past.”
Both Holmgren and defensive coordinator John Marshall said there’s no reason to dwell on the loss to Kansas City. Despite the three long pass plays, they both assert that Trufant played a solid game.
“There was one play that stood out,” Marshall said, referring to Kennison’s catch that set up the game-winning touchdown. “Other than that, he didn’t play badly at all. As a matter of fact, he played pretty solid. He didn’t cost us.
“Fans have the right to have their opinions. The expectations are high for Tru because of where he was drafted, and he understands that.”
More often than not, Trufant has played like a first-round pick this season.
He anchored a solid defensive effort that shut down Arizona’s receiving duo of Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald in Week 2. The following week, he matched up with bigger receivers again, but the New York Giants’ Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress combined for just four receptions.
He struggled in the first meeting against the St. Louis Rams’ Torry Holt on Oct. 15, but bounced back to keep the Pro Bowler quiet in a Nov. 12 rematch.
Even in one of Seattle’s worst defensive performance of the season, a 20-14 loss to San Francisco, Trufant found a way to stand out. He made three touchdown-saving tackles, helping the Seahawks stay within striking distance.
“Marcus has had a good year,” Holmgren said. “He has not had a lot of ups and downs.
“He has been our most solid defensive player, in my opinion, and he is playing the way I expect him to play given where we picked him.”
Not that you’ll read about that on any message boards.
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