KIRKLAND — Seneca Wallace’s first regular-season action at wide receiver probably won’t be his last, coach Mike Holmgren said Monday.
“How much more we’ll do with him, I can’t really tell you right now,” the Seattle Seahawks’ head coach said one day after his backup quarterback saw four snaps at receiver in a 23-3 win over San Francisco. “I’m just happy he got in the game. I’m happy for him. And (that) he didn’t get hurt.”
Wallace did a little bit of everything on Sunday. He caught an 18-yard pass on a deep curl, ran the ball on an end around and threw a pass after taking a handoff from Matt Hasselbeck.
“The one run where he carried the ball (for a loss of one yard), we didn’t block it well,” Holmgren said. “And the one where he threw the ball, if you asked him, he’d say he underthrew it.
“… For our first time trying it (in an expanded fashion), I was pleased. We didn’t fumble the ball or do any crazy things. He didn’t jump offsides at wide receiver. So we executed the plays properly; they didn’t all work. It was OK.”
Holmgren said that the development of third-string quarterback Charlie Frye allowed the Seahawks to take a chance on Wallace getting hurt while playing another position. The decision was a difficult one, he added, because of the possibility that Wallace gets knocked out of a game.
That, more than anything, is what keeps the Seahawks from using Wallace more.
So the more Holmgren thought about using Wallace during Monday’s press conference, the less he seemed to like it.
“I’m not going to play him (at receiver) too much,” Holmgren said at the end of Monday’s press conference.
Wallace’s only two previous NFL receptions came in playoff games.
Pearman out for year:. Running back Alvin Pearman suffered the most serious injury among three special teamers who were hurt in Sunday’s game
Holmgren said that Pearman tore his anterior cruciate ligament and will miss the remainder of the season. He is expected to be placed on injured reserve, and it’s likely that the Seahawks will fill his roster spot with another special teams player.
Backup offensive lineman Ray Willis also suffered a knee injury in the game, although his sprain is less serious. Holmgren said Willis could miss eight weeks.
Cornerback Josh Wilson, who is the team’s primary kickoff return man, suffered an ankle injury that could keep him out one or two weeks, Holmgren said.
Ben Obomanu and/or Nate Burleson could return kickoffs while Wilson is sidelined, although Holmgren said no final decision has been made.
Still Strong’s team:. Although Leonard Weaver started Sunday’s game, Holmgren said that veteran Mack Strong has not lost his starting job.
The Seahawks hope to give Weaver significant playing time this season so that the 36-year-old Strong can be fresher. On Sunday, Weaver had the most productive game of his career while catching four passes.
“He is playing better,” Holmgren said. “I’m less reluctant now to put him in the game in certain situations.”
Weaver struggled during the preseason and almost didn’t make the final roster cut.
“In the preseason, I put (pressure) on him just to see how he’d respond just a little bit,” Holmgren said. “To be honest with you, it was probably too much for him right then. His whole future, whether he was going to play football anymore, I put it on him. It was hard.
“Then he makes the football team and now he’s playing. He has a role. Little by little, he’s letting himself play. Most of the time it’s been good.”
Proud of Favre:. Holmgren was thrilled to see that his former player, Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre, set an NFL record for passing touchdowns over the weekend.
“He’s going to set all these records, but the most impressive record is not the touchdowns and not the yardage,” Holmgren said. “It’s not. It’s playing in all those consecutive games. Unbelievable — really, unbelievable.”
Quick slants:. Holmgren blamed a bad snap by Derek Rackley for the Ryan Plackemeier punt that got tipped. … The Seahawks make their first East Coast road trip this weekend, travelling to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers at 10 a.m. Sunday.
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