SAN FRANCISCO — As Seneca Wallace fielded the dozens of annual ticket requests he receives every time he visits his home state, the Sacramento native had to keep from spilling the beans.
Wallace knew most of last week that he would see some playing time at wide receiver, and yet the Seattle Seahawks’ backup quarterback couldn’t let on.
“This being my fifth year, they don’t hassle me,” Wallace said of the friends and family who attended Sunday’s 23-3 win over the San Francisco 49ers. “They don’t say, ‘Hey, they got anything in for you?’ They don’t bother me, so I can just go out there playing without people asking me questions.”
The question has been asked many times up in Seattle: when will Wallace see time at receiver? On Sunday, fans finally got their answer.
Wallace lined up at receiver four times, getting his hands on the ball on three of those snaps. He lined up wide left and ran a deep curl for an 18-yard reception late in the first quarter. He lined up in the slot twice, going in motion on both occasions before quarterback Matt Hasselbeck gave him the ball for a run and an option pass — both of which failed.
On one other play, Wallace lined up right but did not see the ball thrown his way.
“This was the first time we’ve used all of his skills set,” running back Shaun Alexander said. “He’s so talented. Today you saw him running the ball (on a 1-yard loss), throwing the ball (for an incomplete pass on an option play) and catching the ball. He’s going to be one more threat in our arsenal.”
Seattle’s offensive arsenal seems to get bigger every week. Wallace was one of nine players to catch a pass in Sunday’s game, and that doesn’t even include the two players — wide receiver Ben Obomanu and tight end Will Heller — who had passes thrown their way without success.
Wide receiver Deion Branch had a team-high seven receptions, while fellow receiver Bobby Engram and tight end Marcus Pollard each scored touchdowns. Backup running backs Leonard Weaver and Maurice Morris also caught passes on a day when Hasselbeck was really spreading the ball around.
The least likely target was Wallace, whose only two previous NFL receptions came in playoff games. Coach Mike Holmgren had been tentative about using Wallace as a receiver because he didn’t have another experienced quarterback on the roster. But Charlie Frye, for whom the team traded a draft pick three weeks ago, has picked up enough of the offense that the coaches are now willing to use Wallace at other positions.
“He’s our utility guy,” tight end Marcus Pollard said. “You can put him in at receiver, quarterback, let him run a reverse. He’s so talented in a lot of areas. Whenever you can get him on the field, it’s always a plus for us.”
Weaver starts: Fullback Leonard Weaver made his first NFL start Sunday and turned in the best statistics of his career.
Weaver caught four passes for 26 yards, while also carrying the ball three times for six yards.
“It felt really good,” Weaver said. “I’m just happy that I was had an opportunity to be a part of this.”
While veteran Mack Strong did play, the fullbacks saw almost as much playing time. The Seahawks prefer Weaver’s running and receiving skills but are more favorable to Strong’s blocking skills.
While Weaver replaced Strong as the starter Sunday, he wasn’t making too much of its significance.
“There’s nothing to support that right now,” Weaver said when asked if he was replacing Strong. “It just happens that I was in for the first play of the game. It’s too early to decide anything.
“Right now, Mack’s the starter and I’m the backup. And that’s how we’re going to do it.”
Twice as nice: Over the past two seasons combined, starting cornerback Marcus Trufant had a total of two interceptions.
He matched that total in Sunday’s game.
“I’m just trying to help out in any way I can,” said Trufant, who now has 11 interceptions during his five-year NFL career. “But it’s not only the corners. You’ve got to give it up to the d-line getting a good rush and the linebackers for making good drops. It was a true team effort.”
Frank who? San Francisco running back Frank Gore torched the Seahawks for 356 rushing yards in a pair of 2006 meetings. The Seahawks made stopping him a priority on Sunday, and the goal was achieved.
Gore had just 79 yards on 16 carries, and he fumbled twice in the first half.
“We heard about it all week: 356, 356,” Seattle linebacker Julian Peterson said. “And he was even saying it would be his bounce-back game. Who wouldn’t say that after rushing for 356 last year?
“So we were very focused on stopping the run. And we did a good job of it early.”
Big-play Branch: After seeing his 55-game streak of receptions get snapped in the season opener, Branch has more than made up for it.
He has caught 20 passes over the past three games, including seven for 130 yards in Sunday’s win.
Branch had receptions of 65 and 31 yards, with a combined 47 of those yards coming after the catch.
“That’s what I try to do,” he said. “Once I get the ball in my hands, I try to help the team in any way I can.”
Getting off the field: Seattle’s defense is likely to pull out of last place in the league in one important statistic.
The Seahawks, who ranked last in the NFL with an opponents’ third-down conversion rate of 50 percent, allowed San Francisco to convert just 2 of 14 opportunities. That dropped the season total to 41.4 percent.
The 49ers had three-and-outs on five of their first six possessions, with the lone exception being a two-play drive that ended with a fumble.
Three second-half drives ended after three plays or less.
Quick slants: Seattle’s punting game continues to struggle. For the second time in three weeks, a defender broke through the blockers and got a hand on a Ryan Plackemeier punt. Because both kicks eventually crossed the line of scrimmage, they are not officially recognized as blocked punts. … After dropping six passes in last Sunday’s game, the Seahawks receivers were more sure-handed against San Francisco. The only catchable ball that got away was a short throw to tight end Will Heller near the goal line. … Cornerback Josh Wilson, running back Alvin Pearman and lineman Ray Willis suffered injuries during the game. Holmgren said that Pearman’s knee injury appeared to be the most serious and that he’ll undergo an MRI. The team will know more on the injuries today.
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