Hawks' youth got on-field education
In a perfect world for the Seahawks, the only
playing time guys like Chris Spencer, Rob Sims
and Seneca Wallace would have seen in 2006 was
either in a blowout, a meaningless game in terms
of playoff positioning, or on the place-kicking
teams.
Such a situation would have signaled another
extremely successful season in which the Seahawks
might have been the home team Sunday instead
of the Chicago Bears. And what a difference
the fans at Qwest Field could have made.
But 2006 was full of plot twists. So many starters
and key players missed games with injuries that
young and inexperienced players had to fill
the voids. Sometimes it worked out, sometimes
it was an adventure.
"I can safely say this," Seahawks
coach Mike Holmgren said, "it is highly
unlikely we will have as many injuries next
year as we did this year."
Names you thought you wouldn't see in the starting
lineup in 2006 popped up time and again. Spencer,
a second-year center, made 13 regular-season
starts -- five at left guard and eight at center
-- and two more at center in the playoffs. Sims,
a rookie fourth-round draft pick, started the
final three regular-season games and both playoff
games at left guard.
Then there was Kelly Jennings, the team's first-round
draft pick in April who played as an extra defensive
back all season until injuries forced him into
the starting lineup at cornerback for the regular-season
finale and both playoff games. He also made
one other start when the Seahawks began the
game at Arizona with three cornerbacks.
Jennings played in every game and made plays
in coverage, but he also gave up some catches.
He found out just how challenging it is to play
cornerback in the NFL and covered some top-notch
receivers.
And Wallace, the Seahawks' backup quarterback
who completed his fourth season, started four
games when Matt Hasselbeck went out with a knee
injury.
"I am not one of those who writes off
the season as a failure if you don't win the
Super Bowl," Holmgren said. "I think
there are reasons to be hopeful, there are reasons
to be proud, to be a fan. We have young people
on this team that have just scratched the surface
of their abilities and where they can go."
The silver lining in the pitfalls of the Seahawks'
season is that injuries allowed others to get
opportunities to play, and that can only make
them better players in the future.
"Next year I just want to hit the ground
running," said Sims, who called it an honor
to be able to play next to Pro Bowl left tackle
Walter Jones. "I didn't think I was going
to come in and play right away. I just wanted
to be ready in case they needed me."
Sims said his biggest challenge was just knowing
whom to block. It was one thing to see things
on film and go over schemes in playbooks, but
actually putting that knowledge into action
was the hard part.
"You can't learn it in a classroom or
you can't lift it in a weight room," Sims
said. "It's something where you kind of
have to make a mistake and learn from it."
Spencer will take over at center now that Robbie
Tobeck has announced his retirement.
"We started to jell well as a unit,"
Spencer said of the offensive line. "It's
obvious by the end of the season we started
to click and blow people off the ball."
Holmgren said that while it's a little early
to be completely certain, he figures Sims will
enter next season as the starter at left guard.
That leaves decisions to be made on a couple
of unrestricted free agents-to-be, guards Floyd
Womack and Chris Gray. Gray would likely stay
at starting right guard if he doesn't sign elsewhere.
"For [Spencer and Sims] to have played
as well as they did this year, not really sure
who to block sometimes, it's pretty impressive,"
Hasselbeck said. "I anticipate those guys
having great careers and hopefully blocking
for me for a long time."
Jennings, Holmgren said, has the inside track
to be a starter next season. Kelly Herndon started
opposite Marcus Trufant this past season at
cornerback.
Wallace has another year on his contract and
proved he can lead the team to wins and be versatile
enough to line up at receiver. And punter Ryan
Plackemeier, a rookie in 2006, was effective
more often than not with both distance and placement
punting. He also was adept at holding for field
goals.
