Seahawks’ Hasselbeck, Engram keep building rapport

By Connor Byrne  |   Sunday, August 20, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Seattle Seahawks
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In the Seattle Seahawks' 30-17 preseason victory over the Indianapolis Colts last night, two members of the defending NFC champions' starting offense stood out. The tandem is made up of Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and one of his main targets, wide receiver Bobby Engram.

The pair both played limited time, but they made it worthwhile. The 30-year-old Hasselbeck completed 8-of-9 pass attempts for 88 yards in shredding the Colts' defense. He hit Engram, a 10-year veteran, five times for 64 yards.

In Seattle, the belief is that Darrell Jackson and Nate Burleson will be the team's top two receivers, even though Engram is actually a starter over Burleson, a new, $49 million addition. If Engram can continue playing at this sort of level and click with Hasselbeck, the Seahawks' passing game will likely fare even better than it did last season, when it finished fifth in both yards per attempt and touchdowns thrown.

During the Seahawks' 13-3 season, Engram, a former second-round pick, was surprisingly productive. He ended the year with 67 receptions and 778 yards. However, his yards per catch and touchdown totals left plenty to be desired (11.6 and three, respectively).

It's hard to expect Engram to improve further in the catch department from 2005, but anticipating more explosion and big-play capability shouldn't be unfair. With Jackson, Burleson, tight end Jerramy Stevens and running back Shaun Alexander already on Engram's side, he often gets lost in the shuffle. For the 33-year-old, that can all change with another terrific season.

Other important game notes:

-Potential backup quarterback Seneca Wallace looked poised in relief of Hasselbeck, completing 10-of-15 attempts for 99 yards against what were mostly Colts reserves. The 5-foot-11, 196-pounder's competing with NFL Europe MVP Gibran Hamdan and David Greene for the No. 2 job, but it's probably safe to say it belongs to the former Iowa State star. Head coach Mike Holmgren seems to have plenty of confidence in the 26-year-old Wallace, a former fourth-rounder.

-Kicker Josh Brown, who is trying to recover from a pedestrian '05 campaign, knocked down all three of his field goal attempts. The longest was just 39 yards, but nonetheless, his progress is encouraging for Seattle.

--Connor J. Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com.

Get more on the Seattle Seahawks at Realfootball365.com.
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