KIRKLAND — Mike Holmgren and his fellow NFL coaches have already cast their ballots for this season’s Pro Bowl, and the Seattle Seahawks’ head coach figures he has eight players — four on offense, four on defense — worthy of a trip to Honolulu, with the league announcing the NFC and AFC teams today.
Holmgren wasn’t naming individual players on Monday, except when someone brought up Bobby Engram. To which, Holmgren said emphatically, “He should be in the Pro Bowl.”
Engram, the 12th-year wide receiver, is having his best pro season, statistically speaking. He leads the team in receptions with 85 receptions — he has nearly doubled No. 2 Deon Branch, who has 47 — leaving him just shy of his career best of 88, which he did with Chicago in 1999. He ranks third in the NFC and tied for eighth in the entire NFL.
Also, Engram has gone over 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career, after Sunday’s total of 84 yards against the Panthers pushed him to 1,013 for the season. He ranks seventh in the NFC in receiving yards and 13th for the league.
More than numbers, though, Engram’s season has been a tribute to his determination to have an outstanding season after one of his worst — or at least one of his most disappointing.
A year ago, Engram missed nine games in the middle of the season due to a thyroid condition that caused him to lose 20 pounds. His 24 receptions and 290 yards were the lowest of his career, save for the 16 catches for 109 yards he had in 2000 when a knee injury and subsequent surgery ended his season after three games.
“I just approached the offseason with the mindset that I was going to come back and be good this season,” Engram said. “It’s gratifying to have a year like this.”
Being sick, he added, “actually spurred me to do more. To look at every facet of my life. To see how I was preparing, to see how I was training, to see how I was eating. … I just wanted to get healthy and get back. It was tough, but thank God I was able to bounce back.”
During the offseason, when Engram’s health was still in some doubt, Holmgren went to team officials and lobbied to bring back Engram, then a free agent. Part of that, Holmgren explained, was the player’s obvious talent, but the other part had to do with work ethic and professionalism.
“My coaching life has been blessed by having a guy like him,” Holmgren said. “He’s just super.
“Last year when he got sick, I think he kind of felt like he let people down. So he had a lot to prove (to show) that he still can do it. And once he got healed up a little bit, he got in the best shape of his life. He is just a better player than I think people realize.”
Because Engram often lines up in the slot, he not only catches a lot of passes, but also does a lot of blocking.
“He does a lot of the dirty work,” Holmgren said. “He gets hit a lot. But he does it with a smile on his face and he wants more. I just love his attitude.”
Making the Pro Bowl “would be a tremendous accomplishment,” Engram said, “especially in light of the type of receivers we have in the league now. … I think I’ve got a shot. I deserve to go, but sometimes you don’t know how the voting is going to go.
“If it happens, it’ll be great,” he said. “If it doesn’t, life goes on.”
Holmgren’s offensive picks, meanwhile, are most likely Engram, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, offensive tackle Walter Jones and possibly wide receiver Deion Branch. And on defense, defensive end Patrick Kearney, linebackers Julian Peterson and Lofa Tatupu, and cornerback Marcus Trufant.
Strong has surgery: Former Seahawks fullback Mack Strong, who retired five games into the season due to a herniated disc in his neck, had surgery on Sunday morning to remove the herniated disc and to fuse the third and fourth cervical vertebrae. The surgery was done at Harbor View Medical Center by Dr. Sohail K. Mirza. In a news release, the team said Strong was resting comfortably and that a full recovery was expected.
Strong was bothered by neck pain in the last week, and on Friday he underwent an MRI. The procedure revealed that his disc had herniated further, and additional exams and consultations led Strong to opt for the surgery which will, according to the release, “protect the integrity of his spinal cord.”
Some good news: Though there weren’t a lot of silver linings in Sunday’s 13-10 loss at Carolina, one was the play of new Seattle long snapper Jeff Robinson, who was signed on Tuesday.
He replaced Boone Stutz, who was signed earlier in the season to replace Derek Rackley, who was signed last season to replace J.P. Darche. Stutz and Rackley struggled in the role, while Darche was lost to a hip injury and surgery.
“I was very pleased with our new snapper,” Holmgren said. “He did a great job and I think he’s going to be a real asset down the stretch.”
Holmgren admits having been “a little bit nervous” about long snapping, which is probably an understatement. But now, apparently, “we have that fixed,” he said. “As we approach the playoffs, that part of our game can be pretty solid.”
Some more good news: The Seahawks came out of Sunday’s game in relatively good health. There were no injuries that should keep anyone from missing this week’s home game against Baltimore, Holmgren reported.
Also, injured wide receiver D.J. Hackett and cornerback Josh Wilson could return to practice this week.
Those two “are close,” Holmgren said. “They might get a little bit of work in this week, but we’ll see.”
Rest for the weary: With Sunday’s loss, the Seahawks can no longer move up to claim one of the top two NFC playoff berths, which would give the team a first-round postseason bye. Seattle has clinched a playoff spot, so the only thing at stake is whether the Seahawks finish third or fourth among NFC division champions.
Which means the Seahawks could rest some starters in the team’s final two regular-season games, and most likely in the finale at Atlanta on Dec. 30.
However, Holmgren said, “we haven’t had those conversations yet as a coaching staff. And I probably won’t talk a lot about that (to the media) if we decide to do that.”
Better days ahead: Seattle offensive guard Rob Sims, the team’s fourth-round pick in the 2006 draft, had a tough day on Sunday. Going against Carolina defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, a three-time Pro Bowler, Sims had his hands full much of the day.
The Seahawks gave up three sacks to the Panthers and Jenkins had one of them, beating Sims in the fourth quarter.
Still, Holmgren likes what he sees from his youngster.
“I love Rob Sims,” he said. “He has a bright, bright future ahead of him. He’s a young man who’s starting in the National Football League and it’s all good. Now, are there growing pains? Absolutely.
“He probably learns something every week. But what you have to see from young players like Rob is that they improve. And you have to see their mental toughness when things go bad, because things go bad every once in a while. So how do you respond to that?”
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