Tremendous strides

RENTON, Wash. – With just four days remaining before what should be the most winnable game of the 2008 season’s final two months, the Seattle Seahawks still didn’t know whether they would have their starting quarterback.

Yet there was little concern inside the team’s practice facility on Thursday afternoon.

That’s because backup quarterback Seneca Wallace has instilled some confidence following his best outing of the season – if not his six-year career.

Wallace is coming off a 20-for-28, 212-yard passing performance that included a career-high three touchdown throws in last Sunday’s 24-21 loss to New England. The outing was so impressive that Wallace’s season passer rating jumped from 79.5 to 88.8, which, for comparison’s sake, is better than the 86.2 rating starter Matt Hasselbeck posted during a Pro Bowl season in 2007.

“Last week (Wallace) was the player I believe he is,” said coach Mike Holmgren, whose 2-11 Seahawks have a Sunday date with a St. Louis team that sports an identical record. “I say that with no reservations. I think last week was the player he should be. And that’s not bad.”

While the Seahawks are by no means ready to anoint Wallace the starter of the present and future, his Sunday performance did bode well for a career that saw underwhelming performances in the backup’s previous four starts.

While he did help lead the team to a win over San Francisco on Oct. 26 – in large part because of a couple of short passes that fullback Leonard Weaver turned into long touchdowns – Wallace completed just 51 percent of his passes and went 0-3 in his other three starts. Calf and groin injuries were a big reason why, as evidenced by seven sacks and only 11 rushing yards for the shifty quarterback in his previous two starts.

But Wallace was moving as well as he has all season in Sunday’s game, eluding the Patriots’ pass rush and breaking off a 23-yard run on the Seahawks’ final drive.

“That’s what you get with a healthy athlete,” wide receiver Koren Robinson said. “We know what he can do in this league because he’s got a strong arm, and now he’s comfortable with the offense, so that’s what you get when he’s comfortable and healthy.”

Wallace showed his typical tempered enthusiasm this week when talking about Sunday’s game, saying that it meant little because of the loss.

“But that’s part of the game,” he said. “So you’ve just got to come back, bounce back, and hope we have another good game this week.”

Hasselbeck is sidelined by a back injury and has yet to practice this week. Holmgren on Wednesday listed him as “questionable” for the game against St. Louis, so there is a 50-50 chance that Wallace makes his second consecutive start and his sixth of the season.

If Wallace gets pushed into action again, the team has full confidence that he’ll carry the load.

“That’s the best he’s played since he’s been here,” offensive coordinator Gil Haskell said of Wallace’s last outing. “He did a fine job against a good football team.”

For whatever reason – perhaps because his legs keep plays alive – Wallace has been on the end of the Seahawks’ four longest pass plays this season. Three of them went for touchdowns: a 90-yard pass to open the Philadelphia game that saw Robinson run 65 yards after the catch, and the two long touchdowns in San Francisco that included 102 of Weaver’s 106 combined yards after the catch.

In last Sunday’s game, Wallace hit Deion Branch on a 4-yard pass along the sideline, then the receiver turned it into a 63-yard gain. Two plays later, Branch caught a touchdown pass – Wallace’s third of the day.

“Because he’s a threat as a runner and a passer, (defenses) have to have another man in the box, so it allows people to make plays down the field,” Weaver said. “That’s something Seneca presents to this offense: He can also use his legs.”

Notes

Tackle Walter Jones (knee) and linebacker Leroy Hill (stinger) continued to be sidelined by injuries. Cornerback Josh Wilson (concussion) was back on the practice field. … Ex-Seahawks kicker Josh Brown has been limited in practices this week because of a sore hamstring, but he told St. Louis reporters that he expects to play against his former team on Sunday.