Rookie tight end emerges quickly for Seahawks

By Frank Hughes | The News Tribune • Published September 21, 2008

• Comments (0)

SEATTLE – Given the turmoil and turnover at the tight end position in Mike Holmgren's 10-year tenure as the Seattle Seahawks' coach, it seems a paradoxical oddity to have that become the most reliable spot in the passing offense when the rest of the current receiving corps is in so much flux.

But when the Seahawks host the St. Louis Rams today at Qwest Field in a game that both 0-2 teams feel they absolutely must win, it will be rookie John Carlson who is Matt Hasselbeck's most trustworthy target.

You could almost see that dynamic evolve during the Seahawks' loss to the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday, when both Seneca Wallace and Logan Payne were out with injuries and Courtney Taylor never emerged as the talent that he has shown in practice.

With few wide receivers left, Hasselbeck looked to Carlson first on almost every play, sure that the 6-foot-5, 250-pound product of Notre Dame was either open or going to be open shortly.

Carlson ended the day with six receptions for 78 yards, and he currently leads the team with 10 receptions for 130 yards, which is fourth in the NFL at the position — not bad considering the coaching staff feels it would be a bonus if Carlson were to get between 40 and 50 receptions this season.

"It is pretty obvious I feel pretty good about him as a receiver," Hasselbeck said. "I think everybody does. He is a great kid, a really smart guy and he has done a great job for us."

Hasselbeck could need Carlson badly again today because the Seahawks are probably going to start Billy McMullen and Keary Colbert as their wideouts, two players who weren't on the team two weeks ago and with whom Hasselbeck still is trying to establish chemistry.

The Seahawks liked Carlson so much over the other tight ends in the draft that they gave up a third-round pick to trade up in the second round and get him.

What they thought they had then was a very good blocking tight end who could augment an anemic run game, as well as a decent receiver who could be the option that Holmgren has looked for since he joined Seattle in 1999, a re-creation of Brent Jones or Mark Chmura.