Early in the 2000 season coach Mike Holmgren decided that the Seahawks were going to go young. The result was predictable, as the Seattle struggled to a 2-7 record. However, the Seahawks have turned things around and their strong finish (4-2 in their last six games) has given fans a glimmer of hope.
| | Darrell Jackson is third on the Seahawks with 50 receptions. | Playing a key role in that turnaround are a group of rookies who were prominently displayed in Saturday's stunning 27-24 upset of the Raiders.
Rookie linebacker Marcus Bell intercepted a Rich Gannon pass to set up Seattle's first touchdown. Kicker Rian Lindell made both his field-goal tries, including a 52-yarder. Linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski intercepted a pass to stop an Oakland drive at the Seattle 11. Running back Shaun Alexander scored a touchdown to cut the Raiders' lead to 24-19 with five minutes to play. Offensive tackle Chris McIntosh helped anchor an offensive line that paved the way for Ricky Watter' 168-yard day.
Playing the biggest role was wide receiver Darrell Jackson, who caught the game-winning touchdown with 28 seconds to play.
"I think they have matured as the season has gone along," Holmgren told the Seattle Union Record. "I think they are solid football players. That is part of what I was talking about for the future, and how we can build around a core group of players."
Jackson, the 10th receiver selected in the draft, has been the best of the bunch. He leads all rookie wide receivers in receptions (50), yards (673) and touchdown receptions (6).
The third-round choice from Florida showed how much he has progressed on the game-winning touchdown. Jackson was Kitna's third option on the play, but he adjusted his route and ended wide open in the corner of the end zone.
"It was a route he wasn't supposed to be doing," Jon Kitna said. "The whole play was
him."
Each Tuesday from now until the end of the regular season, ESPN.com will hand out its report card on how the new kids are doing. Here's a look at how some of the league's most intriguing rookies fared during Week 16:
PLAYER, STATS |
THE SKINNY |
Mike Anderson, RB, Broncos at Chiefs 12 att., 62 yds. |
Anderson's dream ride through his rookie season hit a bit of a speed bump Sunday in the Broncos' 20-7 loss to the Chiefs. On the Denver's' fourth offensive play of a game, Anderson ripped off a 38-yard run and looked like he had a path to the end zone. However, Chiefs safety Jerome Woods caught up with Anderson, slapped the ball out of his hands, and Pat Dennis recovered for the Chiefs at their 5-yard line. "I felt him. I knew he was coming up on me," Anderson told The Denver Post. "I had the ball in my outside arm and I thought it was protected. But I guess I was swinging the ball out too far. I didn't expect him to go for it. It was kind of a gamble." Anderson still leads all rookies with 1,415 yards rushing.
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Shaun Ellis, DE, Jets vs. Lions 9 tackles 2 sacks |
In his first career start, the No. 12 pick from Tennessee played well. Ellis recorded nine tackles and two sacks, raising his season sack total to a team-leading 8½. However, he was part of a defense that allowed Lions running back James Stewart to rush for 164 yards.
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Danny Farmer
, WR, Bengals vs. Jaguars 5 rec., 102 yds. |
Drafted and released by the Steelers, Farmer may have found a home in Cincinnati. The former UCLA star had his best NFL game Sunday, helping the Bengals stun the Jaguars, 17-14. Farmer had three catches for 79 yards on the game-tying drive and had another catch that helped set up the game-winning field goal as time expired. "When I wasn't playing and I needed to throw more, Danny would stay after practice," Scott Mitchell said, "just so we got the timing down and stayed sharp in case we got the opportunity to get in there and play."
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Darren Howard, DE, Saints vs. Falcons 1 tackle ½ sack |
Howard, credited with half a sack Sunday, continues to lead all rookies with 10.5 sacks. He is part of a Saints defense that has 63 sacks this year. Their previous record was 59.
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Jamal Lewis
, RB, Ravens at Caridnals 29 att., 126 yds. 1 TD |
Baltimore's offense struggled against the Cardinals, scoring only 13 points. If it wasn't for Lewis they might not have scored any. Lewis had 131 (126 rushing and 5 receiving) of the Ravens' 214 total yards and scored their only touchdown of the game. For the season, Lewis has 1,312 yards rushing (second among rookies and sixth in the AFC).
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Julian Peterson, LB, 49ers vs. Bears 5 tackles 1 sack |
The 49ers turned in their best defensive performance of the season, shutting out the Bears 17-0, and Peterson played a large role. "We've played really hard the second half of the season," Peterson, who recorded his fourth sack of the season, told The Sacramento Bee. "I personally know the game a lot better than I did 16 weeks ago."
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Hank Poteat, CB, Steelers vs. Redskins 1 TD |
A third-round pick (No. 77 overall) out of Pittsburgh, Poteat helped lead the Steelers to a 24-3 victory over the Redskins in the final game at Three Rivers Stadium. Poteat's 53-yard punt return for a touchdown -- the longest punt return by a Steeler for a score in the 31-year history of Three Rivers Stadium, in the last sports event there -- gave the Steelers a 10-3 lead in the second quarter.
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Brian Urlacher, LB, Bears at 49ers 9 tackles 1 sack |
Urlacher, without a sack since the Minnesota game in Week 7, got the seventh sack of his season in Sunday's 17-0 loss to the 49ers. He was also the only player spared by former Bears great Dick Butkus who sounded off on the team. "It's just embarrassing. I don't understand what's going on there. They look awful," Butkus told the Chicago Sun-Times. He then added, "There's no light at the end of the tunnel. Other than (linebacker Brian) Urlacher. He'll have a good career, a lot of tackles. That's because he'll be out on the field all the time."
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Peter Warrick
, WR, Bengals vs. Jaguars 3 rec., 38 yds. |
Warrick made his mark on Sunday's victory over the Jaguars on special teams not as a receiver. The No. 4 overall pick returned a punt 82 yards to tie the game in the second quarter. It was a spectacular play, zigzagging play that took Warrick from one side of the field to the other. "Sometimes, I watch (film) and say, 'I did that?'" Warrick told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "It's something I've been doing all my life." Warrick returned three punts on
the day.
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Peter Lawrence-Riddell is the assistant NFL editor for ESPN.com.
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