Hawks Notebook | Young receivers scramble for last spot on the roster

KIRKLAND — They have come and gone, the likes of Maurice Mann, Jason Willis, C.J. Jones, Marque Davis and Justin Surrency.

Names out of the past, young wide receivers who made it through a training camp or two with the Seahawks, only to be released or placed on the practice squad, never so much as playing a down in a regular-season game.

But they helped make the Seahawks' exhibition-season receiving corps a solid unit in recent years, adding depth, making great catches in practice and pushing the top five or six receivers to earn their spots on the final roster.

Eleven of them go through camp together. At this time of the summer, a couple get cut, leaving the remaining three or four to battle for a 53-man roster spot.

Robert Ortiz and Chris Jones were the first casualties. Rookies Joe Fernandez, Logan Payne, Jordan Kent and Courtney Taylor remain, each trying to win a non-guaranteed sixth receiver spot on the roster.

"My guys have tried hard and they've played hard and they've competed every day in practice," Seahawks receivers coach Nolan Cromwell said. "They've done everything we've asked them to do and more. It's pleasing for me to have a group like that that is making it so hard."

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said he thinks this is the best depth at receiver the Seahawks have had, singling out the undrafted free agents (Fernandez and Payne) and draft picks (Taylor and Kent).

Nevertheless, the game Thursday night is huge. Fernandez keeps it in perspective, realizing with help from his father Mervyn, a former NFL receiver, that if the Seahawks don't retain him, other teams might be interested.

"I'm not very big, and I'm not the fastest guy on the field," Fernandez said, "but I am quick and I have good hands. I pride myself on trying to run good routes and catch every ball. So I think that's caught their eye, too."

Fernandez has to look out for himself, though he admits it was hard to see teammates get cut. He's happy to have made it through his first NFL training camp and knows that the coaches have difficult decisions to make.

"You know you're going to lose guys," Fernandez said. "What you have to understand is at this level, it's a business."

Matt goes presidential

Hasselbeck said it was a thrill to meet President Bush on Monday. He and teammate Mack Strong presented the president with a No. 43 jersey in honor of the 43rd president.

Hasselbeck was intrigued most by the high-security presence at the Bellevue Hyatt hotel, and was only too happy to accompany Strong because, as he said, "It was an opportunity to get out of meetings and meet the president. That's win-win for me."

Though admittedly not political — Hasselbeck said he votes, voted for Bush the past two elections and leaves it at that — the quarterback doesn't mind public perceptions of him as a Bush supporter.

"This is America, and I respect other people's opinions," Hasselbeck said.

Meyer makes 12

The 12th player the Seahawks released to get down to their 75-player roster limit for this week was former Eastern Washington quarterback Erik Meyer, who shined in NFL Europe this past spring but never got a chance to play in the first three exhibition games.

Notes

• WR Ben Obomanu pulled up while running a route during Tuesday's practice, and trainers rubbed and stretched the back of his right leg immediately after the injury. Obomanu did not finish practice, though he was able to walk and jog a little. It's not known if he will play Thursday.

• DT Chuck Darby returned to practice after missing Monday.

• The Seahawks' starters aren't expected to play more than a series Thursday.

• The Seahawks and Communities in Schools are asking fans attending Thursday's game to help fill an entire school bus with backpacks and school supplies at Qwest Field. The bus will be parked in front of the Qwest Field Event Center, or fans can drop off items at any stadium entrance.

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com