Seahawks
Alexander scores 3 TDs in road victory

By José Miguel Romero
Seattle Times staff reporter

ROD MAR / THE SEATTLE TIMES Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, right, evades New Orleans’ Tebucky Jones on his way to the end zone in the second quarter yesterday. Alexander scored all three Seattle touchdowns.

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NEW ORLEANS — Something about the Superdome and New Orleans must have felt like home to the Seahawks.

Was it the rain that fell in New Orleans before yesterday's kickoff? The large groups of Seahawks fans who were friends and family of Seahawks players with Southern roots?

Maybe. Maybe not. In any case, the Seahawks got their season of high hopes off to a good start with a 21-7 win over the Saints. In doing so, Seattle's defense returned to the same swagger it picked up in defeating the Saints in last season's opener. And once they had that, the offense got into its groove, to the tune of 415 yards.

The game didn't end on a good note, however, as running back Shaun Alexander sprained his right knee with 3:36 to play. It appeared the knee buckled as Alexander tried to fall down after a 9-yard gain.

He was helped off the field and looked to be in serious pain on a trainer's table on the sideline but walked off at the end of the game on his own power.

Before the injury, Alexander dominated with a 28-carry, 135-yard performance that included three touchdowns.

Alexander had X-rays taken of the injury and said he'll have an MRI today in Kirkland, but added that he felt better within moments after going down.

"I think I'm going to be all right. Hopefully it's nothing serious," he said. "They tried to cart me off. I was like, are you kidding me?"

"It's not his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament)," coach Mike Holmgren said.

The Seahawks won because they dictated the tempo of the game on offense and were able to shift the offense into cruise control in the fourth quarter. Defensively, players swarmed to the ball en masse.

"There's a lot of energy on this team, a lot of excitement, a lot of youth, and it's all channeled in the right direction," defensive end Grant Wistrom said. "Guys went out there and were ready to play from the beginning. It was a total team effort out there, and it was fun to be a part of."

	ROD MAR / THE SEATTLE TIMES Seattle's Terreal Bierria knocks a pass away from Boo Williams in the third quarter. Bierria led the Seahawks with nine tackles.

Holmgren said he wasn't sure how his defense was going to perform going into the game. He felt more confident after the Seahawks forced three turnovers — one interception and two fumbles — and got consistent pressure on Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks throughout the afternoon.

"A surprise? A pleasant surprise," Holmgren said. "They played how I hoped they play. They allowed us to hang in there."

The Seahawks' offense sputtered early, and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was intercepted by Saints cornerback Ashley Ambrose on Seattle's second possession of the game. When finally it appeared that the Seahawks were back on track midway through the first quarter, wide receiver Bobby Engram was stripped of the ball on the run, and New Orleans recovered the fumble.

The pass from Hasselbeck to Engram was for 38 yards but ended in a turnover.

But the Seahawks defense held its own. The front seven established itself early in limiting the Saints star running back, Deuce McAllister to just 57 yards. Defensive end Chike Okeafor sacked Brooks for a 9-yard loss, and the defense forced its first turnover in the first quarter when cornerback Bobby Taylor stripped tight end Boo Williams after a 7-yard gain and cornerback Ken Lucas recovered the fumble.

The hard hits, takedowns and post-play activity got going early, and Seattle's Ken Hamlin and New Orleans' Donte Stallworth were at the center of the smack talk. Hamlin already had a reputation for his hit prowess, having landed a forceful blow on Stallworth in the season opener in Seattle last year.

	ROD MAR / THE SEATTLE TIMES Seattle's Grant Wistrom, right, tracks New Orleans quarterback Aaron Brooks in the second half. Wistrom deflected a Brooks pass in the third quarter that was intercepted by Michael Boulware, leading to a Seahawks touchdown.

Hamlin wasn't the only confident defender, however. Other Seahawks, though perhaps not as vocal, got into the act in the first half. Wistrom, Okeafor and linebacker Anthony Simmons blitzed with more regularity than expected. Cornerback Marcus Trufant drilled McAllister on a screen play, forcing McAllister out of the game for a few moments.

At one point, Hamlin thumped Stallworth on the helmet after an incomplete pass. No flag was thrown, but Holmgren had a discussion with Hamlin on the sideline after the play.

"We know that the man on their team is Deuce," Lucas said of McAllister. "We did a pretty good job of stopping the running game and made them have to pass in most situations. We feel like we're talented enough to make plays when we have to.

"There were some bad things said out there. I typically don't get into all that jaw-jacking, but once somebody talks to you, you have to stand up for yourself. You can't let anybody take your integrity away. So I did a little talking back, but they were trying to get you out of your game."

Unfazed by two early turnovers, Hasselbeck and Alexander energized the Seahawks. The two hooked up on the first of three touchdowns for Alexander with a 14-yard screen pass that Alexander ran into the end zone on the first play of the second quarter.

That gave the Seahawks a 7-0 lead. They went up 14-0 on Alexander's first touchdown run, for 6 yards in the second quarter; and 21-7 on a third score for Alexander in the third quarter, this one featuring a nifty cutback from left to right from 9 yards out.

The last touchdown was a product of rookie Michael Boulware's first NFL interception, on a ball deflected by Wistrom. It set up the Seahawks at the New Orleans 26.

And Hamlin and Stallworth? Embracing and wishing each other well at the end of the game.

"You can disregard all that. It's just competition," Hamlin said. "No need to talk about the past."

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

For openers
The Seahawks are 9-20 all-time on Opening Day, and 3-3 under coach Mike Holmgren. Results since 1990:
Season	Coach	Result
1990	Chuck Knox	@ Chicago 17, Seattle 0
1991	Chuck Knox	@ New Orleans 27, Seattle 24
1992	Tom Flores	Cincinnati 21, @ Seattle 3
1993	Tom Flores	@ San Diego 18, Seattle 12
1994	Tom Flores	Seattle 28, @ Washington 7
1995	Dennis Erickson	Kansas City 34, @ Seattle 10
1996	Dennis Erickson	@ San Diego 29, Seattle 7
1997	Dennis Erickson	N.Y. Jets 41, @ Seattle 3
1998	Dennis Erickson	Seattle 38, @ Philadelphia 0
1999	Mike Holmgren	Detroit 28, @ Seattle 20
2000	Mike Holmgren	@ Miami 23, Seattle 0
2001	Mike Holmgren	Seattle 9, @ Cleveland 6
2002	Mike Holmgren	@ Oakland 31, Seattle 17
2003	Mike Holmgren	@ Seattle 27, New Orleans 10
2004	Mike Holmgren	Seattle 21, @ New Orleans 7

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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