Hawks Notes: Bernard's focus on sacks, not recognition

Rocky Bernard started with a chorus of no's long before the question was even finished. Even though the Seahawks defensive tackle is picking up sacks with increasing regularity, even though he leads NFL interior linemen with 8 ½ sacks and is putting up Pro Bowl-caliber numbers, he is not, by any means, expecting it.

"Nah. No. No. No. Nah. No. No," Bernard said. "Nothing like that, man. It's really nothing I'm doing, just all the guys getting pressure and stepping up. I'm just getting lucky."

That said, Bernard is enjoying his most productive season in four as a pro. He said that it took experience to be able to read defenses, to be able to see where an offensive lineman wants him to go and go the other way, in order to pile up sacks like he has this season.

"They come when they come," Bernard said of the sacks. "And when they come, you've got to make them."

Boulware rising

Last year, it seemed like Seahawks strong safety Michael Boulware made a game-saving play every week. Lately, he has at least made an interception in every other home game, a streak he continued with a pick of Giants quarterback Eli Manning on Sunday.

Boulware said he thought a receiver was behind him. Turned out he was all alone, and the ball "was right there, in my face."

Boulware also recorded interceptions at home against Dallas and St. Louis. Which makes this part of the season feel a little more like last year, he said.

"Last year, they seemed to be a little bit bigger, a little bit more frequent," Boulware said. "But as long as I'm getting them, I'm getting better. I definitely don't think I'm there. Hopefully, I'm on a roll, and I can keep this going as far as getting interceptions, but more so getting wins."

Rouen's best

Seahawks punter Tom Rouen pronounced his punting Sunday his best of the season. He averaged 45.6 yards on nine punts and pinned two inside the 20-yard line. All despite cold conditions that weren't suitable to that type of afternoon.

Just ask Jeff Feagles, the Giants' Pro Bowl punter. He averaged 37.3 yards.

"I hit the ball really well," Rouen said. "We're going against probably the best returner in the NFL [in Chad Morton]. I wouldn't say we shut him down, but he didn't get anything huge on us."

Interference again

When cornerback Marcus Trufant was whistled for pass interference in the second quarter, it was his third such penalty and the Seahawks' ninth of the season.

Coach Mike Holmgren had said earlier in the week that he thought Trufant and left cornerback Kelly Herndon struggled at San Francisco the weekend before, and the Seahawks' smaller secondary — which included Andre Dyson when Herndon left Sunday's game with a knee injury — would have to overcome a size differential against the Giants' tall receivers.

The 6-foot-5 Plaxico Burress had six catches for 109 yards. The 6-3 Amani Toomer had six for 62.

"You're not going to be able to stop everybody 100 percent of the time," Trufant said. "Our goal was to try to limit their plays. We knew we didn't play up to our standards last week."

Shaun goes national

ESPN ran an interview between Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander and analyst Michael Irvin before Sunday's game.

Irvin asked Alexander why the Seahawks had yet to give Alexander a new contract, and Alexander responded by saying it was a good question, but that he stays out of that business.

Asked where he ranks himself with the best running backs in the league, and if he is the best should he be paid as such, Alexander offered the following: "I have a hard time believing that anybody can be good if they don't think they're No. 1, so it's No. 1."

And the money? "What's fair is fair. Just be fair, and it's always going to work."

A Hasselbeck reunion

Chances are Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and his younger brother Tim, the Giants' backup QB, were only able to visit for a few minutes after Sunday's game.

Tim Hasselbeck didn't figure to get much time with Matt, in part because of Giants coach Tom Coughlin's rigid leadership and strict nature.

"I'm pretty sure I'll have maybe 15 minutes with him before I get on the bus," Tim said before the game. "They keep us under pretty tight wraps."

Cars and clinching

Holmgren wouldn't talk about clinching a division title and playoff spot last week, even though the Seahawks were a win and a St. Louis loss from doing both going into Sunday.

Seattle did its part, but the Rams defeated Houston in overtime and stayed mathematically alive in the NFC West.

"It probably comes from my old days selling cars," Holmgren said, recalling one of his college summer jobs as a salesman for a Ford dealership in San Francisco. "You never said you sold the car until the person signed the form, because anything can happen. So that's probably why I do what I do."

Feagles sets mark

Feagles, who played for the Seahawks from 1998 to 2002, established the NFL record for consecutive games played when he took the field for a punt in the first quarter. Feagles moved past Jim Marshall with his 283rd game in a row, and is now in sixth place on the NFL's games played list, having appeared in every game since his career began in 1988.

Referee Larry Nemmers handed Feagles the ball from his punt, and the milestone was announced to the crowd. Feagles, whose family was in attendance, acknowledged the crowd with a wave.

Notes

• Among the inactives for the Seahawks were DT Marcus Tubbs, who was to be a game-time decision because of his strained left calf, and TE Itula Mili, deactivated for the 11th straight game. Bernard started in Tubbs' place.

• WR Darrell Jackson roamed the Seahawks' sideline in support of his teammates. Jackson is coming back from knee surgery and hasn't played in the past seven games.

• RG Chris Gray broke former Seahawks DT Cortez Kennedy's franchise record for most consecutive starts with his 101st Sunday.

• S Etric Pruitt was activated for a game for the first time this season, replacing injured S John Howell on special teams.

Best starts
The Seahawks are 9-2 for only the second time in franchise history. The best starts:
Start	Year	Coach	How season ended (playoffs)
12-2	1984	Knox	12-4 (lost to Miami in 2nd round)
9-2	2005	Holmgren
8-2	1999	Holmgren	9-7 (lost to Miami in 1st round)