Seahawks' Kacyvenski still standing

The linebackers have come and gone, out of the league or to new teams.

Some were bigger, faster and more athletic. Chad Brown. Anthony Simmons. Levon Kirkland. Orlando Huff. Randall Godfrey. Marcus Bell. Solomon Bates.

Isaiah Kacyvenski played with all of the above. And he is the last man standing with the Seahawks .

It's a testament to his work ethic and desire, his ability to overcome injury and still play football all-out, sacrificing his body to cover kickoffs and punt time after time, week after week. Others may have brought more talent and athleticism to the table, but Kacyvenski has outlasted them all.

"First of all, he's the hardest worker there is," teammate J.P. Darche said. "He doesn't take a day off. He's fun to make fun of and easy to pick on. He's very sensitive. But he's a good example for the young guys that come in. It changes our special teams if he's there or if he's hurt. It's a big difference."

All friendly barbs aside, Kacyvenski treats every new season like it will be his last. And it almost has been. But Kaz makes it too difficult for the Seahawks coaches to let him go, and that remains his mission.

It seemed appropriate that on Thursday, the day the Seahawks went to see the movie "Invincible," the story of a man off the street who fashioned a three-year pro football career because of heart and hustle, Kacyvenski got into a scuffle with a teammate in practice because of his breakneck style.

To be fair, Kacyvenski was a fourth-round draft pick out of Harvard in 2000. But he has turned special-teams play into his calling card and the reason why he is still in the NFL after six seasons.

"I have to say I love my job," Kacyvenski said. "I love all the little things. The meetings, the practices, everything. It kills me when I'm not out there, and I actually enjoy training camp just because it's nice. We're out by ourselves and we can just focus on football."

Kacyvenski recently spent a little more than a week recovering from a torn quadriceps. He came back after missing eight practice days, but never wanted to leave in the first place, trying to play through the pain.

Before the injury, Kacyvenski came to training camp in perhaps the best shape of his career. He'd trimmed his weight 11 pounds to about 235.

"It's funny, you're getting older and this is my seventh year, so you just have to make sure everything's fine-tuned as you come into camp," he said. "I was ready to go and I still am, it was just a little speed bump."

Getting hit by Kacyvenski is more like a violent collision than a speed bump. Many have known that feeling.

The Seahawks thought highly enough of Kacyvenski to make him the season-opening starter at middle linebacker in 2002. But Kacyvenski suffered a high ankle sprain midway through the year and was done.

In 2004, the injury bug struck the Seahawks, and a healthy Kacyvenski started 13 games at outside linebacker. But the Seahawks' defense struggled again, just as it had the previous two years, and since the end of the 2004 season the team has overhauled the linebacker position.

But Kacyvenski is the mainstay.

"Isaiah has played for us, has started games for us, but he knows we have upgraded our linebacker positions, so he knows his role has changed a little bit," coach Mike Holmgren said. "He must be an outstanding player on special teams. That's their ticket to stay. They understand that, and that's why they are the players on special teams, and we need them."

After the years of uncertainty and sometimes being the last linebacker to win a spot on the 53-man roster, the only person in the Kacyvenski household who worries about his NFL future is Kacyvenski's wife, Lauren.

"But she's getting better," Kacyvenski said. "You just have to roll with the punches. That's the healthiest mindset you can have."

Roll with the punches, but do all you can to stick around. That includes making plays in practices and in games and coming into the season ready for the competition.

"You can't be looking over your shoulder every time you're playing," Kacyvenski said. "I can play the best that I can play, and that's it. Then they [coaches] make the decisions after that.

"The NFL is survival of the fittest. I know that, everyone knows that. Until they guarantee contracts, that's the way it's always going to be."

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