Plackemeier punts again for Seahawks

Plackemeier punts again for Seahawks
FRANK HUGHES; frank.hughes@thenewstribune.com
Published: August 24th, 2008 01:00 AM | Updated: August 24th, 2008 07:09 AM

RENTON – When the Seattle Seahawks signed punter Reggie Hodges, it was widely assumed that he was there to mildly push incumbent Ryan Plackemeier in training camp, while taking enough of the punts that it wouldn’t wear out Plackemeier’s leg.

But when Plackemeier tore a pectoral muscle during an offseason minicamp and Hodges was the team’s exclusive punter for a few months, he did well enough that coach Mike Holmgren quickly pronounced it an open competition.

Whether that was motivational coach-speak or reality, Plackemeier gets his first chance to answer Hodges on Monday night, when the Seahawks play the San Diego Chargers in a nationally televised game.

“I looked at it like that all the time,” Plackemeier said. “When they brought him in, I knew he was a good punter. Every guy they have brought in here, I have said it is a competition. Even if you are beating a guy out in camp, there are guys all around the league who can do the job. So it is always a competition. That is how you have to treat your job at this level.”

Plackemeier has been punting in practice for almost two weeks, but the coaches did not permit him to participate against the Chicago Bears last week as a precautionary measure. Even against the Chargers, they want him to hold on field goals and punt, but if a returner happens to get loose, they don’t want him to tackle.

“If a guy breaks free, I have to delay him. But I don’t want to go in full bore,” Plackemeier said with a grin.

While other positions compete for jobs, special teams are an oddity because they generally practice on their own field, off to the side.

That means that Plackemeier spends most of his time with Hodges, while Olindo Mare and rookie Brandon Coutu spend an inordinate amount of time together – becoming close while trying to make the other guy unemployed.

“Reggie has become a good friend of mine, actually,” Plackemeier said.

“I heard (wide receiver) Logan (Payne) talk about it recently. You have a respect for the guy you are playing against, help each other out as much as you can. We would both like to see each other play in the games. I would like to see him play Sundays on the other sideline. I am rooting for him, he is rooting for me.

“All I can do is control how I kick the ball. He does the same. And all we do is go out and perform. It is not tense. I am not rooting for him to shank a ball; I want him to punt his best. And if I win the job, that means I punted better.”

In truth, since Plackemeier has returned, Hodges appears to have felt the pressure and caved a bit. Earlier this week, while Plackemeier got off a few big bombs, Hodges sent three punts fluttering to the sidelines.

Of course, both are trying to adjust to new conditions. When the Seahawks were practicing in Kirkland, the field was surrounded by trees and the team’s offices that for the most part blocked the wind.

Now, with the new facility on the shores of Lake Washington, a brisk breeze often blows across the three outdoor fields and wreaks havoc with the punters’ and kickers’ balls.

Special teams coach Bruce DeHaven said he prefers his players to practice in worse conditions so they’ll be used to them during the season.

“Then, every once in a while, I’ll send them indoors to reassure them that they can still kick,” DeHaven said.

DeHaven said it is usually a punter’s third or fourth season before he “gets it” in the NFL, meaning he understands the nuances of what a team needs.

Plackemeier is entering his third season, and he said he thinks Plackmeier is on the verge of becoming the punter the Seahawks envision.

“I came in hitting 55- or 60-yard punts, and that is not all there is at this level,” Plackemeier said. “We have to stick them inside the 20. We have to get hang time when we have guys like (Devin) Hester and Dante Hall. There are so many aspects of it. It is not just stand back there and get off a good punt.

“I felt like last year I understood it. Did I execute it every time?

No. But I am looking forward to this year because I know how to execute it.”

Extra points

Coutu missed his second straight day of practice because he is nursing a sore groin. It is not known if he will play against the Chargers. … Meanwhile, defensive tackle Larry Tripplett returned to practice for the first time in three weeks after suffering a knee injury. After practice, he got in extra work running up the 40-foot tall berm that flanks the field.




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