Uneven start, strong finish for Hawks' Frye

Uneven start, strong finish for Hawks' Frye
QB hangs in for win after some early poor throws
By CLARE FARNSWORTH
P-I REPORTER

Charlie Frye was expecting to start the Seahawks' preseason home opener. But the team's No. 3 quarterback wasn't anticipating being around until the bitter-turned-better end.

The coaches wanted to take a long, hard look at Frye, who had thrown only three passes -- in last week's preseason opener, at that -- since being acquired last October in a trade with the Cleveland Browns.

So there was Frye, bouncing back from a three-interception performance to lead a 69-yard drive in overtime to a game-winning field goal by rookie Brandon Coutu.

"I think I settled down a lot more as the game went on," Frye said after the 29-26 victory over the Chicago Bears at Qwest Field.

But only after making some unsettling plays, including throwing a pass under duress from his own end zone that was intercepted by Bears backup cornerback Corey Graham and returned 6 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Coach Mike Holmgren was diplomatic in his postgame evaluation.

"I will reserve judgment until I see the film," he said.

What Holmgren will see is the same inconsistent quarterback that has been following one good throw with a poor one on the practice field the past three weeks at training camp.

Frye hit only two of his first six passes, but then went 5 of 7 in the second quarter. He threw two interceptions in the third quarter, but then hit his only pass on the overtime drive.

His efforts made for a 38.9 passer rating -- 20 of 35 for 209 yards and those three interceptions.

But the coaches had to see it in a game situation to realize that Frye probably is not the passer -- at least not yet -- who will allow them to unleash the athletic ability of backup QB Seneca Wallace as a situational receiver/runner/returner.

To be fair, Frye was under pressure from a Bears defense that blitzed early and often on a hot, muggy evening.

"All things considered, I thought Charlie did a nice job of hanging in there," said Matt Hasselbeck, the team's Pro Bowl quarterback who did not play after sitting out most of the week with a stiff back.

"There was a lot of adversity. They were throwing some blitzes at us that we really hadn't prepared much for."

Frye did audible into a couple of running plays that went for big gains.

"Charlie recognized what they were doing," Hasselbeck said. "Chicago has a great defense and they do a nice job of disguising.

"So it was great that he got to play the whole game."

After almost throwing the game away, Frye rebounded to lead three consecutive scoring drives in the fourth quarter.

"That's an awful feeling when you do something like that," Frye said of the play that turned into a Bears touchdown. "But I fought back, the offense fought back."

Frye also was a couple of Bear claws away from two big plays, as Chicago cornerbacks Nathan Vasher and Trumaine McBride broke up passes to wide receiver Jordan Kent in the end zone and near the goal line.

"Charlie gave me a couple of good balls," said Kent, who finished with four receptions for 50 yards. "I probably should have done a better job of judging the ball."

The flip side of those throws was Frye throwing behind Kent on his first interception, into coverage on his second and the ill-advised chuck from the end zone on the third.

"Obviously, we can't throw that many interceptions," Holmgren said. "That's bad."





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