Hawks' Payne likes his chances

KIRKLAND -- After the Seahawks' victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday night, Bobby Engram gathered the other wide receivers around him and offered a few words of encouragement.

With the roster cuts to 75 (done Monday) and 53 (Saturday) players looming, the savvy veteran knew his group of 11 would soon be five or six, and there were some things that needed to be said.

"I just wanted to let them know, as far as from top to bottom, it's probably the best group I've been around," said Engram, now in his 12th season. "Normally, you have some drop-off. That hasn't been the case this summer, with these guys.

"So I told them, 'No matter what happens, there's no need to hang your heads,' " he added. "They've got skills. They can all play in this league. It's just a numbers thing."

Logan Payne has been the poster boy for Engram's words.

From the first practice at the first spring minicamp to the final snap of the final full practice before Thursday night's preseason finale against the Oakland Raiders at Qwest Field, all the rookie free agent from Minnesota has done is catch almost everything thrown in his direction and done everything the coaches have asked of him.

But will it be enough?

The top five spots have been decided -- with Deion Branch as the starting flanker; Engram as the slot receiver; D.J. Hackett or Nate Burleson, or perhaps a job-sharing situation, at split end; and Ben Obomanu as the fifth. If the coaches decide to carry a sixth receiver, it should be sixth-round draft choice Courtney Taylor.

So where does that leave Payne? And fellow rookie free agent Joe Fernandez? And sixth-round draft choice Jordan Kent? (Chris Jones and Robert Ortiz were released Monday.)

The club could carry two on the practice squad.

"I do feel good about it," Payne said of the way he approached what could have been a frustrating situation. "I just came out every day with the same attitude. I didn't get too high or too low.

"I took advantage of the opportunities I got," he said. "As a free agent, that's what you have to do. You have to take advantage of those opportunities, because the way it works out you don't get a lot."

His prime-time opportunity will come Thursday night, when the starters are expected to play sparingly before turning over the rest of the game to those battling for spots on the 53-man roster or eight-man practice squad.

Other spots to keep an eye on are tight end, where five must be trimmed to three; linebacker, where the dilemma is whether to keep six or seven, and which one goes if it's only six; and safety, where Michael Boulware, the incumbent starter at strong safety, needs a strong performance to ensure even making the roster as a backup.

Payne can share their, well, pain.

His four months with the Seahawks have been a baptismal by blowtorch, as Payne has tried to make all the catches while playing catch-up in learning the intricacies of a sophisticated passing game.

Payne put up big numbers (74 receptions for 1,250 yards and 23 touchdowns) as a senior at Land O' Lakes (Fla.) High School, where he was the favorite target of Drew Weatherford, now at Florida State.

"We threw a lot of go routes and out routes," Payne said with a laugh. "That was about it."

Then, it was on to the University of Minnesota, where the Golden Gophers aren't exactly known for their passing game. Payne caught 96 passes in 46 games.

"I came in playing receiver, where I've never even been in a passing offense," he said.

That only makes his efforts with the Seahawks even more impressive.

"All of them have pleased me, and maybe even surprised me a little bit, at learning the offense and picking it up as quickly as they did," receivers coach Nolan Cromwell said of the group in general, and Payne specifically.

"I'm happy that they've worked so hard," he added, "and are making it a tough decision for all of us."

TODAY

SEAHAWKS VS. RAIDERS

7 p.m., Qwest Field

TV/RADIO: KING/5; KIRO-AM/710

FOCUS ON: THE BIG 3-0

Shaun Alexander is having a birthday bash, and you're all invited.

Only the franchise running back could turn 30 on the 30th, and do it on a night when the Seahawks are hosting the Oakland Raiders in their preseason finale. Remember, Alexander ran for a franchise-record 266 yards against the Raiders in a 2001 game at Husky Stadium.

That won't happen Thursday night, because the starters will play sparingly at Qwest Field. But that fact won't rain on Alexander's birthday parade.

"I turn the great, magic number of 30 -- the new 20," Alexander said.

In another Alexander-esque twist, Thursday night also kicks off his "Stuff the Bus" campaign, where fans are asked to bring school supplies to the game that will be distributed to kids from low-income families.

"People always want to know what to get me; that would be a great gift if people came and stuffed the bus," Alexander said.

"We're trying to help 7,000 students. I think it's an exciting thing."