Former Hawk finishes with six receptions, 123 yards

The ball bounced off Jerheme Urban's hands, high in the air, and back into his waiting arms as he crossed the goal line.

It had been three years since his last touchdown at Qwest Field -- that one coming as a member of the Seahawks -- but Urban was in no mood for sentimentality.

Like that game three Decembers ago, the seminal moment of his return to Seattle came in a loss, the playoff aspirations of his current team, the Arizona Cardinals, dealt a blow after the Seahawks routed the Cardinals 42-21 on Sunday.

"It would have felt a little bit better if it would have put us ahead or something," Urban said. "It kept us in it for a little while. Scoring a touchdown here is nice, but I would give it up for a 'W'."

Urban certainly did all he could.

Arizona's Pro Bowl receivers, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, were hobbled with injuries. Boldin, bothered by a dislocated toe, was inactive for the game. Fitzgerald started and played despite a groin strain.

Arizona opened the game with a three-receiver set, with Urban, who had missed the past three games because of a heel injury, as one of the starters. After a quiet first half in which he was held without a catch, Urban became quarterback Kurt Warner's big-play receiver in the second half, finishing with six receptions and a game- (and career-) high 123 yards.

His 2-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter cut the Seahawks' lead to 27-14, and capped a 13-play, 83-yard drive, easily the Cardinals' most impressive offensive display of the afternoon.

The 6-foot-3, 212-pound Urban is not blessed with top-end speed, but what he does possess is a knack for finding seams in the secondary, and against Seattle, which often used linebackers to cover him on underneath routes, Urban continually found himself behind the defense.

Aside from his scoring play, the remainder of Urban's catches went for 15 yards or longer -- going for 15, 22 (twice), 24 and 38 yards.

"I think he was reading the defense well," Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant said. "They had him in the slot and he was moving around, and then let him be the inside man where he could make plays."

Urban spent much of last season on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad after being waived by the Seahawks after the 2005 season.

He was cut by the Cowboys at the end of training camp this season and picked up by Arizona, and was inactive for the Cardinals' first three games.

In his first game this season, a 21-14 victory over Pittsburgh on Sept. 30, Urban caught a touchdown pass, his first since Dec. 6, 2004, when he was a member of the Seahawks.

Though he is grateful for the opportunity that the Seahawks gave him, taking the chance on an undrafted free agent from tiny Trinity University, Urban is excited about his new situation.

"I just need to be ready when called upon," Urban said. "That's my role. I need to be an extra playmaker for them. Hopefully, I can do some things where I can make this a home for a while."