Seahawks Notebook | Courtney Taylor back with feeling

KIRKLAND — Courtney Taylor is an excitable kind of guy who tells it like it is. And there was no hiding his emotions about returning to practice from a nagging hamstring that has forced him out of all or part of every session since July 27.

"Man, I'm back. I'm back. Feeling good getting back out there running around. It's awesome. It's awesome just to be back. That training room is no place you want to be," Taylor proclaimed after Sunday morning's practice.

Who can blame him for wanting out of the training room at team headquarters? The place is full of players getting treatment — 18 in all — and who aren't able to practice. Taylor, a wide receiver, had been one of those until Sunday, and he had hardly been able to control himself because of how badly he wanted to get back.

That desire was fueled by the hot competition at his position, where a handful of receivers are battling for one or two final roster spots. Taylor made the team as a rookie last season.

"It's really tough," Taylor said, "but at the same time, I have to be healthy to be able to compete, and that was my main concern."

Taylor, who caught five passes for 38 yards in 2007, was limited to individual drills in practices Sunday. He hopes to progress to team drills today.

"I'm going to go up in there and say 'Let me go, let me go,' because I feel good, I didn't feel no biting or anything," Taylor said.

Taylor was a supportive teammate during his absence, congratulating the young receivers after big plays at Saturday's scrimmage. He took some advice from veteran teammate Bobby Engram not to force things, in hopes of being ready for the first exhibition game Friday at Minnesota.

"I'm happy for those guys, because I was in that same boat last year," Taylor said. "Out there making plays ... It gets me fired up a little bit inside, like, 'Hey, I can make plays like that.' That's just my competitive streak."

Angleton All-Stars

Seahawks offensive lineman Ray Willis proudly shares a hometown with one of Saturday's Pro Football Hall-of-Fame inductees — former defensive back Emmitt Thomas. That town is Angleton, Texas — home to about 19,000 residents located 30 miles south of Houston and 12 from the Gulf of Mexico.

Willis said Thomas is a friend of his relatives, and that the town has quite a football legacy — besides Thomas and Willis, San Diegos cornerback Quentin Jammer and Detroit Lions linebacker Gilbert Gardner are from Angleton.

Note

• Coach Mike Holmgren said the length of time his veteran players will play Friday in the exhibition opener will be dictated mainly by injuries throughout the roster. In the past, regulars have played a couple of series and then exited.