KIRKLAND, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks addressed a glaring problem during their five-game winning streak, signing veteran long snapper Jeff Robinson to replace the erratic Boone Stutz.
Robinson is a 14-year veteran who most recently played for the St. Louis Rams in 2005. He will play in his 182nd NFL game Sunday when the NFC West champions (9-4) play at Carolina (5-8).
Robinson, taken by Denver in the fourth round of the 1993 draft as a defensive end, was part of a group of snappers Seattle tried out on Tuesday. A day earlier, coach Mike Holmgren lamented he was spending too much time worrying about what should be the routine tasks of snapping to kicker Josh Brown and punter Ryan Plackemeier.
"The snap, like the snap from center (to quarterback) or anything that you think should be fairly automatic, we can't think that much about it," Holmgren said. "And certainly our kicker can't, and our punter can't. If all of a sudden they go, 'Where is it going, and what's happening here?' then that affects how they play."
Stutz, formerly of Atlanta, played in eight games after Seattle signed him earlier this season to replace Derek Rackley, another former Falcons snapper.
Stutz was powerful -- too powerful. His snaps got back quickly but often not in the right place, like a fastball pitcher who lacked control. He was especially wild on field goals. Plackemeier, also the holder, often had to reach for the ball and then rush a placement. That contributed to a mini-slump by Brown, who is usually automatic.
Stutz's last chance before he was waived Tuesday was a botched snap on an extra point near the end of Sunday's 42-21 rout of Arizona that clinched Seattle's fourth consecutive division title.
