Seahawks safeties come of age

DETROIT — Last season, Michael Boulware and Marquand Manuel lined up side by side — on the Seattle Seahawks sideline, where they were reserve safeties.

Tomorrow in Super Bowl XL against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Boulware and Manuel will again be side by side — in the Seahawks secondary as starting safeties.

Throw in the fact that both played collegiately in the state of Florida — Boulware at Florida State and Manuel at Florida — and it appears the two have much in common.

But that assumption would be wrong.

Boulware was a second-round draft choice by Seattle in 2004. Manuel was cut by Cincinnati before the 2004 opener when the Bengals signed former Redskins player Ifeanyi Ohalete.

Boulware is a converted linebacker still learning to play safety. Manuel has always played safety and is a film room warrior.

Boulware is one of four children. Manuel is one of 18 kids.

This unlikely duo combined for 144 tackles in the regular season. Boulware started every game at strong safety and Manuel entered the lineup after free safety Ken Hamlin was injured in a fight following Seattle’s fifth game.

“It didn’t take long at all [to get used to each other],” Boulware said. “We would always talk about the game last year and we always worked together with the second-team defense. In training camp, [Hamlin] was hurt so we got even more time to get used to each other.”

Boulware led Seattle with four interceptions this season, impressive considering he’s still learning the position.

“I’m still raw,” he said. “I’m just out there playing and having fun right now. I don’t have a method to my madness yet.”

Manuel, 26, is the ninth of John and Mary Manuel’s 18 children, who range in age from 14 to 39. Marquand’s parents each brought kids into their marriage and then had five children together.

“It was a traditional Brady Bunch situation,” Marquand said. “The biggest thing it taught me was how to overcome adversity and how to pick friends and trust them. At home, I had older sisters to fight with but bring you along and older brothers to learn from.”

Manuel said the most crowded the family’s three-bedroom home got was nine children and two parents. He didn’t have his own room until college.

While declining to name all 17 siblings — “I did it all the time in college and got tired of doing it,” he said — Manuel called growing up in a full house a “fun experience.”

“Dinner time was fun time because that’s when you got to see everybody,” he said.

A sixth-round draft pick by Cincinnati in 2002, Manuel was a part-time starter for the Bengals but was cut in September 2004. He drove home to Florida before being picked up by Seattle on waivers. When Hamlin was involved in his altercation, Manuel stepped in.

“Marquand was a great special teams player but we weren’t quite sure what was going to happen with him at safety,” coach Mike Holmgren said. “But he’s done a marvelous job. He’s had to battle for his place his whole life. I can’t say enough about that young guy.”

Boulware said Manuel has been important in his element despite the two having minimal starting experience.

“About 70 percent of my knowledge at safety has come from him,” he said. “He’s my coach on the field. He’s definitely more physical and is more advanced in his knowledge.”