T.J. Houshmandzadeh doesn’t know why he was let go in Seattle. He just knows it wasn’t related to his ability.
“This is my opinion: me not being there, I can promise you, had nothing to do with football. Not in my opinion,” he told Baltimore reporters Tuesday, via the Baltimore Sun. “Nobody on that team beat me out. [If] they’re honest with themselves, they know that.
“If you watch practice, it’s obvious, but whatever reason, they did what they did. I’m not going to comment on it and get to throwing rocks because I just don’t want to.”
In Housh’s defense, he did lead the Seahawks in receptions and receiving yards last year. He was a useful piece to the puzzle, but we suspect the Seahawks tired of Housh thinking he was a corner piece.
We also think the front office knew Houshmandzadeh wouldn’t be back in 2011, when his bloated salary wasn’t guaranteed. So why delay the inevitable and take snaps away from the team’s young receivers?
Still, Houshmanzadeh’s ability mattered. There was also doubt about Housh’s ability to make plays after the catch following offseason surgery.
“I know I can get it done. They know I can get it done,” Houshmandzadeh said. “What they did, I don’t really want to comment on because it makes me really upset. But it happened.”
The Ravens will play Houshmandzadeh in the season opener against the Jets. They believe he can adapt to Cam Cameron’s system well after playing in a similar one with the Bengals.
For Tuesday at least, Housh was just trying to move on from Seattle. While throwing a few small pebbles in their direction.
“It’s refreshing to go from the situation I was in and to come here,” he said. “It’s hard to explain. You always want to be optimistic, and I’m an optimistic person at times, but it’s hard to be optimistic when you know what you’re going up against.”