ENGRAM IS BACK, AND HE’S STILL NOT HAPPY

Seahawks receiver Bobby Engram has returned to practice after missing the first three games of the season with a shoulder injury. Instead of simply expressing pleasure that he’s now able to get back to playing the game that he loves, Engram is griping again about his contract. “You would hope that you’re appreciated before something like that has to take place,” Engram, 35, said regarding the struggles that the team has endured to field healthy receivers in light of the injuries to Engram and others. So, basically, Engram is saying that the Seahawks should pay him a bunch of money so that, when he’s injured and unable to play, they will have invested a bunch of cash in a guy who’ll be standing around in street clothes. Actually, Engram’s situation supports an argument against overpaying an aging wideout. Every team needs to keep enough cap space available to sign quality backups. In Seattle, the receivers depth chart is and has been top heavy of late, with Deion Branch, Nate Burleson, and Engram backed up by Moe, Larry, and Curly. And the truth is that Engram’s absence did as much damage to Engram’s interests as it did to the team’s. With a contract that expires after the 2008 season, Engram needs to have a big year in order to attract big money as a free-agent. The last time Engram hit the market, he was coming off a year in which he appeared in only seven games, catching 24 passes for 290 yards. And so he languished on the shelf before re-signing with the Seahawks. He’s primarily upset because he had the best season of his 12-year career in 2007, but he was bound by the terms of a contract that still covered one more season. Engram could have signed a one-year deal only in 2007. He chose to sign a two-year contract, presumably in order to pocket a little more bonus money. And with the Seahawks willing to let him hit the market again in 2009, another 24-catch season will mean that his chance at getting a significant payday has evaporated.