The build up to the NFL season is gradual. Each step brings you closer to the real game. A meaningful moment occurs when the players don their pads for the first time. You get to see practice reps that are a better approximation of what a game will look like. Players who rise on these days can earn the respect of their coaches and teammates. Players who fall can tumble down the depth chart, and sometimes, off the roster. Today with that day at the VMAC. There was plenty to cover. Let’s get to it.
The stars were out, and so was the rain
I was about to walk into the lobby of the VMAC when I noticed a couple people coming up behind me. I held the door for them, and recognized a familiar face. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network strolled by me and offered a, “thank you,” for my courtesy. As he checked in at the desk, I walked into the mostly empty media room and saw Albert Breer of The MMQB sitting at the table in front of me. To my right, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
I introduced myself to Breer and asked if he a second to do a quick interview before practice. He was gracious and agreed to step outside for a chat you can watch here. As we walked back inside, Robert Mays of The Athletic had arrived and sitting to my left. Mays was a terrific guest on HB Mornings prior to the draft, so it was nice to shake his hand in person and congratulate him on the terrific Sean McVay interview he had recently posted.
The national firepower in the room was substantial, and you could feel the Seahawks staff wanting to put their best foot forward.
As a newbie among the press, I was pleasantly surprised by how humble and friendly all the guys were. Each of them were careful to ask if they were sitting in a local reporters seat in the media room. There was no ego or manspreading going on. It is nice to see good people being successful.
The bummer was that they were all here for what might be the only rainy day of the entire camp. Brace for the predictable jokes about Seattle weather when you read or watch their reports.
Mays looked like he was having a good sit-down with Mike Macdonald, while I think Breer was having a long talk with Ryan Grubb (memory might be off on who was talking to Grubb). I overheard Mays mention Sean McVay and saw a wide smile on Macdonald’s face. Whatever comes out of that should be fun.
Ronnie Lott was also in the house, among the family and friends section as his daughter is married to Leonard Williams.
Defense wins the day
It was a matter of time before Macdonald got the upper hand on Grubb and the offense. The defense felt significantly more enthusiastic about putting pads on than the offense, and that carried into team sessions.
Gone were the quick and accurate passes from Geno Smith. In their place, blanketed coverage forced him to hold onto the ball for extended periods of time and then ultimately improvise or scramble. He fired an early pass over the middle to D.K. Metcalf on a crossing route that Riq Woolen batted down. That would become one of the stories of the day.
Woolen had his best day of camp. He blanketed Metcalf, allowing precious few completions. The frustration for Metcalf eventually boiled over and he grabbed Woolen by the facemask as they jawed back and forth. It is easy to forget with all the talk about Woolen not being physical enough last year that he is one of the few players who can look Metcalf directly in the eye. His added weight this offseason made the light tussle more even than expected.
Woolen did more than cover well. He also showed solid run support, including a pad-popping stuff of a toss sweep. Woolen wasn’t the only suspect run defender who made a noteworthy play in run support. Darrell Taylor slid off his blocker into the hole and stopped the ball carrier for no gain.
Running up the middle was messy. The offense had some luck, but generally did better to the outside. Kobe Lewis has caught my eye with his muscular build and quick burst. He may have the tools to challenge guys like Kenny Macintosh (who has done nothing of note so far) and George Holani for the 3rd running back spot.
There were highlights galore for the defense.
Uchenna Nwosu shoulder-checked Jaxon Smith-Njigba nearly five feet toward the sideline in a play that looked like the classic wake-up call that this practice was going to be different.
Julian Love nabbed his second interception by showcasing the cagey defense the team wanted to secure for another three years. Metcalf was running an intermediate post from left-to-right. He made his break about 15 yards downfield and was running away from his defender into an open window. Smith saw it and threw a ball exactly where Metcalf was going to be. What he did not see was Love hiding out closer to the line of scrimmage and backpedaling right to where Smith was going to deliver the ball.
Love set the trap beautifully. He baited Smith into the throw and was rewarded with a relatively easy interception.
Tyrel Dodson had a great read on an early run play, flowing right into the hole and meeting the ball carrier in the backfield. He let out a scream and pounded his chest.
Devin Witherspoon was in tight coverage all day and was sure to let the offense know every single time something went the defense’s way. He was excitedly recounting a series with his starting teammates after they came off the field, “They can’t run that RPO on us!”
K’Von Wallace was as loud as ever. He had a blitz that would have been a sack of QB contact was allowed. His coverage was good as well.
Derick Hall had a nice bull rush against Charles Cross that pushed him into his quarterback.
It was not a dominant performance by the defense, but they easily won 70% of the reps against the starting offense. Tyler Lockett acknowledge as much in his press conference after practice.
These guys need to gain confidence in each other, themselves, and these new coaches. As fun as it was to see Smith and Metcalf and JSN and Grubb dominate the first few days, this team won’t go anywhere interesting if the defense does not gain the swagger needed to be a positive factor on game days.
1v1s
My favorite part of padded practices are the 1v1 pass rush drills. The big boys are the main event, but the undercard is the linebackers going against the running backs in blitz pickup 1v1s.
Grubb has said that running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu has been putting in extra work with Kenneth Walker on his pass protection so Walker can play more on 3rd downs and be an option as a weapon in those situations. Walker seemed to acquit himself well in the drill, and Polamalu was quick to cheer him on after each rep.
The big fellas did not disappoint. One of the first reps saw Anthony Bradford going against Byron Murphy. Murphy got off the snap and appeared to be trying to spin when Bradford grabbed him by the collar and threw him, back-first, to the ground. Everyone watching let out a, “ewwww.” People who were not watching glanced over to see what had made that loud thud.
Murphy was not hurt. Those of us watching agreed we had never seen anything like that ever happen in a 1v1 drill before. Bradford seemed to be making a point to the rookie. They would square off later and Bradford tried to throw Murphy to the ground again. Murphy held his own that time, but Bradford was the victor on this day.
The offensive line seemed to win the majority of the reps. Cross drew “oohs” when he went up against Nwosu. Cross just moves differently than the other linemen. His feet are so much quicker and his mirroring so much more fluid. He bottled up Nwosu on multiple snaps.
Mike Jerrell, the rookie 6th round pick from Findlay, had a really nice performance. He parried the rush moves of multiple players, finishing with a perfect rep against Boye Mafe. This was the type of flash that will get coaches attention. There were more than a few, “Atta boy, Mike!” shouts.
McClendon Curtis was more mixed but was mostly good. He stoned Taylor on one snap, only to have Taylor execute a beautiful spin back inside on the next snap for what would have been a sack.
Christian Haynes did fine. He was not beaten badly on any reps. He had one snap where he finished Myles Adams with the mean streak he was known for in college, which was nice to see. He did not flash as much as I had hoped with the pads on today. He does not appear to be a true candidate for the starting spot at right guard to this point. It is still, though, very early.
Hall absolutely mauled Stone Forsythe on one bull rush, sending Forsythe tumbling back at almost a sprinter’s speed.
Laken Tomlinson did fine. He had some good reps versus Leonard Williams and some less good reps.
Play of the day
Sam Howell had a better day today. The second string offense may have outperformed the first string for the first time. The highlight of the day came when he lofted a gorgeous pass down the left sideline to a streaking Jake Bobo who fully extended to dive and grab the ball before landing in the endzone for a touchdown. Easily one of the best catches I have seen in a camp practice over the years.