A closer look at Friday’s practice

Published on August 5, 2011 by Tacoma News Tribune (Feed)     

Probably the biggest fan crowd of training camp was on hand for the Friday afternoon practice. The team certainly seemed more energized and alert. The hitting seemed better, too, as the defense dominated on many of the team-session plays. A big hit early was a little scary, too, as linebacker David Hawthorne decked Marshawn Lynch for a loss. Lynch took a while to get up, but did not miss any action thereafter.

A young guy really having an impact is safety Kam Chancellor. He showed his athleticism and size as a rookie, but this time around he’s displaying pretty impressive play-making ability. Friday was the third straight day he had an interception. Again, this one was on a tipped pass. He’s got a knack for being around the ball and the hands to come up with the play once the ball comes free. Rookie linebacker Malcolm Smith also had an interception of a Charlie Whitehurst pass.

Young receivers had nice days, too. Chris Carter had a couple nice catches, including a touchdown in the Red Zone. Doug Baldwin continues his good camp. Isaiah Stanback and Ricardo Lockette also had nice catches in the Red Zone session.

During 7-on-7, Sidney Rice had at least three notable catches.

Tarvaris Jackson looked more comfortable and accurate. He also showed what he can do with the wheels when chased from the pocket. He’s obviously fast enough to be a threat when he has to run.

Much of the practice involved special situations … Red Zone, clock management, etc. They even worked on their “Victory” formation in which the quarterback takes a knee.

Sometimes you can catch a few things when you watch that give you a look inside the minds of the coaches. Thursday’s practice featured an unacceptable number of fumbles on the center-quarterback exchange. Friday, while all the other Seahawks wore shorts (as they did Thursday), the centers wore cut-off football pants. The fit is a lot tighter and more closely replicates the game uniform. Perhaps the baggy shorts were considered an issue with the exchanges.

For at least several years, Seahawk receivers have punished themselves by doing push ups whenever they dropped a pass. Now, anybody who has a false start is pulled from the lineup and takes a lap of the field. It’s not so much that the lap is a punishment, but being yanked from the next play certainly makes the player concentrate more.

In a late drill working against the clock, a drive stalled and Brandon Coutu was called on to kick a final-second field goal from 48 yards. He missed.

Red Bryant did not practice. Coach Carroll is talking as I type, so we haven’t gotten an explanation. And receiver Ben Obomanu is gone due to a death in his family

Tags: Afternoon Practice, Athleticism, Baggy Shorts, Chris Carter, Clock Management, David Hawthorne, Doug Baldwin, Football Pants, Friday Afternoon, Fumbles, Interception, Isaiah Stanback, Malcolm Smith, Red Zone, Sidney Rice, Special Situations, Team Session, Unacceptable Number, Zone Clock, Zone Session