Seahawks’ Clark wants to face the best. On Sunday against Dallas, he proved more than worthy

Frank Clark remembers the first time he faced Dallas Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith.

“I played him my rookie year, when we played out there in Dallas, and he gave me a hard time,” Clark said.

After that game, during which Clark was limited to a single tackle, he said he wanted nothing more than another chance to face Smith. The two matched up again last season, but Smith was battling injuries.

Sunday, in front of 69,047 at CenturyLink Field, Clark got another shot at the five-time Pro Bowl selection, and recorded his third sack in three games late in the third quarter, stalling a Dallas drive in the red zone.

“I was just focused on Tyron,” Clark said. “They say (he’s) the best offensive tackle in the game. That’s all I pride myself in doing. I like rushing against the best, that’s why I stay on the right side.

“No matter what the competition level is, no matter who I’m going against, I only rush from the right side against the left tackles, because I want to rush against the best every week.”

Clark recorded another tackle earlier in the drive, but his sack on third-and-6 with four minutes, 37 seconds remaining in the third forced a Dallas field goal, and preserved a two-possession lead for Seattle.

Clark has six tackles — including the three sacks — in Seattle’s first three games. But, he said Sunday’s 24-13 win was the first time this season he felt the defensive line flourished.

“I think that’s the real message behind all of this,” Clark said. “You always want to go up, you never want to go down. I feel like, for the past two weeks, we haven’t really given our 12s, haven’t really given our family, something to be proud of.”

Clark had the team’s only sack in a season-opening loss to Denver two weeks ago. Last week, he was the only player on the defensive line to record a sack against Chicago, while linebacker Mychal Kendricks had the other.

“The one thing we wanted to do was get out there, and get after the quarterback today,” Clark said.

And he was much more satisfied with the outcome against the Cowboys. The Seahawks combined for five sacks of Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott, with defensive tackle Jarran Reed recording a team-high two.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was pleased with the pass rush, and said defensive coordinator Ken Norton was effective in mixing in different looks.

“We pressured quite a bit today, and picked our spots well,” Carroll said. “It’s what contributed a lot to third down. Again, our coverages, our guys are doing a nice job on the deep end. They’re really keeping things in front. They’re breaking on the ball nice.

“We had some challenge wins on third downs, too, the guys in coverage. But, I think really mixing the pass rush of pressure and stuff was really effective today.”

Clark was fired up after sacking Prescott in the third, and said he thought he had a good performance against Smith, who he called “a legend,” despite still recovering from wrist surgery in June.

“At the end of the day, I’m a competitor,” Clark said. “I feel if you put the best on the field against me, I’m going to beat them.”

Clark continued to wear a brace on his arm Sunday, but said it doesn’t bother him and he doesn’t complain about it. He aims to continue to consistently improve each week, regardless of injury or opponent.

“I never want to stoop low to my competition, or raise my competition because of the type of player I’m playing,” Clark said. “I keep coming with the same effort every week, no matter who I’m playing, and the result continues to prove itself.”

This story was originally published September 23, 2018 at 7:11 PM.