Seahawks feel they already have an in-house answer for NFL suspending run stopper Al Woods
The Seahawks have their second suspension in four days.
Their response to this one is more clear-cut.
The NFL announced it has suspended defensive tackle Al Woods for four games for violating its policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
The league said Friday Woods’ suspension begins immediately. That means for Seattle’s home game Sunday against Arizona, and next week’s NFC West championship game against San Francisco at CenturyLink Field.
“That’s the league business, and all that. There’s really not much we can say about it,” coach Pete Carroll said following Friday’s practice.
“He’s been a great kid in the program, and all that. We’ve loved what he has done, unfortunately.”
The Seahawks (11-3) have already qualified for the playoffs. Woods will be suspended for those games, as well. If Seattle wins its final two games, it will have a first-round bye. If it then plays two playoff games and wins them, Woods would become eligible to play in the Super Bowl.
The 32-year-old signed in May as a free agent after playing for five teams in nine seasons. He has played in every game this season, in on 47 percent of Seattle’s defensive snaps. The 6-foot-4, 330(plus)-pound Woods is a strong run-stuffer, winning matches with offensive linemen at the snap and controlling running lanes. His play has been underappreciated outside Seahawks headquarters, which is the norm for an interior defensive tackle on running downs.
“Yeah, he’s played big, really,” Carroll said. “He’s the guy, for years we’ve had a real big guy in there who has played for us, played three-technique (tackle, in the guard-center gap) for many years. He can also play nose tackle, which he did.”
On Monday, the NFL suspended wide receiver Josh Gordon indefinitely for PEDs and for violating its substance-abuse policy.
The in-house replacement for Woods on the Seahawks’ active roster has been in the locker room and in their practices for the last six weeks, and in the preseason before that.
The Seahawks signed Bryan Mone from their practice squad to take Woods’ place on the 53-man roster. The undrafted rookie defensive tackle was impressive in training camp and preseason games.
Carroll said he’s been so impressed with Mone while on the scout team and practice squad he showed the entire team three hustle highlights of the rookie from practices just this week.
“A guy who’s been right at the edge of it the whole season,” Carroll said. “Real big, strong guy that we love the ways he plays and competes.
“He’ll step right in.”
Carroll said Woods’ role he had in the first 14 games this season “is right up Mone’s alley.”
Mone is also a giant—6 feet 3, 345 pounds—who played even bigger than that as primarily a nose tackle at the University of Michigan. He initially signed as a rookie free agent in May. He had three tackles in Seattle’s opener against Cincinnati. He played in the next two games. The Seahawks then released him Sept. 26. Two days later they signed him to the practice squad, after he cleared waivers.
Seattle dropped Mone from the practice squad Oct. 23, then brought him back to stay Nov. 5.
What did he do those latest two weeks away?
“Oh, man, I was just getting my mind right, being with the family,” he said Friday, adding he stayed in the Seattle area.
“Feeling way better (now). ...I’ve come a long way, doing better on my technique.”
This story was originally published December 20, 2019 at 1:40 PM.
