Shaquill Griffin becomes Seahawks’ third Pro Bowl player. Guess who he’s replacing?
Shaquill Griffin entered this Seahawks season vowing to rebound from what he thought was his “D, D-plus” 2018.
He’s ending it in the Pro Bowl. Playing in his college home city.
Seattle’s third-year starting cornerback has been selected for this weekend’s NFL all-star game in Orlando, Fla., 25 mintues from where he went to school at the University of Central Florida.
Griffin is replacing Richard Sherman. The former Seahawks All-Pro cornerback, selected to the Pro Bowl last month, is preparing to play in Super Bowl 54 the following week for the San Francisco 49ers against the Kansas City Chiefs in Miami.
Monday morning, Griffin’s college team trumpeted his promotion from Pro Bowl alternate to first-time all-star.
Griffin becomes the third Seahawks player in this Pro Bowl. The league announced last month quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner are starters for the game.
Griffin lost weight before the 2019 season, down to 194 pounds. He said he also became less focused on his statistics and more on selfless play. He was in the top 15 in the NFL in passes defensed with 13 this season. Quarterbacks completed just 57.1 percent of throws in Griffin’s direction. Some foes almost exclusively targeted cornerback Tre Flowers on the opposite side of Seattle’s defense instead.
In October, Griffin compared his 2019 success to 2018 struggles.
“I feel like my last couple of years was about how many stats I had, or what I could get, instead of keeping my focus on ‘What can I do for this team, or how can I help this team win?’” he said. “Even if it was in practice, making the guy across from me better, or just doing what I need to do right for my play to make sure everything goes correctly. That’s the type of mindset that I brought in this year.
“I’ve been having more fun seeing guys make plays. Not just myself, seeing Tre Flowers having the first pick of his career, things like that motivate me even more. I’m having fun seeing those guys make plays. That just comes from not thinking of myself, being selfless, and watching guys do great. ...
“I feel like I was being selfish in a way. I’ve never been that type of guy, nowhere in my life have I ever been selfish. I feel like thinking the way I was thinking last year was kind of selfish. I feel like I had to change the way I was thinking for myself. Not just helping me become a better player, but a better person, a better man. That’s the type of mindset I was thinking in the offseason.
“I brought it into this season. Putting others before myself. That’s the type of mindset I came in with.”
Griffin, Wilson and Wagner will have familiar coaches at this Pro Bowl. Pete Carroll and his Seahawks staff are coaching the NFC team this week. Coaches from the teams with the best record in each conference that lost in the divisional round of the playoffs this month become the Pro Bowl staffs.
Seattle (12-6) lost at Green Bay in the divisional playoffs Jan. 12.
This story was originally published January 20, 2020 at 12:23 PM.
