Seahawks return from productive bye, Pete Carroll gives unheard-of description of ‘Snacks’
The Seahawks are back from what their coach says was their most productive bye week ever.
“Because everyone was here,” coach Pete Carroll said.
They stayed home, got daily COVID-19 tests, passed them all—even did some rare bye-week workouts at the team facility during their last week “off.”
Here’s what else they accomplished from their bye week off: Their coach came up with an unheard-of description for their new, one-of-a-kind defensive tackle.
Damon Harrison has been described with so many adjectives during his starring NFL career. Big. Mammoth. All-Pro. Run-stuffing. Enormous.
Monday, his new coach gave the man who redefines his listed weight of 350 pounds a new one.
“He looks really good,” Carroll said following the 5-0 team’s return to practice Monday.
“He looks svelte.”
What?
At age 69 and the league’s oldest coach, Carroll doesn’t have a ton of firsts anymore. But Monday he became the first person to describe Harrison that way. A lineman the width of a freeway who goes by the nickname of “Snacks” can’t ever have been termed “svelte.”
“That’s for sure,” Carroll said, laughing at his inaccurate adjective.
As for his truly sleek players...
All-Pro strong safety Jamal Adams’ availability for the Seahawks’ first NFC West game of the season Sunday at the Arizona Cardinals (4-2) will be a story for Seattle all week. Adams hasn’t played since leaving the fourth quarter of Seattle’s win over Dallas Sept. 27. He’s had a strained groin.
The intent of the team holding Adams out of its home win over Minnesota Oct. 11 was so Adams could have almost a full month of rest and recuperation before this weekend’s game at Arizona.
Yet Carroll was non-committal Monday about his 24-year-old star playing Sunday against the Cardinals.
“We’ve got to get through the week and see what happens,” Carroll said. “Give him these days and figure it out. Take full advantage of the time and make sure that we’re doing the right thing, taking care of him and looking after him.
“It’s a long season, again. We’d love to have him back as soon as we can get him, but we want to have him back when he’s right and back for the long haul.”
Formerly discouraged practice-squad afterthought Ryan Neal has emerged in his first two NFL starts the last two games for Adams. Neal has produced his first two interceptions and dependable tackling immediately after catches and close to the line of scrimmage on run plays. He’s been so impressive Seahawks legend Kam Chancellor has started tutoring him.
Carroll reiterated Monday Neal has earned to continue playing with the starting defense whenever Adams does return.
That likely means Neal is the new sixth, dime defensive back over reserve strong safety Lano Hill.
Carroll said Hill’s back injury is a long-term issue. He inferred injured reserve might be a next option for the team’s 2017 draft choice who is in the final year of his rookie contract, though the coach stopped just short of saying that.
The Seahawks have also signed former Green Bay Packers first-round pick and starter at safety Damarious Randall since Adams got hurt. Randall has been active up from the practice squad for the last two games. Carroll is intrigued at Randall being in extra defensive-back packages and other ways over the final 11 games of the regular season and beyond.
Chance for ‘Snacks’ to show
Harrison has been on the practice squad since signing two weeks ago. He stayed there for the Vikings game. Seahawks coaches thought the 2016 All-Pro wasn’t yet fit to play—wasn’t svelte enough yet, as it were.
He hasn’t played in 9 1/2 months, since his final game for the Detroit Lions last season.
“I’m excited to get him out there and just get him in the mix. We really haven’t had a great look (at him yet),” Carroll said.
“I’m excited,” the coach said. “He’s a great guy, and I’m hoping he can help us out.”
The Seahawks continue to need depth on the defensive line. Part of the reason Seattle has allowed more yards than any team in NFL history through five games (471.2 yards per game) is its defensive front has failed to get consistent pressure on comfortable quarterbacks who have shredded the Seahawks’ secondary down the field.
Adams is Seattle’s co-leader in sacks, with two. And he hasn’t played in almost a month. The defensive line has seven sacks in five games. Mayowa, an end, has two of those seven D-line sacks.
Veteran edge rusher Bruce Irvin was supposed to be leading the pass rush. He had season-ending knee surgery two weeks ago. He posted, triumphantly, on his social-media account Sunday he was off crutches.
He is on a one-year contract. He turns 33 on Nov. 1. When a fan wrote to him last week on Twitter that he was counting on seeing Irvin back with the Seahawks for the 2021 season, Irvin responded online: “If it ain’t Seattle. I’m calling it a career buddy”
The Seahawks drafted Darrell Taylor in the second round this spring to be one of their top “Leo,” weakside defensive ends and edge pass rushers. But the rookie has yet to practice with his new team. He remains on the non-football-injury list following surgery Jan. 30. Doctors put a Titanium rod into his lower leg to stabilize the stress fracture he played through all last season, his final one for the University of Tennessee.
This week, the seventh one of the NFL season, is the first one players on the non-football-injury and physically-unable-to-perform lists can practice, if they are ready.
Taylor and running back Rashaad Penny are not ready.
Penny is on the PUP list following reconstructive knee surgery last winter.
Monday, Carroll again said he has no solid idea when Taylor might get on the field for the first time.
“He’s running hard and fast and pushing it,” Carroll said, after watching one of Taylor’s workouts last week. “He’s really strong right now.
“Anything could happen from this point forward. But he is working very hard. The docs are taking really good care of him and making sure we don’t force the issue too soon. But just judging from what I’m seeing, he’s made great progress.”
Parkinson, Reed practice
The Seahawks did get two players off NFI and practicing for the first time this season Monday.
Rookie tight end Colby Parkinson practiced for the first time since breaking a bone on the outside of his foot in June. Defensive back D.J. Reed, a fifth-round pick by San Francisco in 2018 who played two seasons for the 49ers, also came off the NFI list to practice.
The Seahawks have three weeks to decide whether to activate Parkinson and Reed to the active roster or put them on injured reserve.
Carroll said Reed is a candidate to be a safety or a nickel, fifth defensive back. That’s what the coming weeks of practices with him will determine.
