Matured Rashaad Penny finally shows why Seahawks drafted, stuck with him in career day
At his lowest, after years of injuries, Rashaad Penny made a change.
He wised up — and got off his phone.
“I think social media was the biggest problem my first two years,” the Seahawks’ often-injured, much-maligned running back said. “I always focused on what other people thought about me. I started realizing half the people really don’t know who I am, don’t know who Rashaad Penny is. ...
“Everybody else would get hurt, and go on social media and put their names up and see what people are saying about you, some of the worst things possible, and it can tear somebody down. And that’s what it did to me a few years ago.
“Now, it’s like you are numb to it. Now it’s like you don’t care about it no more, because that’s not who you are. That’s not who I am.”
Who he was Sunday for the Seahawks in Houston was all his team has been hoping for — for four years.
Five games from his contract ending, Seattle’s first-round draft choice from 2018 and major-college football’s leading rusher at San Diego State in 2017 had the best game of his injury- and insult-filled NFL career. Penny rolled for 137 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns. All were career highs.
All were the talk of the locker room following the Seahawks’ 33-13 romp past the Texans. Penny has Seattle (5-8) with a run game and a newly rediscovered runner for its four-game push toward an improbable playoff spot.
“To be honest, I’m really not satisfied with how I played, because I know what I can do. And I’m pretty sure everyone knows what I can do,” he said.
“It’s all about staying on the field for me.
“I’m just thankful,” he said, with a rueful chuckle, that I came out of this game injury free.”
He also said: “I’m human.”
He’s had a broken bone in his hand in his rookie training camp. That set him back to begin his career in 2018. He’s had a sprained knee. A strained hamstring. Torn knee ligaments and reconstructive surgery that sidelined him from Dec. 2019 - Dec. 2020. A strain in that same knee that kept him out of Seattle’s loss to the Rams in the wild-card playoffs in January.
A strained calf after two rushes for 8 yards in this season’s opening game at Indianapolis Sept. 12 sent Penny onto injured reserve and cost him six weeks. He returned to play in two games, than did not get on the field Nov. 14 when the Seahawks lost 17-0 at Green Bay.
Penny had an 18-yard run on his first play starting the game against Arizona Nov. 21. He strained his hamstring on that run and limped off the field to the sideline. He missed the next week, Seattle’s loss at Washington.
Penny had a strong game in a limited role in Seattle’s win over San Francisco last week. Playing more with Alex Collins injured and Chris Carson out for the season following neck surgery, Penny had a 27-yard catch and run on a screen pass and a key blitz pickup to allow a 17-yard completion by Wilson.
Yet he was in a secondary role against the 49ers while future Hall-of-Fame running back Adrian Peterson got the start and the headlines in his Seattle debut.
Sunday was Penny’s time.
Peterson didn’t play because of low-back pain the 36-year-old had coming out of last week’s work. That and Penny’s game against the 49ers earned him his second start of the season.
He romped.
“People saw glimpses and flashes of what he could do last week. And that’s something that we always knew that he could be able to do,” Seahawks teammate Tyler Lockett said.
“Now I think he’s in his groove. I think he’s became the person he wants to be as an individual.
“And the way that he ran that ball, he was making a statement.”
Loudly.
Penny scored on touchdown runs that were decisive, straight-line sprints, angry-looking runs.
His 32-yard burst up behind the blocks of three tight ends — Gerald Everett, Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson — plus rookie wide receiver Dee Eskridge off right end on the final play of the first quarter gave the Seahawks their first lead, 10-7.
His second touchdown was a 47-yard break out of a crowd behind left tackle Duane Brown. It put the Seahawks up 33-13 with 5:26 left, sealing their second straight win after three consecutive losses.
“We’ve seen him explode in the big play and the ability that he has. It’s just been such a long time since his injury,” Carroll said of Penny’s major one in his reconstructed knee. “It’s been almost two seasons, and he’s tried like crazy to get back.”
Was Sunday validation of the Seahawks drafted Penny 27th overall in the 2018 draft, when offensive linemen and other positions were more of a team need — and fan want?
“It’s not validation on the pick,” Carroll said. “It’s validation that he’s finally back.”
With Penny now the hot hand while Alex Collins battles an abdomen injury, Chris Carson is out for the year needing neck surgery and Peterson missing Sunday, Russell Wilson has a running game off which to base play-action passes. Seattle rushed for 193 yards Sunday, its most since week 7 of last season when it had 200 against Arizona. Houston had to honor Penny and the Seahawks’ run. That kept the Texans’ young pass rushers from teeing off in Wilson trying to throw.
With tons of time, for a change, Wilson completed passes to third and sometimes fourth looks on plays. He wasn’t sacked. That’s the first time that’s happened since week 15 of last season, at Washington.
If Penny keeps running like this, the usually rampaging Rams pass rush will have to think about more than sacking Wilson more in Inglewood this coming Sunday.
“I thought he had an amazing game. He kept battling,” Wilson said of Penny. “He’s had a really great couple of weeks. He’s really put in the work at practice, and it shows.
“Any time you go through injuries the way he’s gone through and the battles and the obstacles he’s faced, just the ability to overcome those is what’s really amazing, and just to be able to come back stronger the way he has.
“That was really great to see, and we all felt great for him.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2021 at 6:29 PM.
