‘Lot of adjectives’ describe Abe Lucas, and his return to the Seahawks. Is ‘rescuing’ one?
Charles Cross smiled when asked to describe Abe Lucas being back playing with him.
“It was great having Abe back. He has a very high football IQ,” Cross, the left tackle, said about his usual right tackle’s season debut last weekend in the Seahawks’ season-changing win at San Francisco.
“Great player,” Cross said. “He helped us a lot.”
Lucas is a tough guy. He’s a pancake guy. He’s a physical force. He loves to put opponents on their backs with blocks.
He’s relentless. He ground through seemingly endless strengthening and conditioning drills to rehabilitate his surgically repaired knee. He got operated on last winter. He finally played on it last weekend.
He’s local. Lucas was born in Everett. He starred at Archbishop Murphy High School in neighboring Mill Creek. He was a standout, four-year starter at Washington State. He became the Cougars’ first four-time All-Pac-12 offensive lineman. His hometown NFL selected him in the third round of the 2022 draft.
He’s got a sense of humor. It sometimes comes across as dry. The 26-year-old Lucas has voiced opinions that his teammates have gotten a kick out of, rolled their eyes at — you name it.
“There are a lot of adjectives to describe Abe,” Cross said while a knowing smile.
“Savior” may be one, given what the Seahawks’ offensive line has been all season without him.
Abe Lucas provides strength, spark
Lucas gave the Seahawks’ iffy offensive line what it needed last weekend to beat the 49ers: improvement. Seattle started three replacements for him at right tackle over the season’s first nine games.
Veteran George Fant played only 13 snaps of the opener, injured his knee, then went on injured reserve for two months. He came back, played 17 more snaps of one game, and hurt his knee again. He’s back on injured reserve.
Stone Forsythe replaced Fant for five starts. Then he injured his hand. He’s on injured reserve.
Rookie sixth-round draft choice Mike Jerrell started his first NFL game Oct. 20 at Atlanta. He started the following game, then replaced Fant in Seattle’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams Nov. 3.
The Seahawks’ next game after a bye was Lucas’ long-awaited return to the spot he’d held down his first two NFL seasons. To the place Seahawks coaches initially thought he might be back at during the preseason in August.
Lucas was solid in run blocking against the 49ers. He had his issues pass blocking against 49ers All-Pro Nick Bosa, who pushed him back into Smith multiple times in the first half.
But Lucas was at his best when quarterback Geno Smith needed it most.
During Seattle’s final, 80-yard drive over the last 2 1/2 minutes of the game while down 17-13, Lucas won nine of 10 pass-blocking reps. Significantly, Bosa was out of the game after he aggravated a hip injury. Most of those final-drive snaps for Lucas were against veteran pass rusher Leonard Floyd. Lucas won seven of those one on one. Two times, Anthony Bradford had no defender rush at him inside, so the right guard came out to help Lucas on double-team blocks.
The one time Floyd beat him on the final drive, it was after Lucas has stymied him initially. Then Smith stepped up in the pocket. Lucas didn’t see that. He disengaged from Floyd, who ran up the field and sacked Smith from behind.
Smith completed 7 of 8 passes on that final drive. He took off scrambling twice for 29 more yards.
The first scramble happened because Floyd appeared tired of getting repelled by Lucas. Floyd bounced off a chip block by running back Kenneth Walker, then just stood in place, far wide right of the pocket. Lucas waited for Floyd to rush. He never did.
Smith saw the freeway-wide lane Floyd created by just standing there. The quarterback sprinted through it for 16 yards. That got the Seahawks into the red zone with 39 seconds left in the game.
Smith won the game two plays later with a 13-yard scramble for a touchdown to the left, opposite Lucas. The Seahawks ended a six-game losing streak to the 49ers. Seattle transformed from last place in the NFC West to one game out of first.
The Seahawks (5-5) play division-leader Arizona (6-4) Sunday at Lumen Field (1:25 p.m., channel 13).
Did Lucas’ knee come out OK after playing all but two series, one in each half, of his first game in 11 months?
He was a full participant in practice Wednesday. He’s readying to start again against the Cardinals Sunday.
“He’s in a good spot, to my knowledge,” coach Mike Macdonald said. “I’m sure he’s a little sore, but out there today. Good spirits.”
Lucas played 42 of Seattle’s 60 offensive snaps at San Francisco. Jerrell played two series for him, one in each half.
Will Lucas be on a similar pitch count against Arizona, to work his way back from the long knee rehab?
“Not sure,” Macdonald said.
“You’d like to say ‘no.’ But we’re not up to that point yet in the week in terms of making that decision.”
Abe Lucas’ season debut
Lucas’ season debut was the first game he’s played for new coach Macdonald, first-year offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and new line coach Scott Huff.
Macdonald described Lucas’ debut with another adjective for the 6-foot-6, 322-pound tackle: imposing.
“I think it just speaks to the things we know about Abe that makes him a really great player. This guy’s just a physically imposing presence, to start,” Macdonald said. “Not that the other guys don’t, but Abe, his calling card is physicality. How hard he plays is an anchor point right now on the line.
“It’s just great to see him out there.”
Lucas gave himself another adjective to describe his first game since last Dec. 31, the 2023 season’s home finale against Pittsburgh.
Exhausted.
“I can tell you: The last, probably five or six plays, I was breathing very, very heavy,” Lucas said in the loud locker room inside Levi’s Stadium following the win over the 49ers Sunday in Santa Clara, California.
He laughed.
“I mean, it’s been almost a year since I played, right?
“Geno took off, and I knew he was going to score. I was just like, ‘Thank you, Jesus!’
“Turned and walked towards the sideline. I was like, ‘I need to go get some oxygen!’”
This story was originally published November 21, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
