RENTON -- Deon Butler says he's learning every day as he prepares for his rookie season in the NFL.
"There's always something new you can learn," the third-round draft pick from Penn State said, noting that he was yelled at in a two-minute drill for tossing, not handing, the ball to the official, thereby wasting precious seconds.
"Every day I'm learning something, so that's the good part," he said.
But despite an occasional miscue, Butler had an impressive three days during the final minicamp before training camp, flashing the speed and skills that helped him to a record-setting college career despite his 5-foot-10, 182-pound frame.
"It seemed that every day he made an extraordinary catch of some kind, whether it be a catch in traffic or a catch down the sideline over the wrong shoulder, an adjustment to the ball, but it's too early to define exactly what his role will be," Seahawks coach Jim Mora said.
If Butler is indeed a quick study, some of the credit goes to his teammates, as well as one former Seahawk. Bobby Engram, a fellow undersized receiver from Penn State to whom Butler is frequently compared, has taken Butler under his wing since the two met at this year's Rose Bowl. And even though Butler wants to blaze his own trail, he hasn't tired of being compared to Engram.
"He's a great guy and I know what he's done for this football team and this community, and obviously what he did at Penn State, so it's not a bad thing to be compared to him," Butler said.
And even though Engram isn't always available to help a fellow Nittany Lion, the Seahawks' veteran receivers are happy to lend an ear.
"I like him, I like his game, I like what he can bring to the team," said Deion Branch. "He's a fast guy, but the biggest thing is he listens and asks questions. He doesn't want to make mistakes. That's part of the game, but he really doesn't want to."
At 5-9, Branch can also offer a fellow undersized receiver some advice on surviving in a big-man's league.
"Avoid extra licks," Branch has preached to Butler. "Marvin Harrison told me this five, six years ago when I used to try to catch the ball and run guys over. He said, 'Listen, if you want to play in this league a long time, don't take more licks than you have to.' There ain't no point to trying to run over three guys, it's just not going to happen, you're not going to win that battle."
And even though Butler has excelled so far, things will get considerably more difficult when the pads go on and practice gets more physical in August.
"When we go to pads it's so much tougher," offensive coordinator Greg Knapp said. "It'll be a good challenge for him to work through. For any young receiver that's one of the biggest things to work through."
An early send-off
Feeling the need to reward his team for its hard work this spring, Mora ended Friday's practice early, drawing a big cheer from the team.
The Seahawks had 22 practices this spring, and just the four this week were mandatory, but Mora estimated that they had 96 percent attendance. He rewarded that dedication with a light final practice.
"That just says a lot about our football team and the men on it and the determination that they have to be a heck of a team this year," he said.
Working hard during the break
Just because there is no practice between now and July 31 when training camp starts doesn't mean players won't be busy.
Mora's message to the team Friday was that "Now is not the time to slack off, now is the time to pick it up and come back in the best shape of your life."
While veterans are off starting today, rookies stay in town for the next two weeks to lift, attend life skills seminars, and also taking in a bit of what Seattle has to offer including Mariners and Storm games and a trip to the Space Needle.
One change for players this year is that they will take their play books home to study this summer. Mora said that, while he and other coaches are usually too paranoid to risk information getting out, the importance of learning a new system outweighs the risk.
"That's different that I've ever done it," he said. "I've never allowed them to take their playbooks home at this point in the year, but we think it's necessary right now."
Injury report
Cornerback Josh Wilson hurt his knee late in practice while breaking up a pass intended for Ben Obomanu, but Mora said the injury wasn't serious, calling it a hyperextension.
In addition to the players who have been out for all of the offseason such as Walter Jones and Patrick Kerney, a number of other players were sidelined with minor injuries during this week's minicamp.
Cornerback Marcus Trufant (hamstring), receiver Courtney Taylor (groin), safety C.J. Wallace (sprained foot), and receiver Nate Burleson (hamstring) all sat out this week, but none of their injuries are serious, Mora said.
"We're kind of conservative at this point with injuries, because I want to start camp healthy," he said. "We're going to err on the side of caution with guys like that."
Mora said, as he has all spring, that he expects everyone to be available by the start of training camp.
