After a few days of heat (by this summer’s incredibly low standards, anyway) the Seahawks had a long and physical practice under the clouds Friday. Pete Carroll said the weather was probably good for players as camp starts to take a toll on players.
“It was a great day for the players,” Carro
ll said.
It was also a pretty good day for what looked to be the largest crowd so far in training camp. The practice definitely featured the most hitting of any practice, and included a few spectacular plays, none better than a catch made by new WR Sidney Rice. Rice, who also had an impressive leaping catch Thursday, outdid himself a day later. He went up to pull in a pass from Tarvaris Jackson, then somehow, while being spun around by Marcus Trufant, kept possession with one arm, the ball pinned between his forearm and bicep. Rice then reached his other hand around to secure the ball before going to the ground.
It’s really early, particularly for the free agents who are just two days into camp, but Rice definitely looks like the real deal. It is also evident that Jackson is more comfortable throwing Rice’s way than anywhere else, which makes sense given their history together.
And speaking of quarterbacks and receivers having good chemistry, undrafted rookies Josh Portis and Ricardo Lockette hooked up for a couple of touchdowns in a red-zone drill between the No. 3 offense and defense. Lockette, best known for his blazing speed, has shown he is more than just a burner, running solid routes and catching most everything thrown his way.
Other notes:
–Safety Kam Chancellor, best known for his size and hitting ability, has been flashing some impressive ball skills of late too. On Friday, he went low to intercept a tipped pass, giving him an interception in each of the last three practices.
–Defensive tackle Brandon Mebane is moving back to nose tackle, where he played his first two seasons, and the move seems to be working for him. After playing the three-technique tackle spot the past two seasons, Mebane is back to lining up over the center, and has been able to penetrate into the backfield at an impressive rate in his first two practices.
“He really looks like a factor there,” Carroll said.
–CB Walter Thurmond, who should compete for a starting spot, has missed most of training camp with an ankle sprain. Carroll said Thurmond should be back in two or three days, and that the injury is not a high ankle sprain.
–WR Ben Obomanu has missed the last two days of training camp. Carroll said the absence is because of a death in the family.
–Carroll has not said which, if any players will end up on the PUP list, but he did say Friday that DT Colin Cole (ankle) and CB Roy Lewis (knee) are both a ways out still. WR Deon Butler (broken leg) is also not expected back in the near future.
–DE Red Bryant, who is coming back from a knee injury that ended his 2010 season, has missed three straight days of practice. Carroll said Bryant has not suffered a setback, but that the team is just being cautious and giving him a break after he went hard in the first few days of camp.
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