RENTON — Tuesday’s practice was over for the Seattle Seahawks, as most of the players filed toward the locker room from the indoor field at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
But at least two players weren’t done yet.
Kevin Smith, after being pulled aside to record a brief television interview, trotted back onto the field to field some punts.
Meanwhile, Kasen Williams stood a solitary figure in the corner, catching passes from a Jugs machine while using a tackling dummy as a screen.
Smith and Williams, the former University of Washington wide receivers, are among those who are fighting for roster spots as the Seahawks head into Thursday night’s preseason finale against the Oakland Raiders, meaning this is the last chance for them — and everyone who’s battling to make the roster — to prove they deserve a spot.
“It’s the fourth quarter of the preseason,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said about Thursday’s game. “We look at it as the finish. Some guys can make a name for themselves, some guys can solidify what they’ve done already.”
The final preseason game typically is for the bubble players. The starters may make a token appearance, but most of the playing time is usually given to the back end of the roster as the staff tries to gather as much information as possible before making decisions on the final few roster spots as they cut down from 75 to 53, as well as who merits a place on the practice squad.
Smith and Williams fall distinctly into that bubble category. Seattle currently has eight receivers on the roster and will likely keep six. That means the former Huskies have to beat out the likes of Chris Matthews and B.J. Daniels to earn a spot on the team.
Therefore, they understand the importance of Thursday’s game.
“Games 1, 2 and 3 were important for me, so this one is exactly the same way,” said Smith, a free-agent signing who was a Husky from 2010-13 before failing to crack an NFL roster last season. “I can control what I can control, just going out there and playing hard and having fun.”
Smith and Williams find themselves in new circumstances. Both were standouts at Washington. Smith led the Huskies in receiving yards as a senior in 2013, while Williams was on his way to stardom before a debilitating leg injury wiped out much of his junior and senior campaigns in 2013 and 2014. Now, instead of being the focus of the offense, they’re trying to show they can contribute in the little ways, whether that’s on special teams, the scout team, or even showing the right attitude during routine practice drills.
“I had never done special teams before,” Williams, a rookie free-agent signing, said. “I’m going at it with 100-percent effort.
“I know how to take practice way more seriously,” Williams added. “I know that practice is everything. After I got hurt, my senior year I was taking practice more seriously. But the NFL is a whole other level as far as practice goes. I’m watching guys like Earl (Thomas), I’m watching Richard (Sherman), I’m watching Russell (Wilson) and seeing how important every rep is to them. Earl isn’t even playing and even in walkthrough he’s taking every rep just as seriously as if it’s a game. For me it’s like, ‘He’s a Pro Bowler and he’s a Pro Bowler, and they’re doing all this?’ I probably should be doing it, too.”
Both Smith and Williams had their moment late in Saturday’s 16-15 victory at San Diego. Smith had a 54-yard kick return midway through the fourth quarter. Then Williams caught a big fourth-down pass, spinning past a defender for 22 yards to help set up Steven Hauschka’s game-winning 60-yard field goal.
They’ll be looking for more of those type of opportunities Thursday — or more accurately, trying to create those opportunities for themselves.
“You have to have that mindset to come out here and do what it takes,” Smith said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re blocking on special teams or in the run game, or returning kicks and having the ball in your hands. You have to make plays.”
For Smith and Williams making the Seahawks would mean that much more, given it’s the same city where they played college ball. Williams has the added incentive of having grown up in nearby Sammamish.
“It would mean a lot to me,” Williams said about making his hometown NFL team. “I’ve been working on this thing for 13 years now. I had it all at one point, and then it all kind of went away. To rebuild that foundation and show I’m better than I was before, even before I got hurt, is big for me. So if I make this 53-man roster, that’s what it’s going to show, that I was successful.”
For Williams, Smith and the rest of the Seahawk hopefuls, Thursday is the last chance to earn that success.
No movement on Jackson
The Seahawks did not act Wednesday on the potential signing of running back Fred Jackson. The 34-year-old Jackson, who gained more than 5,000 yards over the previous eight seasons with Buffalo before being released by the Bills on Monday, visited the Seahawks on Tuesday and underwent a physical. However, the parties did not reach an agreement Wednesday. Seattle is working with a limited amount of space under the salary cap (just over $5 million, according to OverTheCap.com), and the status of injured back-up tailback Robert Turbin (sprained ankle) could also be a factor.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/seattlesidelines, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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