KIRKLAND — When Brandon Mebane arrived at his first minicamp, he did a quick head count and realized he had his work cut out for him.
“I was just trying to figure out where I could play,” said Mebane, who had four Seattle Seahawks veterans ahead of him on the depth chart and another — Marcus Tubbs — due to come back from a knee injury at training camp.
When he got into his first regular-season game, he took such a hit on the opening kickoff that he momentarily thought his football career might be over.
Just a few months have passed since Mebane was selected by the Seahawks in the third round of the NFL draft, and yet he’s already come a long way. On Sunday, he’ll make his first start.
“It’ll be fun just running out of the tunnel and seeing your name up on the big screen,” the University of California product said. “That gets you going.”
Mebane will replace veteran Chartric Darby, who was placed on injured reserve earlier this week. Darby tore the patella tendon in his right knee during the second half of last Sunday’s loss to New Orleans. He had missed just five games during his seven-year NFL career.
Mebane (6-foot-1, 314 pounds) is bigger than Darby (6-0, 297), but lacks his veteran savvy. Yet, the coaching staff isn’t worried about Mebane’s lack of experience.
“I think he’s proven himself,” coach Mike Holmgren said Wednesday. “He’s shown a lot more than some of the rookies and done reasonably well. I think I know how he’s going to play the game in there.”
Mebane is excited to start for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the possibility of not having to lead the wedge on any more kickoffs. He hadn’t played special teams since high school, so his first game of the regular season was quite an eye-opener.
“That kickoff return, that’s no joke,” he said, referring to the hit he took on the opening kickoff of the Tampa Bay game. “You’ve got to be the hammer, not the nail. If you’re the nail, you’ll get knocked out. I didn’t even know where I was.”
Mebane got knocked silly on that season-opening kickoff but came away with the weekly “Lick of the Week” award that’s given out by special teams coach Bruce DeHaven. He’ll remember that kickoff, and that game, as his “welcome to the NFL” moment.
“There were dudes running down, screaming and hollering,” he said. “This one dude had a (dark shield) over his face mask — I couldn’t see his eyes — and he came down hollering at me. Then when the ball went into the end zone, he came up to me and said, ‘I’m going to take your soul today.’ I was like, ‘Whoa.’”
Mebane eventually got the hang of it, and he’s also been a pleasant surprise on defense. So much so that the Seahawks are prepared to put him in the starting lineup.
“He’s ready,” defensive line coach Dwaine Board said. “Each day he’s been playing, he’s been getting better and better.”
If there is one reason for concern, it’s the cumbersome brace that Mebane has been wearing to protect his right elbow. He hyperextended the elbow in the Pittsburgh game two weeks ago but hasn’t missed any playing time.
“I’m getting used to it,” Mebane said of the brace on Wednesday.
Mebane said he realized he would be starting earlier this week, when an assistant coach told him to “keep your mind ready.” A few minutes later, director of player development Maurice Kelly said the exact same thing to him.
On Wednesday, he took all the snaps with the No. 1 defense. And come Sunday, he’s likely to be in the starting lineup.
Mebane has come a long way, indeed.
“It never crossed my mind that I might be eventually starting at such an elite level,” he said. “It’s just a blessing.”
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