RENTON — Like a poorly disguised blitz off the edge showing before the snap, Trevone Boykin knew it was coming.
“It” was the question on what happened that got him arrested twice in a week’s span this offseason in his home state of Texas.
Seattle’s backup quarterback was ready with his own, well-prepared audible.
“It was just a situation that I really can’t talk about, just because it is still ongoing,” Boykin said. “But right now I’m just focusing on football, it’s all about ball to me. You live and you learn. I’m here just trying to get better.”
Records from Dallas County Court show Boykin has a hearing scheduled for Aug. 22 on a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession. That twice-rescheduled hearing date is on his 24th birthday. It is also between the Seahawks’ second exhibition game, home against Minnesota, and the third preseason game against Kansas City.
Boykin was arrested and briefly jailed March 27 in Dallas. He was a passenger in a car that backed across a curb and through the front of a bar, injuring eight. Boykin was booked into jail for about a day before posting $500 bond after charges of possessing less than two ounces of marijuana and investigation of public intoxication, according to jail records.
Asked if he feared the league might suspend him from a regular-season game or fine him for his offseason troubles per the NFL’s personal-conduct policy, Boykin said: “That stuff will all take care of itself.”
Boykin said he doesn’t feel any additional need to prove more to the Seahawks as a result of his arrests, including for a possible parole violation in Bexar County, Texas. That case in San Antonio ended with no finding of guilt.
“I feel like you have something to prove every day. You have something to prove every year,” he said. “If you don’t have that mentality, then you are slippin’, that how I feel.”
At the time of his arrest in Dallas, the Seahawks issued a statement they were “disappointed.” Three months later, as expected, they signed a veteran to compete with Boykin as Wilson’s backup in 2017. But instead of Colin Kaepernick, whom they had in on a free-agent visit, the Seahawks signed Austin Davis. The 28-year- old journeyman is a former part-time starter for the Cleveland Browns and the St. Louis Rams.
Boykin’s reaction to that? Basically, whatever.
“I’m just here to play ball,” he said. “I’m out here every day to compete. And that’s my main focus. … We are trying to get on one cylinder.”
The Seahawks would appreciate any cylinder. Better than neutral with their backup quarterbacks. Or reverse.
The Boykin-Davis competition has been rough so far, to put it charitably. Both have been startlingly inaccurate throwing in scrimmages. Wednesday, Boykin twice threw about 5 yards wide right and far out of bounds to receivers running 3-yard out routes. Monday, he missed C.J. Prosise on a simple dump-off pass over the middle. The pass went so far wide the running back was looking to both sides and past him to see where that pass was going to land.
This is Boykin’s time to seize the backup quarterback job, but he has yet to show any sign of doing that.
He and Davis will play the majority of the time in three of Seattle’s four exhibition games, the exception usually being the third one when Seattle’s starters have typically played through the first drive after halftime.
“They are huge,” Boykin said of the preseason games.
Unofficial statistics from Monday’s mock game had Boykin completing six of 11 throws with an interception, to Earl Thomas. The other two of his three drives with the backup offense against Seattle’s starting offense resulted in punts.
Davis, unofficially, was eight for 13 passing with an interception, a field goal and a punt on his three drives against a mix of first- and second-teamers on defense.
Following Monday’s scrimmage, Carroll gave a tepid (for him) response to the competition to be Wilson’s backup— a battle that will accelerate Sunday when the Seahawks’ play their first preseason game, at the Los Angeles Chargers. Boykin and Davis are likely to play the final 3 1/2 quarters of that.
“I think we are just in the middle of it. I don’t know. I say that when I don’t know what to tell you,” Carroll said.
The almost-always sunny coach could have stopped there and it would have said plenty of their performances so far.
“I don’t know right now,” Carroll said. “They are real different. So we have to step back from it in time and we will get some games under our belt and in time we will figure out what it looks like when we are playing with Austin and with Trevone. They both have had days where they win the day and that kind of stuff.
“Russell is on fire right now, so it’s hard for them to catch him. But still they have been making plays.”
Lockett’s craftiness shows he’s all the way back
Tyler Lockett isn’t simply back. He’s all the way, so-glad-what-we-have-done-without-him back.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m pretty much ready to go,” he said. “If we had the game tomorrow, I’d play in it.”
And if the Seahawks had any lingering doubt their speedy wide receiver and Pro Bowl kick returner was recovered from a broken leg, they lost it in Wednesday’s ninth practice of training camp.
Just ask Neiko Thorpe.
The most promising part of Seahawks training camp on day nine wasn’t Germaine Ifedi’s return to the starting right-tackle spot he held until Frank Clark punched him last week in a pass-rush drill. Ifedi remains a work in progress there, battling with rookie Ethan Pocic.
It wasn’t Russell Wilson’s third consecutive sharp practice throwing the ball. The Seahawks expect that from their $87.6 million franchise quarterback.
It was rookie Shaquill Griffin gaining more ground to become the starting right cornerback.
And it was Lockett showing how fully recovered he is from his broken leg he got on Christmas Eve to reclaim the No.2 wide receiver role he took from Jermaine Kearse late last season, before the injury.
That is a huge plus for an offense that sure could use his speed, polish and guile starting in game one, Seattle’s test Sept. 10 at Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
“The return of Tyler Lockett really makes us really special,” Carroll said, “because Tyler can do everything.”
Wednesday, Lockett didn’t just show his leg is fully healed. He showed the beyond-his-years craftiness he learned from his father Kevin and uncle Aaron before he broke their receiving records at Kansas State.
During 11-on- 11 scrimmaging in his third full practice since coming off the physically-unable-to- perform list, Lockett ran at Thorpe, who has been the second-team left cornerback behind Richard Sherman since Griffin’s splash. Lockett ducked his inside shoulder into Thorpe, as if running an in route. That set up Lockett’s smooth fade outside, away from the fooled Thorpe into the clear along the right sideline. Wilson’s perfect pass hit the uncontested Lockett in stride for a long gain.
It was 10th-year technique and guile from the third-year Lockett, something he’s shown since the first minicamp of his rookie year of 2015.
“When I was a kid I had a dog and when you got to train it, you got to keep him in a little cage. And I felt like I was stuck in a cage for eight months after being out and breaking my leg,” Lockett said. “So as soon as they let me go (this week) I didn’t know to do. I was just running around, having fun, and being a little kid again, being able to be out there with my teammates and everything, which is a great feeling for me.”
Lockett, 24, said his time in the hospital, in a wheelchair unable to walk, gave him a new appreciation of his career. And of life.
“It allows you to be able to take a step away from football and just see the bigger picture about life and about other things in general — the things that mean a lot to you, family, friends,” he said. “And you learn that you want to be able to create memories and everything and everything that you do.
“So having the opportunity to come back here is amazing, because I get to continue to do this dream that I’ve been doing for my whole, entire life. And I also get to create more memories.”
The Seahawks are now, once again, counting on many more from Lockett this season.
Extra points
Jeremy Lane missed his fifth consecutive practice, which has given Griffin his chance. … Lane has what Carroll has called “a soft-tissue injury.” The coach had thought Lane would be back Wednesday. … Clark practiced for the first time since punching Ifedi last week, but only in position drills while wearing a brace on his left knee again.
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