EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin’s irritation was clear earlier in the week.
Baldwin, cerebral and fiery, has earned the nickname “Angry Doug” for his tenacious temperament.
Midweek, he used social media to express his dissatisfaction with a USA Today story that suggested the Seahawks receivers would be the reason the team can’t win the Super Bowl.
The article quoted an unnamed personnel executive as saying, “That’s the thing I’d worry about.”
Baldwin was not pleased. With potent and not printable language, he questioned the author, the research and the conclusion.
“Who the (expletive) wrote this article, didn’t put any stats in it, then obviously didn’t watch any tape, because if they would have saw the tape, they would see that we’re making plays all over the (expletive) field?,” Baldwin wrote.
“We’re the most efficient receiving corps in the NFL and we’re one of the tops in big plays and we don’t throw the ball that much. We’re one of the last teams in the NFL to throw the ball, but yet we’re in the top in explosives. C’mon. Somebody’s got to say something. Somebody’s got to do some research here. I can’t do it for you.”
Sunday, Baldwin zipped around the field to catch six passes for 71 yards and a touchdown in the Seahawks’ run-dominated offense.
Baldwin, who has 49 catches for 770 yards is on his way toward a career-high in catches and yards. Baldwin had 51 catches for 788 yards in 2011.
After Sidney Rice’s season-ending ACL tear, Seattle has moved Baldwin from being predominantly a slot receiver, to lining him up inside and outside.
His average of 15.7 yards per catch is tied for 11th in the league. Baldwin has played one more game than Denver’s Wes Welker, but has been targeted 51 fewer times. Yet, he has more “explosive” plays, gains of 20 yards or more, on the season.
He grumbles about articles that underestimate him and the other receivers. He’s also thankful for the articles. It just shovels coal into his game-day furnace.
“It’s always in my head,” Baldwin said. “I play with that tenacity because of the fact that there’s so much negativity out there pertaining to our receiving corps.”
That’s something he is positive about.
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