KIRKLAND — As the Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams were mired in one of those every-possession-counts, down-to-the-last-minute games for which their rivalry has been known, safety Deon Grant spent much of Sunday’s fourth quarter dancing.
Right there on the Seahawks sideline, while holding a three-ring binder filled with Rams formations, Grant took time out to show off his moves. For several minutes. On two separate occasions.
Worried? Certainly not Grant.
“I’m always like that,” the 28-year-old safety said of the impromptu moves he busted out while being accompanied by the music being blared into the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday. “Since I was without football my first year in the league (because of a hip injury), I decided nothing could bring me down. I hate losing, but when it’s all said and done, I want to be smiling when I make my last play.”
Grant’s unique blend of playfulness, swagger and unwavering conviction has not only won over his teammates but also set the tone for this year’s Seahawks.
“He has, really, a good personality,” coach Mike Holmgren said, “so people listen to him. There can be vocal players that you really don’t listen to, then there are guys that are quiet and you’ll follow them anywhere. There are all different types of leaders. But (Grant) has a way of doing it.”
Grant’s gift is an ability to make the people around him feel comfortable, no matter the circumstances. Whether he’s dancing on the sidelines or blasting tunes in the Seahawks’ locker room, Grant is as popular a player as the Seahawks have.
“He’s very confident,” defensive end Patrick Kerney said. “When you say someone is confident, that’s a compliment. When you say someone’s cocky, that’s not.
“He’s a very confident guy, and that’s important out there (on the field). No matter what happens — if they bust that long touchdown run — he believes.”
Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck added that Grant has a “swagger” about him, which might explain why Grant was named a team captain before he played in a single regular-season game for the Seahawks.
The charismatic part of Grant’s personality developed at an early age, playing a pivotal role on the Georgia state championship team at Josey High School as well as the 1998 national championship team at the University of Tennessee.
The fun part stems from the painful way Grant’s NFL career started. The Carolina Panthers’ second-round pick in the 2000 NFL draft fractured his hip in a training camp practice and spent that entire season on injured reserve.
He has said that the inactivity helped him learn the mental part of the game. And it also caused Grant to promise he would never take football for granted again.
The fun-loving Grant likes to tease teammates almost as much as he likes to build them up. He’s the kind of guy who blares music from his locker at the team’s Eastside facility, but he quickly turns down the volume if a visitor ventures in his direction.
Music is a rarity in a Seahawks locker room that hasn’t encouraged boom boxes in the past, so Grant’s music — he prefers mostly hip-hop, rap and R&B in a library that’s been downloaded into the laptop he brings to work — can definitely be heard.
“I’ve told him to turn it down a couple times, but he likes that music,” Holmgren said. “The one thing I’ve always said about music everyone likes different music; not everyone likes the same. So it’s fine that certain people like rap music, (but) maybe someone likes Barry Manilow in the other corner of the room.”
There haven’t been any complaints yet.
Of course, the most important thing is what Grant has been doing on the field. As advertised before he came to Seattle, Grant has helped the Seahawks defense cut down on the big plays that plagued it in the past. He’s also on pace to set a new career high in tackles and has two interceptions. And according to Holmgren, Grant played his best game of the season Sunday against the Rams.
That part of Grant’s personality, more than anything, has won over Holmgren.
“I like Deon Grant a lot,” the Seahawks’ coach said. “He is absolutely necessary for this football team. He was a great signing, he’s a leader, and he’s funny; he’s a good guy.”
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