For 1st time since 2019, fans watch Russell Wilson to DK Metcalf, Seahawks ‘play’ at home

SEATTLE — For the first time in 20 months, fans were inside Lumen Field to watch the Seahawks play.

No matter that Sunday afternoon was merely a “mock” game, a (practice-jersey) dress rehearsal Pete Carroll does each training camp to indoctrinate new players into his system: how he runs his team’s schedule, travel from the hotel, warmups, play-calling and administration of a game.

For 15,758 people wearing blue and florescent green and gray who paid $17 each to get in, this was Seahawks football, back to normal — at least as close to normal as 2021 can be while we continue to slog through a pandemic.

They watched Russell Wilson lead a starting offense that included rookie Stone Forsythe at left tackle to a touchdown run of 2 yards by Chris Carson on its opening drive. That was against the second-team defense.

Forsythe, the sixth-round draft choice from Florida this spring, was starting because Pro Bowl veteran Duane Brown continued to watch and not participate and backup Jamarco Jones is hurting.

Wilson completed a 45-yard pass to DK Metcalf down the left sideline on that first series. Metcalf, who said last week he’s “hungrier” for his third NFL season, banged into overmatched reserve cornerback Gavin Heslop on a go-route as Wilson’s pass was arriving. That created the space for his catch.

The crowd was the first at a Seahawks home game since Dec. 29, 2019, the NFC West title game that Seattle lost to San Francisco on the final play. The fans that filled about two-thirds of the lower deck around the field roared at Metcalf’s catch. It was reminiscent of the many deep balls he had last season while setting a Seahawks record with 1,303 yards receiving.

The starting defense had Tre Flowers at right cornerback one day after D.J. Reed appeared to get injured late in a practice.

Left cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon got away with grabbing reserve wide receiver Cody Thompson while not turning his head to the ball to break up a third-down pass. That ended the starting defense’s first series. Jason Myers kicked a 50-yard field goal for the green “second-string” team to end that drive.

Washington’s government and public-health officials plus the NFL have given the Seahawks permission to have full capacity of 68,000-plus fans at Seattle’s home games in this season.

As they will this season, the Seahawks followed the state’s re-opening guidelines Sunday. Fans were not required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend the mock game, though those who are not vaccinated were at least in theory required to wear masks.

NO BOOTH

New offensive coordinator Shane Waldron joined defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. on the sideline calling plays to their units during the mock game.

Previous offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was in the booth last season. Carroll fired him in January, then hired the 41-year-old Waldron to be a first-time play caller in the NFL.

The Seahawks showed more glimpses of what their new offense will look like under Waldron this season. On third and short, Wilson sent running back Alex Collins to the left slot as an outside receiver. Collins then ran two steps up the field then across on a drag route far across the formation.

That play was one of the few when the Seahawks got to 10 seconds or less on the play clock, because of Wilson taking time to place Collins in the formation. Their pace between plays was much quicker than last season, when they were among the teams with longer times between snaps.

A POONA FORD TD

Popular defensive tackle Poona Ford did something new: he scored a touchdown,

In the third quarter of Sunday’s mock game, backup quarterback Geno Smith tossed a pitch running back Josh Johnson expected to be a handoff for a run off right tackle. The ball clanged off Johnson’s chest from close range.

Ford picked up the ball and charged into the end zone with his defensive teammates in neon green running and celebrating with him along the 20 or so yards to the score. Carroll loved it. He jumped up and down as Ford was running to the goal line.

Seattle signed Ford as an undrafted rookie out of Texas in 2018. His constant hustle and play-making made Ford a starter last season. This offseason the team rewarded Ford with two-year contract that could be worth up to $14 million.

STILL OUT

Ethan Pocic missed practice for the second consecutive day.

Kyle Fuller was the starting center again, as he has been in most of team drills so far in camp. That includes on the few days Pocic has fully practiced since a hamstring injury.

Running back Rashaad Penny was on the sideline in street clothes. He also missed Saturday’s practice.

THINNER LINEBACKERS

Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks and Darrell Taylor started at linebacker Sunday.

Linebackers Cody Barton and undrafted rookie Jon Rhattigan missed practice again.

PRO BOWL FORM

Michael Dickson was in his regular, Pro Bowl form.

He placed an exquisite, 55-yard punt that dropped onto the turf at the 3-yard line and plopped in place, like a lofted iron onto a soft green. That pinned Wilson and the starting offense against their own goal line to begin a series in the third quarter of the mock game.

This offseason Seattle re-signed Dickson, the 2018 All-Pro the team traded up to draft in the fifth round that year, to a four-year contract worth $14.5 million. That’s the second-richest deal among NFL punters by average annual value, behind only the Rams’ Johnny Hekker. Dickson gets $10.6 million in the first two years of the contract.

This story was originally published by The News Tribune.

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