10 Practices and 100’s of Reps in the Book

by Brock Huard

One part of this job I thoroughly enjoy is the opportunity to learn something new every day. Whether it is a stat, a theory, a philosophy, a nuance or any number of details surrounding the sports world, there is always something to observe and take in. This job has amplified my curiosity and helped me to see the athletes and organizations we cover in a whole new way. After ten days, and countless snaps and repetitions, here is today’s download of the 2009 Seattle Seahawks:

1. Cory Redding is not a man-child, he is a man-man. His intensity has not dipped or wavered, his knee, after offseason surgery, has held up with no swelling, and he continues to stand out. I learned tonight that the Hawks badly wanted Redding after the ’06 season but the Lions franchised him, paid him millions, and it was through the trade of Julian Peterson that the Hawks finally got the guy they really wanted from 2006.

2. Brandon Mebane has not let me down. He continues to shine and either the interior of the Hawks line needs work or Mebane is not capable of being blocked. Probably a little of both.

3. Patrick Kerney continues to practice and practice well. His elbow, shoulder, calf, shoulder, feet and everything else that has been banged up in the past or surgically repaired is also holding up very well through ten days.

4. I sure hope Deion Branch’s knee and Erik Bedard’s shoulder are not related.

5. Local KC news is reporting Tyson Jackson and the Chiefs have reached an agreement with the number three pick in the draft. This is really good news for the Hawks as now the market on both sides of Aaron Curry has been defined. Both Jackson and Mark Sanchez received five year deals with Sanchez getting $28,000,000 guaranteed and Jackson’s dollar amount not yet made public. This should help accelerate the Hawks and Curry’s deal getting done.

6. Practice #10 was padded and the shoulder pads and helmets were making some noise. The run game looked better than it has, and all three backs looked more patient and comfortable behind the zone blocking line. Ray Willis makes a difference when he practices and I believe this scheme fits his skill set better than the previous scheme. Willis is more athletic than he is bulky, and getting onto linebackers is not a challenge for his foot speed. I have a feeling you are going to see a lot of Willis this season at multiple positions.

7. Lastly, some of the best news of the day was I saw Walter Jones both smiling, walking and chewing gum at the same time. Word is he should be back Monday for practice, we’ll see…