5 Takeaways from Day 3 of Seahawks minicamp

The Seahawks wrapped up their three-day mandatory minicamp Thursday, and now enter one of their longest breaks of the offseason before training camp kicks off later this summer. Head coach Pete Carroll, wide receiver Tyler Lockett, and center Justin Britt spoke with reporters after practice to share some insight. Here are five takeaways:

Takeaways from Day 1 | Takeaways from Day 2

1. “I’m not going to be selfish”

When the Seahawks selected San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny in the first round this spring, general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll praised – among other skills – his ability on punt and kick returns. Penny played in all 54 games during his college career and will obviously be looked at as a durable, every-down back rather than as primarily a returner. However, the selection prompted questions from some who wondered what the future might hold for veteran receiver Tyler Lockett, who currently handles Seattle’s returns and is entering into the final year of his rookie deal.

When asked whether he saw the selection of Penny as a competition, Lockett dismissed that notion.

“No, I see it as an opportunity,” Lockett said. “At the end of the day, of course it’s the NFL, it’s a business, but whoever’s back there I want to help them be successful. I want to help them be at their best. When I was here and they brought in Devin Hester, I wanted to learn everything about Devin Hester. Even though I was hurt and I wasn’t playing, I wanted to see what it is that he saw, how was it that he hit those holes. So it’s the same (now). I’m trying to help (Penny) out, help him feel comfortable out there. Because … whoever’s back there we want to be able to trust them and make sure that they’re ready, and that’s my job. I’m a leader. I’m not going to be selfish.”

2. The bounce back.

There were a few players coming off of surgeries or recent injuries who were unable to participate in OTAs or minicamp. That includes defensive end Dion Jordan (who had a “cleanup” surgery on his knee), safety Maurice Alexander (shoulder), linebacker D.J. Alexander (shoulder), tackle George Fant (recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL), and tackle/guard Rees Odhiambo. Also included on that list is newly-signed wide receiver Brandon Marshall (coaches are hesitant to rush him in his recovery from a hamstring injury).

On a lighter note, though, Carroll expects everyone to be able to start training camp later this summer, be it at different levels of activity.

“We think everyone’s going to be back and ready to go,” Carroll said.

3. “I think this is the youngest we’ve been since I’ve been here”

Center Justin Britt says he’s feeling more energy and enthusiasm on the offensive line – in part, because it’s a relatively young group.

“It’s been great,” Britt said of the line’s offseason so far. “Our room is younger, with the exception of people like Duane (Brown) and D.J. (Fluker), our room’s on the younger side. So to have someone like coach (Mike) Solari come in and be real repetitive about how he does things and how he teaches the technique, I think he’s done a really good job of bringing us along and I don’t think there’s a lot of guys out there feeling lost. I think they’re feeling prepared and ready to go.”

Despite being a young group, the offensive line will also retain most of it’s starters from last season (including, from right to left, Germain Ifedi, Britt, Ethan Pocic, and Duane Brown). It’s something quarterback Russell Wilson highlighted during his interview with Brock and Salk Thursday morning.

“I think this is the youngest we’ve been since I’ve been here, so you see a lot of speed and a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of want to and not a lot of have to. So the attitude’s right. I’m excited heading into (training camp) after having the OTA and minicamp we’ve had. If we stay our course I don’t see why we can be one of the top offenses in the league. We have the tools, we have the coaching, and we have the attitude.”

4. Attention to attitude.

Speaking of attitude, Carroll said that was one of his own takeaways from minicamp.

“The effort was excellent,” Carroll said. “(They’re) upbeat, positive, supportive, accepting of one another, (and) learning new guys. The older guys made it really comfortable for the new guys to fit in, which just facilitates the process.

“I think it’s the overall energy that really stands out the most.”

5. The key: Stay engaged.

The Seahawks enter one of their longest breaks of the offseason, with six weeks off before meeting again for training camp at the end of July.

Both Britt and Carroll stressed the importance of staying engaged and keeping up with conditioning during this time.

“The key is to be engaged, not to get complacent, not to get distant from the game and from the playbook,” Britt said. “We’ve done so much to get to where we are and like I said we’re so excited to get into camp with our offense.”

Carroll said that because of the long break, this time of the year can be concerning for any coach.

“The key is to stay consistent through your workouts and don’t rest too long… it’s too important that we stay on task, they’ve worked so hard to get where they are you don’t want to have to go back down conditioning-wise and then work it back up. They’ve just invested too much at this point.”

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