What Wyman saw at Seahawks’ joint practice with Titans
Aug 14, 2024, 4:42 PM | Updated: 5:06 pm
Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf warms up prior to an Aug. 10 preseason game against the Chargers. (Harry How/Getty Images)
(Harry How/Getty Images)
The Seattle Seahawks did something Wednesday that they hadn’t done in more than three decades.
Why Seahawks rookie Byron Murphy II already has insiders raving
Ahead of their road preseason game against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday, the Seahawks traveled to Nashville a couple days early to take part in a pair of joint practices with the Titans. The teams held their first joint practice on Wednesday and will hold another one on Thursday. It marks Seattle’s first joint practice against another team since 1991, when the Seahawks hosted the Atlanta Falcons for a scrimmage in Portland.
Seahawks color commentator and former NFL linebacker Dave Wyman was on hand for Wednesday’s joint practice in Nashville. Wyman shared a few takeaways from what he saw on Wednesday’s editions of Wyman and Bob and Bump and Stacy on Seattle Sports.
• Wyman said there was a game-like intensity to the joint practice.
“It was like watching a game,” Wyman said. “And I would say even it’s a little bit more personal. Like if somebody gets beat or something, it’s one thing (in a game) when the crowd screams and yells. But (in a joint practice) when their whole sidelines erupts when somebody gets flat-backed or something like that, it makes it a little bit more personal.”
At joint practices, there’s always the risk of tensions boiling over and fights breaking out. But while things were a little testy at times on Wednesday, Wyman said there weren’t any fights.
“I didn’t see any fisticuffs or anything like that,” Wyman said. “But there was a lot of shoving. (Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams) came over after practice and somebody had just grabbed like an entire section of his jersey and just ripped it off. Like, there was a hole in his jersey. So there was some battling going on out there.”
• Wyman said he was particularly impressed by Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf. Wyman said the 6-foot-4, 235-pound wideout had “a couple of beautiful catches” and that his combination of speed, power and intensity was hard to miss.
“I was just raving over him the entire time,” Wyman said. “He is a dog. … I mean, he practices hard every single play. And just watching him out there, it was just kind of inspiring to watch that guy play. I feel like he’s one of those guys that can lead by example. He just runs so hard, he executes his routes so well and he’s just a big, powerful, fire-breathing dragon on the field. … You just see his power and how fast he is and how defensive backs in the league, they just can’t cover him.”
Wyman also said Seahawks No. 4 receiver Jake Bobo had “a couple of amazing catches.”
• This past Saturday, the Seahawks began the Mike Macdonald era with a smothering defensive performance in a 16-3 preseason-opening win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Wyman said Seattle’s defense was impressive again on Wednesday.
“They just look much more organized and purposeful (than years past),” Wyman said. “… I didn’t see any big breakaway (from the Titans). Pretty much everything was kept in front. There were no big breakdowns in the run game. Everybody looked like they were in the right gap. And they were battling inside. … I thought the defense looked really good.”
Wyman said inside linebacker Tyrel Dodson and edge rusher Boye Mafe were two defensive players who stood out.
“Got a chance to see Tyrel Dodson run around,” Wyman said. “He’s really fast. He likes to hit. He’s scrappy. He’s nasty. So I like him. … Boye Mafe, he looked really good coming off the edge.”
• Wyman thinks the first joint practice was a very productive and valuable experience for the Seahawks.
“They got so much done and I thought it was really valuable,” Wyman said. “So I think it was a really good thing that they did. I think it was very smart of Mike Macdonald to do this. … These practices are going to be really useful for the Seahawks.”
Hear the full conversation on Wyman and Bob at this link or in the audio player near the top of the story. Listen to Dave Wyman’s appearance on Bump and Stacy at this link or in the audio player near the middle of the story.
More Seattle Seahawks coverage
• Insider: Seahawks have an unheralded DB who could break out
• A lesser-known Seahawks WR has Michael Bumpus’ attention
• Big Ray: A Seahawks rookie OL ‘jumped off the screen’
• Brock and Salk: What stood out in Seahawks’ preseason win
• Brock: The Seattle Seahawks player who had best preseason opener
