What We Learned: Don’t count out Jermaine Kearse

The Seahawks gave their players Tuesday off, which is the perfect time to pause and take a look at what we learned through the first week of Seattle’s training camp.

Check back for a list of three things we’re still trying to figure out, which will be posted Tuesday at noon.

Three things we learned | Three things we’re still trying to figure out

1. Chris Carson is more than just good conversation, he’s good competition.

Coach Pete Carroll would be a terrible poker player. For one thing, a guy that optimistic would go broke betting that he would make his gut-shot straight on the river. For another, he’s got an absolutely terrible poker face. Just awful. Consider his reaction after rookie running back Chris Carson had a strong first week of practice. “He looked pretty good,” Carroll said. That was after just two days in pads. “He’s a very physical runner in the style that we like,” Carroll continued. “You can’t tell that here because we’re not finishing the runs with our tackling. I know it’s in his background, and we keep chirping at him. We’ll see it happen when the time comes. We might have a really competitive guy at that spot.” If C.J. Prosise, Eddie Lacy and Thomas Rawls are locks to make the team, Carson is not far behind.

2. Reports of Jermaine Kearse’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.

He’s the scapegoat of this offense. The guy everyone loves to pick on by pointing out he was targeted 89 times last season, catching just 41 of those passes and being penalized six times for offensive pass interference (six!) while catching only one touchdown pass. Here’s the thing, though. The 89 targets don’t count the uncatchable passes and balls that were thrown away, and the 41 receptions counted as his second-most in any season. Throw in the fact that his salary doesn’t even rank in the top 40 among wide receivers in the league, and people should slow down when it comes to slagging on the guy who has at least three – and maybe four – of the most important catches in franchise history. There is virtually no financial incentive for Seattle to cut Kearse, and anyone who thinks his days are numbered in Seattle is advised to take note of the touchdown pass he had in the first half of Monday’s practice game when Kearse reached back – while twisting in mid-air – to grab a pass from Russell Wilson. Barring a meltdown or injury, Kearse is making this team.

3. Seattle may have three new starters on its offensive line.

Continuity was supposed to be the benefit of last year’s growing pains. After all, the Seahawks were returning four starters from last year’s offensive line. One week into training camp, the forecast for the lineup doesn’t seem nearly as straightforward. Rookie Ethan Pocic received a long look at right tackle while Germain Ifedi missed three days of practice following his fight with Frank Clark. Meanwhile, Seattle is evaluating free-agent addition Oday Aboushi at right guard alongside Mark Glowinski. While Glowinski played the first half of Monday’s practice game with the first-unit line, Aboushi got his turn with the starters in the second half. Throw in the fact that Luke Joeckel will start at left guard if George Fant remains at left tackle and it’s possible that 60 percent of Seattle’s starting offensive line could be new to the team.

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