Rasheem Green’s debut brings promise for Seahawks pass rush

With limited playing time for veterans in the Seahawks preseason opener, Seattle’s younger players had a chance to steal the show. Rookie defensive lineman Rasheem Green managed to do just that, recording seven combined tackles and 1.5 sacks in the Seahawks’ 19-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts Thursday night.

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Green’s first sack of the night came with 2:20 remaining in the first quarter, when he brought down Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck for a loss of seven yards. In the third quarter, Green and defensive end/linebacker Jacob Martin split a sack of quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

It was an encouraging performance from a pass rush that finds itself short a pair of Pro Bowl defensive ends in Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril.

“I was a bit nervous coming out,” Green said of his first ever NFL game. “I got more relaxed as the game went on. For the game next week, I’ll just try to work on my game more and like, (be more) relaxed coming out. Just being myself.”

Being himself was enough for head coach Pete Carroll, who called out Green by name (along with Martin) to open his postgame press conference.

“He was raised well as a college kid, in terms of his technique and his rush principles,” said Carroll, when asked whether he was surprised about Green’s performance. “He’s come to us with a real good style, he’s got real good hands. He’s a fluid athlete, loose hips and all. It’s really an asset in pass rush. What he has learned and the savvy he has brought with him has showed up in practice, and I was proud that it showed up in the game, because you never know. It was a good first ball game for him.”

The Seahawks drafted Green, a former first-team All Pac-12 selection, in the third round out of USC. As one of the youngest Seahawks (he turned 21 in May), Green has plenty of room to grow, according to Carroll. That high ceiling makes his debut all the more promising for Seattle’s new-look defense.

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