Seahawks’ D.J. Fluker on being healthier in 2019
Aug 13, 2019, 3:31 PM | Updated: 4:07 pm
Seahawks guard D.J. Fluker joined Brock Huard and Mike Salk Tuesday morning from team headquarters to talk about his healthy start to a second season with Seattle.
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“When I first got here I was a little dinged up and it took me a little while to go,” Fluker said. The 28-year-old, who first signed with the Seahawks in March 2018, was limited by a knee injury to begin his career in Seattle and was ultimately held out of the first two weeks of the regular season. While he was able to make a return, a hamstring strain caused him to miss time in the latter half of the season.
However, Fluker remained a vocal part of the offense and Seattle felt the veteran guard made enough of a difference when on the field (he allowed just nine pressures, according to Pro Football Focus) that they re-signed him to a two-year contract in March 2019.
This time around, Fluker said he’s off to a much healthier start.
“This spring is different,” Fluker said. “I actually practiced through OTAs and everything, I did a full practice. And it’s a lot different for me. I’m actually doing better, I’m more with the team and more into the playbook. I had a good year last year, (but) I missed a couple games because of injuries here and there. This year it’s more about staying healthy and taking care of my body more, even more than last year.”
As far as his offseason training, Fluker says he’s leaner, put on a bit more muscle, and focused on HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) cardio.
Four of five starters from last year’s offensive line will make a return this year. If the group can stay healthy, they have a chance to improve on the step forward they took in 2018; they jumped from the bottom third of the league to 17th overall in pass-blocking efficiency, and helped Seattle’s running backs lead the league in rushing yards per game.
Fluker also talked about his family, his teammates Duane Brown and Poona Ford, and the funniest thing an opponent has ever said to him on the field. Watch the full interview above.
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