Brock: Seahawks linebacker has key trait that ‘maximizes’ skills

Being able to succeed in athletics at the professional level is often a result of more than just physical talent. There’s an important mental aspect to sports too.

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For a player, part of having a strong mental game is knowing who they are on the field or court and how they can best maximize that skill set to help there team.

Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard pointed to a few Seattle Seahawks who are prime examples of players who knew exactly they were, including one current member of the team, during his Blue 88 segment Thursday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

Huard started by naming a pair of former Seahawks in longtime fullback Mack Strong and wide receiver Doug Baldwin.

“Mack Strong knew exactly what he was and what he wasn’t, and he was an absolute hammer,” Huard said of his former teammate who spent 14 seasons in Seattle. “His neck is now paying for that. But he just understood his role and what he could do (and) what he couldn’t do, and just played it to not a Hall of Fame career, not even a Ring of Honor career, but an unbelievable Seahawk career of consistency.

“For a wide receiver, Doug Baldwin knew exactly what he was,” Huard continued. “He didn’t try to be a No. 1, didn’t try to play outside. He didn’t try to just shut up critics. Now, he made a lot of noise and he had a boulder on his shoulder of disrespect all the time. But that dude was a magician with his feet, with his releases, understanding space, tearing apart the slot. He knew exactly what he was as a player, and he maximized every single bit of it.”

As for the current Seahawks roster, Huard pointed to Drake Thomas, the undrafted and undersized linebacker who had 96 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, eight passes defended and an interception during a breakout third season last year.

“That guy knows exactly what he can do and what he can’t do,” Huard said. “He knows his limitations with his length. He knows he’s got to get that extra step. He knows he has to pull the trigger and his instincts have to be on fire to do what he does. He understands it. He’s in impeccable shape and (has) explosiveness. He’s fought off Tyrice Knight, a bigger, longer, maybe even faster on paper kind of guy. He knows exactly what his skills are and, once again, maximizes it.”

Hear Brock Huard’s full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

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