Seahawks’ Tyler Lockett on return from injury: ‘If you want it bad enough, it doesn’t matter what happens to you’

Fans held a collective breath Sunday when Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett took to the field for his first game in nine months. Lockett, coming off of a devastating leg injury, received Mason Crosby’s kick in the end zone and ran it back 43 yards in Seattle’s most electric play of the day.

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Lockett had another shot at a big play later in the game, but was overthrown by quarterback Russell Wilson deep downfield. The Seahawks eventually lost 17-9 to the Packers, but it was a solid return for the young receiver, who missed all four of Seattle’s preseason contests and hadn’t practiced fully until the Wednesday before the Week 1 opener.

“He looked great today,” head coach Pete Carroll said of Lockett’s return to action Sunday. “Seeing him back out there and his excitement.”

Lockett spoke with 710 ESPN Seattle’s John Clayton and said that he wasn’t as nervous as fans may have been heading into the game, in part because so much of his recovery has been behind the scenes. Lockett said he feels as though he could have played in the preseason opener, but respects the coaching staff’s decision to hold him out.

“The team’s seen how I’ve been recovering and how well I’ve been doing, trying to get myself back right, but (others) just haven’t seen me, so of course there’s going to be questions and a lot of concerns,” Lockett said, adding he wouldn’t have played if he wasn’t feeling 100 percent. “But, like I said, it doesn’t bother me. I just go out there and play and (do) whatever it is that my team wants me to do.”

Lockett suffered a broken tibia and fibula in a Week 16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals while attempting to reel in a catch from Wilson. As he lay in the end zone after the play, he was quickly surrounded by worried teammates. “There was blood everywhere near his ankle,” Wilson said afterward.

“I literally just went to sleep and got put into surgery that day,” Lockett said, reflecting on the injury.

Talking to Clayton about the recovery process, Lockett said his recovery wasn’t necessarily unique. It’s part of a process many players on the squad have had to endure, whether it be Wilson, tight end Jimmy Graham, or cornerback DeShawn Shead, who is still recovering from a season-ending knee injury.

“If you want it bad enough, it doesn’t matter what happens to you, it’s not going to stop you,” Lockett said. “That’s life in general. Everybody has adversity. The thing about the guys on our team is nobody complains. We just go out there and we figure out a way to make it work, regardless of if we’re healthy or not. And that’s what you need in a person; that’s what businesses need in their clients. Just in general that’s what everybody wants, is someone who has that grit to not let their circumstances affect them or stop them, and that’s just what we have on this team.”

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