Seahawks’ Will Blackmon talks rough injury past, what saved his career

Will Blackmon had no plans to try matching Michael Bennett’s candor – or fill the D-lineman’s size 16 shoes – while speaking to 710 ESPN Seattle’s Brock and Salk on Wednesday.

“(Bennett) is an awesome person, extremely intelligent, a hell of a football player, but has no filter,” Blackmon said.

In a tamer interview than Bennett gave to Brock and Salk on Tuesday when he criticized highly paid “mediocre” quarterbacks and compared his own contract unhappiness with a marriage, Blackmon still showed plenty of personality while keeping the conversation about competition in the Seahawks secondary and fighting the injury bug.

Blackmon, 30, spent eight pain-filled years with the Packers, Giants and Jaguars before landing back in Seattle this offseason. His best season came in 2013 with Jacksonville, where he notched 30 tackles, 11 passes defended and an interception over 15 games. The former Boston College star had signed with the Seahawks prior to that season, but was released before ever playing a down.

Blackmon said he is ahead of the typical learning curve, having played for former Seahawks defensive coordinator and current Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley – not that it’s a terribly difficult scheme. Blackmon said the primary goals are eliminating the big play and finding the football.

“It’s all about just simplifying it and letting your players play fast and staying with the fundamentals,” he said. “When you can perfect those and just make sure your game is good, that makes you tough to beat.”

Blackmon spent the past two years as nickel corner, a difficult role he relishes. He expects to win the same job in Seattle.

“It is tough, but it’s like a rush for me, though,” he said. “I love when I know we’re calling a man pressure and I have no help inside so the receiver has a two-way go. It’s hard, no question, but I enjoy it.”

Despite his confidence, Blackmon acknowledges a medical file littered with cringe-worthy memories: breaking his foot “in half” during the first practice of his first rookie minicamp, later breaking a rib and re-injuring his foot. Then he tore an ACL in 2009. Brock Huard, known for suffering his own fluke injuries, had to stop Blackmon from going on.

“We’re only at 2009? I’m sorry,” Huard said.

Mike Salk responded by asking Blackmon if he can be “dependable” on the injury front. Blackmon responded simply: “Yes.”

Besides medical resources that “saved” Blackmon’s career, he said another key has been diet. He credited his wife, as well as former Packers defensive lineman Aaron Kampman, for changing a former habit of eating McDonald’s before every game. One day, he said, Kampman snatched his fast food bag, threw it off the airplane and handed him a turkey sandwich.

“It changed my life,” Blackmon said. “A turkey sandwich.”

Related

Mariners GM addresses 3 players who had down years in 2026AL West: Rangers’ Corey Seager played with bone spur in elbowESPN report on Las Vegas bids seems like good news for Seattle Sonics expansionNFC West: Injuries piling up for slow-starting RamsNFC West: 49ers get favorable injury news on several key playersSparse crowd, empty seats greet .500 AL West champion Astros in playoff opener