RENTON, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks had their second training camp practice of the summer Sunday. Below is a rundown of observations.
10:16 a.m. PT -- The backfield is a bit banged-up right now. Thomas Rawls is on the PUP list as he recovers from an ankle injury, and rookie C.J. Prosise did not practice today because he tweaked his hamstring on Saturday.
To Rawls' credit, he still signed autographs for fans afterwards. He asked one kid if he knew what it took to be a great running back.
"Do everything you do," the kid replied. Rawls liked that answer and gave him a big smile and a high five.
Michael Bennett continued to be in good spirits. He left the defensive linemen group for a minute to join the kickoff returners. Bennett's turn came up, but he dropped the ball and he received some playful ribbing from coach Pete Carroll.
10:41 -- A little taste of camp for those of you who are not able to be in attendance:
Seahawks training camp, Day 2. pic.twitter.com/gYgNbl0Gsj
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) July 31, 2016
The defensive linemen work on rushing the passer against blocking sleds. Assistant head coach/defense Rocky Seto sets up as a quarterback behind the sleds. As the defenders rush upfield, he steps up in the pocket, and they try to swipe the ball out of his hands. Quarterbacks have become so good at climbing the pocket and avoiding those edge rushes that interior pressure is as important as ever.
10:57 -- Rick Ross' "Hold Me Back" blares from the speakers as the Seahawks begin team drills. The coaches have said that the starting SAM spot is wide open, and that's evident today. Eric Pinkins gets a chance with the first team.
Offensively, the only change from Saturday is that left tackle Garry Gilliam is participating in team drills. That's good news for the offensive line. Running backs Christine Michael, Alex Collins and Zac Brooks continue to rotate with the first team.
DeShawn Shead makes the play of the day, closing on a Kenny Lawler route near the sideline. Shead gets his hand on the Russell Wilson pass, deflects it, turns around and comes down with the interception.
Later during the period, Cassius Marsh chases Michael 60 yards downfield to the end zone and punches the ball out. Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman love the effort.
11:06 -- The Seahawks' pass rush has a chance to be special. In their sub package, they show a look of Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, Jordan Hill and Frank Clark. If Hill or rookie Quinton Jefferson can step up, that's going to be a tough group to block.
11:11 -- Lawler makes a nice grab near the sideline. One thing stands out with him up close: He's very skinny. Lawler is someone who will likely have to make progress in the strength program before he can make an impact on the field.
11:13 -- Ciara shows up on the sideline, and immediately every fan in the front row takes out their phone to snap a photo or video.
During 7-on-7s, Wilson looks for Lockett on a go ball, but Sherman breaks it up. That's going to be a fun battle to watch over the next couple of weeks. Later in the drill, Chancellor breaks up a pass for Luke Willson over the middle.
Lockett runs a wheel route down the right sideline, and Wilson finds him for a big gain. But the play serves as a great reminder of how everything at practice should be taken with a grain of salt. Safety Kelcie McCray was closing on Lockett at full speed. Had this been a game situation, he would have likely knocked Lockett into the next town over.
As the play ended, McCray looked at the fans and shook his head knowing that the pass would have never been completed in a real game.
11:27 -- Sherman breaks up a deep ball for Doug Baldwin and then gets wiped out on a pick play. After complaining to the officials, he gets the flag. The team didn't say anything about NBA refs officiating this practice, but you have to wonder.
11:34 -- Defensive end Ryan Robinson is a name to know. He suffered a torn Achilles last spring but is back, and with Chris Clemons retired, the Seahawks are looking for edge rushers. Robinson saw some time with the first-team sub package today and batted down a Wilson pass at the line of scrimmage.
Carroll and defensive coordinator Kris Richard have said that they plan on lining up Frank Clark all over the place, and that's evident during these early practices. He's everywhere -- the edge, the interior, hand in the ground, standing up in the A-gap, you name it. Clark looks like someone who could break out in his second season. He had a very active day today.
Boy rush that passer from 4 different positions on that field! I can't wait!
— Frank Clark (@TheRealFrankC_) July 31, 2016
11:39 -- Bennett blows up a run play, meeting Michael in the backfield. He proceeds to put on a lengthy dance routine in front of Wilson and Carroll. Wilson seems to offer no reaction, while Carroll waves Bennett back to the huddle.
That's it for today's session. The Seahawks are back on the practice field Monday.
