He sped around an offensive tackle and forced a fumble that led to a touchdown. He has shown a knack for moving quickly laterally, slipping inside of offensive linemen and making stops in the backfield. He did that again against the Raiders.
If rookie receiver Tyler Lockett was the breakout star for the offense this preseason, rookie defensive lineman Frank Clark filled that role for the defense.
Clark has been quick off the ball and disruptive at the line this preseason and continued that Thursday night against the Oakland Raiders at CenturyLink Field.
He sped around an offensive tackle and forced a fumble that led to a touchdown. He has shown a knack for moving quickly laterally, slipping inside of offensive linemen and making stops in the backfield. He did that again against the Raiders for a tackle for a loss.
“I’m a rookie still, and there’s a lot of learning to be done still,” Clark said. “ … There’s a lot of room to grow.”
Consistency is one of the hardest things to attain in the NFL, especially for young players. It’s only the preseason, but Clark and Lockett have both stood out more often than not.
Lockett’s speed
Lockett continued what has been an impressive first preseason with the Seahawks by catching a 63-yard touchdown pass. He burned the cornerback down the left sideline, and what happened next was just as important.
After catching the deep pass down the sideline, Lockett pulled away from the two defensive backs near him. He’s done the same thing on his kickoff- and punt-return touchdowns. This is an obvious point, but coach Pete Carroll has made it before: Lockett is fast enough to run away from defenders, to not get caught from behind.
It’s one thing to be quick and shifty, which Lockett is. But it’s another thing to have the flat-out speed to leave people behind. Lockett has shown that he has both.
Seisay’s rough night
In a fight for one of the final cornerback spots on the roster, second-year cornerback Mohammed Seisay struggled and then had a setback.
In the final minutes of Thursday’s game, Seisay left the game because of a dislocated shoulder, and Carroll didn’t have an update on his status moving forward.
Seisay also struggled before the injury. He let a receiver get behind him for what should have been a deep pass had the receiver not dropped it. And he was beat again in the end zone for a touchdown later in the first half.
The Seahawks traded a sixth-round draft pick to the Detroit Lions for Seisay this preseason to bolster depth at cornerback.
B.J. Daniels back at QB
B.J. Daniels just laughed. When was the last time he played quarterback before Thursday’s preseason finale?
“Good question,” Daniels said. “I do some things in walk-through. But with full, live football as we call it? It hasn’t been this preseason.”
And yet Daniels played much of the second half as Seattle’s third-string quarterback. He completed 6 of 14 passes for 45 yards and one touchdown. (He also nearly threw an interception that a defender dropped.)
Daniels made the switch to wide receiver this offseason to give him the best chance of making the team. He played some receiver in the first half, and returned a couple punts, but because backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson (ankle) didn’t play, Daniels was called back to quarterback duty to finish the game.
“It’s just like riding a bike,” Daniels said. “Something I’ve done all my life.”
Who played and for how much?
Thursday night’s matchup being the fourth preseason game and all, the list of regulars who didn’t play was lengthy: running back Marshawn Lynch, tight end Jimmy Graham, wide receivers Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse and the entire starting defense.
The starting offensive line played together for one series, and offensive tackle Garry Gilliam, guard Justin Britt and center Drew Nowak also played a second series.
Quarterback Russell Wilson played just one series, a total of two plays. Carroll indicated there were no significant injuries other than Seisay’s shoulder.