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- Mar 20, 2019
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DK Metcalf may find it more difficult to maintain a “nobody” mindset with the way teammates and coaches continue to speak about him.
The Seahawks rookie wide receiver continues to receive high praise from those around him as he shows what he is capable of daily on the practice field. Quarterback Russell Wilson thought Metcalf was “looking really, really special” back during OTAs in June and that enthusiasm hasn’t subsided since training camp has begun.
“He can make a lot of plays,” Wilson said. “You saw in the game, he’s a fingernail off of two massive, big plays. I think he’s going to be really special for us. I think, the key for him is, a key for any great, highly touted player and anybody really is to remain humble and keep working. That’s just the key. He’s got great humility. He’s got great poise. He’s confident. He’s competitive, as you can imagine. He’s got all the athletic ability in the world and so it’s our job to give him a chance and let him make plays.”
Wilson had Metcalf and several of Seattle’s skill position players down in Los Angeles for workouts during the summer break and Metcalf’s work ethic made an immediate impression on him.
“I don’t think his work ethic and his mentality is ever going to be in question,” Wilson said. “I think he’s going to be ready to roll and everything else. I think too, he’s fired up because I think people doubted him and also, he has a little bit of a story. People thought he may not play football or whatever because of his neck and different things like that. Sometimes, the people with stories, they’re the ones that really come up and shine because they have something to overcome.”
Metcalf caught just one pass for eight yards on four targets in Seattle’s preseason opener against the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. But as Wilson noted, he was really close to two big catches as well. Cornerback De’Vante Bausby clipped the back of Metcalf’s heel as a Geno Smith pass sailed just beyond his grasp on what would have been a possible 40-yard gain. Then late in the first half, another deep ball from Smith slipped through his fingers just shy of the goal line on a would-be 30-yard gain behind Isaac Yiadom.
“Just a hair from spectacular,” head coach Pete Carroll said. “He’s made a couple of those catches before. He clicked heels with the guy and almost got the first one, and the second one was just off his fingertips. You could see that he got behind him, just like we’re hoping. He’s a big threat.”