5 Seahawks Non-Starters Who Stood Out In Green Bay

Aug 23, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy (27) is tackled by Seattle Seahawks defensive end Benson Mayowa (95) during the second quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Preseason win number three (eight in a row dating back to 2011) is in the books with the 17-10 win last night. I thought there were a few guys who really helped their case for either making the roster or really increasing their early season playing time with noticeable performances in Green Bay.

• Christine Michael

Michael is a wrap to make the team, obviously, but he really made a big push for an increased role with his second really strong performance of the preseason. 97 yards rushing on only 11 carries, and 4 explosive plays (including a screen and the long touchdown run) really gave us a sense of why he was such a high value to Seattle on draft weekend. That’s Seattle’s third back making all of the plays we expected out of him.

• Stephen Williams

If there was any question on the third year guy out of Toledo, he once again answered it and basically cemented his spot on the 53 man roster last night. He only caught two passes but they were both huge plays for his team. The first was a simple dump route on third down that he took all the way across the field (crossing five Packers in the process) to pick up 13 yards and a first down. Then, after dropping what would have been a difficult catch down the field in the 3rd quarter, he continued the preseason role with yet another touchdown grab of 42 yards down the left sideline in the 4th. The ball was slightly underthrown by Quinn, but at least he didn’t throw it out of bounds like on the previous attempt and Williams went up and took the ball away from the corner. To make things even better, it ended up as the game winner.

• Benson Mayowa

Benson’s another guy that cemented his spot last night, if you ask me. He was around the ball a lot and got plenty of first team reps towards the late stages of the 2nd quarter. Without a sack, he also showed he can do more than just rush the passer by recording 4 tackles and a game saving fumble recovery with just minutes remaining. Being from Moscow, I have a really soft spot for the young man and I think he’s made the roster at this point.

• Walter Thurmond

Remember when we were wondering about Walt and his ability to stay healthy, let alone make the roster in a challenging secondary? Worry no more. Thurmond was in the game on the very first series and did some really good things with his time. He was fast to the ball, recording a team-leading 5 tackles, recovered a fumble and had a punt return for 17 yards. He looked very much like the healthy version of the electric play-maker Seattle recruited out of Oregon and should make a major contribution in the nickel/dime packages this season.

• Tony McDaniel

Granted, injuries along the entire defensive line help Tony out a little here, but he made his presence known during his time in the game last night and it bodes well for his chances, whatever they are. He only recorded a 1.5 tackles, but he played hard and made a contribution.

*Editor’s note: McDaniel is actually the starter right now at DT. Clinton McDonald did very similar things but McDaniel flashed late in the 3rd quarter a couple times if I’m remembering correctly. I wanted to get a D-lineman in there because they played very stout in the game.