Pete Carroll: First day of OTAs was ‘a blast’
The Seahawks took the field as an entire team for the first time since winning the Super Bowl when they were on the field for an organized team activity on Tuesday.
The OTA was the first of ten that the Seahawks will participate in.
Head coach Pete Carroll was impressed by what he saw on the field, a good sign as the Seahawks begin preparing for an NFL season that is now 100 days away.
“It was fun to see the guys playing football again.” – Pete Carroll
“That was just a blast to be on the practice field today,” Carroll said at a press conference after the OTA. “We had a great time, guys practiced like crazy. They’ve worked really hard to be in good shape so they could practice that kind of tempo.”
The practice only lasted about two hours, according to the Seattle P-I, but Carroll noted that it was just the first OTA and that more importantly, “it was fun to see the guys playing football again.”
Most of the roster was present, but some notable players, such as Super Bowl XLVIII MVP Malcolm Smith, did not participate in the activities.
“Malcolm Smith had his ankle worked on,” Carroll said. The procedure was simply to clean up “loose bodies” in the ankle and Smith will reportedly be healthy enough to participate in training camp.
Other players that reportedly did not participate in the OTA include Tarvaris Jackson (personal), Cliff Avril (personal), Cassius Marsh (school), Kam Chancellor (hip), Russell Okung (foot) and Marshawn Lynch. Lynch’s absence was not addressed by Carroll.
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Percy Harvin told reporters after the OTA that he is working on special teams and there is a possibility he may return punts next season.
“I’m working on it now,” Harvin said. “Coach came to me a couple of weeks ago and I knew that [after] the departure of Golden Tate, that would be one of the things we would be looking to fill. I’m just practicing right now, hopefully if I can get it on lock I’ll be back there.”
Harvin said the Seahawks defense worked to intimidate the offense before they got on the field.
“I don’t think it was intimidation, that’s just who we are,” countered safety Earl Thomas. “I think we always attack first, we really don’t wait. I think we just try to keep the pressure on people.”
The first OTA is in the books meaning the 2014 season is that much closer. It sounds like the Seahawks are already off to a great start.