Seahawks Rashaad Penny is ready, but could it be too late?

Seahawks rookie Rashaad Penny saw almost no action in their latest game. Has he permanently lost a shot at the starting role in Seattle’s backfield?

The Seahawks were dynamic on the ground this past Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. The 33-31 loss wasn’t the fault of Chris Carson, who chewed up 116 yards on just 19 carries. It wasn’t Mike Davis‘ fault either, as he added 68 yards on 12 carries. That makes three straight games with a 100 yard rusher for Seattle. First round pick Rashaad Penny has to be wondering when his turn will come around.

Headlines have popped up today that quote coach Pete Carroll as saying Penny is frustrated with his current status. From Mike Vorel’s story in The Seattle Times, that’s exactly how Carroll wants him to feel.

"“He’s handling it, but he’s frustrated, and I want him to be frustrated,” Carroll said. “I want him to be anxious to get out there. I want him to be unsatisfied with what’s going on right now, and that’s fine. That’s the only way he should be.”"

Penny himself has a different take than his coach, though. He sees it as the natural outcome from missing so much practice in camp. And as he says, the guys in front of him are playing pretty well.

"“I didn’t play like half of the preseason and I didn’t practice, so I didn’t get an opportunity to run and make cuts when all of those other guys did. They had all that,” Penny said Tuesday. “I’m a rookie. It’s my first year, so it’s just something I have to get used to. I’m confident in myself that I can do the things they can, but like I said, they’ve got the hot hand and they’re great running backs in their own right.”“They’re doing amazing. They’re doing all the little things right, and when you do all the little things right it adds up to doing what they do in the games, and they’re playing well.”"