What is the story about?
If episode one of ‘Hard Knocks’ taught us anything, it’s that you should expect the unexpected with the Seattle Seahawks. From fullback Brady Russell getting peed on by who some would call the future team mascot in Buttercup the Goat to head coach Mike Macdonald using Phil Jackson’s legendary Chicago Bulls teams as a metaphor to emphasize how to build a continuous winning culture, it’s safe to say fans weren’t left empty handed
.If you didn’t get the chance to tune in for episode two, I’d suggest
you go watch it (and come back to this article later of course). For those who did, let’s dive into what we learned and have a look at who’s emerging as early candidates to be this year’s series stars.
‘Hard Knocks’: Seattle Seahawks, Episode 2 recap
- The episode opens with head coach Mike Macdonald scolding linebacker Derick Hall for bull rushing quarterback Sam Darnold. The first time he did it, Macdonald tried nicely, but after the second close call, he’d had enough. We’ll revisit this later.
- Comparisons keep coming, and the Seahawk machine is a good one. Otherwise known as a GPS guided robot used to repair the field, it’s much like the defending Super Bowl Champions — clean, precise and purposeful.
- Macdonald is working to prepare the defense for their first preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys on August 15, reiterating to the young guys there’s a lot coming ahead.
- Effects from wildfires in Canada and Eastern Washington trickled into the air during Seattle’s practices, but Sam Darnold doesn’t mind it — or so he says. But, that’s just the test coaches want, to see who’s going to be able to keep going.
- We’ve heard the hype surrounding second-year wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr., but man, it could be real. He made an unbelievable grab in the back of the end zone. Same goes for Elijah Arroyo, who ran a beautiful route for a touchdown.
- It’s the second “fight” we’ve seen in as many episodes, this time a quick scuffle between defensive end Rylie Mills and offensive lineman Mason Richman, with Mills throwing a punch at Richman’s face mask. Luckily for him, it didn’t quite escalate to that. Based on the reaction we saw from Macdonald in the series premiere after Hall chokeslammed Bryce Cabeldue, the situation wouldn’t have ended well for both Mills and Richman.
- Run game coordinator Justin Outten came up with with an interesting solution to resolving the beef: a sledgehammer holding competition. Richman and Mills squaring off to see who could hold two sledgehammers in the air longer had the team HYPED. Richman was good, but Mills was better and came out with the win.
- Some of the team bonding activities this team comes up with is truly hard to believe and really exemplifies the “12 AS ONE” mentality.
- San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson swings by practice and is happily greeted by Macdonald, who invites him to his office to discuss leadership tactics. Hearing the way Johnson and Spurs general manager Brian Wright talk about Victor Wembanyama, you can’t help but be reminded of the way Jaxon Smith-Njigba conducts himself. Macdonald appears fascinated hearing the story of how Wembanyama found his way to San Antonio.
- “It’s rare for the best player in the game to also be the most so selfless, but the Seahawks were blessed with such a man,” says the soothing voice of Liev Schreiber.
- But the praise for Smith-Njigba wasn’t done there as wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson chimed in on the sidelined saying “he’s the only number one wideout I’ve been around where you can challenge him and he ain’t taking it personal.”
- It’s all fun and games for Smith-Njigba while talking with Jackson in his office, with the wideout even going as far as rage baiting his coach after he suggests more work on a play. But, he sees right through the reigning Offensive Player of the Year’s efforts. Their exchange ends in laughs and Jackson jokingly saying “They probably recording this, I was on record saying ‘Jax(on) dude, he’s a great guy we never have no arguments.” They were indeed.
- The attention shifts to Sam Darnold, who’s been throwing DIMES so far throughout training camp, and it’s largely in part to his spin rate of 639, which he leads all NFL quarterbacks in. Darnold describes himself as a “spin rate geek,” saying it all started with him laying on his bed and throwing the ball when he was young.
- Cooper Kupp describes how his mentality towards quarterback throws changed when he got to Seattle, previously believing it was more difficult to catch balls with too much too spin, but Darnold changed his mind. “You Spin Me Round” by Dead or Alive seems to be a the best way of explaining Sam’s passes.
- Any worry of a Super Bowl hangover seems a figment of the past as Darnold appears to pick up right where he left off with tight end Eric Saubert even going as to say “He’s so f—king consistent.”
- Another comparison comes to light with Macdonald attempting to instill the “Warriors in the Garden” mentality, enforcing the ability to play lethal and dangerously but also knowing when to unleash it. We then get a glimpse at the literal version of a warrior in the garden, Leonard Williams. His love for gardening is clear as he passionately describes his variegated Congo flower, showcasing a side we’ve never seen from the star defensive end.
- His passion for gardening reflects the peace that came with his move to Seattle, as his describes his love for the pacific coast. Despite being named “Big Cat,” Williams says he enjoys the peace, which has also been helpful for his wife and child, Zion, who Williams has high hopes for: “I want him to be greater than me one day,” he said jokingly.
- Then, Williams drops arguably the BIGGEST piece of news to come out of the episode. He said he contemplated retirement while playing on the east coast, where he spent the first 10 years of his career split between the New York Giants and New York Jets.
- Alongside Williams, Hall is certainly emerging as an early candidate to be a series star. DeMarcus Lawrence joked with him about last week’s fight to which Hall responded “I have not been fighting.” But, Lawrence didn’t end there.
- “You gonna fight everyone in the house … he really got little brother syndrome,” he joked as the pair laughed on the sidelines.
- However, the “little brother syndrome” bodes true to an extent as Hall describes how he was born a 2lbs premature baby given a 1% chance to live, hence the ‘1%’ chain for anyone who may have noticed. So while Hall may have built a monster truck which he described as “ain’t that hard, it’s just a bunch of nuts and bolts,” it all started from a stroke of luck when he was young.
- At practice, Macdonald screws up a play call and gives Hall the chance to try, saying “You can’t pull a Ron Burgundy,” but the linebacker couldn’t get the job done.
- Remember Macdonald’s outburst on Hall earlier? After the linebacker bull rushed Darnold, nearly hitting him, Macdonald wasn’t impressed and lost his temper after the second occurrence, taking him off the field. “Complain all the f—k you want, you’re too close, that’s twice!” However, the two hugged it out after practice and the situation blew over, as it seems most do with Seattle.
- Challenges like the sledgehammer holding competition appear common for Seattle, but none more iconic than the team’s shadowboxing. “We think shadow boxing is part of what got our team so close last year,”says Williams, who emphasizes how it helps players of different position groups communicate with each other. Speaking of, the camera pans to running back Jacardia Wright squaring up against defensive end Mike Morris, an unlikely duo. “Its rock paper scissors in steroids,” Macdonald explains while laughing.
- It wouldn’t be a true ‘Hard Knocks’ episode without an full round between Williams and Byron Murphy, who won with three swift shots in a row.
- Moving over to injuries, Nick Emmanwori was spotted at practice with a cane, significant progress from the scooter he was riding last week. Despite still being sidelined, the second-year star is in high spirits. “My rookie year was great, but I do think I can top that,” he said.
- Legendary quarterback Warren Moon was also in attendance at practice, talking to Macdonald. Later on, defensive Aden Durde addressed a situation most fans were bracing for details about, when he asked about former Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold. Despite facing eight felony charges in Florida, Seattle had him in for a tryout on Sunday.
- We get insights on how they’re approaching the situation, with Schneider stressing the importance of researching how other controversial signings were handled, but also stating they’re always looking to get better. While nothing is set in stone, it appears the coaching start is certainly open to bringing in the troubled young cornerback. A member of the organization went as far to say “he’s just like Devon Witherspoon.”
- But, having players fit the team’s culture is important, with the team’s motto “Mission over Bull” emphasized. For the Seahawks, it’s less of a culture and more of a religion, with their own set principles.
- “Mob is good” to what everyone responds: “All the time!” and “All the time!” “The mob is good!”
- Back to Hall and his monster truck, the laugh of the night came when he pulled up to a little coffee shop that might’ve been smaller than the vehicle he was driving.
- We got a look at their first practice back at Lumen Field on August 8 and wow, Leonard Williams looks like a kid on Christmas morning when he catches a glimpse of the Super Bowl banner for the first time.
Joining the Seahawks was none other than fan favorite Marshawn Lynch who arrived with a clipboard and promises of raising players’ Madden 27 rating. Punter Michael Dickson was put through the “difficult” task of kicking a ball into the net, and succeeded so we’ll see if Lynch can get his rating boosted to a 90 overall.
The 12s showed up loud and proud once again, with Williams, Hall and Jarran Reed leading a “SEA-HAWKS!” chant. As a reward, Darnold and Smith-Njigba were kind enough sign footballs and throw them to fans after practice and several other players also stayed late to gift autographs. Hall went above and beyond, signing his cleats and gifting them to a happy young fan, who tried them on with his own shoes and still fit.
Episode two concluded with the coaching staff weighing whether Arnold would understand and embrace Seattle’s culture, but we’ll have to wait and see how his situation unfolds.
That’s all! Williams and Hall were clearly the stars, and in their own separate ways. There’s ups, there’s downs but at the end of the day, Seahawks football is special and that’s what we’re continuing to see.
What was your favorite part of the second episode? Tell us in the comments below!
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