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'Run The Damn Ball' & Other Observations From Day 6 Of Seahawks Training Camp

News, notes and observations from Day 6 of Seahawks training camp.

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The Seahawks held their sixth practice of training camp on Tuesday, and their second in a row in pads. And a day after Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald challenged his team's offense, saying, "We didn't run the ball very well today," adding, "Offense needs to respond tomorrow, because they didn't start fast enough today."

The offense indeed responded on Tuesday with an improved performance that featured several highlight plays in both the run and passing game. More on that, and other observations from Day 6 of Seahawks camp:

1. Dareke Young had a big day.

Over the past three seasons, receiver Dareke Young has been a mainstay on special teams, but his opportunities on offense have been limited. On Tuesday, however, several big plays from Young served as a reminder that he can make plays on offense too.

At one point in practice, Macdonald broke up team sessions with a handful of one-on-one reps in which the entire team served as spectators/hype men. On one play, Young made a spectacular catch on a deep ball from Drew Lock, going over cornerback Damarion Williams, who had solid coverage, to make the contested catch. Young added a few other nice catches throughout the practice, including another contested catch over cornerback Kam Alexander on a pass from Jalen Milroe.

2. The running game looked better.

A day after Macdonald challenged his offense and the running game to respond, that unit did that, with the line getting more push and the running backs ripping off some long runs. The best such play was a George Holani run behind the left side of the line that at the very least would have gone for a long gain in a game setting, and may have been a touchdown.

"There are going to be days where the D-line is going to be getting off the ball a little bit quicker and stuff, and we have to learn from that," said rookie guard Grey Zabel, who had one of the key blocks on that play. "If we're going to hang our hat on being physical and running the ball, we have to show up every single day."

The line did show up on Tuesday, and will need more days like that if they're going to live up to the mantra players are hearing from coaches and each other.

"Run the damn ball is what I've learned, and I think that's what we're going to hang our hat this year," Zabel said when asked about offensive line coach John Benton and the rest of the offensive staff. "So it starts up front, we've got to be able to move the line of scrimmage, then protect the guy behind us who's slinging the rock pretty good right now."

3. Leo the leader.

The Seahawks traded for defensive lineman Leonard Williams, then later gave him a big contract extension, because he's a dominant force on the defensive line. That much was evident last season as Williams recorded 64 tackles 11 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, 28 quarterback hits and a 92-yard pick-six on his way to the second Pro-Bowl selection of his career.

But in addition to being a great player, the Seahawks also got a great leader in Williams, which has been particularly evident in practice this week. Yesterday, Williams pulled Zabel aside to offer tips after the two went head-to-head in pass-rush drills, then a day later he could be heard loudly offering encouragement and advice to his fellow defensive linemen. Williams also played the role of peacekeeper when some pushing and shoving ensued after a heated rep between two other players, eventually wrapping up a teammate in a bearhug to walk him out of the scrum of offensive and defensive linemen.

"These guys are some of the best leaders I've been around," Zabel said of the veterans on Seattle's defensive line. "Like Leo talking to me the past few days during one on ones, helping me out, progressing my pass set, what he's seeing, what I'm feeling, all that stuff. That's just the type of person, player and leader that he is. That's the culture that's being built around here."

Zabel admitted he was not expecting to get help during his first camp not just from veterans in his position group, but from defensive linemen as well.

"No, not at all," he said. "And kudos to the vets on this team for doing that, because I found out that's not normal around the league, so that's just a testament to what coach is building here and the type of culture we have with the Seahawks."

4. In case you needed a reminder, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is much more than just a slot receiver.

In the wake of the Seahawks signing Cooper Kupp in free agency, there were some questions by fans and pundits about how Seattle would use him and Jaxon Smith-Njigba together when both have done a lot of their best work as slot receivers. While it remains to be seen exactly how the Seahawks will use those two together, the short answer to those questions is that both Kupp and Smith-Njigba are more that just slot receivers and they're more than capable of doing damage from just about any pass-catching position in the offense.

Smith-Njigba provided a good reminder of that early in Tuesday's practice when, lined up outside in single coverage, he got a step on his defender on a go-route, allowing Sam Darnold to hit him deep down the left sideline for a big gain.

"I definitely wouldn't categorize him as just a slot receiver; he's one of the best receivers in the league," safety Julian Love said. "I think he has every skillset you need to be a top end receiver in this league. Speed, route running, catch radius, yards after catch, he has everything checked off. I can't speak highly enough about Jax. He works hard, he has a little chip on his shoulder. I hope he gets the recognition that's warranted this early in his career."

5. Nose tackle Quinton Bohanna is taking advantage of his opportunity.

With Johnathan Hankins sidelined early in camp due to back soreness, there are opportunities for several interior linemen to show what they can do, and among those stepping up with the added opportunities is Quinton Bohanna, a fifth-year veteran who spent part of last season on Seattle's practice squad. The 6-foot-4, 355-pound Bohanna shows off more athleticism than one might expect for a man his size, and he used it to make plays in camp, including a run stop in the backfield on Tuesday, as well as a batted ball on Monday.

"A man his size, you think maybe he's just limited to the A-gap, but we can move him across the line and he's a pretty dang good athlete too," Macdonald said. "That shows up. Normally you're not able to play out in the C-gap over the tackle, but he's doing a good job in that front. He's got a great opportunity in front of him. There's a lot of reps to be had on the interior D-line and he's making the most of them right now, but practices are getting longer, and the d-line is going to be a stress point for those guys to bring it throughout the course of each practice."

Among the other defensive highlights Tuesday were an interception by second-year cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett, and a nice pass breakup from safety Ty Okada, who knocked the ball out of rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo's hands after it initially looked like Arroyo was going to haul in a touchdown reception.

Check out photos of the Seahawks active roster during training camp.

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