Getty The Seattle Seahawks have a unique plan for their quarterbacks in 2020.
NFL teams have always been worried about protecting their quarterback on-the-field, but the Seattle Seahawks are taking major precautions to ensure that Russell Wilson stays healthy away from football. During an interview with NBC Sports’ Peter King, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll revealed the quarterbacks will be meeting in different rooms as an added precaution amidst COVID-19.
“This year, this practice squad’s gonna be important, because you may have to use a bunch of those guys in games during the season,” Carroll admitted. “Heaven forbid you get a position group smoked. That could happen. If you lose a position group, you lose ‘em for 10 to 13 days. What if you lose both quarterbacks? But we got a plan for that. They’re not gonna be in the same meeting room.”
During a recent video tour conducted with NFL Network, the Rams revealed they rearranged their locker room so players are sitting next to someone who plays a different position. The idea is that if one player tests positive for the virus it would not impact the entire position group. No position is more important to an NFL team than quarterback, and the Seahawks realize their season likely starts and ends with Wilson.
The Seahawks May Continue to Host Virtual Meetings
Carroll implied that the team may continue to utilize virtual meetings as another precaution during the season. Cutting down on full in-person meetings is just one of the ways NFL teams are trying to protect their players.
“Our language. Our language, the words we use and how we speak and how positive we are, will be important,” Carroll explained to NBC Sports. “I’ll be listening to coaches for that. And learning. We are a committed virtual team. We found out this offseason we can learn virtually, and learn well. Many things you lose in this environment, but you gotta compensate. We did it this offseason, and we knew it could happen during the season, and let’s get great at it. So we did.”
The Seahawks Officially Began Training Camp
Some familiar faces around here 🤩
The Seahawks offically began training camp in one of the most unique starts to the season in NFL history. The first few days of camp are expected to focus on players reporting and being tested multiple times for COVID-19. There is also a slower process to padded practices as teams try to ease players back into football shape given offseason workouts turned into virtual meetings.
The Seahawks’ Twitter account posted photos of players reporting to work complete with their masks. Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner, Greg Olsen and Pete Carroll were among those seen on the first day of training camp.
As Carroll indicated, the Seahawks are going to be as cautious as possible with Wilson given the scarcity of quarterbacks. Geno Smith is the projected backup but the team also signed Washington State standout Anthony Gordon as an undrafted free agent. Given the ongoing pandemic, the backup quarterback battle is as important as it ever has been to provide insurance behind Wilson.
READ NEXT: Jamal Adams Has Bold Message for Seahawks Fans After Trade