By Eric D. Williams
FOX Sports activities NFC West Author
After greater than a decade teaching the Seattle Seahawks, Pete Carroll lastly has the kind of big-bodied receiver he likes locked up long-term.
The Seahawks chosen DK Metcalf within the second spherical of the 2019 draft. After three productive seasons, Metcalf signed a three-year, $72 million contract extension two days right into a hold-in at coaching camp to stay in Seattle.
Metcalf is a part of a proficient group of well-paid, game-changing receivers within the NFC West that features Cooper Kupp with the Los Angeles Rams, Deebo Samuel with the San Francisco 49ers and DeAndre Hopkins with the Arizona Cardinals.
DK Metcalf on his NFL objectives
Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf sits down with Shannon Sharpe on Membership Shay Shay to debate his long-term objectives, together with profitable a Tremendous Bowl and going to the Corridor of Fame.
Of these 4, Metcalf has the least acclaimed quarterback in Geno Smith. So will probably be essential that Metcalf does the little issues to raise his recreation on a weekly foundation.
Enter Sanjay Lal. After spending final yr with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Lal has returned to Seattle because the staff's receivers coach and passing-game coordinator. Lal and Metcalf fashioned a bond two years in the past on and off the sector, which led to Metcalf's best season.
In 2020, he completed with profession highs in receptions (83) and receiving yards (1,303), even eclipsing Steve Largent's single-season franchise report for yards. Metcalf additionally had 10 receiving touchdowns and earned second-team All-Professional honors.
"We just about assume the identical approach," Metcalf mentioned about Lal. "No matter he tells me and sees that I want reassurance of, or I already knew it, Sanjay is absolutely simply conserving me accountable and simply ensuring I am doing my job."
Final season, Russell Wilson's ultimate yr in Seattle, Metcalf completed with 75 catches for 967 receiving yards and 12 scores. General, he has totaled 3,170 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns by three NFL seasons, one in all solely eight receivers in league historical past to perform that feat. The checklist consists of Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Odell Beckham Jr. and A.J. Inexperienced.
With Wilson gone, the Seahawks want Metcalf to play massive with Smith taking on at quarterback. Seattle completed with 56 passing performs of 20-plus yards final season, rating No. 12 within the league. Smith was chargeable for 10 of these performs in three spot begins for an injured Wilson. Metcalf had simply 11 receptions of 20-plus yards final season. Throughout his Professional Bowl yr, he had 17 such performs and in his rookie season he had 13.
Based on FOX Sports activities NFL Author Warren Sharp, since 2020, groups that make no less than two extra explosive positive aspects (15-plus yards) than opponents within the first three quarters have gained 75% of video games.
Warren Sharp's NFL Information
For Seattle, which means Smith must develop a rapport with Metcalf and cat-quick receiver Tyler Lockett to create these performs on early downs, bettering the possibilities of the Seahawks changing scoring drives.
For his half, Metcalf hopes to rekindle his productive bond with Lal, beginning with the staff's season opener at dwelling towards Wilson and the visiting Denver Broncos.
For Lal, it is all within the particulars of route-running, stalk-blocking on operating performs and getting essentially the most out of the 6-foot-4, 235-pound bodily specimen that's Metcalf.
"I've instructed individuals he is the most effective receiver I've ever been round that took the strategies from follow into the sport," Lal instructed reporters throughout offseason work. "If we ran a stutter-hinge versus Patrick Peterson, the way it checked out walk-through, the way it seemed in a person interval, the way it seemed in staff is strictly the way it seemed towards Arizona. You possibly can have a look at the tape.
"I've truly made cut-ups of, here is how he did it right here, and here is the way it seemed within the recreation. The Stephon Gilmore ‘V' route, pylon route that he caught, we have walk-through reps of him operating it precisely like that. He needed to get a yard contained in the hash. He needed to get his eyes again for a rely, in any other case, Stephon wouldn't undercut him.
"It's totally uncommon for a receiver beneath duress, beneath the lights, to go try this in a recreation, and he did it completely."
No person doubted Metcalf's bodily abilities coming into the NFL, as he lit up the NFL Mix, operating a 4.33-second 40, posting a 40-inch vertical leap and bench urgent 225 kilos 27 instances. Nonetheless, he fell to the second spherical due to his perceived incapability to run polished NFL routes. Via laborious work with the assistance of coaches like Lal, Metcalf has modified that notion.
"DK is a giant goal," Smith mentioned. "He is a terrific participant. I've quite a lot of confidence in him, as all of us do. And as many instances as you may get the ball in his arms, you attempt to.
"He'll break tackles right here and there and take one 60 yards. So him, Tyler, all of our playmakers, Noah [Fant], our operating backs, all these guys, now we have a bunch of nice guys that we need to get the ball of their arms and permit them to do what they do."
Particularly No. 14.
Eric D. Williams is an NFL author for FOX Sports activities. He has coated the Los Angeles Rams for Sports activities Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma Information Tribune. Observe him on Twitter @eric_d_williams.
