Former Utah Ute and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Cody Barton (57) gestures to the crowd on a klick off in Seattle on Sunday, Nov 3, 2019. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Draft picks Marquise Blair and Cody Barton making an impact in Seattle
SEATTLE — Cody Barton may have experienced an NFL rookie’s worst nightmare.
During pregame warmups with the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 22, the former University of Utah linebacker threw a football that hit his boss in the nose. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll wound up needing stitches to close the wound after he accidentally ran into the ball.
“At first I was like, ‘Oh, crap,’ like I was very nervous,” Barton recalls. “But then he kept running off. So I was like he’s good. Then I come in the locker room and see him and it was split open pretty good. So I’m like, ‘Oh geez.’”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19355856/AP_19265765974986.jpg)
AP
Barton says the accident was a case of “bad timing.” He added that Carroll was cool about it, telling him not to worry while acknowledging that things happen.
Even so, Carroll joked to reporters later in the week that Barton had been “penalized severely.” Carroll added that he would hang it over him, too, despite receiving profuse apologies.
“That was humorous but I’m sure it was pretty stressful for Cody at the time,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham.
However, all is well. Barton has appeared in all nine of Seattle’s games this season, helping the Seahawks get off to a 7-2 start. Carroll noted that Barton had a remarkable camp, a great preseason and has proven to be smart, tough, reliable and a good team guy.
“He’s going to have a great career,” Carroll said. “I’m really excited about it.”
Seattle took Barton in the third round (No. 88 overall) of the draft, 41 picks after the Seahawks selected Utah safety Marquise Blair in the second round. Carroll had good things to say about the rookies before last week’s overtime win over Tampa Bay.
“We loved them in the draft. Both guys have done everything we have asked of them,” Carroll said. “They have maybe surprised us in that they’re legitimately competing for play time and positions now. They’re going to be fantastic players in the future.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19356284/merlin_17477.jpg)
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Making an impact
Carroll noted that Barton has been a remarkable addition and has been with the team ever since arriving in Seattle. He’s made four tackles (three solo) and a fumble recovery.
Blair, meanwhile, was hurt for a while.
“So he didn’t have the same opportunity to show where he fits in,” Carroll said. “But that which he has showed has been very special.”
Since moved into a starting role, Blair has raised his season-long contributions to 27 tackles (20 solo) over seven games. He had a team-high 11 stops and a pivotal forced fumble in a win over Atlanta.
All-pro linebacker Bobby Wagner, a Utah State alum, said that’s why Blair is getting an opportunity to start and play a lot of football for the Seahawks.
Despite his allegiance to the Aggies, Wagner appreciates the former Utes — even though he fired a friendly shot their direction.
“Cody and Marquise. They went to Utah, man. We don’t like them,” he quipped.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19356288/merlin_17497.jpg)
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
“It’s good to have good young men in the locker room. I don’t know if it’s good to have Utah guys,” Wagner said with a smile. “You know how Utah and BYU guys are. It’s really Utah State that has the best guys. I’m just saying.”
Wagner then took a more serious tone, expressing respect for the NFL newcomers. Barton is his backup on the depth chart.
“He plays the spot behind me so I feel like it’s my job to make sure that if something was to happen to me, God forbid, he’s ready. I feel like he’s definitely ready,” Wagner said. “He’s really smart, learned the defense really fast, makes plays every day at practice.
“Same with Marquise. Marquise picks up everything really fast,” Wagner continued. “He makes so many plays as you see in the (Atlanta) game, forced that fumble on like the 1-yard line ... amazing. So it’s really cool to have those guys on the team and I’m excited to see their growth through the years.”
Whittingham, likewise, is proud of both guys and said they appear to be off to good starts with their NFL careers. Barton and Blair appreciate doing so together in Seattle.
“For sure, it’s like we didn’t go anywhere,” Blair said.
‘The next level’
After stellar careers at Utah, though, Barton and Blair have moved on to greener pastures. Both players are enjoying the NFL experience.
“It’s just fun so far,” Blair said. “It’s the next level. I’m happy to be here.”
Barton emphasized that playing at football’s highest level is awesome. He’s learning a lot and having a great time. Barton also said that the whole experience has been fun.
The whole deal, he added, is everyone in the NFL is bigger, stronger, faster and smarter — adding to the challenges. As such, Barton doesn’t reflect much on his journey from Brighton High to Utah to the Seahawks.
“There’s really no moments like, ‘Oh, I’ve made it’ because I haven’t yet,” he said. “There’s a lot more things I want to achieve. I just got in the door.”
However, that’s not to say Barton never looks back. He hasn’t forgotten what it took to get where he’s at and hopes it’ll take him even further.
“So I still think about those times,” Barton said. “The bottom line is just hard work, working harder than everybody else.”
Blair has similar thoughts about getting to the NFL.
“I definitely worked hard,” he said. “So I definitely came to try to be a starter.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19356330/merlin_17485.jpg)
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Besides Barton, Blair and Wagner, the Seahawks have other players with Utah ties on their roster — former BYU defensive end Ziggy Ansah, one-time Utah prep standout John Ursua and ex-Utah defensive back Brian Allen, who was recently put on the practice squad.
“It’s kind of like this brotherly love that we always felt at Utah,” Allen said. “So just coming here to a new environment, those guys showed me the ropes — just took me under their wing because I’m the new guy here. I’ve only been here a couple of weeks but just being back with those guys ... it feels good.”
Barton acknowledged that having familiar faces around makes it more like home. He’s especially appreciative of Wagner.
“He has been a mentor to me,” said Barton, who expressed gratitude to Wagner, Mychal Kendricks and K.J. Wright, as well as the coaches, for everything he has learned thus far in the NFL.
Happy in Seattle
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19356047/merlin_17491.jpg)
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
The atmosphere and energy, Barton noted, is awesome in Seattle.
“Great organization,” he said. “What surprised me coming here is the team unity and how tight-knit everybody is. It’s just a great team overall.”
Blair is also glad to be with the Seahawks.
“I feel like this is probably one of the best places to be,” he said. “So I’m glad they got us both. I’m just happy to be here.”
There’s been a transition, though, from playing at Utah and the collegiate ranks. Blair praised defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley and the other coaches for doing a great job getting him prepared.
“I wouldn’t say easy. It’s never easy. It’s a whole different scheme,” Blair said. “But I feel like he made sure that we were ready for it.”
The former Utes keep up with their old team. They made time to reconnect when Utah played at Washington last weekend. Blair said he was glad to see them. Barton caught the first half of the game. He follows the Utes as best he can, looking up highlights and texting the guys.
Blair voiced his opinion on the College Football Playoff, days before Utah was ranked eighth in the season’s first rankings.
“If they finish out — going undefeated the rest of these games — they should be, I think, in the top four,” he said.
Reppin’ the U.
Utah has 19 players on NFL rosters. Whittingham said the good representation in the league is obviously good to see and a positive for the program. Blair and Barton were among five Utes — punter Mitch Wishnowsky (San Francisco), kicker Matt Gay (Tampa Bay) and offensive lineman Jackson Barton (Indianapolis) were the others — drafted last spring.
Blair was the first to go. The 6-foot-1, 196-pound safety from Wooster, Ohio, came to Utah for two seasons after earning All-America honors at Dodge City Community College in Kansas. He played in 23 games for the Utes, making 107 tackles (79 solo) with six passes defended, five stops behind the line of scrimmage, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
“He definitely made an impact in this program. It was kind of funny, he was a linebacker in junior college and he became a safety,” Whittingham said. “He played mostly linebacker and came in here and coach Scalley did a great job of mentoring him and teaching him the safety position.”
Barton, who is 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds, ended up playing in 50 games at Utah with 23 starts. He amassed 234 tackles (131 solo) with 23.5 stops for loss including nine sacks. Barton defended 11 passes, recovered three fumbles, had an interception and forced a fumble. He topped the Utes with 116 tackles last season.
“It’s rewarding, it’s gratifying. Cody was a self-made guy. He came in here without a lot of fanfare. First of all, we weren’t sure what position he was going to play,” Whittingham said. “He was a safety/linebacker type player, a tweener. But working he ended up getting bigger and gaining weight and made himself into a very good player here.”
from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2CrcFFG
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario