While his teammates go zipping away at the snap of the ball, rookie John Carlson waits and watches.
This is not the role everyone expected the Seattle Seahawks' second round draft pick to be fulfilling at this point. The Notre Dame product is supposed to be Seattle's tight end of the future, solidifying a position that's been a disappointment for years in coach Mike Holmgren's offense.
But while fellow tight ends Will Heller and Jeb Putzier are off running pass patterns during Seattle's minicamp this week, Carlson is slowed by a hamstring strain the Seahawks don't want to have become a significant ailment.
"I understand they have my best interests in mind,"
Carlson said after Tuesday's practice. "I'm upset with myself because I'm not as involved as I could be, because of the hamstring. It's frustrating, but I'm sure I'll heal quickly."
That's not to say Carlson is completely inactive. He did participate in some drills when the Seahawks moved their practice across Lake Washington and used the indoor facility at the University of Washington to avoid Tuesday's rain.
But while learning the Seahawks' intricate offense is priority No. 1 for Carlson, staying healthy is just as important. That's why he's being held back during minicamp, with the hopes he's injury free when training camp begins in late July and can make a push for the starting tight end spot.
"This camp is important but the July camp is way, way more important for him,"
offensive coordinator Gil Haskell said. "That's why we're going slow with him. Otherwise, I'd run him into the ground to get him ready."
Seattle traded up in the second round of the draft to pick Carlson, ahead of popular tight end prospects Dustin Keller of Purdue and Fred Davis of USC, even though Carlson hadn't been able to perform fully during the scouting combine because of a bacterial infection.
But his willingness to even try and compete at the combine impressed the Seahawks, namely Holmgren. That desire, his 6-foot-5 frame and the ability to both be a receiving option and sufficient run blocker made him Seattle's target.
"He's smart, he's gotten better since he's been here. We've done the same thing over and over so he's gotten better there,"
Haskell said.
Carlson has also impressed his teammates. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck noted that Carlson is usually one of the first he sees at the practice facility in the morning and still hanging around when Hasselbeck leaves in the afternoon. And his playbook is always in hand.
Helping Carlson is the ability to lean on Heller and Putzier for advice. Heller has been with the Seahawks for the last two seasons and is a seasoned blocker. Putzier played in Denver and Houston before signing with the Seahawks as a free agent this offseason. More of a receiving target, Putzier played in offenses with major similarities to what Seattle runs.
"I think we can be one of the better tight end groups in the NFL,"
Putzier said. "Some teams just have that one guy, maybe two, but I think we can really flourish."
Carlson said the hamstring problem is a day-to-day issue, one he hopes is completely gone by the time training camp starts at the end of July.
"John's so young and it's going to take a while, but it can't take a while,"
Haskell said. "He's got to come (on) fast."
Notes: The Seahawks moved practice to the Dempsey Indoor Center on the Washington campus because of continuous rain Tuesday morning. A number of Washington coaches came down to watch practice, including offensive coordinator Tim Lappano and new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell. Next year, rain won't be an issue with the Seahawks' new practice facility in Renton scheduled to be done later this summer. There will be an indoor facility on site. ... OL Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack missed practice with a sore right knee.
