Seahawks CB Tariq Woolen Staying Level-Headed Amidst quick Start To NFL Career
Back whilst Tariq Woolen changed into making ready to open his NFL profession as a Week 1 starter for the Seahawks, Richard Sherman changed into a normal across the Virginia Mason Athletic Center main as much as the season opener.
A Seahawks Legend and one of the high-quality gamers of the beyond decade, Sherman is a participant with whom Woolen stocks quite a few similarities—each tall corners had been former university receivers who had been drafted via way of means of Seattle withinside the fifth-spherical—so it changed into a herbal suit for Sherman to spend a while dishing out recommendation to Woolen and fellow rookie nook Coby Bryant after practices and walkthroughs.
One of the maximum big messages Sherman exceeded directly to Woolen changed into that the rookie had to recognise a way to manage adversity, in component due to the fact any rookie in a big function goes to have his ups and downs, however additionally due to his precise position. Cornerbacks regularly play on an island and not using a help, looking to live glued to a number of the high-quality athletes withinside the world, so their errors are magnified.
“Be organized for adversity,” Sherman recalled telling Woolen early ultimate month. “It in no way is going like you suspect it`s going to go. Even if you are having your high-quality day, you will have one of these moments as a way to make you rethink everything, specifically as a rookie who hasn’t been available and handled the ups and downs. I simply instructed him, simply be equipped to face for your 10 feet and be equipped to return back lower back and show it over and over and over and over, and in no way fold available. That’s the toughest component for a younger nook, and that is what breaks quite a few younger corners is the incapability to resist adversity and overcome.”
Here’s the factor though, thru six video games, Woolen truely has had quite a few the ones moments that might probably destroy him. Sure, he were given beat for a landing in Seattle’s preseason opener, however then again… preseason. And because the normal season started, Woolen has performed so properly that he hasn’t but needed to absolutely faucet into Sherman’s recommendation. That’s now no longer to mention errors or maybe terrible video games are not coming. They will, it is simply the character of gambling cornerback withinside the NFL. At a few factor Woolen gets tripped up via way of means of a few fancy footwork, or he will misinterpret a play and get beat deep, or he will reduce to rubble a area insurance mission that ends in a landing—the ones can and could show up to even the high-quality cornerbacks.
But six video games into Woolen’s profession, the ones inevitable difficult training had been minimum as he places collectively a begin that appeared past even the maximum constructive expectancies for a fifth-spherical choose who changed into regarded as an interesting prospect with quite a few upside, however who changed into additionally visible as being uncooked after changing to cornerback halfway thru his university profession.
Even the always-constructive Pete Carroll mentioned that he and widespread supervisor John Schneider, “did not see this coming that it’d be this apparent that he may want to play this early,” once they decided on Woolen ultimate spring. “But he is simply taken to it. It’s the merging of his heritage and all that and the manner we talked, the stuff that we do suits him flawlessly for his make-up and all. And he is simply been so receptive, and also you men have visible him, he is truely smooth to talk with, he is were given a fantastic thoughts on him that lets in him to be cushty with the demanding situations and all. He’s now no longer careworn out. He’s having the time of his existence and he will awaken on the stop of the season and discern out what took place.”
What’s took place thus far has been Woolen authoring one of the high-quality testimonies of this Seahawks season. Woolen, who changed into named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 6, has recorded an interception in 4 directly video games, the primary rookie to achieve this considering 2010, and has additionally recovered fumbles in every of the beyond two. In Week 2, he introduced a blocked discipline intention that changed into again for a landing via way of means of fellow cornerback Mike Jackson.
In addition to being tied for the league lead in interceptions, Woolen is likewise permitting a passer score of simply 36.nine whilst focused because the nearest defender, consistent with NFL Next Gen Stats, the fourth lowest passer score allowed via way of means of an NFL cornerback. An interception per week probably is not sustainable, however if Woolen maintains up a excessive degree of play, he will be a valid candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year and Pro-Bowl honors.
It’s the type of play that has made now no longer simply teammates and Seahawks fanatics take notice, however additionally human beings across the league. Multiple Cardinals gamers, which include All-Pro protection Budda Baker, sought out Woolen after Sunday’s sport to reward his play. On Twitter, 4-time Pro-Bowl cornerback Darius Slay gave a shout out to Woolen, as did Dallas linebacker Micah Parsons, ultimate year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year who additionally earned first-group All-Pro honors ultimate year. And even as his new process with Amazon’s Thursday Night Football has stored Sherman farfar from the Seahawks of late, he is been certainly considered one among Woolen’s largest supporters on social media.
“It’s cool, due to the fact despite the fact that you’re on specific groups, it’s far nevertheless like a brotherhood due to the fact you live connected,” he said. “And simply seeing Darius Slay and Micah Parsons and specific gamers like Trevon Diggs and stuff like that attain out, it is cool due to the fact you’re definitely turning heads out here.”
Other than appreciating that acknowledgment from a number of the league’s elite shielding gamers, Woolen would not experience like a great deal has changed.
“I suggest I simply live degree-headed,” he said. “You in no way truely get too excessive or too low. You simply were given to be the identical individual thru it all.”
But getting lower back to Sherman’s early recommendation to Woolen, what occurs whilst the inevitable bumps in the street come up? Well, having Sherman as a useful resource will truly help, however greater than something Woolen and his coaches are banking that his laid-lower back demeanor—the only a few groups delivered up as a complaint on the NFL scouting combine—will help
