Seahawks' Burleson all smiles about his knee
Renton – With a bounce in his step and a sudden burst of explosiveness few expected to see from a player only 10 months removed from a major reconstructive knee surgery, wide receiver Nate Burleson is already the talk of training camp for the Seattle Seahawks.
Burleson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the first game last year at Buffalo, ending his season before it really ever began.
Eight months after having surgery to repair the damaged ligament, Burleson looked tentative — but healthy — practicing during offseason workouts. He’s wearing a brace on the surgically repaired knee.
And during the first couple of practices, Burleson has looked even better. He’s getting open at will, confidently going up to make leaping catches in the middle of the defense, and showing off the extra burst of speed that allowed him to get deep before the knee surgery.
“It feels good,” Burleson said about his knee. “I don’t want to get too excited too early. I’m somewhat surprised, but at the same time the month leading up to training camp I was really busting my butt in AZ (Arizona), working out twice a day in that hot weather.
“I knew I was prepared. But to come out here and actually see it myself and feel it myself, and then catch footballs at the same time, it was a good feeling. Yesterday, I went to sleep with a smile on my face.”
Burleson, who turns 28 in a little over two weeks, points to a month spent in Arizona training twice a day at Athletes Performance for his renewed effort on the field. Burleson said his training regimen emphasized increasing his explosiveness and creating more stability with his surgically repaired knee.
“The only way I could test myself really was to take my knee brace off, go out to Arizona and see what happens,” Burleson said. “And that’s what I did. I didn’t wear my knee brace for a whole month. The first week was tough. I had a lot of soreness. And then my knee started to bounce back quickly.”
His exploits have not gone unnoticed, as both head coach Jim Mora and receivers coach Robert Prince have been pleased with his progress.
“Definitely he’s getting back in the flow,” Prince said. “He did show some explosive plays (Friday), which is really nice. He really went up for the ball, which we’re happy to see.”
Added Mora: “More important than anything is just the confidence he’s exhibiting. Sometimes when guys come off knees you don’t see that, but with Nate you do. And it’s real. It’s not something he’s trumped up. I mean he’s truly excited and truly confident about where he is physically.”
Curry still a no-show
Rookie linebacker Aaron Curry, the team’s No. 4 overall selection in the draft, missed his second day of practice, as his agent Mike Sullivan and the Seahawks continue to negotiate a deal that would allow him to report to camp.
The crux of the standoff between the two sides appears to be New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez’s deal. The No. 5 pick received $28 million in guaranteed money, and Ruskell hinted in an earlier interview that Curry’s representatives are using that as a comparable, while the team views quarterback contracts in a different light.
Redding a go at left end
Unable to practice during the offseason while still rehabbing from offseason knee injury, Cory Redding has been getting some time with the first unit at left defensive end. Redding said the plan for him right now is to play end during the early downs, and move to defensive tackle on passing situations.
Patrick Kerney played left end for Seattle last season, but Redding is more stout and built to play against the run more. Mora said the team plans to play Kerney at right end for now, with Lawrence Jackson backing up Redding at left end, and Darryl Tapp backing up Kerney at right end.
Redding said he’s not concerned with where he’ll line up or whether or not he’ll start.
“Right now, I’m just making sure I don’t mess up,” he said. “And playing the role that’s given to me right now. They’ve got me working with the ones, so that’s good to get out there and work with the guys and be with the starters. And then I work with the twos, so I’m working with both groups and making sure I don’t make mistakes. And making sure I get good hustle and run to the ball, and let the coaches make the decision.”
Extra points
The Seahawks put the pads on for the first time during a Saturday evening practice. However, Mora wanted to make sure things we’re controlled, making sure he didn’t put his players in any vulnerable positions. “It doesn’t mean we’re going to come out here and scrimmage now,” Mora said. “It’s not going to be full speed to the ground or anything like that. But we need to start banging a little bit. Guys need to start to get their bodies ready to hit.” ... Walter Jones sat out Saturday’s practice. Mora said Jones will practice every other day, as the team slowly brings him back. Jones is returning from microfracture surgery on his left knee.
Renton – With a bounce in his step and a sudden burst of explosiveness few expected to see from a player only 10 months removed from a major reconstructive knee surgery, wide receiver Nate Burleson is already the talk of training camp for the Seattle Seahawks.
Burleson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the first game last year at Buffalo, ending his season before it really ever began.
Eight months after having surgery to repair the damaged ligament, Burleson looked tentative — but healthy — practicing during offseason workouts. He’s wearing a brace on the surgically repaired knee.
And during the first couple of practices, Burleson has looked even better. He’s getting open at will, confidently going up to make leaping catches in the middle of the defense, and showing off the extra burst of speed that allowed him to get deep before the knee surgery.
“It feels good,” Burleson said about his knee. “I don’t want to get too excited too early. I’m somewhat surprised, but at the same time the month leading up to training camp I was really busting my butt in AZ (Arizona), working out twice a day in that hot weather.
“I knew I was prepared. But to come out here and actually see it myself and feel it myself, and then catch footballs at the same time, it was a good feeling. Yesterday, I went to sleep with a smile on my face.”
Burleson, who turns 28 in a little over two weeks, points to a month spent in Arizona training twice a day at Athletes Performance for his renewed effort on the field. Burleson said his training regimen emphasized increasing his explosiveness and creating more stability with his surgically repaired knee.
“The only way I could test myself really was to take my knee brace off, go out to Arizona and see what happens,” Burleson said. “And that’s what I did. I didn’t wear my knee brace for a whole month. The first week was tough. I had a lot of soreness. And then my knee started to bounce back quickly.”
His exploits have not gone unnoticed, as both head coach Jim Mora and receivers coach Robert Prince have been pleased with his progress.
“Definitely he’s getting back in the flow,” Prince said. “He did show some explosive plays (Friday), which is really nice. He really went up for the ball, which we’re happy to see.”
Added Mora: “More important than anything is just the confidence he’s exhibiting. Sometimes when guys come off knees you don’t see that, but with Nate you do. And it’s real. It’s not something he’s trumped up. I mean he’s truly excited and truly confident about where he is physically.”
Curry still a no-show
Rookie linebacker Aaron Curry, the team’s No. 4 overall selection in the draft, missed his second day of practice, as his agent Mike Sullivan and the Seahawks continue to negotiate a deal that would allow him to report to camp.
The crux of the standoff between the two sides appears to be New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez’s deal. The No. 5 pick received $28 million in guaranteed money, and Ruskell hinted in an earlier interview that Curry’s representatives are using that as a comparable, while the team views quarterback contracts in a different light.
Redding a go at left end
Unable to practice during the offseason while still rehabbing from offseason knee injury, Cory Redding has been getting some time with the first unit at left defensive end. Redding said the plan for him right now is to play end during the early downs, and move to defensive tackle on passing situations.
Patrick Kerney played left end for Seattle last season, but Redding is more stout and built to play against the run more. Mora said the team plans to play Kerney at right end for now, with Lawrence Jackson backing up Redding at left end, and Darryl Tapp backing up Kerney at right end.
Redding said he’s not concerned with where he’ll line up or whether or not he’ll start.
“Right now, I’m just making sure I don’t mess up,” he said. “And playing the role that’s given to me right now. They’ve got me working with the ones, so that’s good to get out there and work with the guys and be with the starters. And then I work with the twos, so I’m working with both groups and making sure I don’t make mistakes. And making sure I get good hustle and run to the ball, and let the coaches make the decision.”
Extra points
The Seahawks put the pads on for the first time during a Saturday evening practice. However, Mora wanted to make sure things we’re controlled, making sure he didn’t put his players in any vulnerable positions. “It doesn’t mean we’re going to come out here and scrimmage now,” Mora said. “It’s not going to be full speed to the ground or anything like that. But we need to start banging a little bit. Guys need to start to get their bodies ready to hit.” ... Walter Jones sat out Saturday’s practice. Mora said Jones will practice every other day, as the team slowly brings him back. Jones is returning from microfracture surgery on his left knee.
