New Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham adjusts quickly
RENTON, Wash. – Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham, the touchdown celebrator, is not one for subtlety. On Tuesday during organized team activities, for example, Graham capped each of his touchdowns by jumping and spiking the ball.
At first, the reaction from the Seahawks’ defense – a group not known for subtlety, either – was hushed surprise. But the next time Graham did it, the defense booed and ran onto the field. And that’s the way it went – Graham spiking the ball, the defense booing and everyone laughing.
But it was a small peek into what the Seahawks claim has been a smooth adjustment for Graham, their prized acquisition this offseason.
“Right from the first time I sat down with him in my office, I was just blown away by what a great kid he is and how squared away he is,” coach Pete Carroll said. “We know he has great ability and athleticism, so we were curious. We were really curious to see how he could assimilate, and he did it instantly.”
The questions about Graham’s assimilation were more pronounced than usual because of his rocky history with the Seahawks.
He got into a confrontation with linebacker Bruce Irvin and several of Seattle’s defenders before a 2014 playoff game against the New Orleans Saints. After the Seahawks shut down Graham that game, defensive lineman Michael Bennett called Graham soft and overrated.
Bennett stood by those comments during a radio interview in April after the Seahawks acquired Graham, saying, “I still feel the same way. Just because he’s on my team, I don’t stop feeling that way. Obviously, I’m going to be a better teammate to him because he’s on my team.”
Irvin and Bennett haven’t been at Seattle’s voluntary organized team activities, but Graham said he hasn’t experienced any fallout.
“Everything has been good so far,” Graham said. “I haven’t heard any complaints. That’s just how it is. When you come from another team and when you talk as much as I do out there on the field, you’re going to have people who don’t like you until you get on their team. I’m just going to come out here and show who I am.”
Graham and Irvin were part of a large group that went to Maui in April. The two posed for a picture in which it looked like teammates were holding them back from fighting.
“That was a real fight, man,” Graham said. “Nah, that’s just how this team is, honestly. They just have a good time. It honestly feels like I’m back in college. That’s how close each and every person is on this team.”
By most accounts, Graham has the flair and edge to fit right in. David Thomas, a former tight end with the Saints, called Graham one of his favorite teammates.
“He loves trying to whoop another dude,” said NFL Network analyst Heath Evans, another teammate in New Orleans. “I remember his rookie year in the pass-protection drill where the tight ends go against the linebackers. Jimmy hadn’t played a lot of football to that point so he kept getting beat, but every single time he wanted to get back up and do it again.”
Carter Sheridan, a former Saints assistant, called Graham one of the most confident and competitive players he coached.
“When he first walked in the door,” Sheridan said, “Malcolm Jenkins was a veteran and Jimmy Graham was the young tight end. Malcolm tried to bully him around and get in his face and blow him up. All Jimmy did was just catch pass after pass on him. That’s when I thought he was going to be something else. I have a lot of stories like that.”
Now Graham is trying to mesh into a new team – a team offensive lineman Russell Okung once characterized as having a lot of “alpha males and type-A personalities.”
“He’s fit in great,” offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said after Tuesday’s spike-fest practice. “I think you saw a lot of hooting and hollering out here today and just kind of got to feel his personality a little bit.”