Seahawks’ Kearse remains upbeat despite down season

RENTON – Jermaine Kearse has heard his critics.

Anyone with ears has heard Jermaine Kearse’s critics this season.

“It’s been a humbling year for me,” the former Lakes High School and University of Washington wide receiver said Saturday following the Seahawks’ also-humbling loss to Arizona.

From boos inside CenturyLink Field through rants online and by howls on sports-talk radio, Kearse has been a frequent target this season. He’s been an outlet for frustration about Seattle’s inconsistent offense. His bashers say he’s been a reason the NFC West champions’ drive into the playoffs has remained in a lower gear, if not, at times, in neutral.

This has not at all been the triumphant follow up he expected when he signed a $13.5 million, three-year contract with his hometown team in early March.

“I mean, you just don’t pay attention to it,” Kearse said of the criticism. “It floats around, and you hear about it. But I’ve got great teammates who are just very encouraging, still.

“I just try to go out there and do everything that I can, whether that’s run blocking, whether that’s catching footballs, whether that’s helping other people get open.

“Trying to give my all for my teammates.”

Kearse got his first touchdown of the season on Christmas Eve, a brilliant, leaping catch on third down when the Seahawks had to have it to get back in the on a fade route to the back of the end zone that has infuriated his detractors for how often Russell Wilson still throws that to him. It was his first score since the two TD catches he had in last January’s loss at Carolina in the NFC divisional playoffs. He has just 39 catches – his fewest since 38 in 2014 – on a sizeable 82 targets. That’s a success rate of just 47.6 percent. So, yes, more times than not something negative has happened when the Seahawks have thrown it to Kearse.

Or even with they haven’t.

His penalty for blocking well down the field ahead of Tyler Lockett’s catch on a slant route on the first play of last weekend’s loss to Arizona was the sixth time this season Kearse has been penalized for offensive pass interference. That’s the most OPIs in the league. He’s also been flagged for a false start and illegal motion. Kearse and Oakland’s Michael Crabtree are the NFL’s most penalized wide receivers, and four of Crabtree’s fouls are for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The 82 targets in 15 games show how strong the trust remains between Wilson and Kearse. They first began building it as rookies during spring minicamps on side fields at team headquarters along Lake Washington, when Wilson was a third-round draft pick trying to win a backup job and Kearse was undrafted just trying to make the team in any capacity.

How much does Wilson still trust Kearse, over the objections of many? When Seattle needed points in a hurry to get back from 31-0 down with the 2015 season on the line, Wilson threw to Kearse twice for scores in what became a 31-24 thriller. Wilson threw to Kearse eight times in the overtime tie at Arizona in October, yet got just three completions. Even though Kearse had just two receptions against Buffalo last month, Wilson kept throwing to him. Nine times.

The most memorable display of their bond came in the NFC championship game against Green Bay in January 2015. Wilson threw four interceptions, all in Kearse’s direction, with two of those off the receiver’s hands as the Packers built a 16-0 lead.

But after the Seahawks’ miraculous rally to force overtime, Wilson changed a play from midfield to a post route to the guy who had directly caused two interceptions earlier that afternoon. Kearse caught the audible pass for the score that sent Seattle to Super Bowl 49.

It was Kearse’s fourth TD catch in four postseason games. Now he has six scores in Seattle’s most important games since 2013, after those two more against the Panthers in the Seahawks’ most recent playoff game.

“He trusts to throw me the ball,” Kearse said Saturday, “and he trusts that I am going to make a play – no matter the situation.”

This month, Kearse lost his job. Two weeks ago in the win over the Los Angeles Rams, Tyler Lockett started for him as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver behind Doug Baldwin. Kearse went to No. 3 for the first time since October 2014, when the Seahawks traded Percy Harvin.

Kearse downplayed the demotion.

“I mean, I was still playing,” Kearse said.

“Just trying to make the most of my opportunities for my teammates and give my all when I’m out there.”

Sure enough, on Saturday Kearse had nine more targets from Wilson. He caught four balls, including that first touchdown that started Seattle’s rally to tie in the second half.

Now Lockett is out for the season with a broken leg. Kearse will be back as the No. 2 wide receiver.

Whether his critics like it or not.