No shocker, says Strong
Just two days before his team’s NFL preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks fullback Mack Strong weighed in on Thursday with an opinion on another football game that will take place that same evening – albeit it on a much different level.
“I will pick the Spokane Shock over Bakersfield,” he declared when asked to predict the outcome of Saturday night’s second-round arenafootball2 playoff game that will kick off at 7 in the Arena. “I think the Shock has a definite advantage. They play very well as a team, they’re very fast and they’ve got some great talent there.”
If it sounds like Strong has some insight into the af2 showdown, it’s because he does.
The 34-year-old veteran of 13 NFL seasons and Pro Bowl pick off last year’s Super Bowl runner-up spent some time this summer doing color commentary on Everett Hawks’ af2 games for Fox Sports Net.
Strong was part of the announcing crew for four games, and saw both the Shock and Bakersfield Blitz in action.
“It different,” he said of arena football, “but people get excited about it, because it’s fast and you score a lot of points. If you blink, you may miss a few touchdowns.”
Strong said he took his abbreviated television gig seriously.
Rather than just mailing in his comments, he did his homework, studying the backgrounds of players and strategies of teams coming in to play against Everett.
“I tried not to just show up and talk for 3½ hours,” he explained, “because you run out of things to say. Trying to comment on different things in a game I’m not familiar with kind of put me behind the eight-ball. But I worked with a couple of great (play-by-play) guys who helped me along the way, and I think it ended up being something very productive.”
Strong accepted an invitation to provide television commentary in an effort to see if it might be something he would consider as a second career once his days as an NFL player end.
“I was just trying to explore that avenue to see if it was a good fit and if it was something I’d be good at doing,” he said. “I tried it, and it was a lot of fun.”
When asked what his summer job paid, Strong said “peanuts.”
“But I was happy just to get my foot in the door,” he added.
Along the way, Strong developed a deeper appreciation for the dedication and talent of the players who labor in the relative obscurity of the af2. He also admitted he probably doesn’t have what it takes to make it in a league where you have to play offense and defense.
“Those guys are tougher than me,” he laughed. “I don’t know if that would have been an option for me, had I not make it (in the NFL). You’ve got to give those guys a lot of credit. There’s some unbelievable talent at that level. Some guys that I really believe, in a few years, you might see at our level.
“Those guys make peanuts, too. It’s a tough situation to be in, but they’re out there chasing their dreams – just like us.”
Strong and his Seahawks teammates will face Dallas in the preseason opener for both teams Saturday night at 7 at Qwest Field.
Notes
The Seahawks will hold a closed walk-through practice on the Eastern Washington University campus this morning before flying to Seattle early this afternoon for Saturday’s preseason opener. … Coach Mike Holmgren said there are between 12-15 players still nursing injuries who will stay in Cheney and continue rehab work instead of accompanying the team to Seattle. … Rookie cornerback Kelly Jennings (groin) and second-year linebacker Leroy Hill (foot) both practiced and will probably play on Saturday. … Holmgren said starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck will probably be on a severely restricted play count against the Cowboys. “If we have a long first series and are fortunate enough to punch it in there, that’s probably it for him, as an example,” he explained, adding that backup Seneca Wallace will play the bulk of the game. … The Seahawks injury waived tight end Mike Gomez and claimed guard Jason Murphy off waivers from the San Diego Chargers.