Time’s right to learn more about Seahawks rookie RB C.J. Prosise

SEATTLE – If for many fans Sunday night marked an introduction to C.J. Prosise, he said those closest to him might have sometimes been left wondering if what they were seeing was the same player they have known all along.

As the Seahawks’ rookie tailback cut, slashed and bulled his way to 153 total yards in Sunday’s 31-24 win over the Patriots, he often did so in a manner he hasn’t always shown before.

“I was definitely playing a lot more aggressive than I think people are used to seeing me play,” said Prosise, who began his career at Notre Dame as a receiver before switching to running back his final season. “I know family members were kind of surprised at how aggressive I was playing and how physical. That’s something I’ve been wanting to work on since last year since I got the reputation that since he’s a receiver he’s not a real running back. I wanted to come in and show the league I can run the ball and be physical.”

But as important as showing the league was showing the Seahawks, who were impressed enough with the emergence of Prosise, as well as the expected return from injury of Thomas Rawls, that they felt comfortable enough to release Christine Michael on Tuesday.

This is a good time to get even better acquainted with Prosise. So here are five things you need to know about the player who with 96 yards is now Seattle’s leading rusher of those left on the roster:

His given name is Calvin Prosise Jr. But he said he’s never been called that. Instead, Calvin Jr. was quickly shortened to C.J. and that’s been that since almost the day he can remember.

“People tried to call me Calvin, but it just never ended up working out,” he said.

Prosise grew up in Petersburg, Virginia, playing basically every sport there is and said he first played flag football at “4 or 5 years old.” Asked his earliest football memory, he cited a story that represented an inauspicious and auspicious beginning to the sport all at once.

He said his team was on offense around midfield when there was a fumble of some sort and he ended up with the ball “and I ran the wrong way. I ran all the way down to like the 5-yard line, just about got a safety.” He heard all the “turn around” yells from the sideline just in time to, well, get turned in the right direction. “And then I scored,” he said, saying he went “about 50 yards back and then 100 yards forward.”

The only nickname he has really had is “Freaky.” But don’t worry, it’s much more innocent than it might seem at first glance.

Prosise, who was seventh among all running backs at the NFL combine with a vertical leap of 35.5 inches, came by his jumping ability at an early age.

He doesn’t remember the exact year, but at some point during his early teenage years “I dunked on somebody or something at the gym.” His older brother “said it was freaky so he just kept calling me freaky. He’s the only person who really calls me that.”

Another who later agreed with that assessment is Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly. Kelly often told the story that he made the decision to offer Prosise, who had starred as a safety, receiver and returner at Woodberry Forest School in Woodberry, Virginia, after seeing him dunk during a high-school basketball game.

“I saw this athlete and I said, ‘I don’t know where he’s going to play, but we’ve got to take him,’ ” Kelly said during a news conference last year. “He’s just that good of an athlete.”

One of his prized possessions is a Diamondback terrapin turtle named Benji that he purchased while on spring break in Florida two years ago.

“They were only $20 so I ended up getting him and I had someone drive him back from Florida to South Bend for me,” he said. Benji is now with him in Seattle serving as the perfect pet for someone working NFL hours. “They don’t take much work,’’ he said. “Just kind of feed them and let them do their thing.’’

Prosise could have returned for one more season at Notre Dame but decided to leave, in part because there was talk the team might move him back to receiver – he moved to tailback in part after injuries to other players at that position.

Not everyone was convinced it was the right move. Wrote draft analyst Scott Wright, of draftcountdown.com: “He’s looking at day three, rounds four through seven. Running backs tend to slide as it is. And given his experience at the position, he’s going to be more of a project for teams.”

The Seahawks, though, have never been scared by perceived projects of any sort and took Prosise with the first of their three third-round picks, No. 90 overall.

Prosise recalled he met with the Seahawks at the NFL combine and at Notre Dame’s pro day but otherwise didn’t really know how interested they were.

“When I got the call on draft day I was definitely surprised but I was also excited with the opportunity to come to Seattle,” said Prosise, who spends most Tuesdays visiting local schools to tout the benefits of exercise as part of a program sponsored by Premera Blue Cross.

His receiving background led to him being initially pegged for a role as a third-down back, a spot the team needed to fill after deciding not to bring back veteran Fred Jackson.

But the 6-foot-1, 220-pounder said his goal all along was to prove he could do more. The first step in doing that was to show he could run physically between the tackles. He got his first real chance to do that Sunday in what was his first NFL start, Prosise having had a somewhat delayed entry to his rookie season after suffering a broken bone in his wrist in the opener against Miami, which caused him to miss four games. Finally, Prosise said, he got a chance to show the runner he can be.

“It’s something that is hard to prove your first year at running back,” he said. “When I first got back there (at Notre Dame) I just wanted to run outside and get outside as quick as I can. But now I figured it’s better to go through the hole. I learned real quick it’s better being the hammer than the nail.”