Competing to Retain Starting Role, Seahawks CB Tre Flowers Playing with Renewed Confidence
After a surprisingly productive rookie campaign, cornerback Tre Flowers entered last season with extremely high expectations and the Seahawks were hopeful he’d be able to take his game to the next level in his second season manning the right cornerback spot.
Failing to play up to those standards, Flowers only displayed marginal improvements and struggled mightily against top receivers in 2019. Along with his inconsistent performance during the regular season, the 25-year old proved to be a liability in the playoffs against the Packers, as he allowed several big-yardage plays from receiver Davante Adams.
Despite the unusual challenges this offseason brought because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the third-year pro still found a way to critique his craft over the summer, spending most of his time working with teammate Shaquill Griffin. Admitting he’s hungry to compete this season, the 6-foot-3 cornerback is fully aware of the challenges that are ahead of him and he’s very happy to receive another opportunity to play in Seattle.
“I’m hungry, hungry, more hungry as ever. I worked out with Shaq [Griffin] all offseason and we talked a lot, personal level and football level. So I’m just ready to get the year started,” Flowers mentioned. “I’m competing for everything and the whole organization is all about competing. So, I’m just glad I got the opportunity.”
Coming out of college, Flowers was forced to learn a new position during his rookie season, as he spent the majority of his time at the safety position over his four seasons at Oklahoma State. Considering the two spots require different mindsets and techniques, changing positions as a rookie wasn't an easy task and it’s something most players would struggle with.
Reminiscing about his second season in the league, the former fifth-round pick believes he performed much better than most experts have given him credit for. With that said, the Texas native revealed that his previous mindset would’ve seen him thinking about all the negatives from last season, but his growth over the offseason has helped him focus on moving forward rather than backward.
“Second year at a new position I think I did pretty good. A lot of people can focus on my bad and last year probably asking me that question I would probably focus on my bad too,” Flowers discussed. “But, not growing as a football player, growing as a man, I know what I need to focus on and I know what I need to get better at.”
Looking back at his 2019 campaign, it’s clear Flowers must improve defending against the passing game along with bringing ball carriers down more effectively, as he allowed 708 receiving yards, 287 yards after contact, and 15 missed tackles. Additionally, the young cornerback will also need to improve his discipline, after he committed the second-most penalties (nine) among all cornerbacks in the league, according to NFL-Penalties.com.
Taking a new approach into 2020, the former safety explained how he’s now aware of when to “cut it loose” and when to play it safe during his third season in the league. Adding to that, his improved mentality has helped him trust and believe in himself much more this summer and he’s hoping to carry that same mindset throughout the entire season.
“It’s actually all mental and it can’t be turned on and off. I like to think of things as how I act on a football field feels a little different than how I act on life. But, I’m just trying to go with the punches other than trying to overthink things, trying to think about what the refs gonna call or what route he may run if he doesn’t run that,” Flowers explained. "I trust myself to know that I watch enough film to go with it. They trusted me for two years. As a rookie, they trusted me to play and as a second-year guy, they trusted me to play. So it’s time for me to believe in me like other people believe in me, for sure."
Since cornerback Quinton Dunbar was placed on the commissioner's exempt list in July, he was forced to miss the start of training camp, allowing Flowers to earn regular reps as the starter in practice. As a result, there's a chance he could be starting across from Griffin once again when the Seahawks face off against the Falcons in Week 1, though the competition remains ongoing.
Utilizing his poor playoff performance against Green Bay to fuel him, Flowers revealed his confidence is currently sitting at an all-time high, which has helped him enjoy every practice and workout this summer. No matter what happens in the battle between him and Dunbar, he's optimistic his new mindset will position him for a new level of success in Seattle.
“This is the highest my confidence has ever been in my life. I’m pretty sure of it, I feel good, I go to practice every day, I go get better, I compete and I feel great. I feel good, I come in here with a smile every day.”
