Film Breakdown: Phil Haynes Mauls in Seahawks' Starting Debut
Due to multiple injuries, including a sports hernia as a rookie, Phil Haynes hardly played any snaps in his first two NFL seasons with the Seahawks. Then, with Gabe Jackson arriving via trade this offseason, he entered training camp without a legitimate shot at competing for a starting job at either guard spot and wound up being waived during final roster cuts in August.
But after biding his time on the practice squad for a large chunk of the 2021 season, a healthy Haynes finally earned his first shot to start against the Lions last weekend when left guard Damien Lewis landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Delivering several critical blocks to help Rashaad Penny explode for 170 rushing yards and giving up zero pressures in pass protection, the third-year blocker made the most of his 72 offensive snaps in a 51-29 romp at Lumen Field.
“Phil played a really nice football game, he played physical, he was on point with his calls and his assignments, and he’s a tough guy," coach Pete Carroll said of Haynes' performance on Monday. "He plays a lot like Gabe [Jackson], they have very much similar styles, they are real physical, have real strong upper bodies, and are hard to knock back. He had good effort and he played really well."
Much like Penny, who has rejuvenated his career with over 500 rushing yards in the past five games, it's been a long road for Haynes to get his chance to impress. As a rookie, he spent time with the first-team during offseason activities, only to open camp on the PUP list and not play a single regular season snap. Then last year, a hip injury landed him on injured reserve twice and he played one offensive snap before undergoing surgery.
Finally able to stay healthy this year, Haynes expressed his gratitude for the Seahawks sticking with him through all of his injuries and couldn't have been happier to help Penny continue his scintillating run of success on the ground.
“It was awesome. It took a while, but I’m glad the organization stayed with me, and I was able to show I could go out there and play," Haynes reflected. "For [Rashaad] Penny, I’ve been to rehab with him for a while now. It’s good to see him out there, and I’m glad I could help him out.”
How did Haynes perform? While his pass protection impressed, the former fourth-round pick made his strongest statement as a run blocker propelling Penny to a monster game. Here's a look at 10 plays exemplifying his dominant performance in the ground game:
1. Haynes displayed quality athleticism, technique on pulling guard assignments.
2. Firing out of his stance and winning at point of attack, Haynes consistently created movement knocking defenders off the ball.
3. Light on his feet, Haynes executed reach blocks at the line of scrimmage and took quality angles to finish second level blocks.
