Seahawks Star Rookie Tariq Woolen 'Special' or 'Lucky'? Pete Carroll Answers
Seattle Seahawks rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen was made to break records.
At 6-4, 210 pounds, Woolen ran a 4.26 40-yard dash during the pre-draft process, an incredible feat for any player, much less one his size.
A converted receiver with only two seasons of experience at cornerback under his belt before entering the league, Woolen seemed poised to face a steep learning curve ... but after just 12 games, he's stamped himself into Seahawks history.
Woolen, who's gone from developmental prospect to playing every snap in each of Seattle's last eight contests, recorded his sixth interception of the season in Sunday's 27-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams, the most ever by a Seahawks rookie.
It's simply just another mark of validation for Woolen, who's tied for the league lead in interceptions and sits tied for fourth in passes defended.
But there's a bit more to the story. While acknowledging Woolen's stellar opening act, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll threw out the term "lucky" when describing his game.
"He's having a great season," Carroll said. "He was beat a couple times today but came back out of it and made some plays that were really fortunate, but you got be a little lucky sometimes too."
It's hardly a slight from Carroll, as cornerbacks don't have a whole lot of control over things of that nature; they can't dictate when or where the ball is thrown, but they can control how well-positioned they are by the time the pass arrives.
While still learning the nuances of the position, Woolen was never going to be without flaws - but his ability to be productive and consistently impact games has been outstanding, and Carroll put those traits down to natural talent.
“It shows you again that he's got some special to him to make a couple plays that he made," said Carroll. "The pick was great. He (was) out of position a couple times and stuff but he was able to pull it off, so I was happy for him. You have to get lucky sometimes.”
By this point, Woolen's made so many plays on the ball that it feels more like commonplace than luck, though there are certainly some external variables that factor into it, as Carroll referenced.
But luck or not, it doesn't take away from the record-setting moment for Woolen or the "special" characteristics that he puts on display week in and week out - and perhaps best of all, he's only scratching the surface.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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