Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett Reflects on Career Journey as Seattle Heads to Playoffs
RENTON, Wash. - At the NFL level, separation between elite players and good players boils down the smallest of details. In the case of receivers, route running truly emulates an art form with the best of the best buttering up defenders to create big play opportunities as games progress.
Over the past eight years, few players have been better at accomplishing this task than receiver Tyler Lockett. With the Seattle Seahawks on the brink of playoff elimination, he put his elite route running savvy and football acumen on display once again on Sunday, helping his team manage to escape with a 19-16 overtime win over the Rams that ultimately vaulted them to a postseason berth.
Trailing 13-6 early in the third quarter, Lockett initially took at outside release towards the sideline, looking as if he was running a vertical fade route similar to the one he ran on Seattle's first play. But with veteran cornerback Troy Hill taking the bait, he transitioned into a skinny post 15 yards downfield and quarterback Geno Smith dropped a perfect pass into the bucket as he reeled in an over-the-shoulder grab in the back of the end zone for a game-tying 36-yard touchdown.
Though Lockett's heroics didn't win Sunday's game outright and he only finished with four catches for 54 yards, the receiver's incredible grab emulating Willie Mays with impeccable hand eye coordination and body control re-awakened a dormant Luman Field crowd, providing the fuel necessary to orchestrate a comeback.
"Once I made my post move, Geno threw it where only I could get it," Lockett said. "I mean, it was a really great throw. All I had to do was make sure I caught it and held onto it because Troy Hill made a great play just trying to be able to knock it out of my hands whenever I caught it."
Witnessing Lockett make history on the touchdown by joining Hall of Famer Steve Largent, who personally handed the star receiver the team award carrying his namesake prior to kickoff, as the second player in Seahawks history to post four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, all coach Pete Carroll could do is marvel at his latest example of receiving brilliance.
"Tyler gets his 1,000 and catches one of the prettiest touchdown passes. Just remember this one forever," Carroll said. "That's how he does it. He did it again when we needed it most. It was just a gorgeous throw designed, everything, and then he did it, falls apart at the back line of the end zone for the touchdown. Just teared me up just because he did it again."
Eager to deflect praise to his teammates whenever he can, a humble Lockett has always preferred to downplay his individual accomplishments. One of the most underrated players in the league at any position outside of the Pacific Northwest, he's never been one to worry about national perception or dwell on own accolades and would much rather discuss the success of the team.
But after helping lead Seattle to an improbable winning record and playoff berth in what was supposed to be a long rebuilding season, Lockett opened up more than usual on Sunday night from an individual perspective, reflecting on the journey he has traveled since arriving in the NFL as a third round pick out of Kansas State in 2015 to etch his name in the franchise record books alongside the legendary Largent. And, of course, he made sure to credit Smith and DK Metcalf for helping him get to this point in a year where he has dealt with plenty of adversity, including missing a game last month recovering from hand surgery.
"I just give God all the glory man because when I just look at the course of my career here, I'm just thankful that I've been able to get an opportunity just to see how far I can take this game, see how far I could take being a receiver," Lockett said. "I got the opportunity to be a special teamer and I got the chance to see what I could be able to do with that. And now I'm getting a chance to be really be able to see how great I could be as a receiver."
While blessed to reach 1,000 yards once again, not surprisingly, Lockett indicated he still would have viewed this season as a great one even if he fell short of that mark. He wasn't "trying to stress" about reaching that specific number as long as the Seahawks finished out the year with a victory and gave themselves a chance to make the postseason.
Sure enough, Lockett and his coaches as well as teammates got their cake and were able to eat it too. Thanks to Detroit's stunning upset at Lambeau Field over Green Bay, Seattle jumped into the seventh spot to secure the NFC's final wild card spot. In the process, the star receiver made more history in a season where he has stacked numerous milestones, including breaking Largent's record with a touchdown catch in six straight games.
Down the line, Lockett will have more opportunities to ruminate over the stats and awards he compiled in another fantastic season. But for now, he's excited to see what a young, rising Seahawks squad can do as a postseason underdog and play his part as always by craftfully running routes, making impossible catches look routine, and delivering in clutch moments.
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