I know I may be in the minority of opinion here in saying that I’m not extremely annoyed or incensed when DK Metcalf draws personal foul penalties… Hear me out: Pete Carroll doesn’t seem too bothered by it either, and what I’d like to do here is to examine the possible reasoning from a different angle.
There’s been a rather large outcry among 12’s over the flags DK has incurred against the offense. Understandably so, as it hurts the team with penalty yards. I saw an article this week about where the Seattle Seahawks should be looking to trade him…
Get real. Isn’t this getting a little out of hand? This is a player that Pete Carroll absolutely loves on his team. A rock that the Hawks built around on offense after trading Russell Wilson.
Metcalf is a hard-working, unique talent who commands attention and coverage. He opens things up for his teammates and by all accounts encourages them to be their best. We’ve even heard DK be used a measuring stick in practice to determine how our young DB’s can hold up against the elite, physical receivers that now populate the league.
Although JSN had some nice catches, and Bobo took us to the circus with his catch, the Seattle Seahawks were not nearly as explosive against the Cardinals without number 14!
Metcalf is a passionate player who brings an element of bully ball and even psychological warfare to the offense. Just ask pro bowl corner, Darius Slay! (Here is the visual component to that hilarious story).
Let’s look at our rivals in the NFC West. Trent Williams, for instance, is that badass element for the Niners. Aaron Donald is the big bully for the Rams. James Connor is the tough guy for the Cards.
These players bring such a dynamic element that we may not even sense from the stands or the couch. The element of intimidation and mystique is 100% a thing in the NFL. Sometimes you may live with the occasional outburst if things aren’t going their way.
A lot didn’t go Metcalf’s way in his last appearance against a young, talented and possibly underrated Bengals secondary. Despite being targeted 10 times, Dekaylin Metcalf only caught 4 balls for 69 scoreless yards.
“‘The bullies get bullied,’ said slot cornerback Mike Hilton, who had a huge red-zone pick. ‘We know that’s Metcalf’s type of game. He wants to get in corners’ heads. But we knew once we put 29 (Taylor-Britt) on him, all that was dead. He’s not used to guys pushing back and getting physical with him, Once the game plan was for Cam to follow 14 (Metcalf), we knew what time it was.'”
— Via Bengals.com
Strong words from the winning opponent… they also speak to a certain level of respect for Metcalf’s reputation and notoriety. DK Metcalf regularly gets in opponents heads, but there are times when he grows frustrated when that tactic isn’t working.
You don’t want Metcalf to suddenly become a soft, finesse player. That’s not his game. We want to retain the benefits of him being somewhat of a feared player across the league.
Safety, Julian Love had this to say when he signed with the Seahawks in free agency:
“This offense has a chip on its shoulder. I haven’t been around that too much; usually, it’s the defense that always has that swag, that energy.”
— Via Bump and Stacy of Seattle Sports
This is why the matchups between DK Metcalf and Jalen Ramsey were must-see-TV! They were both bullies who impacted the game in multiple ways.
Ideally, the focus should be on getting the player to understand that you need to approach that line and not cross it, as Ray Roberts astutely pointed out on Seattle Sports.
Pete Carroll had the to say recently when discussing Metcalf:
“It’s a competitiveness that’s special in guys, but you have to channel it properly and that comes with experience, and sometimes it comes with the pain of it”
Hopefully Abe Lucas gets back soon to help give our point-scoring operation more time, and to share the tough guy mantle with DK Metcalf for the Seahawks offense!
