Ever since acquiring Pro Bowl left tackle Duane Brown in the middle of the 2017 season, Seahawks coaches and players have praised him for his leadership – not just on the offensive line but among the whole team.
However, praise for his performance on the field has been sparse – despite a Pro Bowl nod last season and an excellent 77.1 grade from Pro Football Focus so far in 2018, ranking 13th among tackles.
Coach Carroll changed that on Saturday when he praised Brown the football player, not Brown the vocal team leader.
“He is really athletic,” Carroll stated. “I mean he moves well for anybody. It’s a great tribute to how he’s approached the game over a long period of time. He’s extremely well-conditioned. The guy is very strong, he never misses his workouts he never misses a chance to stay on the top of his game. We’ve been surprised at how consistent he’s been able to be and really how special he is athletically.”
The 33-year-old Brown is in his 11th NFL season. He has played 10 or more games every year, missing six last season because of a contract dispute with his former team, the Houston Texans.
Brown, along with additions D.J. Fluker and J.R. Sweezy, has helped turn Seattle’s offensive line into a strength – which has in turn catapulted their running game into one of the league’s strongest units.
The Seahawks will be without Fluker on Monday, but the offensive line will march forward, trying to create gaps for Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny and Mike Davis in what will be one of Seattle’s biggest games of the season. You can bet that Brown will be leading the charge, figuratively and literally.
