Great article about Alex Collins performance in practice this year!

[phadedhawg]

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/nfl/seattle-seahawks/seahawks-insider-blog/article164670112.html

Second-year running back Alex Collins reached back to snare a hard pass from Russell Wilson off his hip. Collins then pivoted sharply up the left side of the field and sprinted with speed he did not have last season as a rookie who fell in and out of shape, and thus coaches' favor. Collins had All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner chasing him -- all the way to the end zone without catching him.

Through two practices and throughout offseason OTAs and minicamp, Collins has looked quicker. He's been more decisive. He's looked more athletic, like the high-school lacrosse player he was.

And maybe he's just grown up some.

The Seahawks drafted him in the fifth round last year out of Arkansas as a 21-year old who still had a year of college football eligibility remaining. He left Arkansas as one of only three running backs in the history of the Southeastern Conference to rush for 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons; Darren McFadden and Herschel Walker are the others.

Coach Pete Carroll and his staff thought Collins came in too big last year -- and stayed too heavy. The Seahawks listed him at 5 feet 10 and 217 pounds last year. He's listed at 210 now.

When Collins arrived for rookie minicamp in the spring of 2016, Carroll thought Collins was too heavy. He wanted Collins to "recondition" himself and get closer to his college playing weight of 215 pounds. Then, after Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise got hurt ahead of him, Collins fumbled on his only carry in November's primetime win at New England. Though he recovered his mistake, he got benched for the rest of that game and the following one.

Did he change his diet? Collins nodded.

Did he do more Irish dancing? Collins chuckled. (He trained in Irish dancing, at the encouragement of his younger sister, before the draft to improve his footwork.)

"It was a little bit of both," Collins said last winter.

Now the lighter, faster Collins is trying to cement his place behind Rawls, Prosise and new running back Eddie Lacy. To do that, he needs to stay ahead of rookie Chris Carson, a bullish runner from Oklahoma State that Seattle drafted in the seventh round this spring, and former USC back Tre Madden, a free agent from last season Carroll keeps praising.

It's only been two days of camp, but Collins is off to a fast start.

That's all great news to hear.  Seahawks are my team and AC is my facehog so here's hoping he can stay in Seattle and be productive for awhile.

[flagstaffhog]

Go HOGS Go!