The Seahawks have 15 rookies on the active roster — eight draft picks and seven undrafted free agents. The success of this season might be determined by, as much as anything else, how those rookies progress.
Pete Carroll has never forgotten the words of one of his beloved mentors, ex-Vikings coach Bud Grant: “For every rookie you start, you lose a game.”
No, Carroll has never forgotten it — but he long ago discarded that philosophy, which used to be rampant in the NFL and still might be the prevalent way of thinking.
Not in Seattle, however, where Carroll can joke about his “freshman class” and revel in the sheer audacity of having 15 rookies on the Seahawks’ active roster — eight draft picks and seven undrafted free agents.