Rookie contributions help Seahawks in loss
Despite the loss, the 359 yards of offense against the Saints was the second highest of the season for the Seahawks.
And the biggest play of the day was a sneaky offering between a pair of promising rookies — Tanner McEvoy and C.J. Prosise.
The Seahawks had just 19 offensive plays in the first half (compared to 43 for the Saints), and the rushing attack was held to only 3 total yards.
But early in the second period, the Hawks used a lateral-and-pass play from McEvoy to Prosise to pick up 43 yards to the New Orleans 2.
That McEvoy is involved in a big play is characteristic. He scored a 42-yard touchdown reception with his first catch against the Jets, and last week at Arizona he blocked a punt in the fourth quarter to set up the game-tying field goal.
As a former quarterback at Wisconsin, McEvoy’s skills were put to good use. Quarterback Russell Wilson threw a backward pass to McEvoy far to the left side of the field.
Since it was a lateral, McEvoy was free to pass the ball all the way across to Prosise running free up the other sideline. Prosise was caught at the 2, but on the next play, back Christine Michael rushed in for the Seahawks’ only offensive touchdown.
“It was a great play and I am glad the coach made the decision to use it,” said McEvoy, an undrafted rookie who was first tried at safety. “But in the end we lost the game, and you learn a lot after experiencing something like this.”
Prosise, a third-round draft pick out of Notre Dame, had seen very little action thus far because of a hand injury suffered in the opening game against Miami.
But on Sunday, he rushed four times for 23 yards and had four catches for a total of 80 yards.
The big one was the connection with McEvoy. “I was excited once we started practicing that play, and so glad when we called it in the game,” he said.
“We always have some (creative) stuff we can use,” said coach Pete Carroll. “That was really well-executed. It was a great job by the young guys, rookie-to-rookie, and that was kind of cool.”
Rookie tight end Nick Vannett, meanwhile, had his first catch of the season, for seven yards and undrafted rookie free agent George Fant played the entire game at left tackle in the place of injured starter Bradley Sowell.
“We take pride in it,” Prosise said of the rookies’ performances, which also include a start by Germain Ifedi at right guard, and four tackles by defensive tackle Jarran Reed. “We know we have to step in and do the job we’ve got to do. It was a real tough loss, but tomorrow we are going to show up for work and regroup.”
This story was originally published October 30, 2016 at 6:42 PM with the headline "Rookie contributions help Seahawks in loss."