Trufant making strides toward cornerback elite | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA
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KIRKLAND – As the Seattle Seahawks were practicing safety blitzes at Husky Stadium on Wednesday, cornerback Marcus Trufant found himself in one-on-one coverage with split end D.J. Hackett along the sideline.
As quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw, it seemed a foregone conclusion that Hackett would come down with the ball.
After all, not only did he have three inches and 10 pounds on Trufant, but this was the exact type of play on which Trufant was repeatedly beaten last season, the sort where he was in position to make the play but got outmaneuvered at the last moment.
It has been a point of emphasis that the coaching staff has stressed this season with Trufant. It is not enough just to be there, they told him, but you have to make an impact. It is what separates the good from the great.
“He has been victimized a little bit by that over the years,” Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. “This camp, clearly, if you have been watching it the whole time, he makes plays now. He is thinking about it, and he is improving in that area.”
It was something of a comfort for the Seahawks then when Trufant, the Tacoma native who starred at Wilson High and Washington State, somehow came away the ball after getting tangled with Hackett. He outmaneuvered Hackett and recorded the turnover.
If anybody besides Hackett should be upset about the play, it was Hasselbeck, whose pass was well placed. But Hasselbeck understands the overall importance of the defense to the Seahawks’ ultimate fortunes, and so he came away with growing admiration for Trufant, against whom he competes every day in practice.
“That was an amazing play,” Hasselbeck said. “I think Tru is playing with a lot of confidence right now. He’s making a lot of plays.”
In a completely revamped secondary that includes safeties Brian Russell and Deon Grant, signed as free agents in the offseason, Trufant has stood out the most.
Granted, some of that is because he is being tested so often, going against the best receiver time and again. But he has seemingly withstood nearly every challenge. The only times he has really gotten beaten in practice is when a receiver makes an incredible catch.
The biggest change in Trufant is that he is back on the left side, where he grew up playing and earned his reputation at Washington State. Kelly Jennings is playing Trufant’s old position.
After suffering shoulder injuries from leading with his right shoulder while tackling, the Seahawks switched Trufant to the right side after his rookie season to protect the injuries.
But when Jim Mora took over as secondary coach, one of his first decisions was to move Trufant back to his original side, a place where he admittedly feels more comfortable.
“It’s one of those where you get used to one side, different footwork, a lot of different little things,” Trufant said.