‘Do Your Job’ vs. New York Jets: Seattle Seahawks Coach Clint Hurtt Cares Little for Tariq Woolen vs. Sauce Gardner
As the Seattle Seahawks host the New York Jets at Lumen Field on Sunday, there is a clear focus on the playoff implications the game has for both teams.
There are also some interesting but less important story lines to follow. An entertaining battle leading up to the game has been the potential battle between starting cornerbacks like New York’s Sauce Gardner and Seattle’s Tariq Woolen, both of whom are headed to the Pro Bowl.
Gardner drew attention after publicly asking fans on social media “How are you letting this happen?” about why Woolen had more Pro Bowl votes than him without directly calling out the fellow rookie.
That certainly prompted headlines, but Seahawks defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt thinks it’s all moot. He hopes a “matchup” between two players who won’t even take the field against each other on Sunday won’t be a distraction.
“I would hope that, in a natural sense, it doesn’t happen,” Hurtt said. “He’s not going to line up against Sauce Gardner one time. … I think sometimes when you get to that, you lose sight of what’s important in the flow of the game, which is to do your job.”
Woolen will already have to worry about an underrated and talented Jets corps highlighted by starting receiver Garrett Wilson. Focusing on a “battle” with Gardner should be at the bottom of the priority list when Wilson is on the verge of a 1,000-yard season.
“He’s got to cover Garrett and Corey Davis and the rest of those guys in the wide receiver group,” Hurtt said.
While Gardner helped fuel the fire with his since-deleted tweet, the media is equally to blame for seemingly always pitting great players at similar positions against each other. From positional grades or statistical comparisons, they all serve as a way to create more storylines.
Hurtt is not blind to this fact.
“As far as comparisons and whatnot, you guys are going to make sure they continue for years to come,” he said.
If both Gardner and Woolen make game-changing plays on Sunday in a must-win game, then the conversation will be all the rage. But with both facing tough matchups in the secondary stage, the head-to-head comparison assumes an important position for now.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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