Updated Oct 8, 2012 - 3:41 pm
Rookie Bruce Irvin making early impact for Seahawks
Remember when Bruce Irvin was a non-factor in the season opener and concern was beginning to set in about the lack of production from the Seahawks' first-round pick?
 Bruce Irvin |
Irvin, the 15th overall pick, has 4.5 sacks after picking up two in Seattle's 16-12 win over Carolina on Sunday. That has him on pace for more than 14, which would equal the stellar season turned in by Aldon Smith in 2011 when the 49ers' top pick was nearly the league's defensive rookie of the year.
Coach Pete Carroll estimated that Irvin played less than 25 of 52 plays against Carolina. That didn't stop him from getting to Cam Newton twice. His second sack came on Carolina's final possession, when Irvin forced a fumble that teammate Alan Branch recovered to seal the win for Seattle. He dropped Newton for a 13-yard loss on third down earlier in the game. It was his second two-sack game in three weeks.
Irvin isn't an every-down player. Neither was Smith a year ago, though, so matching his 14-sack season seems like a realistic possibility.
That was much harder to imagine three weeks into the preseason, when Irvin still hadn't made a tackle let alone collected a sack. He had 1.5 sacks and forced a fumble in the preseason finale but didn't show up on the stat sheet in the regular-season opener a week later. Even when the on-field results weren't there, coaches and teammates routinely praised Irvin for his work ethic, specifically his willingness to listen and learn.
Defensive end Red Bryant did the same when he joined "Bob and Groz" on Monday.
"The sky's going to be the limit for a young guy like Bruce Irvin," said Bryant, the captain on Seattle's defense. "He's just starting to scratch the surface of what he can be if he continues to progress and continues to work the way that he's working."
In the video below, Bob Stelton and Dave Grosby share additional thoughts on Irvin's strong start.
You can listen to Monday's podcast here.
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clevesside wrote...Bruce Bruce Bruce....October 9, 2012 7:54 am{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }- Reply
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C"mon Man wrote...Contract extensionOctober 9, 2012 2:21 pm{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }- Reply
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SeaTownSportsAtic wrote...@C'mon manOctober 9, 2012 2:37 pm{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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Big Zipper wrote...I'll admit I was wrong on being to critical....October 9, 2012 7:11 pm{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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Bob Stelton is the co-host of "Bob and Groz". He came to 710 ESPN Seattle from 101 ESPN in St. Louis and had previously worked for Sporting News Radio in Chicago and Santa Monica, Calif. Bob began his radio career in Seattle in 1997 after a failed attempt to become a rock star. 
Dave Grosby is the co-host of "Bob and Groz." The Groz has spent the last 21 years of his 39-year broadcast career as a Seattle sports talk show host. Dave is also the play-by-play announcer for Seattle U basketball on KTTH 770. Before coming to Seattle, Dave worked at KFI in Los Angeles and KFBK in Sacramento. He's been married to his wife Bonnie for 23 years.
After two years as the producer for "Brock and Salk," Colin Paisley now produces "Bob and Groz." Colin also hosts "Seattle Sports at Night" with Tom Wassell and Matt Pitman. Colin came to 710 ESPN Seattle after five years at various FM music stations in Bellingham and Seattle. In addition to his time as producer and host, Colin likes to spend his time embracing his "Slacker Gen-Y" persona by napping and not caring about stuff. Plus he likes tons of bands you've never heard of, and once you hear of them he'll stop liking them.
