RENTON — Offensive lineman Justin Britt was part of a no-huddle offense in college at Missouri.
So simply taking a play call in the huddle and getting lined up correctly during the first day of the Seattle Seahawks rookie minicamp Friday was just another thing Britt had to try and remember.
“The tempo is pretty fast here. You would expect going from a no-huddle offense in college to a huddle offense in the NFL it would be slower, but really it’s not that much slower,” Britt said. “The plays get in fast, you break the huddle, you get to the line and get going. It’s definitely a fast-paced team and I feel like I’m in great shape for it.”
Britt and the rest of Seattle’s rookie class got indoctrinated into the Seahawks’ style and Pete Carroll’s approach. For a handful of drafted players and unsigned rookie free agents, this was not the first time on the field after having joined the rest of the team earlier in the week for part of the offseason program.
But this was the day rookies could put on helmets and offenses and defenses could go against one another. That won’t happen for the rest of the team for more than a week.
“I recognize this is really the first day being back out doing football stuff since the (Super Bowl),” Carroll said. “It was fun to be back out and you could feel the energy of the young guys. They’re so excited to be a part of it. It was a good day.”
Britt was the second pick Seattle made in last week’s NFL draft, taken with the final pick of the second round. Britt played left tackle his final season at Missouri but the Seahawks want to have him challenge Michael Bowie for the starting spot at right tackle.
Remembering how to get in and out of the huddle is just part of Britt’s learning curve. There are also footwork changes that come with making the swing from the left side to the right, and playing with his hand down in a three-point stance versus the two-point stance he used in college. They’re not major issues, but small things that require repetition.
“After I get going and doing it more it should be a smooth transition. … I just have to put in the work and study and learn it,” Britt said.
The highlight of the first day came from the positions that usually stand out in these types of camps: quarterback and wide receiver. Seattle’s top draft pick, Paul Richardson, left safety-turned-cornerback Eric Pinkins playing catch up during team drills and pulled in a 63-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Keith Price. Richardson’s speed is what made him so appealing to the Seahawks.
Price was also solid. The local product, having signed with Seattle as an undrafted free agent after a college career at Washington, said he wanted the challenge of trying to make the Seahawks roster rather than signing with another team. His task will be difficult with Seattle already having four quarterbacks: Russell Wilson, Tarvaris Jackson, Terrelle Pryor and B.J. Daniels.
“I kind of had my eye set here,” Price said. “I was very familiar with the system, very familiar with the coaches and I love this place. I love Seattle. I love being here and it’s great competition at the quarterback spot and I’m a competitive guy.”
Noticeably absent were offensive tackle Garrett Scott, a sixth-round draft pick, and wide receiver Chris Matthews, who was signed from the Canadian Football League after being the rookie of the year with Winnipeg in 2012. Carroll said Scott has not passed his physical yet, while Matthews has a hamstring injury.
