Enemy Reaction

Enemy Reaction Special Edition: A tribute to Jermaine Kearse

By Mookie Alexander@mookiealexander Sep 4, 2017, 2:00pm PDT

NFC Championship - San Francisco 49ers v Seattle Seahawks

Last Friday, the Seattle Seahawks acquired standout defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson via trade, sending Jermaine Kearse and a 2018 second-round draft pick to the New York Jets, who swapped 2018 seventh-rounders with the Seahawks.

Kearse’s presence on the team generated a lot of debate, with his disappointing 2016 really being a sore point after a solid 2015 campaign earned him a contract extension. You may be glad Kearse is gone from the standpoint of what he brings (or doesn’t bring) to the Seahawks offense, but he’s worked his ass off just to have a fairly lengthy NFL career in the first place. Undrafted out of the University of Washington, the Seahawks took in the born-and-raised Lakewood resident and initially placed him on the practice squad. When Ben Obomanu went down with a season-ending injury in October, Kearse was promoted to the 53-man roster, appearing mostly on special teams and sparsely getting snaps on offense.

In 2013, Kearse had an outstanding preseason, including a touchdown reception and a 107-yard kickoff return for a score in the 40-10 whipping of the Denver Broncos. Kearse caught the game-winning touchdown in the season opener at Carolina, and slowly but surely became integrated into the passing game, especially with injuries to Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice. By the time January 2014 rolled around, Kearse was a playoff hero.

As pointed out in our comments section by CompletelyNormalGuy, Kearse is sort of the offensive version of Jordan Babineaux, aka “Big Play Babs.” Neither one was a top-tier player, but they both had a knack for making clutch plays in crunch time, and Kearse is responsible for two of the most important and dramatic touchdowns in franchise history.

I’d promised last week that if Kearse was let go as expected, I’d produce a special Enemy Reaction for “Chop Chop.” I hope you enjoy it!