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With the Seattle Seahawks approaching the midpoint of the team offseason activities allowed under the CBA, the roster has started to take form and players are gearing up for the final push to compete as training camp rapidly approaches. One player who has repeatedly posted his workouts during his first offseason with the Seahawks is defensive end Marcus Smith.
For those who are unfamiliar with Smith’s story, he was born and raised in Georgia, attended college at Louisville and was drafted in the first round by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014. However, his career in Philadelphia never took off with Chip Kelly at the helm, and after one season under Doug Pederson, Smith was waived on the eve of training camp.
Multiple outlets have reported that Smith’s release may have been at least in part fueled by his skipping of voluntary offseason workouts, though the stacked depth chart at defensive end certainly didn’t help Smith any at all.
In any case, Seahawks fans can rest assured that Smith is not only in attendance for voluntary workouts, he’s also doing a significant amount of working out on his own. Earlier this offseason we looked at what a day in the gym looks like for Smith through a Twitter thread, and today we have the opportunity to look into part of his goals in structuring his workout. Specifically, working out in a manner that leads not only to strength, but to durability as well.
Anybody can tire you out in the gym, or make you feel like you “worked out” - but details are important.
— Marcus Smith II (@MarcusSmithII) May 11, 2018
As football players, we gotta make sure we’re getting stronger and faster. We also have to make sure that our bodies are durable.
— Marcus Smith II (@MarcusSmithII) May 11, 2018
I’ve learned to build my body up so that soft tissue injuries don’t happen. I used to have a lot of hamstring/groin issues. USED TO. Those problems aren’t a thing anymore, thanks to my training.
— Marcus Smith II (@MarcusSmithII) May 11, 2018
Sean from @MonsterMaker_1 showed me sled workouts.
— Marcus Smith II (@MarcusSmithII) May 11, 2018
Sled pulls and pushes are great starting points for injury proofing the body because they build your butt and your hamstrings. pic.twitter.com/a0ty6eiYuj
The stronger your hamstrings, the faster you can move. Additionally, the sled builds endurance and allows your legs to better adapt to fatigue. pic.twitter.com/qCfecGQ0TI
— Marcus Smith II (@MarcusSmithII) May 11, 2018
He had me up until, “Sled pulls and pushes are great”. No, they’re not Marcus. Not at all. They’re actually horrible.
In any case, for the second season in a row Smith finds himself on a team that has added a defensive lineman early enough in the draft to warrant Smith’s attention. However, this offseason, her certainly seems to understand that the voluntary portion of offseason workouts aren’t voluntary for everyone.