Pitcock regaining his footing after two-year hiatus
Defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock (left) works against teammate Craig Terrill during a training camp drill.
(AP Photo/The News Tribune, Joe Barrentine)
With several of their defensive tackles slowed by injury this week in practice, expect to see a lot of Quinn Pitcock for the Seahawks in their preseason game Saturday night against the Green Bay Packers.
He'll be the one wearing No. 99 on his jersey and a smile on his face, having rediscovered his love for football after returning to the game following a two-year hiatus.
Quinn Pitcock, who walked away from the Indianapolis Colts two years ago, has rediscovered his enjoyment of the game since signing with Seattle two weeks ago.
(AP Photo/The News Tribune, Joe Barrentine)
Pitcock, 26, went AWOL from the Indianapolis Colts in 2008 and spent a year holed up in his apartment avoiding life while becoming addicted to video games.
But after getting therapy for depression and anxiety, Pitcock returned to the NFL two weeks ago when offered a shot by the Seahawks and the results so far have been encouraging for the former Oklahoma All-American.
"I'm starting to get a little bit back in the swing of things," Pitcock said Thursday as the Seahawks wrapped up the training camp portion of their preseason. "The biggest thing is I need to improve every day and I've done that so far. I think I'm stepping up and becoming part of the team."
Though Pitcock is behind a defensive tackle group that includes veterans Brandon Mebane, Colin Cole, Kevin Vickerson and Craig Terrill, he'll get plenty of action against the Packers as Terrill, Vickerson and Mebane all missed practice time this week for nagging injuries.
That has thrust Pitcock into a more-prominent role and he's eager to take advantage. Turns out, he didn't forget everything he'd learned while being away from the game for two seasons.
"It was like riding a bike," he said with a smile. "I fell off a few times in the beginning, ran into a wall here and there. I've got a couple scrapes, but hopefully I'll be sitting on the handlebars riding backwards sooner or later. That's my next goal."
For a fellow who walked away from the NFL after a promising rookie season, the last two weeks have been a welcome change.
"Yeah, every day is fun," he said. "I think just getting older and, I don't know how to say it, but now that it's fun to me it's not hard getting up in the morning. I'm not tired.
"When you're younger and you think of it like a job or even in college when you're groggy all morning and trying to stay awake in meetings, now I'm alert and awake, excited to learn. Asking every little question here and there. I've crammed so much into two weeks now. It's still a short time when you think about it, but if I improve every day, that's all I can do."
