Stoned?

[D-train]

RENTON — For Seattle Seahawks tackle Stone Forsythe, 2023 has been a year of unexpected opportunity.

Coming into this season, Forsythe expected to play the same depth role that he did last year, where he made just one start for the Seahawks while backing up starting rookie tackles Charles Cross and Abe Lucas. This year, with both Cross and Lucas missing time due to injury, Forsythe has had to step up in a big way.

Forsythe has made four starts through the first six games of the season, seeing time at both left tackle and right tackle, and has done well enough to earn a vote of confidence from head coach Pete Carroll.

With Lucas set to miss a bit more time after having knee surgery, the 6-foot-8 inch, 307 pound Forsythe figures to get plenty of playing opportunities at right tackle in the weeks to come.

“He really is a veteran now,” Carroll said on Wednesday. “He’s a veteran football player in terms of evaluation of what’s going on, his ability to put himself in good positions, and understand the edges he needs to take on players, and all of that growth stuff that’s gone through the process of getting to here. He did a really nice job last week. I was really fired [up] that he just jumped in there for us on the right side. He’s played some there, we’ve seen him, but this is the best he’s been.”

Playing time has been sparse for Forsythe since he was picked by Seattle in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft at No. 208 overall. He appeared in 10 games as a rookie in 2021 but was a part of just 14 total offensive snaps, with most of his playing time coming on special teams. Last year, he appeared in all 17 regular season games, but still appeared in just 122 total plays on offense.

Forsythe’s snaps have skyrocketed this season amid Seattle’s injury issues up front. Through six games, he has 276 total offensive snaps under his belt, and has become a crucial piece of Seattle’s offensive line with Lucas still on the shelf. For Forsythe, the increased playing time this season has helped him vastly improve his quality of play.

Last season, Forsythe earned an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 37.0, which is considered poor. This year, Forsythe has bumped that grade up to a 61.3, bringing him up to an “average” grade.

Versatility has been a key part of Forsythe’s value to the Seahawks. He started his college career at right tackle for the University of Florida before shifting to being the Gators’ starting left tackle for his final two seasons, an experience that has served Forsythe well at the professional level.

He has mostly played on the right side with the Seahawks, but made his first pro start at left tackle in Week Two against the Lions. In a league like the NFL, you’ve got to be able to do both.

“[It’s] extremely valuable,” Forsythe said. “This year was the first time I played left tackle in a regular season game. Last year was all right, rookie year I got thrown in there at right tackle. So it’s just something to work on in the offseason, staying ready.”

Veteran offensive lineman Jason Peters is one teammate whose has been impressed by Forsythe. Since signing with the Seahawks as a free agent in September, the 41-year old Peters has served as a mentor for much of Seattle’s young offensive line, most of whom are close to 20 years his junior.

“Stone’s a baller, man,” Peters said. “He does everything the coaches ask him to do. He takes coaching, when I tell him something, ‘fix this’ or ‘do this,’ he takes it and puts it into his game. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been helping him and stuff, and every time I tell him something, he does it, you know. He puts it in his game and take it to the game.”

Another person who Forsythe can always turn to for advice is his father, Ray, who spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1995, before playing for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe, and the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League.

While the 25-year old Forsythe is too young to have seen his father play pro football, he didn’t miss out on any of his football wisdom.

“He was my first coach,” Forsythe said. “He taught me to play center, he played center all throughout college and a few years in the league. He was my coach growing up until high school, when he stepped aside and let the high school coaches deal with all that. But he would still let me know everything. Just kind of a big inspiration.”

But everything shifted in Forsythe’s junior year of high school in 2015, when Ray suffered a stroke that left him temporarily unable to talk, walk, see well, or use his left arm. Forsythe said that the family knew life was going to be a bit different moving forward, but things have improved drastically for his father in the eight years since the health scare.

“It was just a rough period of time,” Forsythe said. “… But he’s doing a lot better now. He’s going to continue to recover, and get better. He comes out to the games sometimes, watches games on TV and let’s me know what I did wrong, anything like that. It was a rough period of time for a little bit, but now it’s a little better.”

The two remain close, and Forsythe can usually expect to see a text message from his dad with some advice after games, and maybe a game clip of something that Forsythe can improve on for next time. Ray makes it to out to a game about once a year, most likely a road game this year, since the elder Forsythe doesn’t like cold weather.

But whether cheering for him in person or from their home in Florida, Forsythe knows that his family is thrilled to see him finally get the chance to prove himself at the professional level.

“They’re happy for me,” Forsythe said. “Finally, all that hard work is paying off, getting in there and getting some playing time. I’ll keep continuing my role on the team and helping them win games. Then it goes back to backing up, it is what it is, but I’m here to help win games.”

[D-train]

Speaking of Stoned. Did Witherspoon spend all FOUR years at the U of Illinois getting stoned instead of going to class?

How does someone spend four years on a major college campus and come out still talking like an illiterate hill billy??? lol

[SeattleAddict]

Speaking of Stoned. Did Witherspoon spend all FOUR years at the U of Illinois getting stoned instead of going to class?

How does someone spend four years on a major college campus and come out still talking like an illiterate hill billy??? lol

nothing there sounded illiterate. Southern accent, yeah, but he didn't seem unintelligent or anything.

Would also like to point out Marshawn Lynch graduated from one of the top academic universities in the world.

[Sibelius Hindemith]

Colleges (in America) aren't what they used to be. Undergraduate degrees are mostly meaningless. The purpose is to make the administrators filthy rich while churning out activists for the revolution.

[D-train]

Speaking of Stoned. Did Witherspoon spend all FOUR years at the U of Illinois getting stoned instead of going to class?

How does someone spend four years on a major college campus and come out still talking like an illiterate hill billy??? lol

nothing there sounded illiterate. Southern accent, yeah, but he didn't seem unintelligent or anything.

Would also like to point out Marshawn Lynch graduated from one of the top academic universities in the world.

He is definitely Southern from the Florida pan handle but ain't ain't a word....Compare to the Frank Clark vid I posted.

I honestly don't give a F and don't think less of him for it just surprising that after four years at College in the middle of Illinois you are still using "ain't" I am sure their English Profs are proud. lol

[Sibelius Hindemith]

I don't think there's an English Lit requirement anymore at most colleges. They allow students to replace that with Queer Studies courses.

[D-train]

Godwin also stoned? Once again my crazy notion that you should look back once it is past the time that the QB had to have thrown the ball it will increase your likelihood of making a play on the ball is confirmed. This time it is unbelievable a WR who a FULL 11 SECONDs after the snap was STILL not looking back for the football. I mean What in the absolute Fuck goes through these guys heads. Do they forget where they are, what sport they are playing, what planet they are on???

[tweet]https://twitter.com/NFL/status/17177437 ... s-video%2F[/tweet]

[SeattleAddict]

He is definitely Southern from the Florida pan handle but ain't ain't a word....Compare to the Frank Clark vid I posted.

I honestly don't give a F and don't think less of him for it just surprising that after four years at College in the middle of Illinois you are still using "ain't" I am sure their English Profs are proud. lol

Ain't IS a word.

https://www.thesaurus.com/e/grammar/ain ... int-baint/

[Bil522]

Speaking of Stoned. Did Witherspoon spend all FOUR years at the U of Illinois getting stoned instead of going to class?

How does someone spend four years on a major college campus and come out still talking like an illiterate hill billy??? lol

nothing there sounded illiterate. Southern accent, yeah, but he didn't seem unintelligent or anything.

Would also like to point out Marshawn Lynch graduated from one of the top academic universities in the world.

He is definitely Southern from the Florida pan handle but ain't ain't a word....Compare to the Frank Clark vid I posted.

I honestly don't give a F and don't think less of him for it just surprising that after four years at College in the middle of Illinois you are still using "ain't" I am sure their English Profs are proud. lol

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ain't

"They wrote me off. I ain't write back though." Geno Smith

[Donn Beach]

I doubt his English professor gave a shit either, they are there to teach literature, critical thinking, not the use of ain't