EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Anybody want Jalen Carter now?
It was just over five months ago that thousands of Seattle eyebrows rose in unison when the Seahawks selected cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the fifth overall pick in the NFL draft. It wasn't a name that rang out like the defensive tackle mentioned in the first sentence, and the Seahawks secondary wasn't as troubled as their front seven.
Carter had some legitimate character concerns stemming from pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing related to a fatal crash, but he was a sublime talent who would ostensibly make an instant impact.
Skepticism toward this pick increased when Witherspoon missed the initial days of training camp due to a holdout, and ticked up even more when he bit on a flea-flicker-turned-touchdown versus the Lions in his first NFL game.
Then came Monday night — when "Spoon" silenced MetLife Stadium and his critics in four spectacular quarters.
The rookie finished with two sacks, seven tackles and a game-sealing pick in the Seahawks' 24-3 win over the Giants. He had ESPN's Joe Buck and Troy Aikman raving throughout the telecast.
Did his "Hello, America" performance come against a banged-up New York squad sporting one of the weaker offenses in the NFL? Sure. But that wasn't an asterisk game, it was a coming-out party. Well, depending on who you ask.
"I thought he came out when he first came out, but this was definitely a special night for him," Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks said. "I hope he just keeps going."
Brooks' words reflected the thoughts of most of Witherspoon's teammates and coaches when they were asked about his night. Becoming the only NFL player to have two sacks and a 95-plus-yard TD since sacks became an official statistic in 1982? Hey, just what we expected.
The Seahawks didn't see the Illinois product as a safe pick or a mere Plan B after all the top quarterbacks came off the board. They saw him as a dynamic talent who could change the course of any given game.
Such talent went on display at MetLife Stadium early on Monday, when Witherspoon sacked Giants QB Daniel Jones less than 10 minutes into the first quarter. It showed up again when Witherspoon sacked receiver Parris Campbell with about five minutes left in the second quarter.
But the Monday night moment — when Witherspoon introduced himself to audiences in all 50 states and beyond — came late in the third quarter when the Giants posed their biggest threat of the evening.
Down 14-3 on the Seahawks' 5, it looked as if New York was going to find the end zone and possibly make it a three-point game if it converted a two-point attempt. Then, Witherspoon jumped Campbell's route, intercepted Jones' pass and ran it 97 yards to the house.
A celebratory dance ensued. The game, at that point, seemed over. Fans began to depart, and Devon Witherspoon had arrived.
"That was beautiful," fellow cornerback Riq Woolen said. "Before the game, I was talking about how I got my first pick, and I told him how it felt and different things like that, and next thing you know he gets his first interception. Smart player — I didn't doubt nothing."
What was going through your head as you knew you were going to score a touchdown?
"Really, just don't get caught. ... I was just trying to get to the box," said a grinning Witherspoon, who jokingly (I think) lamented that Woolen and safety Julian Love made him look slow by running him down. "First career pick, pick-six on 'Monday Night Football,' it don't get no better."
Monday's game had plenty of narratives despite the three-touchdown scoring difference. Seattle tied a franchise record with 11 sacks. Seahawks safety Jamal Adams suffered a concussion nine plays into the game after having sat out for more than a year. Quarterback Geno Smith tweaked his knee and missed part of the second quarter, allowing backup Drew Lock to lead a touchdown drive. And at one point, the Seahawks were playing with five offensive linemen who were all second-stringers when the season began.
Still, this was Witherspoon's night.
"I never thought he wouldn't play like this," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said, pointing out that Witherspoon was playing nickelback for the first time Monday. "This is why we took him."
Witherspoon downplayed the magnitude of his Monday night masterpiece, saying he was trying to put the game behind him and move on to the next one.
Fair enough. Either way, now — whether we're talking about what Devon did late in the third, or what the Seahawks did in the draft — we can say this.
That was a hell of a pick.
