Seahawks minicamp lets out early with homework assigned

RENTON — The final practice of the Seahawks last minicamp ended late on Friday morning, but that was earlier than expected.

That explains the cheers that came from the middle of the practice field at 11:30 when coach Jim Mora told his players that the workout would be ending at least 30 minutes early.

"I'm appreciative of their work ethic and their attitude," Mora said.

And the players certainly appreciated the early conclusion, the offensive line made a B line for the locker room, the first to leave the field.

Seattle held 22 practices over this offseason, 18 of them voluntary. Mora said the attendance at those voluntary workouts stood at 96 percent.

The Seahawks' three-day minicamp that concluded Friday was mandatory, and Mora ended the final practice early as a nod of acknowledgment.

"They deserved it," Mora said, "they appreciated it and it's time to move on to the next phase."

That would be the 48 days between the end of Friday's minicamp and when training camp begins July 31.

Seattle's rookies have another two weeks of weightlifting and activities like attending a Mariners game, watching the Storm and visiting the Space Needle.

But even the veterans will have some homework: their playbooks. That's a departure from procedure. Many coaches don't want to let their playbooks out of the building this time of year. Too easy for the information to slip out, but with new offensive and defensive systems installed for the Seahawks, Mora felt the rewards of an extra month and a half of study outweighed any risks.

"We want them to study," Mora said. "We want them to spend time in their books ... I've never allowed them to take their playbooks home at this point of the year, but we think it's necessary right now."

A number of veterans did not practice this week. Cornerback Marcus Trufant felt some tightness in his hamstring, same for wide receiver Nate Burleson, who's coming back from knee surgery. Safety C.J. Wallace sprained his foot last week and wideout Courtney Taylor suffered a strained groin on Wednesday morning, and defensive tackle Cory Redding didn't practice Thursday or Friday after working out on Wednesday.

All those decisions were made with an eye toward having everyone healthy when training camp begins, and Mora said that everyone is expected to be ready, even defensive end Patrick Kerney and left tackle Walter Jones. Kerney underwent shoulder surgery and also had bone chips removed from his elbow while Jones underwent knee surgery in December.

"Right now, we expect every player to be ready to go at the start of training camp," Mora said. "We're on schedule for that."

And Friday marked the end of the Seahawks' offseason schedule for the veterans, the last practice of the final minicamp concluded with a reward from the coach and a recommendation.

"I reiterated to them today to make good decisions, do the right things," Mora said. "Protect the work you've done. Protect it. Don't sacrifice your ability to make this team, your chances to make this team."

Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com