Deon Butler's Rookie Diary

Deon Butler is dealing with a harsh reality of professional sports this week. The man who drafted him, Tim Ruskell, resigned as the Seahawks team president Thursday.

For the rookie who played at Penn State, where coach Joe Paterno is an immovable icon, this kind of leadership change is jarring. In this week's installment of his rookie diary, Butler reacts to the news of the week, revisits the road trip to St. Louis last week and explains why he's not upset about a lack of playing time.

'They were killing my palms'

"This past week was good, really good. We got a win (27-17 over St. Louis), so that's always big. In that game, I also got a chance to catch up with some old friends — Justin King, who's an old roommate of mine and his family. Justin is a cornerback for the Rams, and we lived together for a year in college. It was nice talking to him and seeing his family. Besides that, I spent the trip hanging out with Aaron (Curry) and Cameron (Morrah). That's, like, our little group now on the road. We always go out and find somewhere to eat together. In St. Louis, at first, we tried to go to a good steakhouse, but we got there too early. It was closed, didn't open for another hour. So we ended up just going to the Hooters right across the street and watching all the college games. We were just hanging, chilling, watching games. That's about the extent of what we do on the road.

"A few days ago, I had a lot of fun at a public appearance. We were out in Lynnwood at an elementary school. We taught the kids how to brush their teeth. It was like dental awareness, basically. That was good. The kids were so excited. They were pumped up about everything. I was standing by the door and giving them high-fives, and they were killing my palms. They were swinging as hard as they can. The energy kids have, man, is just amazing. So it was good to get out and do that. That was a lot of fun."

'At first, I thought it was maybe they don't think I'm good enough'

"I didn't play much again last week, but like I always say, getting a win is what matters most. I'm starting to realize it's all about game planning. If we game plan to pass the ball a lot, then we'll probably use more three- and four-receiver sets, and that's when I'm in there. When we're not, when we're focusing on running the ball, I'm not really part of the game plan. I'm kind of getting adjusted to it, I would say. I'm not really accepting of it because I always want to play, but you understand the situation. I understand the fortunate situation that I'm in — that I have three veterans in front of me that I can learn from.

"I'm not thrown into the fire, so you take it as a learning process. Just learn from them every day so that, when my time comes, I'll be more prepared. I'm really realizing it's about game planning, per se, than how I'm really doing. At first, I thought it was maybe (that) they don't think I'm good enough. It's just all about how the game plan is going."

'It's going to be tough to take a loss like that'

"It was a shock to hear that Tim Ruskell resigned. That's a tough loss. Obviously, I'm still kind of new around here and didn't get to talk to him very much. But from the interaction that we had — I sat down and talked to him a couple of times — he was a great guy, great leader, and you could just tell at the end of practice (Thursday) how well-respected he was. Everybody went up and talked to him, hugged him and wished him good luck. You could just tell the type of effect that he has on people. He's someone that really believes in the Seahawks organization, so it's going to be tough to take a loss like that. But in another sense, it's going to be motivational for us to finish out the season strong after the words of wisdom he gave us at the end. It's just tough for me personally because that's a guy who believed in me, and he's the one who had the vision for me. But I'm here now, and I'm in the system, and I think I'll be fine.

"It's definitely a business. You realize it, especially coming from a situation like Penn State where the coaching staff is so steady year in and year out and everything is so old-fashioned. It's definitely different. There could be a trickle down from the front office and a lot of things could change. Or maybe things won't change much. Nobody knows right now. It's another one of those learning experiences you have as a rookie. I'm just taking it all in stride."

'I wouldn't say I'm hitting a wall'

"This is the time of year that, in college, the regular season is over, and we're getting ready for bowl games. You're still preparing, but you get a little bit of a break. In the NFL, though, we're hitting our stretch run.

"Mentally, I wouldn't say I'm hitting a wall, but it's starting to get kind of monotonous with meetings and all that. But I'm still kind of in this excited mode. When you've got guys like T.J. (Houshmandzadeh) dancing in the locker room, it's still fun. If this was getting boring, then it would be worse. But right now, physically, I feel good. Mentally, I think guys keep it fresh in here with their laughing and joking. And I'm still learning at the same time.

"Our big thing is trying to build on last week's win and get some momentum going. I feel good about it. It starts with this week. Once you get that rhythm of one win and the next win and you start playing with that confidence, playing with that swagger, that has a lot to do with it. If we get another win this week, it will definitely get us to feeling confident about our team and the way we play. Hopefully, we can start establishing some things and finish this season well. Only five games left."

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com, Twitter: @Jerry_Brewer