For Hawks, the remake of Rocky Bernard is a knockout

KIRKLAND — Another word should be coined for what Seahawks defensive tackle Rocky Bernard does when he gets to quarterbacks. He doesn't so much sack them as inhale them.

He moves his surprisingly quick 293-pound body through, or over, the offensive line and voraciously swallows the quarterback. Then he rises into a crouch and shakes his shoulders in celebration.

"Since high school I've always done little silly dances and shakes," Bernard said. "And last year some of my teammates told me I should stay with the shoulder shake. It's just like a few seconds after the quarterback goes down, you know it's time to shake."

In a Seahawks season that has come together like some huge, complicated jigsaw puzzle, Bernard has been a prime example of a young player finally understanding what it takes, day-to-day, game-to-game, down-to-down, to be successful.

Bernard, who started this season as a backup to Marcus Tubbs, has figured it out. In his fourth NFL season, all of his talent finally has dovetailed. He has become the best quarterback-stalker among the league's interior linemen.

"I'm stating the obvious, but I think he's doing great," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said this week. "He probably has been our most consistently good player inside. I tease Rock about it, but I think when he's going, concentrating and pushing himself really hard, he is a very, very good player.

"He hasn't always been that disciplined, I don't think. He's a fun-loving, good-natured guy, and when he gets serious about playing the position, he's pretty good. I think he knows now, this year that, 'If I do A, B and C, and approach it in a certain way, then I'm going to get some pretty good results.' "

Every player's biological clock is different. Some, like rookie linebacker Lofa Tatupu, come into the league ready. They adjust to the increased speed of the game, and the transition from college to pro practically is seamless. For most, however, there is a learning curve.

"You're kind of playing and playing and you're happy to be in the NFL," Holmgren said. "You're making pretty good money, but then if you want to reach your potential and have a chance for greatness, then the light goes on, and I think that's what happened with Rocky. He's always shown sparks, I think. But the consistency he is showing this year is something that, we felt, he's always had the ability to do."

Bernard has broken out. With starter Tubbs out with a calf injury the past three games — all wins — he has four sacks and 11 solo tackles. He has discovered his talent, and it's like finding the perfect place to live.

"I didn't like that being said about me, that I was inconsistent," Bernard said, sitting in the eye of the typical post-practice hurricane of raining tape and pads and uniforms. "But now I think everything's just come together. Finally, things are slowing down for me on the field. At some point in your career the light's got to really click on."

After last season, Bernard stayed in town and worked out at Seahawks headquarters. He committed to the work he knew he needed. Committed in a way he never committed before.

"I think I've finally realized that at this level you can't just rely on talent alone," Bernard said. "You have to work extra-hard in the classroom and the weight room. You have to put it all together. You can't just go out there and think you can do the things you did in college and just survive on talent alone.

"My second year I had a bad year. A lot of the coaches kept telling me, 'Hey, you can do more. You can be a better player than you're showing.' I realized that I wasn't doing the things I needed to do to get here — working out, running and keeping in shape. I had a lot of injuries, and I realized that if you're not working hard and keeping your body healthy, you're going to get hurt."

Bernard, 26, has 8 ½ sacks. No defensive lineman has more. And he hasn't missed a game.

"It's when you know you can go out and do something, and coaches are telling you can go out and do it, and finally you show you can do it, it really feels like a blessing," Bernard said. "It's really rewarding. "I look at films from two years ago and I look at the films now, and I see two different players."

Bernard sees a reprogrammed Rocky. He sees the player he has always wanted to be.

Steve Kelley: 206-464-2176 or skelley@seattletimes.com.