NASHVILLE—During a red-zone drill in Thursday’s joint practice between the Seahawks and Titans, cornerback Devon Witherspoon broke up a pass intended for receiver Calvin Ridley, then, as Witherspoon is wont to do, he talked some trash while walking off the sideline.
On the next field over, Titans safeties Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams observed from the back of the end zone, almost looking like proud parents as they watched their former teammate talk his talk after walking the walk.
But then, because as is the case for so many hypercompetitive athletes, Diggs, Adams and Witherspoon’s love language is trash talk, the back-and-forth banter quickly ensued. We’re not allowed to share the details here, but let’s just say it was hilarious, R-rated, and most importantly, all in good fun, with all three players sporting big grins throughout. As the back and forth continued, more Seahawks players got in on the fun, including Geno Smith and Jarran Reed. Spoon and his teammates only turned up the volume when, in the midst of all that banter, rookie cornerback Carlton Johnson intercepted a pass in the end zone, one of at least three picks Seahawks corners had on the day.
In two days of competitive work between the Titans and Seahawks, things never really crossed the line, but there was plenty of spirited banter back and forth, and that was especially true when it came to Diggs and Adams, a pair of Pro-Bowl safeties who both signed with Tennessee this summer after being released by the Seahawks for salary cap reasons last spring, and Witherspoon, who has quickly become both one of the Seahawks’ most vocal players, and one of their best.
And while it was dressed up in swearing, trash talk and other banter, there was plenty of love there as well between Seahawks past and present.
“If y’all could have been in our DB room last year, that’s small talk,” Diggs said after practice. “That’s just how we talk. I miss those guys, I love those guys…. Ya’ll know Spoon, you see how Spoon gets down, that’s how he, and all the guys, that’s dope. That’s a brotherhood for life.”