Just like many 12s must don that special pair of lucky socks, prepare that perfect gameday provision, or claim that certain spot on the couch before they settle in to watch their favorite football team, professional athletes have specific things they feel they must do either the night before each game, the morning of each game, or during pregame warmups that help get them ready for gameday.
As Seattle prepares for its Week 7 primetime matchup with the NFC West rival Arizona Cardinals, here's a look at 10 somewhat strange but true pregame rituals that several of your favorite Seattle players will perform in the coming days.
1. Tony McDaniel: Sleep Aids & Epsom Salt
Tony McDaniel doesn't know whether or not drinking milkshakes the night before each game actually helps him sleep better, but the 6-foot-7, 305-pound defensive tackle isn't about to stop anytime soon in order to find out.
"I've got to make sure I drink a milkshake because it helps me sleep better," McDaniel said. "I don't know if it's true or not, but in the back of my mind if I drink a milkshake it helps me sleep better at night. I get a custom milkshake with yogurt, pecans, and caramel.
"I take salt epsom salt baths the night before too," he added. "It kind of helps get the last aches and pains out."
2. DeAndre Elliott: "Oreo Milkshake And Some Fruit"
McDaniel isn't the only one in line at the milkshake bar the night before each game. Rookie DeAndre Elliott is also a frequent visitor, and as you'll see below, his choice of shake influenced a fellow first-year defensive back.
"The night before I've got to have an Oreo milkshake," said Elliott. "And some fruit. That's just something I've got to have. Pineapples and grapes. Been doing that forever."
3. Tyvis Powell: "That's Vital Right There, That Oreo Shake"
Elliott and Tyvis Powell were roommates when they arrived at the Seahawks, and as Powell notes, they've "just been kickin' it ever since." The two have spent so much time together, in fact, that Elliott's taste in shakes has turned Powell onto the Oreo train.
"Since I've been here I've been eating the same meal the night before the game," Powell began. "I've been getting those chicken wings with those fries at the team meal.
"I've got to have an Oreo shake," he added. "That's vital right there, that Oreo shake. [DeAndre Elliott] got me hip to it, got to have that Oreo shake.
"Then I just usually watch one of the games on my tablet the night before. I just like doing that. Then pregame, I always warm up with Dre. I don't know why, every game I warm up with Dre. We were roommates when we first got here and we've just been kickin' it ever since."
4. Cassius Marsh: "Pray On The Field Before The Game"
The Seahawks' third-year linebacker likes to keep his pregame routine rather simple, praying on the field before kickoff.
"That's pretty much my only ritual." he said.
5. George Fant: "Never Wear Lotion"
Rookie offensive lineman George Fant admitted he hasn't developed any noteworthy rituals thus far in his young football career. But in college, when he played basketball at Western Kentucky where he averaged 21.5 points and 11.7 rebounds as a senior, he swore off lathering his hands with any sort of lubricant or lotion, dreading that the basketball would slip through his hands.
"Never wear lotion," he said.
6. Quinton Jefferson: Keep It Classy
Rookie defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson said he and his defensive line teammates go out for dinner as a position group the night before each game. Jefferson said Daniel's Broiler has been a favorite stop the evening before each contest at CenturyLink Field.
7. Richard Sherman: "Eat A Grilled Cheese"
While it may not be on the menu at Daniel's Broiler, the Seahawks' Pro Bowl cornerback has sworn by eating a grilled cheese sandwich every gameday the past two years, one that Sherman said is prepared for him by team nutritionist Michele Clarke-Mason.
8. DeShawn Shead: It's All About The Oatmeal
The Seahawks' other starting cornerback DeShawn Shead made it clear that he's not superstitious, but to quote The Office's Michael Scott, Shead might just be “a little stitious,” as Shead said he tries "to keep a lot of stuff the same."
"I try to eat light the night before and then in the morning I always eat oatmeal before the game," said Shead. "On my oatmeal I've got to have blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and they only have raspberries on gameday."
9. Kelcie McCray: Slow Your Roll
Kelcie McCray, the team's 28-year-old backup safety and key special teams contributor, has done the same thing before every game since high school.
"Right before the game I always listen to a lot of slow music," he said. "It's kind of different because a lot of guys listen to rap and stuff like that to get them amped up. I always listen to a lot of mellow, slow R&B music so I can kind of focus, calm down, and take control over my emotions. When I go out there too amped up and too excited I always end up messing up."
10. Justin Britt: Lil Boosie Does The Trick
Starting center Justin Britt has kept his ears tuned to Lil Boosie before every game, and one song in particular, *Crazy*, helps get him going on gameday.
"It's just something that's happened since I've been here," said Britt. "So just keep it going."
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