The Seahawks promoted Bryan Mone off of their practice squad Friday, adding depth at defensive tackle following the suspension of Al Woods, who was suspended Friday for four games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Mone, an undrafted rookie out Michigan, initially signed with the Seahawks after the draft, and made the 53-man roster to start the season, the only undrafted rookie to do so this year. He appeared in three games, recording three tackles, before being released and re-signed to the practice squad.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll described Mone on Friday as a "real big, strong guy. We love the way he plays and competes and all that. He'll just step right in… He's tough. He's physical. He's got a great motor for chasing the ball for such a big man. We're always showing his highlights. I think I had three highlights on yesterday from just his effort in practice, so that's kind of who he is. The players are fired up that he gets a chance to help us right now."
Mone said that compared to the games he played early in the season, he is "way more comfortable than before. I just do what they tell me to do, and just keep a positive mindset… I've come a long way, just learning more about the game and trying to do better with my technique. Just doing what Coach Hurtt asks me to do, just fixing those little things, and just watching the older vets like Poona (Ford) and (Jarran) Reed and Big Al, just trying mimic my game after them."
Woods, who signed with the Seahawks in May, has played in all 14 of Seattle's games this season, starting five. He will miss the final two regular season games, as well as two postseason games, should the Seahawks advance that far. He would be eligible to return should the Seahawks advance to a third postseason game.
Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner hosted 100 children from local youth organizations for a holiday shopping spree, giving each child in attendance gift cards so they could complete all of their holiday shopping needs. Wagner was joined by Blitz and several of Wagner's teammates, including K.J. Wright, Shaquem Griffin, Shaquill Griffin, Ugo Amadi, and Emmanuel Ellerbee, came out to get in on the holiday shopping fun.
Bobby Wagner is also the Seahawks nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, for his outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field. Fans can vote for Bobby Wagner by heading to Twitter and using #WPMOYChallenge followed by Wagner. The player whose unique hashtag is used the most between Dec. 12 and Jan. 12 will receive a $25,000 contribution to their charity of choice.
