Tapp back in the starting lineup and playing well in Seattle
By: Jimmy Robertson
Darryl Tapp has quickly learned about the business that is the NFL.
Coming off a season in which he started 16 games and played reasonably well, recording seven sacks and an interception, the former Tech defensive end and current Seattle Seahawk found himself in a reserve role at the start of this season, as the Seahawks handed the starting job to rookie Lawrence Jackson, a first-round pick from Southern Cal.
But that didn’t cause any worries for one of the more popular Hokies to play under Frank Beamer. In typical Tapp fashion, he never complained and simply kept working.
Tapp got his first start of the season in week seven – and he’s started ever since.
“That’s just the way I am,” Tapp said. “I knew I had to do something to validate them inserting me back in the starting lineup. So you push even harder. That’s what I did.
“They [the Seahawks coaching staff] wanted to try a rookie. At this level, you quickly learn that it’s a business. Things hadn’t been going great for us as a team, so they inserted me back in the lineup. I’m just trying to make the most of it.”
Tapp is playing in his third season with Seattle after the team took him in the second round of the 2006 draft. During his rookie year, he played in all 16 games, recording 33 tackles (22 solo) and three sacks. He also intercepted a pass.
Last season appeared to be his breakout campaign. He started all 16 games, recording 49 tackles (41 solo) and seven sacks. And again, he intercepted a pass.
But the Seahawks’ personnel people drafted Jackson in the first round and are paying him big money. They wanted a quick return on their investment, so they started Jackson even though Tapp played very well last season, and Tapp then quickly realized he was only as good as his last game.
“It’s been a growing experience,” he said. “I had my job stripped from me. But I’ve earned it back.
“The competition in this league is sky high. It’s the best of the best. It’s fun, but it’s also challenging. You can’t relax.”
Tapp, a former two-time All-ACC selection, enjoyed the Seahawks’ playoff run a year ago. Seattle made it to the NFC divisional game, where it lost to the Chicago Bears 27-24. He hoped to experience that again, but the Seahawks have struggled to a 2-11 mark so far this season.
“We’ve had so many injuries to our wide receivers,” he said. “I think all of them have been hurt at some point, and then, that migrated over to the rest of the team. That’s played a part in it [the Seahawks’ struggles].
“Sometimes when that happens, guys want to do more than they need to do. They try to force things instead of just doing their job. That’s happened a lot to us, too. It’s been tough for us this year.”
Tapp signed a four-year contract shortly after he got drafted. That means he has one more season remaining in Seattle after this one before his contract expires. He comes from a tight-knit family – he and his two older brothers are very close – and he would love to see more of them, but they live in the Tidewater area.
Still, that’s not to mean that he wants to go anywhere.
“I love it here,” he said of Seattle. “The city is nice and the scenery is nice. The only negative is that it’s so far away from home. But I usually have at least one member of my family go to every game.
“I like the organization here, too. They really care about their players. Coach [Mike] Holmgren is great and Jim Mora [Seattle’s defensive backs coach and coach-in-waiting] is great. He brings a lot of intensity. Everything is going good.
“We even have a Hokie Club out here. I haven’t been able to get up with them yet, but I know we have one.”
As expected, Tapp keeps up with some of his former teammates and with what’s happening at Tech. He and James Anderson, a former high school teammate now with the Carolina Panthers, remain close.
“I talk a lot with those guys before and after games,” Tapp said. “I’ve run into DeAngelo [Hall], [Aaron] Rouse, [Chris] Ellis, and we play Josh Morgan and those guys twice.
“I’d love to get back to Tech more often and see some of the folks there. But there’s not really an offseason. You get a month or two off, maybe, and then you have to be back here for OTA’s [organized team activities]. Maybe since we’re not going to be in the playoffs, I can get back there.”
Hopefully, he can get back to Blacksburg. He’d certainly be welcomed.
But as he’s learned, the NFL is a business – and it takes top priority.
