A three-way competition for the starting quarterback job and the addition of Terrell Owens have dominated the headlines coming out of Seattle Seahawks' training camp this summer. So left tackle Russell Okung has been able to fly under-the-radar in making his return from a torn pectoral muscle.
Okung was in the midst of a breakout season last year before it was ended by a largely unpunished cheap shot by Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Trent Cole (who was fined $7,500 for the dirty play) at the tail end of the Seahawks' 31-14 win last December.
Though Okung had missed just one snap up to that point of the season, the injury raised questions about his durabiltiy. Okung, the No. 6 overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft, missed six games his rookie season with a pair of high ankle sprains.
Healthy entering this year's training camp, Okung quitely had a solid preseason debut and, as the anchor of the offensive line, is looking to help the unit forge a nasty identity under coach Tom Cable, Eric Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.
"I've really rebounded from the injury last year, and I'm really glad to be back out there," Okung said. "We want to be a tough, physical football team that runs the ball and explosively throws it down field. So that's kind of what we did last year, and I hope that we keep going off of that."
Seattle's guard situation is somewhat unsettled, but between center Max Unger, Okung and right tackle Breno Giacomini, who plays beyond the echo of the whistle, the framework of that tough, physical offensive line is in place.
Follow Brian McIntyre on Twitter _@brianmcintyre_.
