RENTON, Wash. (AP) — David Hawthorne knows of only one way to play football: with a hard-hat mentality that has made him a stalwart of the Seattle Seahawks defense.
An undersized, undrafted free agent out of TCU, Hawthorne made the Seahawks in 2008 with a knack for bone-jarring hits in the preseason that earned him the nickname “The Heater” from his teammates. He played exclusively on special teams his rookie season before another impressive preseason earned him the backup middle linebacker role behind Lofa Tatupu.
When Tatupu went down with a torn pectoral last year, Hawthorne stepped in to start 11 games for the Seahawks. In his first start, Hawthorne racked up 16 tackles, tied for third-most in team history. He led the team with 116 tackles on the season and tied for the team lead with three interceptions.
