Basketball Is Jimmy Graham’s Road Back To Football

Jimmy Graham’s basketball past is helping the Seattle Seahawks tight end get through his rehab and back onto the field.

Anyone who has watched Jimmy Graham dominate on the football field has heard their local broadcasters eagerly remind everyone that Graham was actually a former hoop star. We’ve heard people reference this story slightly more than we’ve heard the question “Is Joe Flacco elite?” and slightly less than we’ve heard about Deflategate.

Graham’s basketball relevancy always sparked the debate about whether his basketball skills actually made a difference in his play. Sure, Graham is a freak athlete that looks like he came out of a machine, but that isn’t exactly because of basketball. Just because other dominant tight ends like Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez once shot a ball instead of catching it doesn’t mean that’s the recipe for tight end prototypes.

While Graham’s basketball past is as relevant as a typical John Gruden rambling rant, basketball might actually be Graham’s saving grace. As it turns out, the best rehab for Graham was for him to return to his roots.

Every since tearing a patellar tendon injury that sidelined in since Week 12, Graham has been working like a madman to get back on the field. He even showed glimpses of his old self during pregame warmups against Dallas this past Thursday, flying up and down the field like his patellar was as good as new.

According to Graham head coach Pete Carroll, he has basketball to thank for that. 

” I thought if he would just feel that, it would show him that he’s ready to go to the next level. We just had some fun doing it.”- Pete Carroll

Instead of using traditional rehab methods, Graham tested his leg on the hardwood, not in the training room. The former Miami hoops forward tested his knee by making cuts and pivots while on a basketball court.

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Carroll believes this is perfect for Graham’s rehab. “”The idea was to give him a chance to have to make moves that are not controlled,” Carroll said during an interview with NFL.com. “You have controlled workouts where you have bags and you’re changing direction and all those kind of things. I thought if he would just feel that, it would show him that he’s ready to go to the next level. We just had some fun doing it.”

Say what you want about the transition from basketball to football, but cutting and agility are important in both. Creating separation against quicker corners or stronger linebackers isn’t just about his athletic ability. Getting wide open has to do with making sharp cuts and exploding into open space.

Making cuts and pivots during shoot arounds are definitely useful for rehabbing a knee. If you can make those moves getting to the rack, you can make them when you’re running routes. It’s also more fun playing basketball than slugging around in a rehab center all day.

Even with Graham returning back to the hardwood, he still has a ways to go. He didn’t play in the Seahawks latest preseason game, and only has three short weeks before the Seahawks’ season opener against the Dolphins. Carroll has acknowledged the former All-Pro’s progress, but is hesitant on whether he’ll suit up Week 1.

must read: 30 Best NFL Tight Ends of All-Time

If Graham is available for kickoff on opening day, this will finally put all the basketball naysayers to rest.