Former Griz Patrick O’Connell Thriving With Seahawks

Meet the Griz is a series that tells the stories of Montana Grizzlies athletes, coaches, and contributors. Here are some past "Meet the Griz" features:

Meet the Griz: Former Linebacker, Seattle Seahawk Patrick O'Connell

We caught up with Griz great Patrick O'Connell on The Daily Drive with Ace Sauerwein before the Seahawks demolished the San Francisco 49ers to see how the season has treated the Kalispell native.

"It's kind of been up and down a little bit," said O'Connell. "I had a really good camp, and things didn't go my way as far as getting on the roster right away. But midway through, obviously, been on the roster since, and we've been rolling.

Rolling, indeed.

O'Connell saw the first defensive snaps of his NFL career this season, played in a career-best 9 games, and was named Captain in Week 14 against the Atlanta Falcons.

"It was pretty tough," O'Connell said about not making the opening day roster. "It was really hard this year, just knowing all the work I put in and all the improvements that I had made from year two to year three."

Credit: Rio Giancarlo (Getty Images)

"But I'm not going to be the one to sit there and whine and moan, and it was time to just keep my head down and do what I do and just continue to work."

He worked, and it led to more playing time and a pivotal pick-up on special teams in the NFC Divisional Round.

Listen to our full conversation with Patrick O'Connell below.

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