Emergence of New Leadership?

Here's just a few quotes from articles posted yesterday. With the due changes made to the defense in the offseason, how are things developing? Some new leaders are emerging.

From the PI:

Jamie Sharper wasn't the last man standing, but he was the last one running. He was running windsprints by himself. A nine-year NFL veteran who has started every game in his career, Sharper sweated out a little extra-credit work in his first training camp with the Seahawks.

"That's just because I didn't get as many reps today at practice," Sharper said. "So with the conditioning I already came to camp in, I've got to go ahead and do a little extra if I don't get the same amount of reps."

It's been a while since we've heard anything like that coming out of Cheney.

The next possible leader of the defense is rising up from the third string and into the heart of Ray Rhodes, according to his interview in the Seattle Times:

On defensive tackle Chuck Darby: "The thing that is very noticeable about him is that he has one speed. And I like players who play with one speed, and that's all I ask for. I feel good about that position. He's a leader. He's a guy that's not going to do a lot of talking, but it's by example. If somebody's talking around him, he's going to make them shut up."

Then there is Rhodes' summation of D.D. Lewis and Lofa Tatupu, as noted at the Trib:

“(Lewis) is a guy that is outspoken and a hard worker,” Rhodes said. “He has leadership ability. Lofa Tatupu was a leader in college (at Southern California) and has been a winner. We hope to get leadership from him, also.”

Fasten your seat belts, this defense is changing. The tone is being set by a new group of players.

This should be interesting, very interesting.