Blue Angels Roar Over Seahawks Camp in 1st Hard Knocks Episode

Q: From Costco worker to NFL champion, whose untold underdog story will steal the spotlight in Seattle this season?

That story belongs to Seahawks linebacker Jalan Gaines. Gaines has emerged as the most compelling underdog attached to Seattle’s *Hard Knocks* season because his path back to the NFL is unusually stark even by league standards. After signing with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent, he lost his chance to make the practice squad when he was injured in training camp and then went unsigned by every team. Instead of staying in football, he took a job at a Costco warehouse south of Seattle, earning about $21 an hour while supporting a family with two young children. What makes the story especially powerful is the setting. Gaines trained at a gym across Interstate 405 from Seahawks headquarters, close enough to see the team’s giant 12 flag every day. He later said that constant reminder convinced him he would somehow make it back. Seattle re-signed him in February, and he described that as one of the best days of his life. With HBO cameras now following the defending champions, Gaines is a natural breakout human-interest focus. While stars such as Ernest Jones IV, Devon Witherspoon and Leonard Williams will command attention on the field, Gaines offers the kind of emotional, behind-the-scenes storyline that often defines *Hard Knocks*. From warehouse shifts to another shot in an NFL camp, his comeback bid is the untold story most likely to steal the spotlight in Seattle this season.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 5

Six Blue Angels F/A-18s thundered over the Seahawks' first padded practice, turning the climax of HBO's first "Hard Knocks" episode away from football and toward the sky.
The flyover happened because the Navy team was rehearsing for Seattle's Aug. 1-2 Boeing Seafair Air Show, with the jets circling long enough to become the workout's soundtrack.
Mike Macdonald and players including Ernest Jones IV stopped to watch, with the coach shouting "Blue Angels, baby" before later praising the session as a "helluva practice."
The episode also underscored how unusual Seattle's access is: the defending Super Bowl champions allowed cameras into meetings and camp as the series follows them through preseason and final roster cuts.