Catch A Rising Star -- Imposing Speed And Work Ethic Make Joey Galloway Hard To Keep Up With

KIRKLAND - In the weight room at Ohio State University all spring was a representative cross-section of football's best and brightest - Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George, No. 1 draft picks Rickey Dudley and Terry Glenn, quarterback Bobby Hoying, Minnesota Viking running back Robert Smith - all trying to outdo each other in daily feats of strength.

And then there was 5-foot-11, 188-pound Joey Galloway, not nearly as imposing as the other ex-Buckeyes. But when the competition got heated, "Joey would smoke them," said Dave Kennedy, Ohio State strength coach.

"They're all physical specimens, but what's funny is that Joey sets the standard," added Kirk Herbstreit, former Buckeye quarterback, who witnessed the workout sessions from the safety of his Stairmaster. "They all have egos, but when they're alone they'll always point out that Joey is by far the best athlete they've ever seen, based on strength and speed."

For Seattle Seahawk fans who might worry about a complacent Galloway, this is an instructive anecdote. It shows, first, the work ethic that should allow him to rise above any second-year letdown. And it shows the athletic ability Seahawk coaches believe will allow him to overcome the special efforts teams will now make to shut down Galloway.

"You've got to take what they give you, but he's also got to beat double coverage, because that's part of what great receivers do," Seattle offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski said. "And I have no doubt he will."

Noting Galloway's ability to bench press more than 400 pounds and clean 390 - an Ohio State team best his final year, linemen included - Kennedy calls Galloway "a genetic freak."

Kennedy also is convinced Galloway would win the NFL's Fastest Man competition. He was invited this year but declined because of a conflict with Seahawk minicamp. After watching Galloway blow past University of Colorado defensive backs as a senior, Buffalo Coach Rick Neuheisel marveled at Galloway's "super-human freak speed."

Friends say Galloway hasn't let his runaway NFL success last season - 1,039 yards receiving and selection to virtually every all-rookie team - give him a superstar's sense of entitlement.

"He's still very respectful of people," said Herbstreit, one of Galloway's closest friends. "A lot of times you see guys leave, and their final goal is to make the NFL. They make it and get away from their work habits and respecting people. Joey has stayed consistent, and for that, I credit his parents. He's got great parents."

James Galloway, a phone compay technician, and his wife, Carolyn, a cashier at a grocery store, do what they can to keep Joey humble. They say it's not difficult.

"We won't let him get a big head," James said. "Around here, he's the same old Joey. He hasn't changed at all."

Carolyn Galloway attended several Seahawk games last year, and Joey still calls home almost daily during the season.

"He's kind of what I call a mama's boy," said Herbstreit. "He'll put up a front that it doesn't bother him being on the road and all the way across country, but as soon as the final game is played, his butt is on a plane to see family and friends. It's the mentality of growing up in the Midwest. He's just a typical Midwestern kid."

But Galloway is atypical of many higher-profile NFL players who get more attention for their rap sheets than their accomplishments. Except for a minor scandal involving the acceptance of $200 from an agent while a college junior, resulting in a two-game suspension with the Buckeyes, Galloway has stayed clean.

"I'm never going to get a call in the middle of the night that Joey's in jail, or been drunk driving," said his agent, Ethan Lock. "He's got his feet planted. This thing hasn't changed him. He's always going to take care of himself. He's not self-destructive like some people. He's aware of his ability, aware of his success, but that awareness is not going to be detrimental."

Said Kennedy, "He probably has a better perspective on things than anyone I've ever come across. There are definitely no skeletons in his closet."

Galloway spent his offseason in Ohio, shuttling the two hours between Columbus and his childhood home in Bellaire, across the Ohio River from West Virginia. Mostly, he hung out with Herbstreit and a small circle of friends, playing Sega video games and voraciously working out. Every Tuesday, he appeared on Herbstreit's radio show on Columbus' all-sports station. Those in the business say he's a natural.

"I surrounded myself with people I grew up with and I know care about me, and I care about them," Galloway said. "That way, it's me. It's not the football player. They respect me for me, and like me for me. This is my job six months a year. The other six, I want to just go and be a normal person."

Herbstreit and others talk about Galloway's transformation from normal person to ultra-intense, borderline cocky football player.

"He's one of the most confident guys I know," Seahawk cornerback Corey Harris said. "He's confident in his athletic ability and his mental preparation. He doesn't stress out about a lot of things. If he drops the ball, he just comes back in. You know at some point he's going to make a big play for you."

"I think confidence just comes from hard work," Galloway shrugged. "I'm prepared for this, so when I go against a guy, and it's me against him, that confidence is there from the six months of work in the offseason. It's like if you know you've done your homework and studied. When it's test time, you're ready. The guy that didn't study is always a little nervous."

The test for the Seahawks will be to get Galloway the ball even more than last season. Coach Dennis Erickson said the team is devising ways to do just that. Rather than locking Galloway into the left-side split end, the Seahawks plan to move him around the field, put him in the slot, keep teams guessing.

They also hope their depth at receiver will minimize the double-teams on Galloway, who is trying to become just the fourth receiver in NFL history, and the first since John Jefferson in 1978-79, with 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons.

"The second year is probably the hardest," Erickson said. "We played him in one position all the time last year and sat him there, pretty much, because of the learning curve. Now he knows that stuff, so we're going to move him around and get him in position where he's going to catch more balls. We have to find a way to get the guy the football, because he's a playmaker."

Galloway broke every Seahawk rookie receiving record and established franchise marks for longest run from scrimmage (an electrifying 86-yard reverse at Jacksonville) and longest punt return (89 yards against the New York Giants). Yet, he felt stymied because of his lack of versatility.

"I think at times last year, I somewhat handicapped the offense, because I couldn't move," he said. "I was the only receiver that could only play one position. This year, I focused more on learning other positions. . . . It just adds another dimension to our offense."

Those who know Galloway best, who watched him prepare for this season, have no doubts he will surpass his rookie feats.

"I still think no one has a clue what he's capable of doing," Herbstreit said. "I know he's set his own goals. I feel sorry for the AFC now that he has a year under his belt."

And when the season is over, they have no doubt about this: Galloway will hop on a plane - back to Ohio, mom and dad, his buddies and the weight room.