RENTON — Shaquill Griffin is one of the few people to experience the pain and the pleasure of Earl Thomas.
The pain came first.
That happened in Griffin’s very first appearance for the Seahawks, the first time he played alongside Thomas in Seattle’s secondary, during the first preseason game of the 2017 season at the Los Angeles Chargers. Griffin started a right cornerback, and Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers challenged the rookie almost immediately.
On the fourth snap of the game, Rivers threw a deep fade pass intended for Tyrell Williams. Thomas sprinted over from his center-field position and helped knocked the ball away for an incompletion — and, in the process, took out the receiver and the rookie cornerback with a crunching hit.