Damien Lewis, Gabe Jackson Raise Stakes For Upcoming Season

Both heralding from the state of Mississippi and now teammates in Seattle, Lewis and Jackson have a lot riding on the upcoming season and it goes beyond the team's win-loss record.

RENTON, WA - Starring as a two-way standout at Canton High School, like many young linemen in the state at the time, Seahawks second-year guard Damien Lewis aspired to become the next Gabe Jackson.

Lewis' affinity for the fellow Mississippi native shouldn't come as a surprise, as Jackson grew up in Liberty, which was only two and a half hours southwest of Canton. He stayed in state to play collegiately at Mississippi State, earning a starting role at left guard as a redshirt freshman and never relinquishing his spot as a four-year starter before being drafted by the Raiders in 2014.

“Gabe is from the North, and I’m from the Central part of Mississippi," Lewis said following Thursday's final training camp practice, inaccurately referencing where his new teammate grew up location-wise. "But I was a fan. I’m still a fan of Gabe. Coming out of high school, I looked up to Gabe. I told people I wanted to be like Gabe someday, and now I’m on the same team as him.”

When he graduated high school in 2016, Lewis simply wanted to emulate his idol, exhibiting the same physical, tenacious demeanor on the field. But he never could have imagined that he would eventually become teammates with Jackson, which became a reality after Seattle traded a fifth-round pick to Las Vegas to acquire him in March.

“I like how he’s so nasty. He’s mean. He’s tough. He’s got a grit and he always finishes guys. That’s one thing that stood out to be with Gabe," Lewis remarked. "To watch his film and how nasty he is. That’s my role. I like to be mean, tough, and nasty. Perfect to me.”

With Jackson's arrival, after a highly successful rookie season playing right guard, the Seahawks asked Lewis to slide over to the left side. Considering who would be taking over at his former spot, he accepted the request without hesitation and though the switch felt awkward at first, he feels more "balanced" now and has found his comfort zone at his new position in training camp.

Though they've only been teammates for a few months and haven't played any actual game snaps together yet, Lewis has had a blast getting to know and learn from Jackson thus far. In fact, the veteran spiced things up two weeks ago by proposing a bet between the two powerful linemen for the upcoming season.

"We’ve just been out there having fun, bonding with each other, and he just brings the excitement," Lewis smiled. "Actually, we’ve got a bet on who gets the most knock downs this season, so me and him right now are going at it trying to compete to see who’s going to get the most knock downs.”

According to Lewis, the stakes for this battle royale between Seattle's starting guard tandem is a high stakes affair. Whichever player finishes second in knockdowns between the two will have to buy dinner for the entire offensive line at the end of the season, while the winner will get a free meal and the satisfaction of seeing the loser have to pay for it.

When asked who would judge this contest, Lewis indicated center Kyle Fuller would handle the duties, saying they can "trust him" to keep track accurately and fairly.

If Lewis manages to win the bet - Jackson won't go quietly in such a battle and it's a long 17-game season - he didn't provide specifics on where the offensive line would feast at Jackson's expense. But he did indicate the meal wouldn't be happening in Seattle, with a certain city in southern California hosting a notable football game as the preferred destination.

“We are going out of town. End of the season, hopefully we’ll be playing late into February. After that, we’re going somewhere and the loser doesn’t have to pay for it.”

Assuming Lewis gets his wish, Seahawks fans will have plenty to cheer about well beyond the results of a simple bet between teammates. A great camaraderie building exercise, this race should be a lot of fun to watch unfold in coming months.

As for the fine establishment that eventually has to feed the offensive line, on the other hand? Best of luck to them.