Seahawks starter Justin Forsett knows he still has plenty to prove

RENTON — Justin Forsett heard the triumphant words, at long last, during the Monday running backs meeting. You're the starter. His unlikely dream. His unrealistic pursuit. You would've excused him if he fainted or turned a back flip.

Instead, he grinned — on the inside, of course — and whispered a Bible verse, "To whom much is given, much is required." And then he realized that, no matter how improbable, becoming a starter is merely a baseline accomplishment.

"I still have a lot to prove," Forsett said. "I want to go out and be productive for the team. I want to show I can go out and be the guy they need me to be. I've got that hunger. I came a long way. A lot of people said I wouldn't make it this far. And my goal is to be a guy that can be trusted with the load and be depended on. I'm going to go out there and fight for every yard and compete all the way through the whole year."

Justin Forsett, starting NFL running back.

Too little? Too slow? No, too good.

And too committed to celebrate.

If the Seahawks introduce their offensive starters Sunday, Forsett already knows how he'll run onto the field. He'll say a prayer, lift his hands toward the heavens and race toward his teammates. It's similar to his end-zone celebration and consistent with the steady, understated, disciplined manner in which he lives every day.

Forsett, 24, is deeply religious. His father, Rodney, is a minister. Justin Forsett's Twitter page is full of Bible verses. He refers to his first two seasons in the NFL as an "unstable blessing" because he had to rise from being an unappreciated seventh-round draft pick out of California to become a fixture in this league.

Now, he's the starting running back for the team that cut him his rookie season.

"It was a journey that I wouldn't have wanted to go any other way," said Forsett, who averaged 5.4 yards last season. "It was a blessing for me to go through that. The trials that I went through, having to be patient, taught me a lot of lessons along the way. I'm still learning lessons and still trying to grow and get better each day. This is only just the beginning."

Forsett knows how to wait. You think it took forever for him to take over as the Seahawks' starter? That was a measly two-season delay. To obey his Christian beliefs, Forsett abstained from sex for 24 years.

He remained celibate until his wedding night in June. Now that's patience. That's discipline. And those qualities are why, as the Seahawks shuffle their roster and try to find the right players to build around, Forsett has thrived by staying true to himself.

"It wasn't that hard to abstain from sex," Forsett said, laughing. "It's not what you typically hear of an athlete doing, but the guys on the teams that I have been on respected my decision and my reasoning. I'm glad that I stayed the course."

Forsett is married to Angie Pressey, a former Cal volleyball player who plays with the U.S. women's national team. She is the daughter of ex-NBA star Paul Pressey, who is now a Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach.

But Forsett doesn't want to be considered the perfect kid with the perfect life. He has flaws, he insists. He sins daily, he says. Ask him the worst thing he ever did, and he mentions a time from his childhood. He was about 10 years old when he took the handle of a kick scooter and swung it at another kid. He missed and wound up hitting his brother. Bro lost a couple of teeth.

"I got a whuppin', a big whuppin'," Forsett said. "Wow, that was bad."

Now, he saves his fighting for the football field. At 5 feet 8 and 198 pounds, Forsett is reminded every day that he's a little guy. In fact, during an interview session Wednesday, Deion Branch interrupted Forsett, tossed some toddler-sized Seahawks pajamas at him and told Forsett that it was his jersey. Forsett laughed and kept answering questions.

You know you're small when Branch, who stands 5 feet 9, is cracking jokes. But on the football field, Forsett plays much bigger. He's also the most elusive of a running back trio that includes Leon Washington and Julius Jones, all of whom will share playing time Sunday.

"It's just his consistency of making people miss," coach Pete Carroll said in explaining why Forsett will start Sunday. "He's really, really hard to get a good hit on."

Carroll cautioned that, even though Forsett is starting, it doesn't mean he'll get the most carries. So the little guy is still competing.

"There's no room to get comfortable," Forsett said. "And that's the way it should be anyway."

That's the way it has always been for Forsett. But he has the inside track now. And he won't relinquish this starting job easily.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com, Twitter: @Jerry_Brewer