Impatient Seahawks fans and media made a big stink when Damon Harrison was not one of the two practice squad guys called up Saturday. And Harrison put the Snacks-down on all of them.
“All of these theories of why I’m not playing are funny as hell. Y’all reaching. (Bryan) Mone and Poona (Ford) are playing really well. What did y’all expect? You think I didn’t know the situation before I arrived? I’m here because I WANT to be, not because I HAVE to be.”
Keep in mind Harrison has been in Seattle just three weeks. Everyone else had five weeks to get ready for the season. So there is no reason to wonder why he has not been called up from the practice squad yet.
“I don’t owe anybody an explanation for anything,” Harrison said. “I’m working every day and that’s all that matters. No, I’m not out of shape. I’m just not ready to play in a game YET. I’ve been doing this nine years. I know my body. I’m good.”
So Harrison agrees with Pete Carroll that he isn’t quite ready. Expect him to be next week, when he, Jamal Adams, Carlos Dunlap and Rasheem Green all should provide reinforcements for Seattle’s sagging defense in Buffalo.
The Seahawks’ secondary is a mess for this game vs. San Francisco, with Shaquill Griffin (concussion/hamstring), Ugo Amadi (hamstring) and Adams (groin) all out. Ryan Neal (hamstring) is injured, too, but he will play.
Those ailments prompted the Hawks to use one PS call-up on CB Jayson Stanley and to activate D.J. Reed off NFI (a move some fans were eagerly awaiting). Rookie tight end Colby Parkinson also came off NFI, and fellow rookie TE-turned-DE Stephen Sullivan was the other free PS promotion.
Parkinson gives the Hawks five full-time tight ends. That’s too many for a team that almost never uses three tight ends on a given play (just six plays this season from 1-3 personnel).
Parkinson’s arrival means the Hawks are going to make a move at tight end next week – either trade Jacob Hollister by Tuesday or cut Luke Willson when Dunlap and Green join the 53. (Harrison will get two free callups from the PS before a spot needs to be created on the 53.)
The other drop from the 53 next week likely will be a defensive lineman – probably Jonathan Bullard or Damontre Moore. Actually, both are likely to be gone once Harrison is added to the 53.
The Hawks might end up shuffling as many as five more spots on the 53 this season, too.
At some point, Phillip Dorsett will be activated. He surely will replace Penny Hart.
Mychal Kendricks is taking the Harrison route of getting ready to play from the PS. When he is ready, Seattle will get two free callups before Kendricks likely bumps Shaquem Griffin.
Ray-Ray Armstrong, signed last week along with Kendricks, got the bonus PS call-up in his first week, playing 15 snaps on special teams. He’ll have one more of those before the team will have to decide whether it needs him the rest of the way. The Hawks likely would drop one of their 10 DBs in that case.
Meanwhile, with so many running back injuries, the team is bringing in a familiar face next week to the PS: Alex Collins. That should give them a cushion in case Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde (both out vs. the 49ers) continue to struggle with injuries.
Rashaad Penny (on PUP as he comes back from an ACL) should return at some point in November. Carroll said they are still waiting for clearance from doctors for him to rejoin practice. Once that happens, he would have a three-week window to be activated. Then the Hawks would have to decide whether to drop Travis Homer or DeeJay Dallas.