Category Archives: Injury report

Seahawks look good for 4-0 even without Darnold, but then …

We all know Sam Darnold is not going to play this week at Arizona. The bigger question is: How many games beyond this one will he miss?

NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Jay Glazer reported that the injury is actually to Darnold’s glute tendon, and Glazer said the Seahawks are still getting medical opinions to figure out what the healing time will be. Mike Florio added that a source told him Darnold could be out 4-6 weeks.

If it is a mild strain of the tendon, medical standards indicate the injury could require 2-4 weeks of rehabilitation. If it is moderate, it could be as long as eight weeks. It sounds like the Seahawks still are trying to figure it out. And, of course, everyone heals at a different rate. So 2-6 weeks seems like a realistic window.

The Hawks should win the next three to start 4-0, but then it gets tougher — especially if Darnold remains out.

Continue reading Seahawks look good for 4-0 even without Darnold, but then … →

Hawks should be OK until Darnold returns

When Sam Darnold was lost after one series vs. the Patriots in the NFL opener Thursday night, it was definitely a big bummer. But Drew Lock came in and played about like we expected: a couple of sparks and no big mistakes. With the No. 1 defense in the NFL backing him, that was enough to pull off a 13-10 win in a sloppy game by both teams.

With the news that Darnold might miss fewer than four games with his hip injury, the Seahawks look well prepared to weather the storm.

Continue reading Hawks should be OK until Darnold returns →

Hawks still at 80%, but Macdonald should have winning plan vs. Jags

One of these days, the Seahawks might field a full team – and we’ll see just how powerful they really are. For now, like so many teams around the league, they have to be content playing with about 80% of their top players – their battered secondary and pass rush still not full strength.

That was not quite enough against Tampa Bay last Sunday, but trust Mike Macdonald to have learned from that defensive meltdown (370 passing yards, 38 points allowed). Even if the Hawks are again without Devon Witherspoon and Julian Love, Macdonald likely will put his defense in position against Trevor Lawrence and the Jags in Jacksonville.

Continue reading Hawks still at 80%, but Macdonald should have winning plan vs. Jags →

Will easy stretch pass shorthanded Hawks by?

The Seahawks are starting a stretch of very winnable games – if only they weren’t in even worse shape than some of these upcoming opponents.

Other than a pick-six and correct call on a coin flip (the main reasons they are not 0-2), pretty much everything has gone wrong for the Hawks so far.

Their defense is one of the very worst in the league, their running game is still stumbling along and their roster is torn up with injuries that give little confidence that they will turn around their weaknesses any time soon.

Continue reading Will easy stretch pass shorthanded Hawks by? →

It’s December: time to get healthy

“We’re in pretty good shape. We’re hoping to keep on this edge on staying healthy. It will really make a difference for us.” – Pete Carroll

December is here, and there is one thing the Seahawks need to do above all else: Get and stay healthy.

December has been a bad month for the Seahawks since 2016. They just have not been able to stay healthy, and it has cost them playoff position and wins. In 2017, when the Legion of Boom blew up, they missed the playoffs entirely.

We said it before this season started: Health will be a key factor in whether they win in December and advance far in the playoffs. Carroll knows that’s the key, as he told 710 ESPN on Friday.

Continue reading It’s December: time to get healthy →

Three starters return, Shell ‘still hobbling’

Chris Carson, Shaquill Griffin and Ethan Pocic were back at practice as the Seahawks prepare to travel to Philadelphia for “Monday Night Football.”

Pete Carroll said RT Brandon Shell (ankle) is “still hobbling” and will be a “close call” for Monday’s game.

Carroll said rookie Colby Parkinson will jump right into the tight end rotation to replace Greg Olsen, who suffered a torn plantar fascia last Thursday against Arizona.

Continue reading Three starters return, Shell ‘still hobbling’ →

Will top 11 defenders play together again?

Logo -- At CarolinaFor some (many?) people, it strains credulity that the Seahawks are 11-3 and sitting in the No. 1 position in the NFC with two weeks to go.

Those folks think the Hawks simply aren’t good enough to beat New Orleans or Green Bay or San Francisco, citing Seattle’s historically low margin of victory and inability to beat any team handily.

But they did beat the 49ers already — and they did it with the defense Pete Carroll hoped he would have. The big question: Will he ever have it again this season?

Continue reading Will top 11 defenders play together again? →

Hawks will use (start?) ‘playmaker’ Diggs immediately

Seahawks bandagesIf you believe Pete Carroll, Quandre Diggs is not coming to replace struggling Tedric Thompson.

“No, it’s the guys that are banged up and not knowing when they’ll get back,” Carroll told reporters, referring to Bradley McDougald (back spasms) and Lano Hill (elbow).

But Diggs might indeed start alongside rookie Marquise Blair on Sunday at Atlanta. Carroll mentioned free safety as Diggs’ initial spot, but also said he could play strong safety or nickel.

Continue reading Hawks will use (start?) ‘playmaker’ Diggs immediately →

How long will Ansah, Wagner be out?

Logo -- OTAsThe Seahawks do not expect Ziggy Ansah to be ready for the start of the season, and Bobby Wagner does expect to be the highest-paid linebacker by next year.

Those were the top two takeaways from the second day of Seattle’s OTAs, which are missing a number of guys recovering from surgeries and injuries.

Wagner, whose OTA activity consists only of coaching younger players, said he wants to surpass C.J. Mosley’s $17 million a year. “That’s the top (of the) linebacker market,” Wagner said. “That is the standard. And so that is the plan: To break that.”

Continue reading How long will Ansah, Wagner be out? →

Huard: Conditioning will be more player-specific under new staff

Seahawks bandagesAs hip injuries mounted for the Seahawks last season — it seemed like half the team had the same problem at one time or another — we figured they would review the issue after the season and see where they needed to adjust their offseason conditioning.

As it turned out, Pete Carroll was no longer hip to his strength staff at all, so he replaced it. Ivan Lewis, Carroll’s former USC assistant, has replaced longtime conditioning coach Chris Carlisle (at USC and Seattle) and apparently will be tasked with tailoring conditioning to the players in a way Carlisle apparently did not.

Per 710 ESPN’s Brock Huard: “This is going to be … much more catered to position-specific, even player-specific, needs, because they cannot have the number of injuries they’ve had. They just cannot have the number of pulls and strains and soft-tissue injuries. So this was, I think, really in response to that. It was a move to get very player- and positional-specific to enhance those guys and try to keep them injury-free as much as they possibly can.”

Continue reading Huard: Conditioning will be more player-specific under new staff →