Gray is Seahawks’ man of the century

KIRKLAND, Wash. – Informed that Seattle Seahawks guard Chris Gray would make his 100th consecutive start Sunday, teammate Robbie Tobeck pretended not to hear correctly.

“Chris turns 100?” a stone-faced Tobeck asked. “He looks old, but I didn’t know he was that old.”

Gray is accustomed to the ribbing.

The Seahawks have tried to replace him almost every year. It has become a running joke. But when Gray lines up at right guard Sunday in San Francisco, he’ll tie Cortez Kennedy’s franchise record for consecutive regular-season starts.

“Wow,” second-year right tackle Sean Locklear said when told of Gray’s streak. “How long has he been here?”

The answer: longer than just about anyone expected.

The Seahawks signed Gray on April 15, 1998. They never planned for him to be a starter. A free agent from the Chicago Bears, Gray came to Seattle as insurance for center Kevin Glover and guard Brian Habib, high-profile free agents signed weeks earlier.

Glover and Habib were nearing the end. They combined to start 36 games for Seattle before injuries finished their careers.

Gray has started 107 of his 111 games with the Seahawks, including the past 99 in a row. In a league in which quarterbacks are valued like vintage sports cars, Gray is the tan Volvo with a million miles and no intention of taking the next off ramp.

“I’m very happy for him,” coach Mike Holmgren said. “He has been the consummate professional since I’ve been here. He has fought through injuries, he’s always there, he’s reliable.

“There has been competition for those positions every year, and he has always earned it.”

Gray started eight games of the 1998 season at center after Glover suffered a back injury. Glover returned in 1999, but Gray replaced him for the final 10 games after doctors discovered a blood clot in one of Glover’s lungs.

The streak was off and running, but barely.

The Seahawks tried to replace Gray heading into 2000 by signing Tobeck to be the starting center. Tobeck had missed only one start in the five previous seasons for Atlanta, but a tendon in his left knee snapped during a workout shortly after Seattle signed him.

The freak injury left Gray as the starting center for 2000, but coaches made Tobeck the starter heading into 2001.

Gray briefly became the leading candidate at left guard, but those plans ended with the team’s surprise selection of Steve Hutchinson in the first round of the draft.

Another young prospect, Floyd Wedderburn, was the player coaches tried to groom for the starting spot at right guard. Gray beat him out, starting every game of that 2001 season.

The streak had reached 42 games.

Gray stayed at right guard heading into 2002. The arrangement lasted four games before an injury to Hutchinson led coaches to tap Gray’s versatility one more time. Gray started the final 12 games at left guard, extending the streak to 58.

Gray moved back to right guard heading into 2003, but Floyd “Pork Chop” Womack was supposed to be the starter. The team wound up needing Womack at tackle, however, and Gray started all 16 games.

Gray suffered a knee injury during the final week of the 2003 regular season, causing him to miss the team’s playoff game. But the regular-season streak remained alive at 74.

“The quickest way to lose your job is to get hurt,” Gray said. “A lot of guys can play. You need the opportunity.”

Gray started all 16 games at right guard last season. He has remained there during the team’s 7-2 start this season. The offense leads the league in yards per game. Gray appears to be getting better.

“I think he’s having a real good year,” Holmgren said. “The whole offensive line is a product of them staying together.

“I think that’s a big deal. You can play maybe with a little bit older lineman and maybe not the biggest lineman, but if he’s smart and the guy next to him trusts him and they know each other, that makes a big difference.”