Seahawks face last chance to make impression

RENTON, Wash. – Whether the Seattle Seahawks like it or not, preseason preparation ends tonight.

After the Seahawks host Oakland in their final preseason game, they’ll make roster cuts Saturday. Then it’s on to game week as the Seahawks prepare for their season opener in San Francisco.

“This is it,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “This is the end of camp. It seems crucial to us to see a lot of stuff to make the evaluations we need to make in a number of areas, not just the ones that you’re going to put on the roster and not put on the roster, but also schematically we’ve got things that we’re still growing and learning about.”

So today, for the team and for several individuals, is last-chance day. It’s the last chance for a struggling offensive line to prove it can keep Tarvaris Jackson upright. The last chance for Jackson to ease the nerves of fans who think Carroll made the wrong choice at quarterback. The last chance for a young secondary to show the pass defense can be better than it has been in recent years. The last day for receiver Golden Tate to show, heading into his second season, he is ready to make a leap. And for so many hopefuls, the last chance before cut day to show Carroll why they should make the 53-man roster.

Carroll has said that most of the starters will play some today, though he didn’t specify how much.

Teams often rest their starters in the final preseason game, but with offseason minicamps and organized team activities having been erased by the lockout, Carroll feels like his team still has catching up to do.

“Hopefully, we see progress made and we’re trying to make progress up front, for sure, these last couple weeks, but there’s a lot of stuff that’s important,” Carroll said. “Everybody will play in this game, which is good for us. We need to see everybody.”