Good news, bad news for Seahawks after preseason opener

RENTON, Wash. – Pete Carroll stumbled, the offensive line wobbled, and rookies Tyler Lockett and Frank Clark sprinted out of the gate.

That’s the CliffsNotes version of Seattle’s 22-20 exhibition loss to Denver Friday night at CenturyLink Field.

Here’s more of what we learned.

• The offensive line remains a work in progress – maybe more of one than envisioned: We’ll start with the overriding concern exiting this game – the play of the line. Carroll foreshadowed some of the struggles last week when he talked about the young players still needing a lot of work. That was evident as the Seahawks had trouble mounting any consistent offense all night – of 13 drives, 10 went for 8 yards or fewer and four resulted in negative yards.

The second unit was particularly ineffective as the Seahawks were outgained 162-9 in the second quarter alone.

But the starters weren’t a lot better in their two series of work. Justin Britt gave up a sack that led to a fumble, J.R. Sweezy was beaten for another sack and Lemuel Jeanpierre was called for a penalty on second-and-goal at the 3.

“They (Denver) played a real basic game and it shouldn’t have been difficult for us,” Carroll said.

True, it was just one game, and an exhibition game at that. But Seattle’s offensive line seemed like the big question mark about this team heading into the season, and nothing that happened Friday changed that.

• Christine Michael may lose his spot if he can’t hold on to the ball: There may be no player for whom the preseason looms as critical as Michael, a third-year tailback hoping to establish himself as the team’s tailback of the future – and complementary back to Marshawn Lynch of the present, if required.

But Michael’s opening act was a rough one as he gained just 15 yards on seven carries. Granted, the line wasn’t giving him a lot of room to run.

But Michael also lost a fumble, the kind of mistake he needs to avoid to show the coaches he’s ready for a starring role. While Michael struggled, free agent Thomas Rawls – who is listed fourth on the tailback depth chart behind Michael – had a better performance with a team-high 31 yards on nine carries and a 19-yard touchdown reception. If those two are battling for the last running spot, then the battle appeared to get a lot tighter.

• Lockett and Clark give an early indication they were worth the risk: Now for the good news. While it can be risky to draw too many conclusions out of one game, the Seahawks couldn’t have asked for much more from their top two draft picks – Clark and Lockett – each of whom represented something of a risk.

The team took a public-relations hit for drafting Clark, a defensive end, in the second round due to his dismissal at Michigan last November following an arrest for domestic violence (he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge).

Friday night, Clark made a team-high nine tackles and used his speed and power to disrupt the Denver offense.

Lockett, meanwhile, was spectacular with a 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown (during which an excited Carroll was run over by field judge Eugene Hall), another of 46 yards and an 18-yard punt return.”

Injury update: Wide receiver Chris Matthews, who suffered a left shoulder sprain, and backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, who sprained his right ankle, are expected to be out 10 days to two weeks, according to Carroll.