Seahawks’ Earl Thomas, DeShawn Shead have hamstring strains
RENTON, Wash. – Pete Carroll spent most of his time Monday talking about injuries. He never was asked about the Seattle Seahawks taking a three-game lead in their division.
Seattle’s 26-15 win over Philadelphia came with a cost that could leave the Seahawks short-handed going to Tampa Bay on Sunday.
“It’s amazing to see it like that. I made mention of it just a week ago, we had one guy with a turned ankle coming out of the game,” Carroll said. “To see all these guys on both sides of the ball get nicked, particularly the running backs took a big hit, it’s just unusual. It was a crazy day yesterday.”
Seattle’s offensive and defensive backfields were left thinned due to key injuries in the victory over the Eagles that gave the Seahawks a three-game cushion over Arizona in the NFC West.
The most serious injury was a fractured shoulder blade by running back C.J. Prosise. Making his second straight start, Prosise had a 72-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, but was injured just before halftime.
Carroll said Prosise will not need surgery, but the team is still a couple of weeks away from gathering a precise timeframe if he will return this season. Prosise’s injury and a high-ankle sprain by backup Troymaine Pope left Seattle so thin at running back on Sunday that backup quarterback Trevone Boykin had one carry in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks tried to avoid overworking Thomas Rawls in his first game since Week 2.
Carroll described Rawls as “trashed” on Monday after playing 40 offensive snaps and getting 17 total touches: 14 carries and three runs.
“He threw his body around like he was in a train wreck. He’ll be taken care of this week,” Carroll said.
Rookie running back Alex Collins was a healthy scratch on Sunday, but almost certainly will be active against Tampa Bay. Seattle might also look at signing George Farmer off the practice squad for additional depth.
On the other side of the ball, starting safety Earl Thomas and starting cornerback DeShawn Shead both suffered first-degree hamstring strains that will likely require 10 to 14 days to recover. Carroll wouldn’t rule out either player for the game against the Buccaneers, but said the typical recovery time is about two weeks.
“That’s what normal hamstrings are,” Carroll said. “Those guys are rare guys. We’ll see what happens. We’ll see how they adapt.”
Shead felt his hamstring acting up during Saturday’s walkthrough and tried to go on Sunday, but went to the sideline in the first half. Thomas was injured in the third quarter while running downfield in coverage on a ball intercepted by Richard Sherman. Thomas has not missed a game in his professional career and has started 106 consecutive games.
The combination of Jeremy Lane and Neiko Thorpe filled in for Shead, while Steven Terrell took over for Thomas.
“Both did really well. Both were very solid,” Carroll said of Thorpe and Terrell. “Very assignment sound, technique sound, in the right spots throughout. They did a good job, which is a really good sign for us moving forward in the event we have to have those guys playing.”
Other injuries for the Seahawks included left tackle George Fant (shoulder), linebacker Brock Coyle (foot sprain), backup wide receiver Tanner McEvoy (toe) and tight end Luke Willson, who appeared to tweak his knee late in the game. Carroll said the expectation is all should be able to play against Tampa Bay.
The one positive with injuries was defensive end Michael Bennett, who underwent minor knee surgery earlier this month. Carroll said Bennett is pushing to get back this week against his former team.
“We’re going to see what happens. He’s going to see how far he can take it. We’ll find out,” Carroll said. “The trainers and doctors are open for if he can make it back he can play. We’ll see if he’s able to do that.”