Now, Kendall Apparently Can’t Avoid Injuries

Seattle rookie offensive lineman Pete Kendall never missed a game due to injury when he played for Boston College. Never missed a game back at Archbishop Williams High in Weymouth, Mass.

Then he became a Seahawk.

Kendall, Seattle’s first-round draft pick, broke his thumb in the final preseason game against San Francisco. Sporting a cast, he played admirably last week against San Diego.

During a 30-20 loss to Denver Sunday at the Kingdome, Kendall planted his leg to throw a block and his knee buckled. He apparently suffered torn cartilage in his knee and he will probably miss a month.

“I don’t think it’s real severe,” said Kendall, who also had to leave training camp for a few days to attend his grandfather’s funeral. “I grabbed the turf and the turf didn’t let go, but my knee did.”

Former Washington Husky Ed Cunningham replaced Kendall and was penalized for several false starts.

Happy return

As the deep-snapper on Denver’s punt team, Jeff Robinson had a nice view of Joey Galloway’s 88-yard touchdown return midway through the third quarter.

Robinson, the former Ferris Saxon and Idaho Vandal, was one of the first Broncos downfield to converge on Galloway. He was one of several Broncos to get a hand on Galloway. In the end, he was one of 11 Broncos watching Galloway reverse his field, skip outside and speed down the sidelines for a touchdown, one of the few bright spots in the Hawks’ loss.

“I leveraged him to the left and he went back to the right,” Robinson said. “I thought I had a good angle on him. It was a bad deal. I wasn’t the only guy he made miss on that play. I definitely thought I should have made the play.”

The best part of Galloway’s return, said one writer in the press box, was that it kept Seattle’s inept offense on the sideline.

Galloway only had one more attempt on a punt return, but a handful of Broncos tackled him for no gain.

Galloway, a second-year pro, returned a punt 89 yards for a TD last year against the New York Giants.

Sack attack

Seattle sacked Denver quarterback John Elway five times. Four of the sacks belonged to end Michael Sinclair, who tied Jacob Green’s record.

Sinclair registered Seattle’s first sack of the year early in the second quarter.

On the next play, he caused the first enemy turnover of the season by stripping the ball from Elway.

Sinclair was too fast for tackle Broderick Thompson. Denver removed Thompson and inserted Reggie McElroy. Same result.

“I hadn’t played against him in a long time,” McElroy said. “He’s more experienced now and instead of doing dumb rookie things, he’s trying to make you make the mistakes.”

Sinclair’s sacks came after he jumped offsides, negating a first-quarter play that ended with a Darryl Williams interception.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Broncos 30, Hawks 20