Hawks getting healthy
KIRKLAND, Wash. – When Grant Wistrom was testing the free agent waters, part of the pull that led him toward Seattle was an opportunity to play alongside Seahawks linebacker Chad Brown.
The thought of having one of the top pass-rushing linebackers lining up behind him kept Wistrom dreaming of possibilities.
Nine games into the 2004 season, or 13, including preseason contests, Wistrom is still waiting to be in the huddle with Brown for the first time.
Injuries have hobbled both players this year, yet there is a chance they’ll appear together for the first time Sunday. Brown is questionable because of a sore knee, while Wistrom is slated to return after a four-week absence.
“It’ll be nice,” said Wistrom, who suffered a fractured bone in his left knee on Oct. 17. “I’ve been looking forward to that for a long time, and hopefully this will be the week that it happens.”
Until earlier this week, it looked as if Sunday might mark the first time this season that all 11 projected defensive starters would play together. Then came news that linebacker Anthony Simmons would undergo season-ending surgery, which he did Thursday.
“We’ve definitely got some horses, but we can’t get them all on the field at the same time,” said Brown, who missed the first six games of 2004 after breaking his leg in a non-contact training camp practice. “I was expecting us to do very, very, very well. But we’ll never know. Not this year.”
Injuries are a part of football, yet the Seahawks didn’t get hit too harshly until Week 7 of the regular season. After Brown’s training camp injury, Seattle went the first five games of the season with the same 11 starters on defense. Then things slowly began to crumble.
Wistrom hurt his knee in an Oct. 17 loss to New England. Simmons had minor shoulder surgery four days later, knocking him out for two games. Defensive tackle Rashad Moore missed a start because of a shoulder injury. Starting cornerbacks Marcus Trufant of Washington State (strained shoulder) and Ken Lucas (bruised lung) and defensive end Chike Okeafor (neck) suffered injuries that cost them valuable practice time.
Brown returned to the lineup two weeks ago, while Wistrom is expected back Sunday. Then came word that reserve linebacker Tracy White would be lost for up to four weeks, followed by the news that Simmons would miss the rest of the season.
“We had high expectations coming into the season, and we still have those high expectations,” Lucas said. “We’re not where we want to be right now, but we still have seven games to turn this thing around, and hopefully we can do that.”