Gray plays with little fanfare
Pop quiz: He is the second-oldest player on the Seattle Seahawks roster. He holds the franchise record for most consecutive starts. With little fanfare, he has helped clear the way for Shaun Alexander to put up five straight 1,000-yard seasons.
Who is he?
A, Mack Strong. B, Walter Jones. C, Robbie Tobeck. D, Chris Gray.
All are logical choices. Strong is the longest-tenured Seahawk and has done bruising work as a lead blocker, but he’s only 34 years old. Jones has nine years of service with Seattle, but he’s hardly unknown with six Pro Bowls on his resume. Tobeck has an impressive streak of 80 consecutive starts, but he’s three months older than …
Chris Gray, the correct answer. Don’t know much about the 36-year-old Gray? Like most offensive linemen, Gray operates in relative anonymity. They tend to get noticed more when they miss a block or get flagged for a holding penalty than if they open up a crease for a 20-yard run by Alexander.
But Gray couldn’t avoid the spotlight last season when he broke Cortez Kennedy’s club record. Kennedy set the mark with 100 straight starts. Gray is at 106 – and counting.
“I guess it’s fun to have it, but I don’t really think about it much,” Gray said following Tuesday’s training-camp practice at Eastern Washington University. “I go out and get my job done and I’ve been blessed not to be injured.”
There were several close calls along the way.
“Sprained ankles, pulled muscles, messed-up fingers,” Gray said. “Probably the worst one was when I had a problem with the cartilage in my knee. I probably could have missed some time, but I decided to play through it and I had surgery after the season.”
Gray essentially takes a month off after the season to let his body heal. Other than that, he sticks to a training regimen that he says is no different than most linemen.
He hasn’t missed a game since a concussion kept him out of a 1998 contest. He started the last eight games of that season at center and pretty much stayed at the position through 2000. In 2001, he moved to right guard and has been a fixture since, though he did play left guard for 12 games in 2002 when Steve Hutchinson was injured.
Asked to compare his body at 36 versus 26, Gray said, “It takes longer to recover, no question. The joints are sore and I take a few more anti-inflammatories. Other than that, I feel OK.”
Gray came close to leaving Seattle prior to the 2005 season. San Francisco was interested in Gray, but the Auburn University product was more interested in staying put.
“We really had something good here,” Gray said. “I knew the system and I knew (the 49ers) were going to have some troubles early with a new coach and a new quarterback. I wanted to come back and be with the guys. My wife and I talked about it and this is what we wanted to do.”
Brotherly love
Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant didn’t need to see the videotape to know younger brother, Isaiah, played well in the Spokane Shock’s 48-30 arenafootball2 playoff victory over Arkansas last Saturday.
“I got a text message from my folks. They were at the game,” said Marcus, who was in Indianapolis preparing for Seattle’s preseason game Sunday. “They were all excited and he played really well. He was the defensive player of the game and he ran all over the field making plays.”
Trufant talked with Isaiah on Monday.
“He tweaked his back a little and he’s a little stiff, but he thinks he’ll be ready for the big one,” Marcus said. “He was very excited, packing up all his clothes and getting ready to go to Puerto Rico.”
Spokane faces Green Bay for the af2 title Saturday.
Notes
Receiver Bobby Engram missed practice to tend to a family matter in South Carolina. With head coach Mike Holmgren’s permission, Engram flew from Indianapolis after Sunday’s game to South Carolina. Rookie fullback David Kirtman, who suffered a quad contusion against the Colts, didn’t practice. … Linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who didn’t play Sunday because of a groin injury, practiced Tuesday and guard Floyd ‘Pork Chop’ Womack (hamstring) saw limited duty. Center Robbie Tobeck, sidelined after having surgery on his left elbow, snapped the ball – right-handed of course – to quarterbacks during a few drills, earning a high-five from defensive end Grant Wistrom. … Today is the last two-a-day session of camp. The Seahawks break camp after Thursday’s morning workout.