Russell Wilson completes full practice week, will play at LA; RG J’Marcus Webb questionable
RENTON Russell Wilson was full go all week on his rapidly healing sprained ankle and will play Sunday at Los Angeles.
Fill-in right guard J’Marcus Webb has a new ankle injury that kept him out of Friday’s practice, but the team is counting on his playing against the Rams, too. If he can’t, the Seahawks will have yet another new offensive line for a game in which they need a strong one.
That’s the news from coach Pete Carroll following Friday’s practice the day before the team flies to Southern California.
“He made it through everything we asked him to do. He did fine. He’s going to play,” Carroll said of Wilson, who will start for the 76th consecutive time in the regular season and playoffs for Seattle to begin his NFL career. “We expect him to play well.
“He did basically his normal workout,” Carroll said, adding there will be no limitations on his usually elusive, improvisational QB.
I asked Carroll if it is a surprise Wilson completed a full practice week on what apparently is a high-ankle sprain; Carroll told Seattle’s 710-AM radio on Monday when asked if Wilson had the more complicated high-ankle sprain that the injury was “a little bit of everything.”
“Yeah, I think it was a surprise that he was able to practice on Wednesday and all that,” Carroll said. “It showed the severity of it was that he could manage it and manage it well. So that was very fortunate.”
Some of that managing has included Wilson flying up one of his physical trainers from Los Angeles, Drew Morcos, to treat the ankle in the evenings after team trainers did it during the days.
“Ready to roll,” Wilson said on Thursday.
The team listed Webb as questionable to play Sunday. A backup right tackle coming out of the preseason, Webb started last week’s season-opening win over Miami for rookie right guard Germain Ifedi. Carroll confirmed Friday Ifedi has a high-ankle sprain, which usually take longer to heal -- and that the rookie first-round draft pick has had the injury before and is “making good progress” in hopes of being able “to show something next week” before the Seahawks host San Francisco.
“We rested (Webb Friday). His ankle was a little bit sore,” Carroll said. “But he looks like he’s already started to come around a little bit and he looked much more comfortable. So hopefully he will make some progress there.”
Asked if Webb will play Sunday, the coach said: “I believe so. Counting on it.”
Indeed.
Webb’s primary assignment Sunday is the Rams’ best defensive player, tackle Aaron Donald. Webb’s new injury raises the possibility the Seahawks will sign Will Pericak from their practice squad to the active roster before the Saturday 1 p.m. deadline to do so, in time for him to be possibly active as insurance for Sunday’s game should Webb not be able to start. Rookie third-round pick Rees Odhiambo is another option as a backup guard, but he’s been practicing as a backup tackle for much of the last month.
But this is the wrong Sunday to be contemplating a Plan C on an offensive line that already has new starters in four of the five positions. The Rams’ defensive front, which has sacked Wilson 35 times in eight career games. That’s more than any other Wilson foe.
Running back C.J. Prosise is also questionable with the cracked bone in his hand. Carroll said the rookie third-round pick who made his debut as the third-down back last week will try out a protective device before Sunday’s game to see if he can catch the ball with it.
This story was originally published September 16, 2016 at 3:54 PM with the headline "Russell Wilson completes full practice week, will play at LA; RG J’Marcus Webb questionable."