Renton – Add Sean Locklear to the long list of Seattle Seahawks offensive lineman headed to the injured list.
Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said during his Monday press conference that X-rays and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test on offensive tackle Sean Locklear confirmed he has a dislocated left big toe.
Locklear probably will not practice this week, Holmgren said, but the team is hopeful that he can play after receiving treatment. The Seahawks will likely determine if Locklear can play against the New York Jets on Saturday, the eve of the game.
“While it’s a very painful injury there didn’t seem to be a lot of extra damage,” Holmgren said. “It will be a challenge for him to get ready to play, though.”
Holmgren said Locklear’s toe is swollen and he’s had some bleeding. Locklear joins Chris Gray, Rob Sims, Mike Wahle and Walter Jones on the list of injured linemen who have either missed games or never made it to the field for Seattle this season. Locklear also missed the first two games of the season with a sprained knee.
With Locklear out, Holmgren said the easiest way to replace him is to put Kyle Williams, recently activated from the practice squad to the active roster, at left tackle so the Seahawks maintain continuity at the other line positions. However, don’t be surprised to see Floyd “Pork Chop” Womack move from left guard to left tackle, Steve Vallos move from center to left guard, and recently signed center Steve McKinney to get his first significant playing time.
Holmgren said he’ll unveil the starting five linemen during Wednesday’s practice.
The Seahawks also officially put Walter Jones on the injured reserve list on Monday. Holmgren said Locklear played OK in his audition at left tackle with Jones out. However, the Seattle coach reiterated that he believes the left tackle position should remain in Jones’ hands until the 12-year veteran says he can’t play anymore. Jones is expected to be ready for training camp after microfracture surgery on his left knee ended his season. Jones is the 13th player added to Seattle’s injured reserve list.
“No one is going to play left tackle until Walter Jones decides he doesn’t want to play anymore,” Holmgren said. “That’s the bottom line on that deal.”
Holmgren joked during Monday’s press conference that he was answering questions about situations he would not be around to deal with next season because he’s going to be “on a beach somewhere.”
Don’t expect to see Matt Hasselbeck throw a pass this week, either. Holmgren said Hasselbeck, out with a bulging disk, is getting better, but will remain the emergency quarterback this week. Although even with a makeshift line, Holmgren said if Hasselbeck were healthy that he would play.
Seattle’s backup line was a concern for quarterback Seneca Wallace during Sunday’s come-from-behind win over the Rams. Wallace was on his back often, as St. Louis blitzed nine of Wallace’s first 11 pass plays in the opening half, sacking him twice and hitting Wallace six times, including a forced fumble that led to a 36-yard Josh Brown field goal.
The poor protection led the usually reserved Wallace to vent his temper on his teammates as they left the field, igniting a fire that seemed to motivate the Seahawks to their first victory in seven weeks.
Holmgren said that he lambasted players during his halftime speech and told them the toughest guy in the room was Wallace because he was getting the heck beat out of him and no one else seemed to care.
“When a ‘quiet’ guy is emotional and says what he says, people have a tendency to listen,” Holmgren said. “Not only hear, but listen.”
Seattle’s offensive line protected Wallace much better in the second half, giving him time to make downfield plays.
Extra points
The Seahawks signed quarterback Jeff Rowe, a fifth round pick by Cincinnati in 2007 out of Nevada, from the Bengals’ practice squad Seattle’s active roster. Rowe, 6-foot-5 and 221 pounds, fills the spot vacated when Jones was placed on injured reserve. “My feeling is, instead of waiting and then signing a fourth arm or the next quarterback at training camp and filling that up, they looked over the practice squads and our scouts liked this young guy,” Holmgren said about the signing. … Holmgren said linebacker Leroy Hill is gaining strength in his right shoulder after leaving the Thanksgiving Day game against Dallas with a stinger, but likely will not play Sunday against the Jets.
Eric D. Williams: 253-597-8437
blogs.thenewstribune.com/seahawks
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.