Carroll: Playoff-bound Seahawks will not hold starters out of regular-season finale vs Arizona
The Seahawks are rollling on this week, not changing anything even though they are already in the playoffs with one regular-season game still to play.
Coach Pete Carroll made clear the day after Seattle’s 38-31 victory over Kansas City ensured the Seahawks’ sixth postseason in seven years he’s not holding back starters this week when they host the Arizona Cardinals (3-12) Sunday.
Not only are the Seahawks in the playoffs, they are nearly locked into the fifth seed in the NFC. The only way they won’t play at fourth seed Dallas, the East division champion, in the first round Jan. 5 or 6 is if Seattle (9-6) loses at home Sunday to the Cardinals in the regular-season finale while Minnesota (8-6-1) beats Central-champion Chicago (11-4) in Minneapolis.
If both those results occur Seattle would be the sixth seed and play in the first round at Chicago.
Whatever. After a Christmas Day off from practice, the players’ normal Tuesday off between Sunday games, the Seahawks will be practicing Wednesday in full-on preparation mode for the Cardinals.
“We don’t do that,” the coach said of holding out starters. “Maybe the game allows you to make some decisions or something during the game, and that would be a little bit different. I’ve done that in the past and I don’t like that, at all.
“I don’t like doing it. I think it messes with us. Just go play.”
That doesn’t mean Brett Hundley won’t come in for Russell Wilson at quarterback later in the game against Arizona. Or players such as Bradley McDougald won’t play less than usual. The strong safety who’s had knee tendinitis all season played the Chiefs game less than two days after returning from special regenokine treatment in California last week.
“We’re not changing anything,” Carroll said. “We’re going to do like we do and go for it. I’m not sure what it means or where we play or whatever, but it doesn’t matter. We have to keep doing what we’re doing to keep the momentum going and the precision that it takes to keep sharp and all of that.
“There’s no other circumstance but to go take it like a championship opp and go for it.”
HEALTH-WISE
Starting left guard J.R. Sweezy has a sprained arch in his left foot, Carroll said. The coach doesn’t know if Carroll can play Sunday.
Sweezy got hurt in the first half of the win over Kansas City. Ethan Pocic replaced him and did well, the coach noted. Certainly better than the previous week, when Pocic’s two holding penalties at the end of regulation and in overtime negated key first downs in the loss at San Francisco.
Carroll said he thinks right tackle Germain Ifedi will play against the Cardinals. His streak of 45 consecutive starts ended Sunday night because of a groin strain he got in practice three days before that Chiefs game.
Tedric Thompson has “a big test coming up I think on Wednesday to check” on swelling in his lungs, Carroll said. The starting free safety missed the Chiefs game because of the condition the team found accidentally last week while examining his shoulder.
“I can’t explain the injury, but he has some air in the tissue outside of his lungs that somehow showed up, so they have to get that to go away,” Carroll said. “When it dissipates, then he’ll have a chance to come back.”
Carroll said rookie running back Rashaad Penny “should come back this week” to play against Arizona. The first-round draft choice has missed the last two games with a knee injury.
