Pete Carroll coy on whether Greg Olsen, Rashaad Penny, Quinton Dunbar return, play Sunday
Fridays are Pete Carroll’s coy days.
On the days his team and all others in the NFL issue the official injury reports for Sunday’s games, Seattle’s veteran coach makes a sport out of dodging media members seeking the true reading on which injured players have the best chance to play in the game.
This Friday he was in supreme form talking about the possible returns of Greg Olsen, Rashaad Penny and Quinton Dunbar from long-term injury lists.
“All those guys practiced this week, and made it through the week,” Carroll said before the team’s flight left for Washington and Sunday’s chance for Seattle to clinch a playoff berth with a win.
“So we have some options.”
The coach then pressed his lips together. He shook his head affirmatively to reinforce that the Seahawks do indeed “have some options,” as they do every day of every year, in fact.
“And we’ll let you know.”
Then he smiled.
Olsen has been on injured reserve but only for the minimum three weeks. He’s made a wowing return from a torn plantar fascia he got during Seattle’s home win over Arizona Nov. 19. As the 35-year-old veteran of 14 NFL seasons needed to be carted from the field that night it appeared his career may be over.
Thursday, the lead tight end was doing rhythmic, jumping air squats on stepping side to side in an energetic warmup to full participation in the start of practice. There was zero evidence he couldn’t walk less than a month ago.
He and Penny, the number-two running back to Chris Carson, looked full go in the first 20 minutes of practice media members were permitted to watch Thursday. Olsen caught passes from Russell Wilson along with fellow tight ends Will Dissly and Jacob Hollister. Penny, Carson and Carlos Hyde ran together in running-back drills.
Penny was designated to return to practice this week off the physically-unable-to-perform list. These are his first practices since he tore knee ligaments during Seattle’s loss at the Los Angeles Rams 12 months ago.
He looked sleek—”terrific, fast” in the words of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer—at practices this week.
Dunbar has missed the last five games with what Carroll has described as a “chronic” knee injury. The cornerback in the final year of his contract appeared less active than Olsen and Penny at the start of Thursday’s practice.
Adding to Carroll’s evasiveness about these three in particular, the team does not have to list the practice participation of the injured Olsen, Penny and Dunbar per NFL rule. That’s because none of them have been added back to the active roster.
Not yet.
For any of them to play at Washington, the Seahawks would have to make that move of adding him to the 53-man active roster by 1 p.m. Saturday.
That’s what Carroll’s “we’ll let you know” means.
Carroll was asked what becomes of D.J. Reed when Dunbar finally does return. Reed has been the fill-in for Dunbar and also-injured Tre Flowers at right cornerback recently. Reed has also played as a nickel defensive back inside this season. Ugo Amadi is playing there right now.
“Well, why would I have to divulge that now?” Carroll said, chuckling and smiling again.
“There’s no way.
“I’ve got nothing for you.”
Flowers will be on injured reserve for at least one more game.
Washington’s grass playing surface at FedEx Field in suburban Landover, Maryland, site of Sunday’s game, is infamous for being loose and just plain poor, particularly later in seasons. In January 2013, when Russell Wilson and Robert Griffin III faced off in their first career playoff games, as rookies, Griffin shredded knee ligaments on that chewed up grass and painted dirt.
Carroll was asked Friday if Washington’s field is a factor in the decisions whether to activate Olsen, Penny or Dunbar for Sunday’s game.
“It doesn’t impact our thinking, at all,” the coach who has won both his games leading Seattle onto that field outside Washington. “(Seahawks director of equipment) Erik Kennedy is in charge of all that stuff, and he says we are OK. He knows what the footwear needs to be, and all that stuff.”
Again, no answer about Olsen, Penny or Dunbar being available.
But that does suggest Wilson and many other Seahawks will be wearing shoes with longer cleats for more grip into the possibly loose-again turf Sunday.
Asked once more, but in a different, direct way whether he’s rules Olsen, Penny or Dunbar out from possibly playing at Washington, Carroll smiled again. He covered the microphone into which he was speaking throughout his Zoom online press conference. He playfully consulted with his vice president of communications.
“There’s always a chance,” Carroll said, beaming.
“That’s great guidance right there.
“Yeah, there’s always a chance.”
And then, a shrug.
