Seahawks’ Greg Olsen remarkably coming off IR to play vs Rams. Nothing new on Josh Gordon
Greg Olsen’s remarkable return is complete.
The 35-year-old tight end who got carted off the field in what looked like a season- and perhaps career-ending foot injury Nov. 19 is coming off the injured-reserve list to play for the Seahawks in their home game Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.
“You are going to see Greg come up (to the active roster),” coach Pete Carroll said following the team’s walk-through practice Saturday.
Olsen will be a part of Seattle’s chance to win the NFC West title one month and eight days after he tore the plantar fascia in his foot. That was in the Seahawks’ home win over Arizona.
Brandon Shell is going to try to play at right tackle Sunday, Carroll said. Shell is officially questionable. He’s missed three of the last four games with a high-ankle sprain; he played only 40% of snaps in that other game. Cedric Ogbuehi is ready to start if Shell can’t.
“He’s got a chance to help us,” Carroll said of Shell. “So we are looking forward to him dressing and being with us.”
Carroll all but said veteran Mike Iupati, listed as doubtful, will not play and Jordan Simmons will at left guard. The coach reiterated his faith in Simmons, who played for Iupati last week in Seattle’s win at Washington. Simmons’ first NFL start, in 2018, came against Aaron Donald and the Rams. The Seahawks rushed for 273 yards that day.
In Simmons’ first three career starts that season, Seattle averaged 218 yards rushing.
And the offense has its three top running backs healthy for a game for the first time this season: Chris Carson, Carlos Hyde and Rashaad Penny.
Carroll said the Seahawks are also bringing Bryan Mone from injured reserve to play on Sunday. The reserve defensive tackle has been on injured reserve for the last month, in a walking boot for much of it.
Olsen wows
Olsen completely tore the plantar fascia, the thick band of tissue connecting his heel to the ball of his foot. He couldn’t walk. His second major injury in three seasons made it appear his splendid career was over.
And why not?
He’s 35. It’s the middle of a pandemic. His new team has only a few games remaining in the season, even if they are in the playoffs. The former Pro Bowl and Super Bowl tight end has earned $70 million in his career. The $5.5 million the Seahawks guaranteed him on a one-year contract is in the bank. He has more millions waiting for him with his Fox television football-analyst gig, a deal he’s already signed for whenever he feels like retiring.
While he’s been on Seattle’s injured-reserve list the last month, he and his wife Kara opened The HEARTest Yard Congenital Heart Center at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, N.C.
Olsen doesn’t exactly need football.
Yet here he is, back to play in his new team’s biggest game of 2020. As he vowed he would, Olsen came back from torn foot tissue and not being able to walk to rejoining the Seahawks for their playoff push.
”He’s the real deal,” Carroll said this month.
He shook his head to marvel at Olsen.
“He’s made an extraordinary recovery, to get to this right now,” Carroll said. “So we are going to practice him and see what happens.
“He’s such a great football player. He loves the game so much. ...I mean, there is NO space other than he is at the top of the list in all of the character principles about who he is and what he is all about and what you can expect from him.
“He is amazing.
“I don’t even know how he got well this fast. I haven’t a clue how that happened. But, he did. ...He’s a perfect competitor to have on your club.”
Gordon still in limbo
Nothing new on Josh Gordon, though. Carroll said the former All-Pro wide receiver remains on the NFL’s commissioner exempt list again for what the league told The News Tribune this week is not fulfilling all of the requirements of his conditional reinstatement from his seventh league drug suspension.
“Nothing’s new,” Carroll said.
Weather: check
The forecast for Sunday’s 1:25 p.m. game at Lumen Field is almost as good as can be for Sunday in the last days of December in the Pacific Northwest: partly sunny, 47 degrees, very little wind (5 mph).
A Seahawks victory clinched the first division title for Seattle since 2016. It would be the 11th division championship in franchise history, and fifth since Carroll took over leading the team in 2010.
This story was originally published December 26, 2020 at 11:51 AM.
