Hurts keep coming for ’Hawks
Wideout injuries hamper Bills’ foe
The Seattle Seahawks have more injury troubles than the Buffalo Bills entering Sunday’s season- opener at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
The Seahawks are expected to be without their top two wide receivers, their starting right offensive tackle, their best defensive tackle and their nickel defensive back.
The receiver injuries are the biggest concern for Seattle.
Top wideout Deion Branch is recovering from offseason surgery to repair a torn knee ligament. He practiced for the first time Wednesday but is expected to be held out of the game. Bobby Engram, who led Seattle with 94 catches last year, is expected to miss about six weeks with a cracked bone in his shoulder. The fourth Seattle wideout, Ben Obomanu, also is out. He broke a collarbone and is gone for the season.
“We’re a little banged up at wide receiver,” Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said on a conference call to Buffalo on Wednesday. “I think we’ll get Engram and Branch back pretty quickly, but for the first ballgame we’ll have to go with young guys who I think are pretty talented. But they haven’t played a lot in games. It’s a concern. But I don’t allow them to use injuries as an excuse so I expect them to play well.”
Starting at receiver will be Nate Burleson and Courtney Taylor. Burleson is a sixth-year veteran who started 12 games last year and caught 50 passes with nine touchdowns. Taylor, a sixth-round pick from Auburn, last season caught just five passes as a rookie.
Under normal circumstances, the Seattle passing game is potent. The Seahawks ranked eighth in the NFL last season in passing yards and were tied for ninth in scoring. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is a three-time Pro Bowler in his 11th season.
He seemed unfazed by the injuries Wednesday.
“We’ve got some young guys that have been in our program for a long time,” Hasselbeck said. “They played really well this preseason. They played well last year in practice. They’ve been doing a great job, so — it should be business as usual.”
The Seahawks used three receivers almost two-thirds of the time last season. The third wideout probably will be Jordan Kent, a sixth-round pick in 2007 out of Oregon who spent all of last season on the practice squad. He had 11 catches with two touchdowns in preseason. No. 4 is Logan Payne, an undrafted player who also spent all of last season on the practice squad.
Right tackle Sean Locklear also is not expected to play due to a sprained knee, Holmgren indicated. He would be replaced by Ray Willis, a fourth-year player who would be making his first NFL start. Willis, a former fourth-round pick, has received pretty good reviews in preseason.
On the defensive side, Seattle will be without starting defensive tackle Rocky Bernard, who is suspended for the opener for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. He was arrested in April on investigation of domestic violence. He will be replaced by Craig Terrill, a fifth-year player with two career starts, and Red Bryant, a rookie fourth-round draft pick.
Nickel back Jordan Babineaux, a safety, is out due to a one-game suspension related to substance abuse. However, Seattle has a highly regarded backup taking his spot. That’s Josh Wilson, a second-round pick from Maryland last year who had an impressive preseason.
The Bills, of course, still are without starting left tackle Jason Peters. He’s the only starter due to miss the game. All the Bills practiced Wednesday except for tight end Derek Fine (hand) and tackle Matt Murphy (shoulder).
