Seahawks Tuesday in Hawkville

[News Bot]

A recap of the activities at Virginia Mason Athletic Center for Dec. 6:
FOCUS ON
The offensive line. The Seahawks have been forced to shuttle this unit again, with left tackle Russell Okung being placed on injured reserve today because of the torn pectoral he got in his right shoulder during the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s victory over the Eagles.
In today’s 75-minute bonus practice, Paul McQuistan moved from right guard to replace Okung, with Lemuel Jeanpierre stepping in at right guard. So the newest new-look line that is expected to start in Monday night’s game against the Rams at CenturyLink Field features – from left tackle to right – McQuistan, Robert Gallery, Max Unger, Jeanpierre and Breno Giacomini.
“We pretty much have to head in that direction,” coach Pete Carroll said. “The fact that these guys have been with us, we don’t have to go outside the organization and the system to get guys. It’s really very fortunate.”
Jeanpierre made his first NFL start in the Week 7 game against the Browns at center because Unger was sidelined. McQuistan has started at left guard (three games) and right guard (three games) because of injuries to Gallery and rookie John Moffitt, who is on injured reserved following knee surgery. McQuistan also played tackle during his time with the Raiders. Giacomini is starting because first-round draft choice James Carpenter also went on injured reserve because of a knee injury that required surgery.
“This speaks to the depth we started camp with,” Carroll said. “They’re familiar faces, anyway, instead of having to go some other way. Hopefully this will work out and we’ll be able to keep going.”
The Seahawks are riding a streak of five consecutive games with at least 100 rushing yards, their longest since 2005.
PLAYER WATCH
Tarvaris Jackson. The team’s QB surprised everyone last week by being able to participate in every practice during the short preparation period due to the Thursday night game, because of the strained pectoral in his right shoulder.
Today, Jackson took it to the next level.
“He looked totally different today,” Carroll said. “The signs have just been coming the last week or so that things are different for him. Today, he looked like normal. … An excellent, excellent sign today. We haven’t seen him throw the ball like this at one time for I don’t know however long it’s been.”
It has been almost 8½ weeks since Jackson injured his shoulder in the Week 5 upset of the Giants.
“He’s a whole step ahead of (last week) today,” Carroll said. “He has not thrown the ball at any time like this, in any of the games even. So it’s a great sign.”
IN ’N OUT
Offensive lineman Mike Gibson was re-signed to fill Okung’s spot on the 53-man roster. Gibson (6-3, 298) was with the Seahawks in training camp, but released on the final roster cut in September. He also was with the team in 2009 and 2010, and started eight games last season – five at left guard and three at right guard. Gibson also worked at center this summer, so his versatility is a plus.
The club also signed two players to its practice squad: defensive lineman Keith Darbut and running back Jay Finley.
Four players sat out practice: middle linebacker David Hawthorne, defensive end Raheem Brock and cornerbacks Byron Maxwell and Kennard Cox.
With Hawthorne out, K.J. Wight moved into the middle and was replaced on the strong side by fellow rookie Mike Morgan.
STAT DU JOUR
The team with the best winning percentage in the history of “Monday Night Football”? It’s the Seahawks, who are 16-8 for a percentage of .667. Here are the top five:
Team Record Pct.
Seahawks 16-8 .667
Steelers 39-22 .639
Colts 21-12 .636
49ers 40-25 .615
Raiders 37-25-1 .595
The Seahawks also have a four-game winning streak on MNF:
Date Outcome
Dec. 5, 2005 W, 42-0 at Philadelphia
Nov. 6, 2006 W, 16-0 Oakland
Nov. 27, 2006 W, 34-24 Green Bay
Nov. 12, 2007 W, 24-0 San Francisco
UP NEXT
The Carroll calendar continues to collide with the regular calendar, as the players are off on Wednesday because of the Monday night game. They return Thursday, which will be Wednesday.
Tickets are available for the game against the Rams and can be purchased here.
YOU DON’T SAY
“They loved it. It was a great opportunity to get a break this late in the year. They feel so much different coming into practice today and they’ll get tomorrow off as well. So it’s just a good boost for everybody physically.” – Carroll on being able to give the players four days off because of the gap between playing on Thursday night and Monday night

Source: Seahawks.com