'A Little Concerned': Seahawks' Charles Cross, Abraham Lucas Day-to-Day
RENTON, Wash. - Less than 24 hours after the Seattle Seahawks lost both of their starting tackles to injury in the second half of a 30-13 season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Rams, coach Pete Carroll said the team is "a little concerned" about their statuses short-term while being cautiously optimistic they will return soon.
Speaking with reporters in his weekly day after press conference, Carroll didn't have a ton of new information on Cross and Lucas, who exited with toe and knee injuries respectively on Sunday. However, he indicated the Seahawks would evaluate both players on a day-to-day basis with hopes that one or both of them may be able to play against the Lions next weekend in Detroit.
"We’re going to go day-to-day once we get back Wednesday and see where we are," Carroll said on Monday. "Abe [Lucas] came in the office today and he was walking alright, and we’ll hold a good thought. Charles[Cross] is making it around, but it’s going to take a little bit before we know.”
Before Lucas and Cross exited early in the third quarter, the Seahawks went into halftime nursing a 13-7 lead in large part thanks to quality protection for quarterback Geno Smith and run blocking in front of Ken Walker III. Smith wasn't sacked once and completed 13 out of 18 passes with a touchdown to DK Metcalf when the two second-year tackles were in the lineup, while Walker rushed for 53 yards on just nine carries in the first half.
According to Pro Football Focus, neither Cross nor Lucas allowed a single quarterback pressure in the first half, playing a key role in keeping Smith clean as Seattle scored on three of its first four possessions to take a six-point advantage into halftime.
But once Lucas was forced out of action and Cross limped off the field at the conclusion of Seattle's first drive of the second half, the offense couldn't find any traction with backups Stone Forsythe and Jake Curhan checking into the lineup. With Smith under constant duress at a 50 percent pressure rate on drop backs in the final two quarters, the team produced 12 total yards of offense and only moved the chains for a new set of downs once courtesy of a defensive pass interference penalty.
After watching the film, Carroll didn't think the change at tackle was a major problem until the fourth quarter when the Seahawks were forced to pass and the Rams front line was able to pin their ears back chasing after Smith, who took two quick sacks on their second-to-last drive of the game to all but eliminate any comeback hopes. For the half, Forysthe allowed one pressure on eight pass blocking reps, while Curhan struggled a bit more allowing four pressures on nine pass blocking reps.
“That didn’t really show up as an issue until late, when they really started to crank it after us," Carroll assessed. "Stone [Forsythe] held up pretty well. Jake [Curhan] got his looks in there, they did okay. There was a couple of rushes at the end of the game that we got rolled back a little bit.”
Following Sunday's loss, Carroll described Lucas' patellar issue as a non-injury with his knee that flared up at times during his rookie season. Unable to fire out of his stance as he usually does due to soreness, the team opted to pull him from the lineup in favor of Curhan.
On Monday, Carroll added that the Seahawks have done numerous tests on Lucas' knee and that there isn't any structural damage. He simply needs to rest for a few days and the team will see where he's at later in the week banking on the knee calming down and him being able to suit up against the Lions.
“It’s a patellar area soreness. He’s had all of the tests and we’ve seen all of the stuff. There’s nothing to do for it right now, he’s just got a sore knee," Carroll said.
As for Cross, while x-rays during the game didn't show any significant damage, his situation is a bit more difficult to assess. At 315 pounds, a sprained big toe can be more difficult to play through for a player of his size and Seattle may have to be more cautious in regards to rushing him back to ensure the injury doesn't linger throughout the course of the season.
If Cross isn't able to play for the Seahawks against the Lions, Carroll expressed confidence in Forsythe, a third-year tackle out of Florida who performed well in a spot start replacing Lucas in a win over the Jets last January. Playing his natural position on the left side as he did at Florida against SEC competition, the team has no reservations about him jumping into the lineup in the interim.
“He’s a good active player. He understands the system, he knows the principles really well, he’s clear about it. You can really count on him, trust him, that he gets it and knows what’s going on. He’s been really consistent with his effort always. Big, long kid, so he’s got a lot of assets that help him. He did a pretty good job yesterday jumping in. We feel pretty good about him if he has to go again that he can fill in.”
As for additional depth, the Seahawks already have been proactive since Sunday's defeat. First, the team brought back tackle Greg Eiland on the practice squad, releasing quarterback Holton Ahlers in a corresponding move. The former Mississippi State standout has yet to dress for an NFL game, but spent the past two seasons with the organization and played in all three preseason games in August.
Seattle also agreed to terms with veteran tackle Jason Peters to join the practice squad after a visit on Tuesday. The soon-to-be 41-year old Peters last played for Dallas last season, allowing one sack and 11 quarterback pressures on 235 offensive snaps seeing time at left tackle, left guard, and right tackle.
For his career, Peters had played the majority of his 12,830 snaps at left tackle, playing more than 12,000 of those snaps protecting the blind side. He first signed with the Cowboys on the practice squad before being promoted last year and the Seahawks look poised to go the same route as a veteran insurance policy with Cross and Lucas nursing injuries and provides a valuable mentor for both players.
