Hawks’ Springs to sit out with injury

Published 9:00 pm Monday, August 13, 2001

Willie Williams will fill in at corner as Shawn Springs has a torn hamstring and may miss 4-6 weeks

By Scott M. Johnson

Herald Writer

CHENEY — Willie Williams just won’t go away.

Even after the Seattle Seahawks traded for Fred Vinson and spent a second-round pick on Ike Charlton, Williams regained his starting cornerback spot last season. Even after the team allowed him to test the free agent market in the spring, then re-signed him with the purpose of using him as a backup, Williams played so well in offseason camps that he was being considered for a starting position again.

And now, after Shawn Springs suffered a hamstring injury that could keep him out four to six weeks, Williams has emerged as the odds-on favorite to open the regular season as the starter at left cornerback.

Springs went down with a slight tear in his left hamstring during Saturday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts and is expected to miss at least the first game of the regular season. Although the Seahawks are seeking a second opinion in regards to Springs’ injury, they are prepared to open the season without him.

"I’m sure it changes things a little bit, but that’s football," defensive backs coach Ken Flajole said. "You get the other guys ready to play and move on. We’ll get him back when we get him back."

Without Springs, the Seahawks’ secondary is now lacking its primary threat. Charlton and rookie Ken Lucas are battling for a starting spot at right cornerback, and now it looks as if Williams will have to man the left cornerback spot for at least the next month.

"Numbers-wise, we have it covered," coach Mike Holmgren said. "The thing that’s tough is that Shawn’s a very fine player."

Flajole said he would be reluctant to use either Charlton or Lucas on the left side, primarily because the young players are still getting used to learning right cornerback. That would leave Williams as the most viable candidate to fill in for Springs.

"Hopefully he’ll be back, but Willie will just step in," Charlton said. "That’s what we got Willie for: Willie’s played before. We’ll probably lose a little bit, but Willie can come in and do some of the same things that Shawn did."

Williams has heard his share of criticism during his first four years in Seattle, mainly because of his height (5-foot-9) and his occasional propensity to give up a big play. But Williams quietly had a solid season in 2000, actually outplaying Springs during some stretches.

Williams even gets teased by his own teammates, many of whom ride him incessantly about his stature. But the diminutive corner has continued to take it in stride.

"If I make a play, you don’t hear about it. If I make a bad play, you hear about it. That’s the way it is," Williams said. "Some of the media people look at it, start complaining about my height or whatever. That’s just something I’ve got to go through."

As hard as Williams worked last season, the Seahawks were hoping to get a taller cornerback to fit their system. They drafted the 6-foot Lucas in the second round and immediately threw him into a battle with Charlton for the starting position opposite Springs.

While Flajole said he is comfortable starting Williams and one of the younger corners in the Sept. 9 opener, he knows it won’t be the same as having Springs in the lineup.

"(Springs) gives you the ability to lock a guy on one receiver and not give him any help," Flajole said. "I don’t know if you can entertain that as much now without him being in there."

Springs is generally regarded as one of the top cover corners in the league, and he went to the Pro Bowl in 1998. But he suffered a hamstring injury last training camp that hobbled him throughout 2000, which may have been the worst season of his professional career.

When asked about that injury earlier in training camp, Springs compared it to "playing with a screwdriver in my hamstring."

Holmgren said Springs’ current injury is not related to the one he suffered this time last year. He’s just hoping Springs can recover from it in time for the regular season.

"The defense doesn’t change other than the fact that you lose a very fine football player," Holmgren said. "Injuries are part of this game, and you just have to plug in another player."

For now, that player will be Willie Williams. Again.