CHENEY – The most telling symbol of Floyd Womack’s first four NFL seasons is the fact that he still has to stop and think about which hand to put on the ground.
It’s not that Womack is a slow learner. Rather, the Seattle Seahawks’ 25-year-old offensive lineman hasn’t been allowed to settle in anywhere.
For the third consecutive training camp, Womack finds himself being shuffled around the offensive line. He already has played three different positions over the first 18 days of camp, with no end in sight.
Womack opened camp as Walter Jones’ replacement at left tackle, later filled in for injured right tackle Chris Terry, and has spent the past two days at left guard while Steve Hutchinson attends to his wife and newborn child.
“I pride myself on versatility,” Womack said, “so wherever they need me at, that’s where I’ll be.”
Last season, Womack started games at right tackle and right guard. The year before that, he started two games at left tackle and six at right tackle.
Moving from the left side to the right side is much more difficult than knowing which hand to put down. Some offensive linemen compare it to trying to throw a baseball with your other hand.
But Womack has made a relatively smooth transition, whether he’s playing on the left or right; inside or outside.
“I wouldn’t say it’s been easy for me,” he said. “It’s real mental. A lot of times, I have to think about where to put my hand down. I’ve got to convert the plays from left to right, or from guard to tackle. That’s not easy.”
Womack’s constant shuffling all started when Jones skipped the 2002 training camp in a contract dispute. The coaching staff went into 2003 camp hoping to give Womack a shot at winning the starting spot at right guard, but Jones’s absence and various injuries forced him to shuffle around some more.
Offensive line coach Bill Laveroni said in June that the coaches hoped this would be the year Womack would settle in at right guard. But, thanks in part to Jones’s absence and another rash of injuries, right guard and center are the only two positions he hasn’t played this camp.
“It hasn’t worked out like that, so I’ll just go with it like this,” Womack said. “I just want to play. That’s my main goal: I just want to play.”
Hutchinson is expected to re-join the team for today’s game against Denver, but it is not certain if he’ll play. Terry is nursing a sore shoulder and probably won’t play against the Broncos.
Once again, Womack woke up this morning uncertain of where he would line up.
“For right now, my job is to jump from side to side and do whatever role they want me to,” he said. “That’s what I’m going to do.”
Not playing: Ten players did not make the trip from Cheney, while quarterback Trent Dilfer (back) is in Seattle but will not play.
Terry, defensive end Grant Wistrom (heel), linebacker D.D. Lewis (shoulder), defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs (hamstring), quarterback Brock Huard (back), offensive lineman Jerry Wunsch (ankle), tight end Ryan Hannam (knee), cornerback Kris Richard (ankle), cornerback Jernaro Gilford (knee) and safety Arnold Parker (shoulder) did not travel for the game.
Holmgren said Friday that Wistrom will probably start practicing after the next preseason game at San Diego.
No high school reunion: Womack, Ken Lucas and Dorsett Davis, who all graduated together from East High School in Cleveland, Miss., won’t get to face off again this year.
Davis, a defensive tackle for the Broncos, has been placed on injured reserve and won’t make the trip to Seattle.
The trio had a reunion of sorts last preseason, when all three were involved in the Broncos’ 20-3 win over Seattle.
Quick slants: Fullback Heath Evans will start, while Chris Davis will see a lot of playing time at the position. The coaches are giving Mack Strong the day off so they can evaluate his backups. … Solomon Bates will start at middle linebacker as the coaches rotate all three candidates for the starting job. … The Broncos’ roster includes cornerback Roc Alexander, a rookie from the University of Washington. Alexander was an undrafted free agent who is currently behind starter Kelly Herndon on the depth chart. … The Seahawks have never beaten Denver in a preseason game, with a record of 0-5 that extends back to a 52-7 loss in 1976… Tickets are still available for today’s game. They can be purchased by calling 206-622-HAWK or by visiting www.seahawks.com or any Ticketmaster outlet.
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