KIRKLAND – Another member of the Seattle Seahawks family landed in the hospital this week and could miss Sunday’s game.
Tight end Itula Mili, who split time as the starter with Jerramy Stevens during the preseason, was having problems with his intestine and spent part of Friday in a hospital.
Coach Mike Holmgren said the condition was not serious and that there is a remote chance Mili could fly to Florida today to play in Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Mili is listed as “doubtful” on the injury report.
Stevens is slated to start Sunday, with third-stringer Ryan Hannam seeing more playing time if Mili can’t make the trip.
“Ryan certainly is a good player,” Holmgren said. “Most games, we’d like to go in having three (tight ends). But I’ve always liked all three of our guys, and now Ryan gets a chance to play more.”
Earlier this week, defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes was hospitalized after experiencing dizziness. Rhodes has since been released from the hospital but did not travel with the team Friday.
Rhodes could return to work as soon as next week.
“I will have to have the reins on him,” Holmgren said of Rhodes’ eventual return, “because he’ll want to dive back in there, and that’s not the right thing to do. He’ll ease into it.”
Ophelia moving east: While Sunday’s game could be played in the rain, the threat of a hurricane has lessened.
Ophelia, a tropical storm off the Florida coast that briefly reached hurricane status Thursday, started moving back out to sea by Friday morning. While experts cautioned that the storm could return early next week, Sunday’s game does not appear to be in danger.
The forecast in Jacksonville calls for mostly cloudy conditions and a high of 86 degrees on Sunday.
“We’ve got to play in whatever it is,” Holmgren said. “The weather is kind of a non-issue at this point.”
Some of the Seahawks are not too worried about the possibility of rain. Right guard Chris Gray said that his fellow offensive linemen don’t mind a little precipitation.
“We love it,” he said. “That’s our kind of football.”
Special relationship: Seahawks wide receiver Alex Bannister has had three different special-teams coaches during his five-year NFL career. All three will be on the same field Sunday.
Jacksonville special-teams coach Pete Rodriguez spent six seasons with Seattle before being replaced by Mark Michaels last year. Michaels was fired after one season and now serves as Rodriguez’s assistant.
Bob Casullo now serves as Seattle’s special-teams coach.
Bannister, a Pro Bowl special teamer in 2003, gives most of the credit to Rodriguez, who was his first NFL special-teams coach.
“When I work out, I think about him all the time,” Bannister said. “I can honestly say that most of the things I’ve learned, I’ve learned from him. There are things I learned from him that I use to this day.”
Warrick’s role: While recent acquisition Peter Warrick is expected to return punts on Sunday, he probably won’t be much of a factor in the offense.
Warrick was claimed off waivers just nine days ago and is still trying to learn the intricacies of Seattle’s offensive scheme.
“It’s too early,” offensive coordinator Gil Haskell said. “He’ll be our punt returner, and then he might play a little bit, but that’s about it. You just can’t come in and do it. That just doesn’t happen.”
Warrick is also nursing a sore right knee, which has bothered him to the point that he has had a visible limp while taking part in practices this week.
Dyson to start: Holmgren confirmed the expected Friday, naming Andre Dyson the starting left cornerback.
Dyson had been battling Kelly Herndon. Both of them are former starters who were brought in during free agency.
“It’s so close to call,” Holmgren said. “Herndon’s a really good inside player. It could really be a coin flip, honestly.”
Quick slants: After a short morning practice, the Seahawks left for Jacksonville early Friday afternoon. They are scheduled to hold a walk-through practice and team meetings throughout today. … Reserve defensive tackle Rocky Bernard (knee) was held out of practice for a second consecutive day Friday, but he’s expected to play against Jacksonville.
Koren speaks: Former Seahawks wide receiver Koren Robinson, who signed with the Minnesota Vikings earlier this week, recently spoke with The Associated Press about his feelings of shame and self-doubt when he checked himself into an alcohol treatment facility.
“It was tough. I was afraid, I was scared. The fear of the uncertainty, not knowing if I was ever going to get the opportunity to play ball again. Knowing that I had to do some things to get myself right, personally, as far as being a better father, a better son, a better brother. I felt like I had to get that right first and foremost before any of the football things. I felt like I was embarrassing my family. My parents didn’t raise me like that, for the things I was doing. They didn’t raise me like that. It was time for a change,” Robinson said.
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