SEATTLE – There will be no Tony Dungy. Marvin Harrison won’t be in the state. And Peyton Manning will probably spend most of the afternoon cheering on backup Jim Sorgi.
While most of the Indianapolis Colts will be at Qwest Field this afternoon, they won’t be those Indianapolis Colts.
And that’s just fine with the Seattle Seahawks, who are one win away from clinching homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.
While Harrison did not make the trip to Seattle in order to give his broken hand another week of healing, Manning and running back Edgerrin James are among the many candidates to make cameo appearances for Indianapolis today. Manning has a streak of 126 consecutive starts to protect, so he’ll probably play a series or two. Harrison was originally scheduled to play despite his injury, but word Friday was that he’ll stay behind in Indianapolis.
And so today the playoff-bound Seahawks will have to test their mettle against the Indianapo-less Colts.
“Whether they play all their guys, or whether they don’t play any of their guys, we don’t care,” Seattle running back Shaun Alexander said earlier this week. “It’s not about them; it’s not about any other team. It’s about us playing well. We’re going to try to win five (more) games in a row. That’s what we’ll shoot for.”
The one person who definitely won’t be around today is Dungy, a coach-of-the-year candidate who got news this week that far overshadows any football game. His second-oldest child, James, was found dead in a Florida apartment early Thursday morning.
Assistant head coach Jim Caldwell will serve as acting head coach for the Colts (13-1).
While that certainly tempers some of the emotion for today’s game, the Seahawks (12-2) will still be motivated to take care of business.
“We must separate that,” Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. “We still have a lot at stake, and we must be able to do that.”
Seattle needs one win over the final two weeks, or a Chicago loss, to wrap up the NFC’s top seed and homefield advantage for up to two playoff games.
“That’s all that matters,” defensive end Bryce Fisher said. “As far as our team is concerned, we need a win this weekend. Then we get homefield throughout, and then anybody that wants to get to the Super Bowl has to come out here.”
The talk about this being a potential Super Bowl preview has some merit in that both teams are expected to enter the playoffs as top seeds in their respective conferences. But not since 1993 have both top seeds advanced to play in the Super Bowl, so nothing is guaranteed.
It’s also difficult to look at today’s game as any kind of preview because the Colts probably won’t bring their A-game. Indianapolis lost last Sunday and has no shot at a perfect regular-season record, so there is very little incentive for the Colts to win.
With that in mind, Dungy’s coaching staff is unlikely to put many star players at risk.
Dungy said earlier in the week that several starters are unlikely to play due to injury, most notably right tackle Ryan Diem, linebacker Cato June and defensive tackle Corey Simon. Safety Bob Sanders and defensive tackle Montae Reagor were downgraded Friday, while defensive end Dwight Freeney (foot/ankle) was added to the list and is now questionable. Even Manning was on to the list with a minor knee injury, although the quarterback practiced all week and expects to play.
The big question is just how much Manning will play. Dungy said earlier in the week that Sorgi will finish the game, adding that the second-year quarterback from Wisconsin will see playing time with the No. 1 offense.
So this might not be quite the Super Bowl preview people are expecting.
“It’s kind of a long way away,” Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said of the possibility of facing Indianapolis again in February. “… It’s a little different knowing (for certain) that you’re going to face a team again. But at this point, there are so many big games in between that we’re not even thinking about it.”
Before anyone can think about Detroit, the Seahawks are trying to make sure they’ve got two postseason dates in Seattle. A win today would secure their second unbeaten home record in the past three seasons while also bringing them the possibility of two more games at Qwest Field.
“It is a homefield advantage; we have won every game we’ve played there,” Holmgren said. “Our fans have been terrific.
“… I expect them to be exactly the same way on Saturday and for the playoffs. It’s hugely important. It doesn’t guarantee anything, necessarily, for the football team, other than the fact that it makes it hard on your opponent. And history has shown it to be a big advantage in our league.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
