RENTON — Officially, Richard Sherman is questionable for the Seattle Seahawks’ home opener.
All other signs — including history — say Sherman is playing Sunday. Again.
Head coach Pete Carroll said following Friday’s practice his three-time All-Pro cornerback “looked great” in the final full workout of the week for the home opener against San Francisco. Sherman missed practices Wednesday and Thursday for what the team listed midweek as a new hamstring injury.
Sherman has yet to miss a game in his NFL career. That began in 2011, 107 regular-season and playoff contests ago.
“He did well today. He practiced the whole practice today,” Carroll said after Friday’s light, no-pads work outside in the sun. “He missed a couple days (to) rest. We’ll see how he is (Saturday) and all the way to game day. But he looked really good.”
He played all 82 defensive snaps at his usual left cornerback spot last weekend in Seattle’s loss at Green Bay. Carroll said at the end of last season Sherman played through a sprained knee, even though he was never on a Seahawks’ injury report for it.
So far this season, the Seahawks have put Sherman on the injury report twice in two weeks, for two different ailments.
Carroll, on his 66th birthday Friday, raved about how Sherman played some of last weekend’s game fighting through the injury that happened during it.
“He felt it, and yeah he did have to play through some,” Carroll said. “His attitude about being injured and whether he can play or not is so far off-the-charts courageous and determined, committed. He just won’t accept it. There have always been people who heal better than others.
“We’ll see how this works out, but you couldn’t ask for a guy’s attitude to be more on-point, to heal himself. And, eventually, our bodies do heal, and we have something to do with it.
“And, whatever. He looks like he can play. He looked good today.”
Lane spared
The NFL fines reported on Friday for the league’s opening weekend did not include one for Jeremy Lane.
The Seahawks’ defensive back was ejected eight plays into last Sunday’s 17-9 loss at Green Bay after an away-from-the-ball skirmish with Packers receiver Davante Adams. Referee John Parry announced Lane’s ejection during what would have been rookie defensive tackle Nazair Jones’ interception return for a Seattle touchdown was for a punch. But no game tape, Fox television replay or account can find Lane punched anyone.
Carroll said he asked the NFL for an explanation. He got one this week, but wouldn’t say what he learned.
“I learned a lot. Yeah. I learned a lot,” Carroll said.
“I’m not going to share it with you, because I can’t. That conversation about the specifics of it, I told you I thought the guys calling the game (on Fox TV, who disagreed with the ejection) saw it pretty clearly.
“You can try, but I’m not going to go any farther than that, OK?”
That likely means the league told the Seahawks Lane ejection was an error.
Asked this week if he got an explanation from the officials of what he actually did, Lane shrugged.
“Nope,” he said. “And I don’t even care, because I can’t get my game back.
“I didn’t even ask. I can’t get that game back. Doesn’t even matter … Next game, I’m ready to play.
“It definitely was frustrating. Yep, indeed. You can’t even go back outside.”
Lane watched the final 3½ quarters like you did: on television. He was inside the visiting locker room at Lambeau Field. He saw rookie Shaquill Griffin playing right cornerback and newly acquired Justin Coleman play nickel back for him.
“You feel like you committed a murder, or something,” he said. “You can’t even go outside to watch the game. You have to stay inside.”
But at least he wasn’t fined.
The only fine from the game was Green Bay tight end Martellus Bennett getting $9,115 taken away for shoving and going after Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright.
Injury report, continued
Terence Garvin is doubtful to play after he injured his shoulder in his start last week at strong-side linebacker in base defense.
Michael Wilhoite, a former starter for the 49ers Seattle signed this offseason, is returning from a calf injury in time to start for Garvin. Wilhoite had been the starting strong-side linebacker until he got hurt last month.
Wright (ankle) missed practice Wednesday and rookie cornerback Shaquill Griffin (concussion) was limited in practice that same day. But both are fine to play Sunday, Carroll said.
The 49ers’ big injury is Reuben Foster. The dynamic linebacker and 31st-overall draft choice this spring got a high-ankle sprain in San Francisco’s 23-3 loss to Carolina last weekend.
His replacement, Ray-Ray Armstrong missed three tackles against the Panthers, including on a touchdown catch and run by former Timberline High School star Jonathan Stewart. Armstrong is poised to make the sixth start of his five-year career on Sunday. It would be his first since Sept. 20, 2015, when he was with Oakland.
Foster’s absence means middle linebacker NaVorro Bowman, already a huge part of the 49ers’ defense, has an even bigger role to fill on Sunday.
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