Following Thursday afternoon’s practice, Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren pleaded with his hobbled troops to heal up quickly.
Based on Friday’s turnout, they were listening.
Wide receiver Bobby Engram, defensive end Chike Okeafor, cornerback Ken Lucas and defensive end Grant Wistrom returned to the practice field and might be available for Sunday’s game. Lucas is expected to play against the St. Louis Rams after suffering a bruised lung last Sunday at San Francisco.
Wistrom (knee), Okeafor (neck) and Engram (ankle) will be game-day decisions.
Wistrom, who saw limited practice time with the scout team, was the least likely practice return. He has missed three weeks with a fractured bone in his left knee and was originally expected to be out at least one more week.
Holmgren said Wistrom is “close, very close” to returning to the field and could be available as soon as Sunday.
Wistrom is particularly motivated to play, seeing as how he grew up in Southwest Missouri and spent his first six seasons with the Rams. He will travel with the team today, regardless of whether he is cleared to play.
Engram has also been out three weeks due to a sprained ankle.
The only players who missed practice were safety Ken Hamlin (knee) and tight end Itula Mili (groin), both of whom are also game-day decisions. If Hamlin can’t play, special teams standout Marquand Manuel would probably start at free safety.
Linebacker Anthony Simmons, who was listed as questionable after missing Wednesday’s practice with a hip injury, was upgraded to probable after practicing for the second day in a row.
Longtime rivals: Part of the success of Rams defensive end Leonard Little comes from his surprising speed. With a 6-foot-3, 261-pound frame, Little can sneak up on opponents with his quickness.
But he won’t surprise Chris Terry. The Seahawks’ right tackle has seen Little far too many times to be shocked by anything.
“We’ve always been in the same conference since I’ve been playing,” said Terry, who attended the University of Georgia while Little was at Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee. “When I was in Carolina, he was in the same conference with the Rams. Now I’m here, and he’s in the same conference here. So we always see a lot of each other.”
The linemen have gone against each other 11 times. Little has three total sacks in those games, two of which came in the eight NFL matchups.
Seeing as how Little has had 42 sacks in his past 49 games – including two in one game against the Seahawks last year while Terry was suspended – the Seahawks’ starting right tackle can take pride in having some success against the small-but-quick defensive lineman.
Terry, who will go against Little again Sunday, is looking forward to Round 12.
“He’s a high-motor guy, a guy who’s going to keep playing and keep playing. And I tend to do that myself,” Terry said. “So we always have good matchups.”
Turf team? While past Mike Holmgren teams have been criticized for their lack of success indoors – the Packers went 8-12 in domes while he coached Green Bay – the Seahawks have held their own.
Since Holmgren took over in 1999, Seattle has gone 3-3 inside. Two of those losses have come in their only two trips to the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
“Playing in a dome is playing in a dome,” defensive tackle Rashad Moore said. “The field’s still 100 yards long and however many feet wide. It is what it is.”
Quick slants: The Seahawks signed defensive end Otis Leverette to the practice squad. Leverette has played with Miami, Washington, San Diego and San Francisco during a three-year NFL career. He was released by the 49ers on Wednesday. … The Seahawks handed out game balls from last week’s win on Friday. They went to wide receiver Darrell Jackson (offense), defensive end Antonio Cochran (defense) and Manuel (special teams).
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