Woe is Womack, but Ray might be on the way

By Chris Cluff  |   Thursday, June 07, 2007  |  Comments( 0 )

Seattle Seahawks
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It has already happened. The Seattle Seahawks have yet to put on the pads this year, and Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack is already injured -- again.

The oft-hurt offensive lineman -- shall we call him Pork Chopped Liver or Floyd Woe-mack? -- suffered a knee injury in minicamp on Tuesday and has already undergone arthroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage. He will be out until training camp.

Womack's injury troubles, coupled with other injury concerns along the line, mean that third-year man Ray Willis will be given every chance to win the starting gig at right guard.

The fact that Womack got hurt is not a surprise -- the 6-foot-4, 330-pound lineman has missed a lot of time over the last two years. The fact that he got hurt now, when the team is not wearing pads or having full-contact practices, surely leaves a lot of fans shaking their heads. This is exactly the concern everyone had about Womack when the team decided to re-sign him to a one-year deal.

So where does this leave the already thin and rebuilding offensive line? Womack was supposed to battle almost-37-year-old Chris Gray for the right guard spot Gray has held the past six seasons, but it looks as if Womack will probably find himself sitting on the bench when the season starts. In the end, even if he gets healthy, Pork Chop's best destiny is probably to continue in the role that defined him over his first four seasons -- as the top backup lineman, No. 2 at every position except center.

Womack isn't the only injury problem along the line, which last season was plagued by injuries and inexperience and needs to get everyone on the field to build cohesion for the coming season. Center Chris Spencer is still rehabilitating from surgeries on both shoulders. Spencer, who was thrust into the starting role when Robbie Tobeck was sidelined with a hip infection for the second half of last season, is expected back in time for the start of training camp so he can build on the success he and rookie left guard Rob Sims had at the end of last season.

But Spencer's health is not guaranteed. If Spencer is hampered by his shoulders and made unable to play, Gray would step in at center. The problem is that, if Womack is hurt, too, there would be a major hole at right guard. Unless, that is, Willis can come to the rescue.

The team drafted the 6-6, 327-pound tackle out of Florida State in the fourth round in 2005. But Willis barely played in his first two seasons and was usually inactive on game days, and then he obviously noticed the huge "Help Wanted" sign posted above the right guard position because he asked the coaches if he could try to play guard this year. Rather than say, "Whatchoo talkin' about, Willis?," the coaches are giving him the chance to earn playing time.

With Gray at center in the May minicamp and absent this week, Willis has practiced as the No. 1 right guard all offseason, and the reviews have so far been quite positive. Last month, coach Mike Holmgren said Willis had "stepped it up a little bit" and turned the right guard spot into a three-way competition.

This week, line coach Bill Laveroni told reporters that Willis is working hard for the chance to play.

"Ray is so passionate about getting better," Laveroni said. "He wants a chance to get on the field, and he's going to get that opportunity because he's worked so hard for it. He's probably the hardest worker we've got."

Nothing illustrates that better than the fact that Willis has continued to practice in this camp even though he suffered a broken left hand earlier in the week.

Willis' improvement is key to giving the Seahawks flexibility up front. The starting line is supposed to be, from left to right: Walter Jones, Sims, Spencer, Gray and Sean Locklear. Beyond Willis and Womack, the Seahawks' top backups are Tom Ashworth, who showed last season that his best role is as the No. 2 right tackle, and rookie Mansfield Wrotto, a very inexperienced player who has worked exclusively at the right guard position with the reserves so far.

If -- in the worst-case scenario -- Spencer can't play, Gray would have to move to center. And with Womack already hurt -- again -- Willis would be the guy at right guard. Of course, he might be anyway.

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About Chris Cluff

Chris Cluff spent 10 years as an editor and sportswriter for The Seattle Times. He was a key figure in the newspaper's coverage of the Seahawks, particularly during their Super Bowl run in 2005. He also has written two books on the Seahawks: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Heart-Pounding, ...
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