Yesterday, Jay Glazer reported on Sidney Rice's shoulder injury. He said, "(I)t's believed the shoulder injury Sidney Rice is fighting through is a torn labrum. Trying to avoid surgery during year."
Though nothing is official at this point -- Sidney Rice has not gone on the Injured Reserve -- even a partially torn labrum is a pretty big deal for a receiver. Danny O'Neil and Eric Williams brought us some quotes from Pete Carroll that attempt to clarify the situation, but as it always goes, you can't really believe anything the front office is saying.
Per O'Neil, Carroll said, "This would be a big week for us to test him. He was at about 80 percent last week. If you had watched practice, you would think he could play. But we didn't hit him, we didn't knock him around. We won't know until we get him more active with him in practice. We'll know more this week."
When asked specifically about the report of a torn labrum, Pete had this exceedingly vague answer:
"He's got some damage in his shoulder, and we're trying to figure out how he can come back."
Eric Williams points out that "Carroll confirmed that Rice does have a torn labrum, but said the injury is not like tight end John Carlson's shoulder."
Williams adds that Pete Carroll tried to clarify: "John's was really bad. As we went through the time watching to see if John would progress, he didn't. His shoulder kept popping out just sitting at his desk. That's not where Sidney is at all. They're different situations. The labrum issues are all different, and they're not just 'a labrum' and it's exactly the same, and (Rice is) responding very well."
If Pete Carroll's statements make you feel better, I'd think twice. He has been known to keep the severity of injuries close to the chest, and before John Carlson was abruptly placed on the IR, here's what Pete Carroll said about his injury:
"(John Carlson has) a shoulder that's bothering him. He's got a labrum issue that we're working through."
Was very vague at that time and what he said sounds vaguely familiar. As Beekers has said, I'll believe Carroll when I see Rice suited up and on the field. Until then, it's not looking great for the Seahawks new receiver, though anything can happen.