Seahawks give discouraging injury update on star offensive lineman

The Seattle Seahawks held their first practice of training camp yesterday and for the most part it was an uneventful affair. That's a good thing, as there were no scuffles between teammates or major injuries to report, at least. However, the biggest headline coming out of that practice was a discouraging one.

The bad news came when head coach Mike Macdonald took to the podium after practice and was asked about the health of starting right tackle Abe Lucas , who missed 11 games last year with a knee injury and underwent surgery in the offseason. Macdonald told the media that there's no timetable for Lucas to return to the field.

Macdonald added that he had hoped the recovery process would go faster.

Not ideal. Lucas is not only their most-talented offensive lineman, he's also the one that sets the tone and provides the kind of attitude Macdonald wants to establish in the trenches.

At least the Seahawks are better prepared to handle his absence than they were last year. In free agency the team brought back veteran tackle George Fant and he will be taking Lucas' reps with the first-team offensive line unit for now.

The next man up at right tackle will be McClendon Curtis, who had been working at right guard in the last portion of the offseason program.

While Lucas was sidelined last season Seattle's right flank became a major liability. Quarterback Geno Smith did a genius job of managing that pressure and making plays, but that level of pass protection will be a problem if it pops up again, no matter how brilliant offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's scheme is.