DANNY ONEIL

C.J. Prosise, J’Marcus Webb set for important Seahawks debuts

Aug 25, 2016, 8:49 AM | Updated: 10:39 am

The battle at right tackle between J'Marcus Webb and Garry Gilliam will take center stage Thursday....

The battle at right tackle between J'Marcus Webb and Garry Gilliam will take center stage Thursday. (AP)

(AP)

Can you win the game in the first half?

No. But you can dig yourself quite a hole. The Seahawks discovered that last season during a 4-4 start in which they averaged 20.9 points per game. The message that should have sent was only reinforced when Seattle fell behind 31-0 in Carolina in the divisional playoff loss.

Starting faster is a priority for the Seahawks this season, which is why it’s at least a little bit concerning that their first-string offense has yet to score in the preseason entering tonight’s third game against Dallas at CenturyLink Field.

“Offensively, we need to make sure we’re putting points on the board,” offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said.

Here come the obligatory qualifiers. It’s August, these games don’t matter and starting quarterback Russell Wilson has played all of six series so far. Four of those have resulted in punts, one in a turnover on downs and then there was that red-zone interception on the first drive of the first preseason game.

Is coach Pete Carroll worried about the way his first-unit offense has played?

“No,” he said. “Preseason.”

True enough. But with 22 of the team’s 28 points having been scored in the fourth quarter this month, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to capitalize on a few opportunities early against Dallas.

“We need to do a better job of handling that,” Bevell said, “make sure we finish some of those drives.”

Finishing hasn’t really been Seattle’s problem. The Seahawks averaged 32 points over the final eight regular-season games last year, winning six of them and getting back to the playoffs. Seattle doesn’t want to take so long to get up to speed this season.

With that, here’s a look at what you should be watching for tonight:

1. Is Prosise sharp?

Rookie running back C.J. Prosise had a false start to training camp, injuring his hamstring during the very first workout. The third-round pick is going to make his preseason debut in what will be a truncated audition for the role as the team’s third-down back.

“This is the first step,” Carroll said. “This is a big deal.”

There’s no doubt about Prosise’s ability with the ball in space given his history as a wide receiver. His path to playing time is going to depend on his ability to pass protect, something that is a prerequisite for any third-down back.

2. A tangled Webb?

There is no better illustration of Carroll’s coaching approach than how he has discussed the returns of Prosise and right tackle J’Marcus Webb. He has not mentioned how much the injuries impeded their development. There have been no snide asides regarding the nature of the injuries or the rehabilitation. Carroll hasn’t even used the classic coach’s sigh. Nothing but unrelenting positivity.

Look what Carroll said about Webb, who’s returning from a knee injury that kept him out two weeks: “He’s ready to go. He had a couple of really good days. Very determined. Didn’t like the fact that he lost some of his opportunity there being out, so he’s come out very determined and looked very good in practice. I expect him to play well in this game based on how he practiced.”

No reference to the knee injury. No mention of the calf injury that kept him out of some offseason workouts. Carroll didn’t talk about the impacts of the time off, only his belief that it will be nothing but sunshine headed forward.

Webb was practicing at right tackle before his knee injury, and that’s where he’ll be against Dallas.

“He’ll play on the right side,” Carroll said, “and depending on how the game goes, he may get a couple of snaps on the left side, too.”

Carroll was asked if Webb could play left tackle, the spot where Bradley Sowell is currently projected as the starter.

“He is an option,” Carroll said. “He looked very comfortable there, which is a real positive. We’re just gathering information on this, and anxious to see how Bradley does again. He has a couple good games so far, but it’s important to have the flexibility and it looks like he was very comfortable, so if we can get him a couple snaps in the game, it would be really good.”

3. Where will Collins fit in?

Running back Alex Collins looked great in the team’s simulated game to begin the second week of training camp, but the fifth-round pick sat out a couple of practices because of an ankle injury and hasn’t seemed as explosive since.

It hasn’t helped that plays have tended to disintegrate around him during the first two preseason games, whether it was Trevone Boykin giving the ball to Collins on a play in which the quarterback should have kept it or having the blocking evaporate on one running play.

Let’s see if Collins can get some traction in the ground game this week.

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C.J. Prosise, J’Marcus Webb set for important Seahawks debuts