Pete Carroll: C.J. Prosise will be game-time decision for Seahawks vs Falcons

RENTON – The Seahawks will have defensive tackle Tony McDaniel and fullback Marcel Reece available for Saturday’s divisional-round playoff game at Atlanta, coach Pete Carroll said Thursday. The status of running back C.J. Prosise is much less clear.

Carroll said he’ll be a game-time decision while a report from ESPN’s Adam Caplan stated that he’s doubtful to play.

Prosise practiced this week for the first time since he broke his shoulder blade in Week 11. The Seahawks listed him as limited on Wednesday and a full participant on Thursday, which was their final practice before they left for Atlanta. The team practiced Tuesday but wasn’t required to list player participation that day, though Carroll’s comments indicated that Prosise took part to some extent. The final designations for Saturday’s game – i.e. doubtful, questionable, etc. – won’t be announced until Friday.

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Carroll said at the start of the week that Prosise would need to show he can go full speed in practice in order to play.

“He made it through practice all this week,” Carroll said Thursday. “We’ll just take it day to day and take it to the stadium and see how it goes.”

Carroll added: “He’s regaining his confidence and kinda getting going again. It’s been a while, seven weeks or something like that, so he took a lot of turns yesterday and again today. So he’s getting back. Not sure how we’re going to do that. We’ll check him after the whole week’s work on Friday and see how it goes and then all the way to game day.”

My read on it: It’s usually a really good sign when a player is listed as a full participant in the final practice of the week, but I’m not sure that’s as telling with Prosise. All week, he wore a red jersey indicating he’s not cleared for contact (even though the Seahawks aren’t hitting) and the final practice is typically much less intense than the first two. My gut tells me he’s more doubtful than questionable. The final designations on Friday should add some clarity.

For now, though, it remains to be seen whether or not the Seahawks will have their full complement of running backs in Atlanta. That, combined with the resurgence in Seattle’s running game last week against Detroit, would be a reason for optimism that the Seahawks could upset a Falcons team that’s playing at home and favored by five points.

Thomas Rawls got a rest day Wednesday then practiced without limitation on Thursday. He rushed for a Seahawks postseason-record 161 yards and two touchdowns in Seattle’s wild-card win and felt a bit beat up afterward having carried 27 times.

“We worked it so that we got him freshened up for this weekend, and he should be ready to roll,” Carroll said.

Safety Jeron Johnson (knee) is fine after being limited in practice on Wednesday, Carroll said.

McDaniel missed last week’s game with a concussion that he suffered in Week 17. Said Carroll: “He’s going to go. He’s ready. He practiced. He got it done yesterday and today.”