With Clemons still out and Bruce Irvin suspended for the first four games of the regular season, Avril was expected to at least bridge the gap at defensive end until Clemons and Irvin returned.
Now Avril’s status is also in question.
“We don’t know if he is going to be ready for the opener. We just don’t know,” coach Pete Carroll said.
The injuries have left Seattle short-handed as the regular season is approaching and could also alter the makeup of the roster during final cuts.
In addition, the Seahawks are getting penalized at a staggering rate this preseason. Seattle has been flagged 34 times for 354 yards in three games and had 14 penalties for 184 yards in Friday’s game against the Green Bay Packers.
“It’s still a problem,” Carroll said. “We’re trying too hard and we’re getting in too late trying to throw guys into the ground when we finish blocks. We’re over trying.
“I love the attitude about it in a sense, but we have to get smarter and we can’t do anything but continue to emphasize the heck out of it. After a while if guys keep making mistakes then you have to put other guys in the game.”
“I’m not real pleased with the results of that. I know a good deal of it is my fault because of the way of that I am calling on them on how hard to play. I want them to emphasize finishing and being physical, and attitude and all of that. And I need to make some good decisions myself in directing this,” he added.
Penalties were a problem for Seattle early last season as well. The Seahawks had at least 13 penalties in two of their first three games last year.
The difference was those games were worked by replacement officials before the league and referees union agreed on a new contract.
Carroll believed some of their penalties last year were due to being unfamiliar with the referees working games and how the games were called. However, that cannot be used as an explanation this time around. Carroll said the Seahawks do not want to give their opponents anything, and it is a problem they have to fix.
“We just have to get out of our own way. We’re playing hard, we’re running the football, getting after it, throwing, catching, and all of the things that we need to do. But there’s one area where we have to comply, and we’re a little out of compliance right now,” Carroll said.
