Seahawks bring back fullback Robinson

RENTON — From the time Percy Harvin announced he needed hip surgery, the Seattle Seahawks avoided being overly optimistic about when their new offensive star might get a chance to be back on the field. More than 21/2 months after the labrum in Harvin’s hip was repaired, the Seahawks got a glimpse Tuesday of a possible addition to a team already leading the NFC with a 6-1 record when the dynamic receiver returned to practice.

It was an extra practice for the Seahawks, coming off a weekend of rest following last Thursday’s win over Arizona.

But it was a significant day for Harvin.

“It’s all day to day. I want to play as soon as possible, but we all want to be smart in this thing,” Harvin said. “We put a plan together and we’re just going to take it day by day and see how it feels.”

Harvin was limited in his first day catching passes from Russell Wilson since organized team activities back in June. Seattle is remaining cautious about when Harvin will finally see the field. No one has said if he will play Monday at St. Louis, but at least for now he hasn’t been ruled out either. If there could be any additional buzz for a team already off to its best start in franchise history, Harvin provided it.

“We’re going to go one day at a time,” coach Pete Carroll said. “This will be one of those things where I’ll probably say thing every time you ask me, so you can keep asking if you want.”

Nearly an entire calendar year has passed since Harvin last played in a game. He didn’t play after Week 9 last season when he injured an ankle while playing for Minnesota against Seattle. His offseason trade to the Seahawks — which cost Seattle three draft picks, including its 2013 first-round selection — was a move to bolster an already potent offense.And then everything was delayed.

RENTON — Pro Bowl fullback Michael Robinson woke up on Aug. 17 determined to play in his second preseason game of the year for the Seattle Seahawks despite feeling like he was about to come down with an illness.

Until Tuesday, when Robinson re-signed with Seattle, no one knew how extensive Robinson’s illness was that eventually led to him being cut by the Seahawks at the end of training camp.

“It was bad, man,” Robinson said. “I didn’t realize how bad it was until I was able to look back and reflect on it.”

Robinson, a captain for the Seahawks last season, was back in the Seattle locker room on Tuesday after Derrick Coleman suffered a hamstring injury in last Thursday’s win at Arizona.

Coleman remained on Seattle’s roster while fellow fullback Spencer Ware was placed on season-ending injured reserve to clear a roster spot for Robinson. Ware has been out since Week 2 with a high-ankle sprain. What was unclear was the full extent of Robinson’s illness that saw him miss the final two weeks of the preseason for Seattle and then get cut when the Seahawks reduced the roster to 53.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll had described Robinson at one point during training camp as being “violently ill,” but never disclosed the seriousness.

Robinson twice ended up in the hospital.

Doctors were concerned about how his liver and kidneys were functioning. He lost more than 30 pounds.

“I went to the hospital two separate times. The first time I went they really didn’t know what was going on. They just kind of pumped me with fluids,” Robinson said. “Come to find out when I got readmitted a couple of days later I shouldn’t have left the hospital.”

Robinson started to feel off the morning of the Seahawks’ preseason game against Denver, but believed he was just at the beginning of getting the flu. It turned out he was having a reaction to an anti-inflammatory prescription medication, Indocin. Robinson had been taking it two times per day, as prescribed.

But a combination of the medication and dehydration left his body vulnerable. He was knocked off his feet for more than two weeks by the illness. His weight dropped from 245 pounds to 212. He had extensive blood work done by doctors to determine what exactly was going on with his body.

“They just said it was the perfect storm,” Robinson said. “I just felt like I was getting the flu. And then come to find out it was real bad. Kidneys, liver nearly failed. It was pretty bad.”

Robinson’s illness made the decision easy for Seattle on letting him go.

He was due $2.5 million in base salary if he was on the regular season roster and Seattle was high on both Ware and Coleman. Carroll and Seattle general manager John Schneider assured Robinson that if the opportunity presented itself, they would do what they could to bring him back.

That opportunity arose on Thursday night.