RENTON, Wash. -- A pair of minor injuries will keep James Carpenter and Bruce Irvin from suiting up in the Seattle Seahawks' preseason opener against the San Diego Chargers on Thursday night.
Carpenter hasn't been able to practice the last few days after suffering a foot sprain and Irvin has also missed practices this week because of a groin issue. Head coach Pete Carroll didn't provide many details as to which players will play against the Chargers, but he did say neither Carpenter nor Irvin will be able to play.
Carpenter appears to have put the knee injuries that plagued his first two NFL seasons in the rearview mirror and is competing to start at left guard in training camp. Irvin has been moved from defensive end to outside linebacker and is displaying the athleticism that convinced Seattle to select him a season ago.
The Seahawks will be without Irvin for the first four games of the regular season because of a suspension for a violation of the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy. The team has put a premium on the preseason to understand how Irvin is acclimating to his new position and whether the Seahawks will be able to rely on him when he returns to the team.
"I'm disappointed in that and so is he," Carroll said of Irvin. "We're frustrated by that because these games are important to him. ... We did everything that we could to try and get him back. He's really close, but it's not the right thing to do right now so we're going to hold him back."
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Carpenter is working to get back into football shape after having played only sparingly after first injuring his knee in November 2011. He's trying to unseat incumbent Paul McQuistan for the starting job at left tackle but hasn't been able to practice since early this week.
Center Max Unger will be a game-time decision with a groin strain. Reserve tackle Michael Person will not play after suffering a calf strain in practice on Monday. Wide receiver Sidney Rice and linebacker Bobby Wagner are among others who may have to wait to make their preseason debuts as well.
Even though it's just the preseason, Carroll didn't want to give too much information about who will be able to play and who won't against the Chargers.
"At this time we really will take the stance on guys that if we think they need rest we're resting them," Carroll said. "If we think they need a break, we're going to break them. It's just so early that we can do that."
Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press
