James Carpenter is expected to complete his comeback from last year's knee injury, returning to the field today in St. Louis in a new spot: left guard.
The guy playing that position now - Paul McQuistan - might be used as right guard since John Moffitt is doubtful after he was unable to practise this week because of a knee injury. Or perhaps it will be rookie J.R. Sweezy backing up Moffitt while McQuistan stays on the left side.
Coach Pete Carroll isn't going to make it any clearer than that. "I'll tell you on game day," he said.
As far as problems go, the question of where Carpenter plays counts as good news. His comeback has proceeded faster than Seattle expected. He is last year's first-round pick, but went down with a serious knee injury during a November practice, rupturing his anterior-cruciate ligament.
He was never cleared for this summer's training camp, but was activated to the 53-man roster Aug. 30. And after dialing up the practice regimen the past few weeks, he's on the brink of returning.
"The fact that he's here at the end of the first quarter of the season is really a bonus for us," Carroll said.
Carpenter will be at a new spot, moving from right tackle to left guard, the Seahawks believing he's more comfortable on that side and his power will make him a mauler on the inside.
"I like it a lot," Carpenter said, "because I played on the left side my whole life until last year."
While Carroll did not make an estimate on the amount of playing time for Carpenter, he said Carpenter is physically in the best shape he has been since the team drafted him.
