RENTON — There is zero doubt in Russell Wilson’s mind that he’ll be able to play Sunday against the New York Jets.
Wilson participated fully in practice with the Seattle Seahawks for a second consecutive day Thursday after suffering a sprained MCL in last Sunday’s 37-18 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
“It was kind of a freak thing, obviously. A scary moment, but tons of rehab and it’s been feeling great, feeling strong, so I’ll be ready to go,” Wilson said.
Wilson hasn’t wavered in his optimism. He was just as certain after the 49ers victory that he would be able to play this week. It’s led head coach Pete Carroll to be equally confident in Wilson’s chances to play.
“He’s pretty determined to get this done,” Carroll said. “He’s upbeat and feeling good and he’s worked really, really hard to do everything to be right and he’s going to go.”
Wilson said he was able to do everything in practice Wednesday. After suffering a high-ankle sprain in Seattle’s Week 1 victory over Miami, Wilson was also able to take part in every part of practice with the team the following week. Despite the argument that Wilson would be better served by getting more rest to recover, Wilson insists on doing as much work as he can.
“Practice is everything,” Wilson said. “Ultimately, when you have your mind set on trying to be great every time you step on the field, you also have to have a mulish approach. I think that’s just kind of the mindset you have to have. I have the best job in the world, I believe. That’s to be the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. I’m grateful for that every day, so there’s no such thing as days off.”
Wilson will potentially have a new running back at his disposal Sunday. The Seahawks have signed former New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller to add depth while Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise battle injuries.
Spiller had visited the Jets earlier this week before signing with the Seahawks.
“Just being around the (Seahawks) players you can kind of sense the family atmosphere here,” Spiller said. “These guys know how to win. They’ve done it before. They like to compete and as a player that’s what you want to do. I thought that visit went great with them. I just went from there.”
Rawls has a cracked fibula and is expected to miss a few weeks. Prosise has a cracked bone in his wrist that is limiting his availability in games. He can participate fully in practice but the full recovery time for the injury is six weeks.
Spiller will fill a need as a third-down back. It was a role the Seahawks envisioned for Prosise when they drafted him out of Notre Dame this spring. But with Prosise and Rawls sidelined, Seattle needed a secondary option to pair with Christine Michael.
However, Spiller acknowledged it’s not a certainty he’ll be up to speed in time for this Sunday’s game.
“I just got here so we haven’t really got into that. I’m still swimming, I guess you can say,” Spiller said. “I’m still trying to get things learned. Places learned, the meeting rooms and all that stuff.”
NOTES: TE Jimmy Graham did not participate in practice Thursday due to back and knee injuries. … RG Germain Ifedi was a full participant in practice for the first time since suffering a high-ankle sprain three week ago.
