Team

Monday, Seahawks coach Jim Mora was wondering if Deon Grant had played his final down this season. So was the team’s strong safety.

But Wednesday, when the players began preparing for Sunday’s game against the Rams in St. Louis, Grant was on the practice field – sporting a protective cast on his left hand and wrist.

“I was concerned,” Grant said. “But when I saw how I felt two days after the game, I had made my mind up (that I would play this week). But I had to make sure I went through all the proper work.”

Traversing those proper channels included a Tuesday visit to a hand specialist, to have the ligament that was damaged against the Minnesota Vikings examined. Grant was injured in the first quarter Sunday, when he made a leaping deflection of a pass. Another player went into the legs of the airborne Grant, who braced his fall with his left arm.

Grant will need surgery, but he is putting it on hold to try and help the team claim its first road win of the season.

That’s just how Grant is, and has been throughout his NFL career. Since spending his rookie season with the Carolina Panthers on injured reserve, he has started 138 consecutive games, the fifth-longest active starting streak in the NFL, and first among safeties – 42 since joining the Seahawks in 2007; 48 in three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars; and 48 in three seasons with the Panthers.

“It’s a blessing,” said Grant, who then added of his streak, “I didn’t even know that until somebody brought it up. I just know that if I feel I can go out there – and my mind is working right, it’s functioning right – I’m going to be on the football field.”

Like Wednesday, when he not only practiced, but was on the field for every snap.

Like Sunday, when he went to the sideline briefly to have his wrist checked out and then came back in.

“I didn’t know it was what it was,” he said. “I knew it hurt right after that, and I came to the sideline and told them. They tried to look at it, but I didn’t even want them to look at it because I didn’t want to miss any time on that football field.”

At halftime, Grant had a protective brace put on the wrist and continued to play. He finished with a season-high 10 tackles.

“I knew he would play then, and I knew he’d be on the field today,” free safety Jordan Babineaux said. “That’s just Deon. He’s one tough dude. He’s our co-captain. He knows we need him out there.”

The Seahawks do have other options, at opposite ends of the experience scale. There’s Lawyer Milloy, who is in his 14th season and is being worked into the defense more each week. There’s also Jamar Adams, a promising second-year player.

“They can handle it if I do go down,” Grant said. “We’ve got some good safeties behind me. We’ve got a good vet, as far as Lawyer. And we’ve got a good young guy who is very smart in Jamar Adams. So I think they’d be OK.”

But their chances won’t come until they have to drag Grant off the field. He knows surgery awaits him. He knows it could be sooner rather than later. But he will play on, until he can’t play anymore.

“They count on me being there,” Grant said. “With my experience and my knowledge, I think I can help the team out by being on the field. And I’m good to go.”

Before each practice, Grant will have the protective cast placed on his wrist. After practice, it will be removed. Sunday, he is anticipating wearing a more cumbersome cast to provide even more protection.

“This is nothing,” he said. “You look at what those guys do in the military and some of these people that have their legs and arms cut off in the hospital. I’ve got my arms and all my fingers and my legs, so I’m blessed.

“It’s cool. As long as I can move my fingers and move my wrist just a little bit I’m straight.”

Grant made a name for himself at the University of Tennessee by making a one-handed interception.

“So I guess I’m going to just have to crank that back up,” he said.