After 15 seasons, a lower back and spinal injury has forced Chris Gray to retire: “It hit me like a ton of bricks. My thought was rehab for another week or two, because I’ve been a guy that plays through pain and fights through injuries. When they told me I was done, it was pretty hard for the first day and a half.”

The signing of center Ben Claxton relieves some of the depth issues Gray’s injury brought about.

Meanwhile, Brian Russell is the favorite to take over for Gray as the team’s union rep.

Coming from an offensive background, Mike Holmgren thinks a good practice is one in which the offense prevails. That was not the case Monday morning.

Undrafted safety Jamar Adams has coaches and teammates wondering why he didn’t get selected.

The total of sidelined players for the Seahawks reached 19 over the weekend, and is currently at 18.

The current list:  Michael Bumpus, Will Heller, Wesly Mallard, Deion Branch, Logan Payne, Jordan Babineaux, Floyd “Pork Chop” Womack, Samuel Gutekunst, Eric Wicks, Matt Castelo, Will Herring, Chris Spencer, Marcus Tubbs, Patrick Kerney, Larry Tripplett, Red Bryant, Nu’u Tafisi, and Ryan Plackemeier.

Ben Obomanu is taking advantage of injuries to make a case for himself as the team’s third receiver.

Olindo Mare on his ability to generate touchbacks despite his size (5′11”, 180 lbs): “You’ve either got it, or you don’t. It’s one of those things. You can teach a guy runs a 4.1 (second 40-yard dash) how to catch, but you can’t teach a guy who runs a 5.0 to run 4.1. I’ve been blessed with this ability, and I’ve tried to keep it through the years.”

The drafting of Lawrence Jackson means the team will rotate defensive linemen much more often.

Everybody is cautious about Branch being back in time for the first regular season game.

The Seahawks are 25-1 to win the Super Bowl this year.