Hawks get bad news
Seattle Seahawks receiver Bobby Engram will miss Sunday’s battle for the NFC West lead at St. Louis with a thyroid condition and will remain out indefinitely.
Engram, Seattle’s leading receiver last season, has 18 receptions in four games this year. He was at home resting for the third consecutive practice day on Friday. He previously had been listed as questionable for Sunday.
Coach Mike Holmgren said tests revealed the 11-year veteran has a thyroid condition that is causing an accelerated heart rate and fatigue. The 33-year-old Engram will have more tests in about a week.
Holmgren said team doctors still do not know whether Engram’s condition is being caused by a virus or perhaps by Graves’ Disease – a treatable, autoimmune condition in which antibodies the body uses to fight disease begin attacking the body itself and cause the thyroid to produce an excess amount of hormones.
“It’s very treatable,” Holmgren said. “Every indication I am getting is, he’s on medication, after he goes through this series of meds, he should be OK. … It’s not an unusual thing. This is not a rare … this is not off the charts. So please don’t make it any more than that, because it’s not.”
Docket gets extension
Third-year defensive tackle Darnell Docket signed a five-year, $22 million contract extension with the Arizona Cardinals.
The deal includes $7 million in bonuses, half of it this year and half of it next.
Dockett was the 64th player selected overall out of Florida State in 2004, a perceived slight he still uses as motivation.
Raiders speak Navajo
For the second straight season, the Oakland Raiders will have a game broadcast in Navajo, along with English and Spanish.
The Raiders game scheduled for Oct. 22 against the Arizona Cardinals will be broadcast in Navajo through an agreement with an Arizona radio station. The game would be moved to Oct. 23 if the Athletics, who share a stadium with the Raiders, make the World Series.
Two Raiders games in 2005 were called in Navajo.
Around the league
Anthony Wright’s appendix was removed after he became ill overnight, leaving the Cincinnati Bengals without their backup quarterback against Tampa Bay. Doug Johnson, who was signed in the off-season and hasn’t appeared in a game since 2004, will be the No. 2 quarterback while Wright recovers from the emergency appendectomy.
“Tennessee tight end Erron Kinney was placed on injured reserve because of an ailing right knee and will be out for the season.
Coach Jeff Fisher said guard Benji Olson (ankle) and defensive end Travis LaBoy (back/elbow) would be game-time decisions. Receiver Drew Bennett (ankle) practiced last week and should be able to play.
Running back LenDale White will make the trip to Washington but will not likely start.