KIRKLAND – The official injury report that was handed out Wednesday morning included a pair of names that would seem to put next Monday’s reunion in jeopardy. Green Bay’s Brett Favre and the Seattle Seahawks’ Matt Hasselbeck, who used to play together with the Packers, are both listed among the injured players who might not be available for the latest installment of Monday Night Football.
But don’t believe it. Both quarterbacks are going to play, no matter what any report says.
Favre has played in 254 consecutive games, including the postseason, which leads Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren to laugh off talk of the Packers quarterback having to sit this one out because of an elbow injury.
“I would bet the ranch he’s going to play,” said Holmgren, who coached Favre for seven seasons in Green Bay. “Knowing him the way I know him, I fully expect him suited up and playing.”
Favre was not suited up Wednesday, when recent acquisition Todd Bouman ran the first team at Packers practice. Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy gave his players today off, so Favre won’t see any action until Friday at the earliest.
“We’re going to have to take a look at him Friday morning,” McCarthy told Seattle-area reporters in a Wednesday conference call. “That was really part of the decision not to (let Favre take part in team drills at practice), because that gives him four full days of not competitively throwing it.”
Favre told reporters in Green Bay that the injury is still causing numbness in his hand, but added he expects to be available for Monday’s game.
“At this point,” he said, “I feel confident I’ll be OK. … As far as the pain goes, this is as minor an injury I’ve had to even question whether or not I would play.”
Seattle’s Hasselbeck, on the other hand, was running practice for the Seahawks, working with the first-team offense for the first time since suffering a sprained right knee in an Oct. 22 loss to Minnesota. Hasselbeck worked exclusively with the No. 1 offense Wednesday and looked better than he did while working with the scout team late last week.
“He can step into it on his throws a little better,” wide receiver D.J. Hackett said. “He just looks more comfortable. … He was throwing good balls last week, but he can put even more on it when he steps into it.”
Hasselbeck was feeling optimistic after the session, even if his health wasn’t quite up to 100 percent.
“Obviously, I’ve still got some more time, but I was encouraged by (Wednesday’s) practice,” he said after wearing a brace and participating in his first full practice since Oct. 20. “And I know it’s not going to feel any worse (today). I’ll keep fighting through it, and I think I’ll be good to go by Monday.”
Before the afternoon practice, Holmgren said that the Seahawks were preparing to have Hasselbeck start in Monday’s game. But he also admitted that there could be some rustiness from the four-game layoff.
“I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume that he would be a little rusty,” Holmgren said. “There can’t be too much, though. We’re getting into the nitty-gritty (of the season) now, and we’ve got to start playing with more consistency.”
The Seahawks have gone 2-2 in Hasselbeck’s absence. During that time, backup Seneca Wallace has looked solid at times (he threw three touchdown passes in back-to-back wins over Oakland and St. Louis) and shaky at others (the 49ers intercepted him three times in Sunday’s loss at San Francisco).
Hasselbeck has a 23-5 record at home and hasn’t lost back-to-back starts since Weeks 11 and 12 of the 2004 season. But he also sports a 1-2 record when returning from an injury, so there are no guarantees that he’ll pick up right where he left off.
His teammates aren’t too concerned.
“Same old, same old,” Hackett said. “Matt’s Matt. If he’s out there, if anybody’s out there on this team, we expect them to have a typical game.”
The Seahawks are expecting the same out of the quarterback on the other side of the field.
“He’s playing,” defensive end Grant Wistrom said of Green Bay’s Favre. “He thrives on the big stage, and it’s Monday Night Football, so he’ll be out there playing.”
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