KIRKLAND – After paying a visit to Harborview Medical Center on Thursday night, Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren was optimistic that safety Ken Hamlin could be out of the hospital soon.
“He’s doing better,” said Holmgren, who was accompanied by wife Kathy when he visited Hamlin’s hospital room. “I think there’s hope that perhaps he can get home this weekend.”
Hamlin has been hospitalized since Monday following an incident at Pioneer Square that left him with a fractured skull, cerebral bruising and a small blood clot in his brain. The incident is still being investigated by Seattle police.
Hamlin’s situation led Holmgren to ban his players from visiting the Pioneer Square area, a decision that drew criticism from vendors in that part of Seattle.
“It’s an unfortunate statement, seeing as though their stadium (Qwest Field) is in Pioneer Square,” Lance Miyatovich, owner of J&M Cafe on First Street, said on Wednesday.
McCoy’s Firehouse, a cafe on Second Street, posted a sign Friday that read: “Wrong call coach, take out Larry’s,” in reference to Larry’s Nightclub where Hamlin was beaten up Sunday night
Holmgren clarified his earlier statement to the media after Friday’s practice, saying that he only asked the players not to go there at certain times.
“Common sense plays a role,” Holmgren said. “You’re not going to go down there after a certain time of night. If you go down there at four o’clock in the afternoon to look at antiques, I’m not talking about that.”
The Seahawks will host the Dallas Cowboys at Qwest Field on Sunday afternoon.
Injury update: While the Seahawks got some good news when cornerback Andre Dyson returned to the practice field Friday, the better news might come from who didn’t practice.
Dallas running back Julius Jones, who piled up 198 yards and three touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 43-39 win last December, missed his third consecutive day of practice and remains questionable for Sunday’s game. Jones missed last Sunday’s game with a high ankle sprain.
“I would like to see him be able to go, but if he can’t, he can’t,” Dallas coach Bill Parcells told reporters Friday, according to the team’s official Web site. ” … If you can’t cut, you can’t run, so there’s no use.”
The news was better for Dyson, who practiced for the first time in 12 days after suffering a strained hamstring in a loss to St. Louis. Holmgren said his availability will be a “Sunday decision.”
Linebacker D.D. Lewis (knee) and offensive lineman Floyd Womack (quadriceps) are expected to play, although Womack will probably work in a reserve role behind right tackle Sean Locklear.
Impact rookie: The Seahawks will make sure to keep tabs on Cowboys rookie linebacker DeMarcus Ware on Sunday.
The 11th overall pick in the April draft, Ware has a team-high four sacks and he was a one-man wrecking crew for the Cowboys in an Aug. 22 preseason meeting with Seattle (three tackles, a sack, an interception, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery).
“Sometimes when a rookie comes in, you don’t know that much about him,” Holmgren said. “So I think it’s a good thing we’ve played against him because he’s a load. He’s a good player.”
The man who might be most responsible for keeping Ware off Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck could be Shaun Alexander. The Seahawks’ Pro Bowl running back has put up plenty of stats in his six-year NFL career, but he’s not exactly known for his pass protection.
But Holmgren said this week that the 28-year-old has shown improvement there.
“He has really tried, in my opinion, very hard to improve that part of his game,” Holmgren said. “And that, to me, was the last thing he had to do to be the complete guy. I tip my hat to him that way.”
Going for the record: Asked Friday about Alexander’s pursuit of the team rushing record, Holmgren gave a blank look. When he was informed that Alexander is 55 yards from Chris Warren’s record for career rushing yards by a Seahawk, the coach chuckled.
“I honestly didn’t know that, just like I didn’t know (about Alexander being within striking distance of the NFL rushing title) last year,” Holmgren said. “We’re just going to keep playing. Shaun Alexander, at some point, will hold the (Seahawks’) career rushing record; that I’m pretty sure of.”
The last time Alexander was held to less than 56 yards in a game came in the January playoff loss to St. Louis, when he had just 40 on 15 carries.
Trojan confidence: Seahawks middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu isn’t predicting any major upsets at Husky Stadium today. Asked about the University of Washington’s chances of stunning his alma mater, the rookie from USC laughed.
“Slim to none,” he said. “Is there anybody injured I don’t know about? Are we playing with 10 guys on both sides? No, it’s not happening.”
Tatupu said he’s planning to attend the game and support his former teammates. He left USC after his junior season and was selected in the second round of the April NFL draft.
Quick slants: Game balls from last Sunday’s win went to Lewis (defense), Marquand Manuel (special teams) and all five starting offensive linemen: Locklear, Chris Gray, Robbie Tobeck, Steve Hutchinson and Walter Jones. … The Seahawks-Cowboys game is big enough for Fox television to bring in its top team – Dick Stockton and Troy Aikman – to do the broadcast.
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