KIRKLAND — On the one hand, Matt Hasselbeck knows it could be a lot worse.
He could be back in Green Bay, dealing with the dozens of national media members who are touring with the NFL’s latest circus.
“It’s nice here,” the Seattle Seahawks quarterback said when asked about the attention surrounding the Brett Favre situation. “It’s peaceful. That’s good.”
Then again, there are times when Hasselbeck thinks that the Seahawks’ current training camp might be a little too peaceful.
“What I’ve noticed is that it’s quiet out here,” he said. “We used to have a lot of loud people out here, and now we’ve just got quiet guys. I need some help.”
Talkative players like running back Shaun Alexander and tight end Marcus Pollard are gone, while the group of new players and coaches are still trying to find their niche.
That often makes for a more business-like approach to practices.
“We’ve got new people coaching the positions,” Hasselbeck said, “so you’ve got to prove yourself every play. We’re going hard. It’s a good tempo practice. A little quiet, but on film it looks pretty good.”
Because of all the new faces, the Seahawks have featured a bigger playbook that includes every wrinkle of the game plan.
“There are a lot of things that were never in the playbook,” Hasselbeck said. “… We’ve taken every little niche we can, and we’ve put it in the book. Because it’s in the book, you have to study it. So we’re very detailed.”
Training camp is in Kirkland for the second year in a row, and at times Hasselbeck sounded like he wishes he were back in Cheney — if not at the new Renton facility that will begin hosting practices sometime next month.
“It’s just different,” Hasselbeck said of the current camp. “There aren’t any fans here. It’s not a real media circus like it is in some other towns. It’s just different here. It’s quiet, it’s gloomy, it’s been raining. It’s just different.”
The loneliest number: While punter Ryan Plackemeier recovers from a pectoral injury, Reggie Hodges has been responsible for all the punts at training camp.
“I conditioned myself a lot in the summertime, kicked a lot of balls so I’d be ready,” said Hodges, a 26-year-old punter who punted with St. Louis and Philadelphia in 2005.
A former draft pick of the Rams, Hodges has been out of the league for the past two seasons.
Despite his time away, Hodges has not given up on his NFL dream.
“I’m definitely passionate about this,” he said. “I’m going to ride it until I can’t do it anymore.”
Plackemeier could start kicking as soon as next week.
Whipping boy: When Jim Zorn got the Washington Redskins’ job last winter, he became the fourth former Holmgren quarterbacks coach to become an NFL head coach.
Holmgren’s QB coaches have had a lot of success, but they’ve also taken plenty of abuse from the former USC quarterback.
“The quarterback coach, for me, you have to have an iron jock, you know what I mean?” Holmgren said earlier this week when asked about new assistant Bill Lazor. “It’s a tough job.”
Quick slants: Wide receiver Courtney Taylor and running back Justin Forsett were back on the practice field Tuesday after suffering minor injuries the previous day. Taylor aggravated his hamstring injury in the morning practice and was back on the sideline Tuesday afternoon. … With Taylor sidelined, receivers Logan Payne and Jordan Kent have made an impression. Third-year player Ben Obomanu, who saw an increase in playing time last season, has been rather quiet this camp. … Seattle’s backup centers had a better day snapping the ball Tuesday. Steve Vallos and Mansfield Wrotto, who both struggled Monday, were perfect on Tuesday. Starter Chris Spencer (shoulder) and veteran Chris Gray (back) are expected back next week. … The highlight of Tuesday’s afternoon practice was a Josh Wilson interception that he returned for a touchdown.
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