KIRKLAND – Even though he caught just one pass in his Seattle Seahawks debut, and mishandled two others, Jerry Rice is starting to look like a pretty important acquisition.
The Seahawks found out Wednesday that No. 3 receiver Bobby Engram’s left ankle sprain is more serious than was originally believed. He isn’t expected to play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, although head coach Mike Holmgren said there is a remote chance Engram could be available.
“His ankle is worse than we thought,” Holmgren said. “Once they did the MRI, there was a little more (ligament) damage there. He’s a tough guy, so he kind of fooled us just a bit. When we finally took pictures of it, it was worse than we thought.”
Engram missed Sunday’s game against Arizona because of the injury, which he suffered a week earlier. There is no timetable on when Engram is expected to return.
Rice saw action on 22 plays in place of Engram on Sunday, most of which came during the first half. Rice was on the field for 15 plays before halftime, saw action on only one play in the third quarter, then played a lot on Seattle’s final two offensive drives.
With Engram out, the 42-year-old Rice is expected to see extended playing time again Sunday.
“I’m just trying to get in there and get a feel for what’s happening,” said Rice, who was acquired from the Oakland Raiders for a draft pick 10 days ago. “Bobby’s helping me out a lot. I’m glad to get that first week under my belt. I’m a little more relaxed this week.”
Rice, the NFL’s all-time leading receiver, has just six receptions this season. Five of those came with the Raiders.
He is expected to play behind starters Darrell Jackson and Koren Robinson.
Hasselbeck sits: A heel injury sidelined starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck on Wednesday, but he is expected to be available for Sunday’s game. He was injured against Arizona, although he played the entire game.
With Hasselbeck out Wednesday, Trent Dilfer took all the snaps with the No. 1 offense. Seneca Wallace saw his first practice time of the regular season, running the scout team that prepares Seattle’s defense.
Also sidelined with injuries Wednesday were Engram, right tackle Chris Terry (shoulder), defensive end Grant Wistrom (knee), cornerback Marcus Trufant (shoulder), punter Tom Rouen (hamstring) and linebackers Anthony Simmons (shoulder) and Isaiah Kacyvenski (ankle).
Linebacker Chad Brown, who missed the first six games of the season after breaking his leg at training camp, practiced with the No. 1 offense Wednesday and is expected to make his debut Sunday.
Staying grounded: Holmgren has spent part of this week talking about how the Seahawks plan to simplify their offense while getting the ball in their star running back’s hands, but Shaun Alexander isn’t doing any cartwheels.
“Honestly, I don’t see a big difference in the offense,” he said. “Our offense is meant to do many different things many different ways, and just do them well. So we’re going to just kind of tweak the game plan we’ve had the last two weeks and just do it a little different.”
Alexander carried the ball just 12 times in the Seahawks’ 25-17 loss to Arizona on Sunday, while the Seahawks threw 41 passes.
Holmgren said earlier this week that he planned to give Alexander more opportunities in the near future, but he was mum Wednesday when asked about this weekend’s game.
“We’ll see. I don’t know yet,” he said. “The game usually takes on a life of its own, and that’s how we always play it.”
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