RENTON — The Seattle Seahawks got some news on the injury front Monday.
Some of it good, some bad.
While quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is on the road to recovery, defensive end Patrick Kerney is scheduled to go under the knife.
Coach Mike Holmgren said that Kerney will undergo a second shoulder surgery this week, although the extent of the procedure won’t be known until doctors begin.
“It can be something minor that’s inhibiting his movement and creating the pain, (in which case Kerney) would be (sidelined) a couple of weeks,” Holmgren said. “If it’s his labrum, and they have to fix that again, then it’s the season.”
Kerney underwent surgery on the same shoulder a few months ago, when Dr. James Andrews did a procedure to repair a torn labrum. Kerney re-injured the shoulder in a win at San Francisco nine days ago and has not practiced or played since then. He visited Dr. Andrews in Alabama over the weekend.
Hasselbeck has been out four weeks because of a bulging disk in his back, but Holmgren said that the quarterback could return to the field soon. The injury has weakened Hasselbeck’s leg because of pressure the disk is putting on a nerve.
“His (leg) strength is returning, from what I’ve been told,” Holmgren said Monday. “The feeling is that he’s going to play this season — again. Exactly when, I’m not quite sure. But the hope is, more sooner than later.”
Seneca Wallace is likely to start his fourth consecutive game on Sunday, when the Seahawks play the Miami Dolphins in a road game. But Hasselbeck could start practicing in the coming days.
“If we can get him on the practice field this week, just a little bit, to do some movement things and some throwing things, that would be a step in the right direction,” Holmgren said. “Now, that won’t mean that he can play in the game Sunday, but it means that we’re pretty close. I’m encouraged by that.”
The good news extended to middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu and fullback Leonard Weaver, both of whom are expected to return from injuries this week after missing Sunday’s game against Philadelphia. Holmgren said that wide receiver Deion Branch continues to be on a day-to-day evaluation and could start practicing soon after missing four games with a bruised heel.
Kerney could be the fourth former starter to end up on injured reserve if his injury is considered a season-ender. He missed Sunday’s game, meaning 14 starters have sat out a game due to injury this season.
“It’s been that kind of year,” Holmgren said.
Signing day: With Kerney sidelined, the Seahawks have just three defensive ends on the roster. Third-year player Darryl Tapp, second-year player Baraka Atkins and rookie Lawrence Jackson will try to fill the void, although no one from that group has done much to distinguish himself this season.
Jackson, a first-round pick from USC, returned to the starting lineup Sunday yet wasn’t in on a single tackle.
Holmgren acknowledged Monday that the Seahawks might try to add a veteran defensive end if Kerney is out for an extended period of time.
Options could include former Green Bay defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, who was released by the Packers last week, former Seahawk Jason Babin and former Pro Bowler Simeon Rice, who is out of football but looking for a job.
The not-so-golden spike: On Monday afternoon, Holmgren continued to take the blame for Wallace’s ill-timed spike in the Philadelphia game.
Holmgren explained that he had called a draw play on second down, fully expecting to get a first down out of it, and instructed Wallace to spike the ball to stop the clock. When the draw play didn’t get the expected yardage, leaving Seattle in a third-down situation, Wallace spiked the ball on his coach’s instructions.
“It turned out to be an ugly play, and he spiked the ball and that was it,” Holmgren said. “That was my fault. It turned out to be a bad call: the draw. It looked bad. It was bad. But I wouldn’t put that one on (Wallace). That was me.”
The coach also defended the play of Wallace, who struggled for most of the afternoon after connecting with Koren Robinson on the Seahawks’ opening play from scrimmage.
“He was OK,” Holmgren said. “I thought there were some (concerning) things.”
Overall, Holmgren’s biggest concern is the way the offense has played as a whole.
“We’re a little, I’d say, fragile on offense,” he said. “I don’t mean that as in: we’re wimpy. It’s just that, we can’t overcome some of those (mistakes and bouts of bad luck) like we’ve been able to do in the past.”
Quick slants: Holmgren said that tight end Will Heller (knee) could return to practice this week. … Defensive tackle Red Bryant suffered a high ankle sprain Sunday and could miss multiple games. … Linebacker David Hawthorne hurt his calf in the loss to Philadelphia, but he was walking without a pronounced limp on Monday. … The Seahawks did not make players available to the media on Monday, as the locker room had cleared out before it was opened to reporters.
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