KIRKLAND – The Seattle Seahawks plan to make another shuffle at left guard this week, and coach Mike Holmgren hopes it will be the last one.
Floyd “Pork Chop” Womack, who opened the season as the starter but has missed the past five games with a knee injury, is likely to get his job back this week – perhaps on a permanent basis.
“At the beginning of the year, Chop was our starting left guard,” Holmgren said Wednesday. “And now, if he’s healthy and feeling good at the end of the week of practice, then I am going to put him back in there.”
Chris Spencer has started the past five games, but he and rookie Rob Sims split time at left guard in Sunday’s loss to Kansas City. All three players were in the mix for the starting job, but Womack appears to have the inside track.
“It feels good,” Womack said. “Just the fact that I’m out there playing. Even if I wasn’t starting, it’s just good to know that I’ll be back out there on the field. Being hurt is no fun.
” (Getting the starting job back) means that they trust you to be the one to help us win, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Holmgren said that the decision was no indictment on the play of either Spencer or Sims.
No timetable for Alexander: While Holmgren indicated earlier this week that he expected Shaun Alexander to return from a foot injury after Monday’s game against the Oakland Raiders, there’s a chance the Pro Bowl running back won’t play in the following Sunday’s game against St. Louis.
“What (team doctors) are going to do is they are going to take (X-ray) pictures every Monday,” Holmgren explained during his Wednesday press conference. “If the pictures show the doctor what he wants to see, (Alexander) will play. If they don’t, he won’t. It’s that simple.
“We all hoped, Shaun included, that the pictures would (clear him) this week, and they didn’t. So he’s not playing. It’s conceivable the same thing, the same deal, will happen next week. I hope not. I hope he’ll be back.”
Holmgren added that Alexander, who has been out since the Sept. 24 win over the New York Giants, might need more than a full week of practice before he even plays in his first game back.
“I don’t know how that’s going to go,” Holmgren said. “My tendency is to leave him in there (as the starter). But I must be smart with that.”
Injury update: Wide receiver Bobby Engram saw the most significant practice time he’s seen in weeks, yet he remains “questionable” for Monday’s game against Oakland.
Engram is still recovering from a thyroid condition that has sapped his energy.
Among the players who missed Wednesday’s practice were wide receiver Darrell Jackson (foot) and starting right tackle Sean Locklear (ankle), who are both listed as “probable” for Monday’s game, and defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs, who is “doubtful” due to soreness in the knee that underwent surgery last month.
Alexander and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (knee) are listed as “out.” Linebacker D.D. Lewis (toe) is “doubtful.”
Spencer hurt his left knee during Wednesday’s practice but was not added to the injury report and should be available to play.
Tui to No. 3? Raiders quarterback Aaron Brooks has a chance of being available in the coming weeks, meaning University of Washington product Marques Tuiasosopo could drop to third on the depth chart behind Brooks and starter Andrew Walter.
Brooks has missed five games with a shoulder injury. He is listed as “doubtful” for Monday’s game against the Seahawks.
Oakland coach Art Shell said he’s happy with Tuiasosopo, despite his placement on the depth chart.
“Tui has done exactly what we have asked him to do,” Shell said. “He’s the consummate team player.”
Spitting image?: When Grant Wistrom hosted his annual Halloween party on Monday night, the most daring costume may have been that of teammate Robbie Tobeck. The offensive lineman dressed as Holmgren, complete with a real mustache that had been shaved down from Tobeck’s usual goatee.
The 6-foot-5 Holmgren said that he did not see the costume, asking: “He was me? What, did he wear lifts?”
Tobeck, who is listed as 6-4 but is often teased for being short because of his squat build, joked that the costume had financial incentive.
“I was hoping someone would dress up like (team president Tim) Ruskell, so I could get myself a raise,” he said. “But it didn’t happen.”
Quick slants: Kansas City running back Larry Johnson, who scored four touchdowns and ran for 155 yards against the Seahawks on Sunday, was named the AFC’s offensive player of the week. … The Raiders’ injury report includes five projected starters: Brooks, running back LaMont Jordan (questionable, back), safety Michael Huff (questionable, shoulder), guard Barry Sims (questionable, abdomen) and defensive tackle Warren Sapp (probable, hip).
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