Seahawks miss 20 players to injuries at Sunday's practices

KIRKLAND — The Seahawks practiced at three-quarters strength Sunday morning.

That's not a commentary on the workout's tempo, nor is it about the intensity of a practice in which the players did not practice.

It was just a matter of math. Twenty of the 81 players on Seattle's roster did not participate two days after the Seahawks beat the Vikings 34-17 in an exhibition game.

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck sat out with a sore back, and linebacker Lofa Tatupu was resting his knee. Nothing too serious, coach Mike Holmgren said, and he expects both back today.

But they were hardly the only absences. Wide receiver Bobby Engram was out with an undisclosed injury, but expected back. Linebacker David Hawthorne had an injured foot and Ray Willis, Will Robinson and Joel Filani were also out because of injuries suffered in Friday's exhibition game in Minnesota.

Punter Ryan Plackemeier practiced for the first time this season, activated from the list of players who are physically unable to perform. Plackemeier was recovering from offseason surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle. He will compete with Reggie Hodges for the punting job.

Defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs and wide receiver Deion Branch are the only players who remain on the physically unable to perform list. They must pass physicals before they can practice. Linebacker Will Herring is out with a non-football injury.

Those are just some of the absences for a Seahawks team already ailing last week. Seventeen players were not in uniform for the exhibition game, including defensive end Patrick Kerney and center Chris Spencer.

The absences took their toll on the workout. The Seahawks have eight linebackers on the roster, but only four practiced as Tatupu, Hawthorne, Eric Wicks and Matt Castelo sat out.

Green has a ball

Coach Mike Holmgren offered Howard Green a little advice for the next time he gets a hold of an opportunity like Friday's game-ending interception: Grab it and run.

"Go the other way with it," Holmgren said. "That's what you're supposed to do when that happens."

How about it, Howard?

"Yeah, that's true," Green said. "But there was like 5 seconds on the clock, I was like, 'Stay down, big guy.' Let's get this one over with, get on the plane and get home."

Besides, Green has waited a long time for the kind of opportunity he has gotten in Seattle that he's not planning to let go any time soon. The Seahawks signed Green last year after Chuck Darby suffered a season-ending knee injury in the sixth game of the season. Green played in a regular-season game for the first time since 2004 when he was a starter with the Saints. New Orleans cut him in training camp in 2005, Miami waived him in 2006 and Minnesota included him in its last round of preseason cuts a year ago.

Green is a 320-pound defensive tackle, originally drafted by Houston in the sixth round from Louisiana State in 2002. He played five games for the Seahawks last season and came into training camp competing for a spot on the roster at defensive tackle where Seattle added Red Bryant and Larry Tripplett, and hoped Marcus Tubbs could return to.

Green began distinguishing himself during the offseason and Holmgren said that for a big man, Green was in great shape when training camp began. Green had two sacks in Friday's exhibition game, forced one fumble and then concluded it by intercepting a pass tipped by Kevin Brown. After the performance, his hold on a roster spot for this regular season appears as firm as his grip on the football after his interception.

"I think he took the ball home," Holmgren said. "Kept it, slept with it."

Next time, he might even run with it.

NOTES

• Hawthorne had two of the biggest hits in Friday's exhibition win, each play resulting in a fumble.

• RB Julius Jones will start Saturday's exhibition game against Chicago. Maurice Morris started Friday, and Holmgren said he considers the two to be co-starters.