Hasselbeck has surgery

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck had surgery Thursday on his left shoulder, and is expected to miss the next six months of offseason workouts and practices.

Hasselbeck was in Birmingham, Ala., to seek a second opinion on whether to have surgery on his torn labrum, and stayed there for the operation at Dr. James Andrews' Alabama Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center.

The Seahawks said the operation, performed on Hasselbeck's non-throwing shoulder, was a success. Hasselbeck, who just completed his eighth NFL season, is expected to undergo a long rehabilitation program that will likely keep him out of action until the team opens training camp. Hasselbeck is expected to miss the team's minicamps in May and June.

The team wanted Hasselbeck to have surgery as soon as possible if it was determined that he needed it, so he could start the rehabilitation process as soon as possible.

Austin to Arizona

The changes to the Seahawks' coaching staff that coach Mike Holmgren hinted about earlier this week are taking place.

Special-teams coach Bob Casullo is expected to be named the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' tight-ends coach. And Thursday, the Arizona Cardinals announced the hiring of Seahawks defensive-backs coach Teryl Austin, who will join new coach Ken Whisenhunt's staff in the same position.

Austin, 41, has been with the Seahawks for four seasons. He helped develop current Seahawks Marcus Trufant, Ken Hamlin, Michael Boulware, Jordan Babineaux and Kelly Jennings.

The Seahawks' secondary took some criticism this season for allowing long pass completions, poor tackling and overaggressive play, but it was also depleted by injuries late in the season. And cornerback Pete Hunter, who hadn't played football all season, was well-prepared to play in the playoffs after he was signed earlier this month.

"Teryl is a very talented coach and we are thrilled to add him to our staff," Whisenhunt said through the Cardinals' Web site. "Seattle had tremendous success in the four years he was there. They made the playoffs every season, won the division the last three, advanced to the Super Bowl, and he was a contributor to that success. He has also developed a strong reputation for his work with young players, not only in Seattle but also at the college level."

The Cardinals parted ways with their cornerbacks coach from the previous administration, Richard Solomon, earlier this month.

Seattle hired veteran coach Larry Marmie before last season to assist Austin with the defensive backs, but it is not yet known if Marmie will take over for Austin.

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com