Hawks Notebook | Hasselbeck 2nd on passing list
KIRKLAND - Matt Hasselbeck is second in Seahawks history with 20,245 passing yards, trailing Dave Krieg by almost 6,000 yards. It’s a milestone Hasselbeck wasn’t aware of until Monday, the day after his 318 passing yards vaulted him past his quarterbacks coach, Jim Zorn.
“There are some records that you break that are kind of cool,” Hasselbeck said. “Then others, they’re a product of being fortunate enough to be with one team and getting to start and getting to play a bunch of games.”
And surpassing Zorn?
“That explains all the draw calls he was calling for in the two-minute drill to try to keep the numbers low,” Hasselbeck joked. “No, it’s cool. Obviously there’s a relationship there with myself and Jim Zorn because he is my position coach, but he’s also one of the guys that you looked up to as a kid.”
Zorn heard about Hasselbeck’s barb and laughed. But he was serious about how happy he was for his protégé.
“I think it’s great,” Zorn said. “All those records over a period of time need to be broken, so I’m excited for Matt. He’s playing really well and deserves it. So I’ll have to say something to him or get back at him in some way that my name comes off the list. But it should, shouldn’t it?”
Branch: Day to day
Receiver Deion Branch missed practice Wednesday but continues to run on the side, trying to get his sprained right foot healthy enough to allow him to play.
Branch has missed three straight games but said he’s glad he didn’t have to have surgery.
“There’s no time limit on it, it’s all about how the individual feels,” Branch said. “You have to be smart, and the thing I don’t want [is] to come back for one game and be out the second game. When I come back, I want to be back for the rest of my career.”
Plenty of other Seahawks missed practice with injuries, including running back Shaun Alexander, linebackers Leroy Hill and Will Herring, tight end Marcus Pollard and defensive linemen Rocky Bernard and Baraka Atkins. Linebacker Niko Koutouvides was limited.
“Some of them will come back. We’ll practice them, hopefully, on Friday,” Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. “I think we’re going to have half of them for the game. Which half I don’t know.”
Alexander had swelling in his left knee and ankle that has gone down, but his range of motion is limited and he’ll have to show some good movement by Saturday, Holmgren said, or miss Monday night’s game.
Unique oblique
Defensive end Patrick Kerney strained an oblique muscle in Sunday’s game against Cleveland, the second Seahawk with that injury in the past two games.
“That’s two obliques in two weeks,” Holmgren said incredulously. “After 21 years I’ve had two in two weeks.”
Kerney’s injury gave Hasselbeck the chance to do what he does well, crack a joke about having the same injury as a teammate. Hasselbeck hurt his oblique against St. Louis on Oct. 21.
“Yeah, I think Patrick and I have been doing too many sit-ups,” Hasselbeck said. “We’re both big weight-room guys. It happens to guys like us, me and Patrick. People confuse us on the street as well. They have to kick us out of the weight room, turn the lights off on us.”
Kerney did not practice, but said he feels much better than he did on Monday when it hurt to move. On Wednesday, Kerney lifted weights.
Notes
• Branch talked about the fan in Pittsburgh who was arrested after spitting on him as he was being taken off the field with his injury last month. “I wouldn’t expect a fan to spit on somebody in a game,” said Branch. “I looked right at him. I told him I’d be back.”
• OL Floyd Womack took some snaps at right tackle with the starters in place of Sean Locklear. Locklear has been limited in practice early in recent weeks because of injury.