Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has taken part in just one full practice since hurting his back on a throw during the first quarter of the exhibition game against Minnesota Aug. 8 and could miss the rest of the preseason.
He did some drills last Thursday and went through all of Monday’s session, but he walked off the field about halfway through Tuesday’s session with tightness in his back. He also didn’t practice Thursday.
Coach Mike Holmgren is trying to ensure Hasselbeck is ready for the regular-season opener Sept. 7 at Buffalo. Holmgren downplayed Hasselbeck’s absence as simply a small setback.
“Absolutely your starting quarterback has to be ready for the first regular-season game,” Holmgren said after No. 3 quarterback Charlie Frye again took most of the snaps Wednesday and Thursday— just as he is likely to do on Monday night against the Chargers.
“(With) the guys that have played as long as he has played … you are not quite as concerned about their minutes in the preseason,” Holmgren said of Hasselbeck. “Now, I want him to feel better. That’s my main concern. But as far as not playing or not getting enough reps, I don’t worry about that too much. He’ll be fine.”
Hasselbeck, who set Seattle records for pass attempts (562), completions (352) and yards (3,966) last year, usually gets the most reps during the third exhibition game but rarely plays in Seattle’s final preseason game. But another there is no need to rush Hasselbeck is that backup QB Seneca Wallace practiced Thursday after sitting out the past two days to rest a tight groin.
However, Hasselbeck is missing out on valuable time to get in synch with a receiving corps that has little experience. With both Bobby Engram and Deion Branch sidelined with injuries, Hasselbeck’s top target beyond Nate Burleson are Courtney Taylor, who had five receptions last year, is Ben Obomanu, who had 12. Neither Logan Payne nor Jordan Kent played last season. Seattle has just one more practice day between Monday’s game and the preseason finale against Oakland on Aug. 29.
Back issues don’t mesh well with quarterbacks. Keep that in mind.
