Seahawks' Hasselbeck 'has to play'

Seahawks' Hasselbeck 'has to play'
Holmgren counting on his injured QB
By CLARE FARNSWORTH
P-I REPORTER

RENTON -- Matt Hasselbeck sat out practice Wednesday to rest his right knee, which was hyperextended in Sunday's 44-6 loss to the New York Giants at the Meadowlands

But the Seahawks quarterback will play in this week's must-win game against the Green Bay Packers at Qwest Field, if coach Mike Holmgren has anything to say about it.

"If Matt didn't practice all week and could play Sunday, I would welcome him with open arms," Holmgren said. "He has to play."

Hasselbeck's absence was amplified Wednesday at practice because backup Seneca Wallace also was sidelined after aggravating his strained calf during the morning walk-through. That left No. 3 quarterback Charlie Frye to take all the reps in the afternoon practice -- with the Seahawks offense, as well as the Packers offense on the scout team that works against the Seahawks defense.

"I was trying to hit a lot of check-downs on the scout team to save my arm," Frye said. "There were a lot of throws, a lot of reps."

Help is on the way. In a conference call interview with reporters who cover the Packers, Hasselbeck said he should return to practice Thursday.

"It's not too bad," Hasselbeck said when asked about the knee. "We're being cautious with it today.

"But it wasn't my choice. I wanted to get out there. It should be fine tomorrow."

Fine is not the word that would describe how Hasselbeck's season is going.

His passer rating (57.7) is the lowest in the NFC and his fourth-quarter rating (39. is the lowest in the NFL. His completion percentage (49.2) is 31st in the league. This from a quarterback whose numbers in those categories last season were 91.4 (eighth in the league), 103.8 (sixth) and 62.6 (15th).

That will happen when a continuing epidemic of injuries has forced the Seahawks to use three different starters at split end and flanker in the first four games. There could be another starting tandem against the Packers in Koren Robinson and Bobby Engram.

"It's just been one of those years," Hasselbeck said. "I think every team knows that they're going to have adversity at some point in the season, and ours came just right at the beginning.

"It's been a tough thing at that position, but I think we've handled it pretty well. The numbers don't support that necessarily, but I think we've done a good job of just staying together, not pulling apart."





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