Hawks recuperate after win
KIRKLAND - The Seahawks went straight to work Monday looking at game film from what was not one of their best efforts Sunday at St. Louis, even though they came out with a 24-19 win.
At least one of their teammates won’t be joining them when on-field preparation for the Philadelphia game begins Wednesday at team headquarters.
Wide receiver D.J. Hackett reinjured his previously sprained right ankle during the game and will miss “over two weeks,” coach Mike Holmgren said Monday. That was the extent of what Holmgren knew about how long Hackett won’t be able to play, but Hackett missed six games with a high ankle sprain earlier this season.
Hackett is fourth on the team in catches (28) and yards (343) in five games played this season.
Hasselbeck OK, Tatupu might rest
Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said he felt good Monday, much better than he did at the same time last week.
After Sunday’s game, Hasselbeck was retching loudly in the locker room, then came out and told reporters he was exhausted. Holmgren attributed the exhaustion to the fact that Hasselbeck didn’t practice most of the previous week because of pain in his ribs and side inflicted by the Chicago Bears, and that Hasselbeck took a lot of punishment from the Rams defense.
“I thought he played a rather courageous game,” Holmgren said.
Hasselbeck is expected to practice this week and said his ribs are not really a big issue.
“I think everybody’s a little sore. It was a tough game,” Hasselbeck said.
Middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu has injured ribs and is sore, enough that Holmgren will keep Tatupu out of practice the early part of this week but hopes to get him back before the team leaves for Philadelphia.
“He’s a stud. He’s a tough guy,” Holmgren said of Tatupu, also labeling him as a “throwback” type of player because Tatupu has such a desire to play, even when hurting.
As for running back Shaun Alexander, Holmgren said he has a good chance to play if he practices Wednesday, but he didn’t say whether Alexander would practice.
Seattle Sea-Sacks
The Seahawks are third in the NFL in sacks with 35, and their defense knocked an opponent’s starting quarterback out of the game for the third time on Sunday.
The Rams’ Marc Bulger absorbed a hit from Seattle’s Leroy Hill early in the first quarter and suffered a concussion, though Bulger stayed in the game for two more series. Bulger joined Tampa Bay’s Jeff Garcia and San Francisco’s Alex Smith as the three signal callers who were lost for either the entire game or a good part of it after being hit by Seahawks.
Hill drilled Garcia with a blow to the chin in Week 1, but Garcia was able to return to action after missing half of the third and fourth quarters. Rocky Bernard dropped Smith in Week 4 and caused a shoulder injury.
The Seahawks’ Patrick Kerney is second in the NFL in sacks with 10 ½.
Milestones
Seahawks return man Nate Burleson has the team record for most punt returns in a season with 42 after returning six punts against the Rams. Seahawks pro personnel director Will Lewis had 41 in 1980.
Also, 2007 marks the first time the Seahawks have had two kickoff-return touchdowns in a season. Josh Wilson got one Sunday and Burleson has the other.
The Seahawks gave up their longest run of the season when Steven Jackson ran for a 53-yard touchdown. On the flip side, Maurice Morris had the longest Seattle run of the season (46 yards) on Sunday.
Notes
• Holmgren said he thought SS Deon Grant and CB Kelly Jennings might have had their best games as Seahawks on Sunday at St. Louis. Grant had six tackles and Jennings helped hold WR Torry Holt to five catches for 54 yards.
• Holmgren said he was not happy with the way snapper Boone Stutz got the ball back to holder Ryan Plackemeier for field goals Sunday, two of which the Seahawks missed. He called the snaps “too much of an adventure right now.”
José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com