Wednesday in Hawkville

[News Bot]

A recap of the day’s activities at Virginia Mason Athletic Center for Oct. 19:
FOCUS ON
Tarvaris Jackson. The Seahawks continued to prepare Charlie Whitehurst to start at quarterback in Sunday’s post-bye week game against the Browns in Cleveland. But Jackson also continues his rapid recovery from the strained pectoral that knocked him out of the pre-bye week victory over the New York Giants.
Jackson not only was in uniform for today’s 95-minute practice, he was handing off during the run-drill period.
“The trainers and the doctors are really surprised that he’s able to do what he’s doing,” coach Pete Carroll said. “He’s really tough-minded. He’s just not wavering with this at all. It’s like he’s going to handle it.
“He’s very consistent in his character and his personality and you can see it’s coming out here in his attempt to rehab it, too. He’s going to be very tough on himself and very demanding. He’s not going to be knocked off course because he’s got a little something he’s dealing with.”
And what does Carroll need to see before getting Jackson back on course to return to the lineup?
“Obviously, we want to see him throw. He can run. He’s fine doing all that stuff,” Carroll said. “But we’ll need to see him throw the football competitively, where he can fire it around like he does. How long we wait during the week to find that out … we might go all the way to game time to understand whether he’ll be available to us.”
Until then, Whitehurst is running the offense in practice.
“I’m not impatient about it,” Carroll said. “In the meantime, Charlie is getting ready to play.”
PLAYER WATCH
Heath Farwell. Tuesday, the linebacker and special teams standout was taking care of his 8-week-old son, Brock. Wednesday, he worked out for the Seahawks in the morning, signed a contract and then took part in both the late morning walk-thru and afternoon practice.
“It’s a whirlwind, but that’s life in the NFL,” said Farwell, who got a call from Seahawks on Tuesday after the club worked out six other linebackers on Monday. “It’s a great opportunity and I’m ready to help out in any way I can to help this team win.
“I’m excited to play. You sit around and watch games on TV and you get hungry.”
Farwell signed with the Minnesota Vikings as a rookie free agent in 2005, part of a linebacker class from San Diego State that also included Matt McCoy, who is on the Seahawks’ injured reserve list; and Kirk Morrison of the Buffalo Bills. Farwell was voted to the Pro Bowl as the NFC special teams player in 2009, but the Vikings released him in September.
“I’ve been working out,” Farwell said. “But I’ve also got an 8-week-old at home, so I’ve been working at home. My wife put me to work.”
CAPTAIN, MY CAPTIAN
Carroll was asked for the second time this week is he intended to name another defensive captain because cornerback Marcus Trufant has been placed on injured reserve because of disc problem in his back.
“I don’t think it’s the kind of situation where we should take a vote. Tru is our captain,” Carroll said. “He was voted for this season and he remains our captain even though he can’t be there all the time. He’ll be around us.
“We already talked about that (on Monday). Our young guys in the secondary rely on him quite a bit and as much as we can keep him around and with them as they go through the process of the season and the game plans and dealing with the issues and all, he needs to be a voice for those guys. He’s a big part of it.”

OPPONENT WATCH
Greg Little. The rookie wide receiver is doing a lot for the Browns, as in leading the team in receptions. His development has been a gradual process in this season that followed the lack of an offseason and a hurry-up approach to the preseason.
“He kind of came to training camp as, I would call him, a true rookie,” Browns coach Pat Shurmur said today. “He battled through training camp and there was some inconsistency that you see with young players. The first quarter of the year, they found a way to get some production and then after the bye basically just started him.
“What I see from him is a guy that is improving each day. I wouldn’t even say each week. I would say he’s improving each day. I see things about him that are better.”
Little starts at split end, but also will move into the slot in the three- and four-receiver packages. At 6 feet 2, 220 pounds, Little can create some big matchup problems.
“He’s a big target,” Shurmur said. “He’s got excellent ball skills. He’s a good player that’s improving.”
IN ’N OUT
Left guard Robert Gallery returned to practice for the first time since getting a groin injury that required surgery in the Week 2 loss to the Steelers. But center Max Unger continued to sit out because of a foot injury and was replaced by Lemuel Jeanpierre.
Also sitting out was tight end Zach Miller (head/neck). But running back Marshawn Lynch (ankle) and linebacker Malcolm Smith (hamstring) participated fully.
Cornerback Roy Lewis, tight end Cameron Morrah and wide receiver Deon Butler, who have been on the physically unable to perform list since training camp opened, practiced for the first time. Lewis got some work as the nickel back in the No. 1 defense and also took reps at cornerback with the No. 2 unit. Morrah and Butler also worked with both units on offense.
“I’m happy for those guys. They’re been working hard to get here,” Carroll said. “We’ll ease those guys into it.”
For the Browns:
Did not practice
LB Scott Fujita (head)
CB Joe Haden (knee)
OL Artis Hicks (back)
RB Peyton Hillis (hamstring)
DB Ray Ventrone (hamstring)
Limited participation
OL Alex Mack (illness)
OL Tony Pashos (ankle)
Full participation
LB Titus Brown (ankle)
WR Josh Cribbs (knee)
TE Evan Moore (ankle)
On Hillis, the Browns’ leading rusher, Shurmur said, “It’s too early to speculate as to whether he’ll be available this weekend. He’s working through it just like you would.”
STAT DU JOUR
The Seahawks don’t just have an 11-5 record in previous games against the Browns; they have a better winning percentage against the Browns – past and present – than any team in the NFL. Here’s a look at the Seahawks’ Top 5, by percentage:
Opponent Record Pct.
Browns 11-5 .688
Jaguars 4-2 .667
Bears 8-4 .666
Titans/Oilers 9-5 .643
Buccaneers 7-4 .636
UP NEXT
The team will practice on what is “Turnover Thursday,” according to the Carroll calendar, but the defensive players must have been confused today because it was the second practice of the week after Monday’s bonus session. Linebacker K.J. Wright intercepted three passes, including one of the final play of practice and another that he took from the hands of practice-squad tight end John Nalbone. Free safety Earl Thomas had two picks and came tantalizingly close to getting a third. Cornerback Brandon Browner made it a pick-six by adding another.
YOU DON’T SAY
“Well, Cleveland’s not the East Coast. I’m from the East Coast. You guys get this confused. Cleveland is not on the East Coast. Cleveland is in the Midwest.” – rookie tackle and geography buff John Moffitt, who’s from Guilford, Conn., when asked about playing on the East Coast this week

Source: Seahawks.com