Friesz Got Going, Then He Went Out

John Friesz’s nightmare began shortly after kickoff.

It intensified just before half.

Trailing the Jets 27-0, Friesz finally got Seattle’s offense on course. He completed 8 of 10 passes - the two incompletions were drops by receivers - as Seattle reached the Jets’ 13.

He retreated to pass, saw New York’s safety blitzing and quickly got rid of the ball. But on his follow through, Friesz’s hand hit the rusher’s helmet. He knew something was wrong seconds later on the sideline when he couldn’t bend his thumb.

X-rays confirmed a broken thumb and another entry in Friesz’s rollercoaster eight-year NFL career. The longtime journeyman had finally landed the starting job last season. In the past, he has moved into and out of starting jobs because of his injuries or injuries to others.

Now, he’s sidelined an estimated 6-8 weeks.

“Every interview I did during training camp and the preseason, the two questions were, ‘How do you get along with (backup) Warren Moon?’, which is great by the way, and, ‘How are you going to stay healthy?’ ” Friesz said following the Jets’ 41-3 victory. “I answered that I had a thorough knowledge of the system and that I knew when I was going to be in trouble with protections. And No. 2, I worked in the offseason to get stronger.

“So I felt like I did those two things. It (the injury) is an accident. It happens.”

Friesz finished 10 of 21 for 79 yards. Moon was 7 of 21 for 89 yards in the second half.

Friesz had no explanation for Seattle’s poor performance.

“I felt we had a good week in practice and I thought the game plan was good,” he said. “It started snowballing and we couldn’t do anything to stop it.”

Moon modulations

Moon figured he would be a spectator on Sunday.

“I didn’t expect to play today or the first few games,” he said. “John had a good preseason.”

Moon plans on meeting with offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski early this week to try to tailor the offense toward his strengths.

“I like to throw the ball more downfield,” Moon said. “I like to stretch the defense out more.”

Special win

Jets quarterback Neil O’Donnell was nearly flawless with five touchdown passes. After the week he’d been through, he deserved a little good fortune.

“My brother and my sister-in-law lost their baby this week. No one knew that. I was hanging tough all week, but it was on my mind,” he said. “I told my brother I was going to win this one for him. I’m bringing home the game ball.”

O’Donnell took advantage of some soft coverage by the Seahawks secondary. Cornerbacks often gave Jets receivers 7-9 yards of cushion at the line of scrimmage.

“It was just a different look, trying different calls,” Seahawks rookie corner Shawn Springs said. “I don’t know why that was.”

Painful loss

In addition to Friesz’s broken thumb, defensive end Michael Sinclair has a tender back, where he was struck by a teammate’s helmet. Thirty minutes after the game, he couldn’t feel his hamstring.

Defensive tackle Sam Adams suffered a sprained knee.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo