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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Jackson’s finally ready for action

Associated Press

KIRKLAND, Wash. – Seattle leading receiver Darrell Jackson may play his first game since Oct. 2 when his Seahawks host San Francisco on Sunday.

Jackson had surgery Oct. 12 to repair torn cartilage in his right knee.

“The plan is to practice him Friday a little bit, legitimately practice him Friday, and just see how he reacts to that, with the hope of playing him Sunday,” Holmgren said.

The coach added Jackson’s playing status will be a gametime decision.

Jackson, who set a team record with 87 catches last season, had 29 catches over the first four games of this season. He then opted for surgery with his own doctor in Florida on a painful knee that was not getting better.

The team originally estimated he would miss four to six weeks after the operation. This Sunday will mark the ninth week. Holmgren has said the delay has been due to careful, conservative rehabilitation. Within the last week, his doctor reviewed the latest set of MRIs and then cleared Jackson to return to practice.

On the surface, Seattle (10-2) hasn’t exactly suffered without Jackson.

The Seahawks have won a franchise record-tying eight straight since he went out. They had the NFL’s top offense until scaling it back halfway through a 42-0 win over Philadelphia on Monday.

Offseason free-agent acquisition Joe Jurevicius stepped into Jackson’s starting spot by setting and later tying his single-game career high for yards receiving (137).

The eight-year veteran already has seven touchdowns, another career high.

But beneath the surface, the Seahawks want Jackson back. Now.

“I think we’ve missed him a great amount,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said of his passing partner for the last five seasons.

Without Jackson’s deep routes, opposing defenders have crowded NFL rushing leader Shaun Alexander and knocked Seattle receivers off routes at the line of scrimmage. Dallas and the New York Giants, two possible playoff opponents, were particularly successful with this approach.

“To say it’s just been easy without him, it’s just not true,” Hasselbeck said. “The amount of experience I have with (him) is hard to replace. We’ve done the best we can with it – probably better than people expected.”

But the Seahawks, who have clinched the NFC West, can afford to ease Jackson back into playing before the playoffs. If Seattle, the current NFC leaders, can secure at least a first-round bye over the last four games, Jackson could have six weeks to prepare for playing a full postseason game.

“Right now, the teams functioning pretty well,” Holmgren said. “Have we missed him? Yes. But to have him out nine weeks and then just throw him in there, and expect him to play 65 snaps, I don’t think that would be the prudent thing to do.

“But we need him back. And I need him to play.”