Seahawks earn trip to movies

Coach Mike Holmgren hinted earlier this week that he might ease off the throttle and give his Seattle Seahawks a break from the rigors of two-a-day training camp practices at Eastern Washington University.

He did just that on Thursday when he scheduled a 10 a.m. practice – in full pads – and then gave the team the afternoon off so they could attend a private screening of the movie “Invincible” at the AMC movie theatre complex at River Park Square.

“They’ve been working really hard, and we’ve had a pretty long week,” Holmgren said, when asked about his decision to scrap the scheduled afternoon workout. “We did it last year, and we were able to get hold of this movie, so (it was) just to change it up – for the coaches and players. Give ‘em a break.

“They practiced hard, and we banged around pretty good this morning. Just a little cookie for ‘em.”

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck agreed with Holmgren’s assessment of the morning’s effort and seemed to like the idea of getting the afternoon off.

“It was a good practice,” he said. “I think Coach Holmgren kind of threw us a bone, giving us just one practice today, and the guys were excited about and came out with a lot of energy and a lot of competition.

“It was fun.”

On Wednesday, Holmgren said he thought his team might be getting a little tired.

But Hasselbeck backed away from admitting as much.

“I try not to let my mind go there – to let the coaches worry about that kind of stuff,” he explained. “You know, let him evaluate us. Let them get a sense of what the pulse of the team is.

“For us players, we’re always tired. You’ve just got to kind of lie to yourself a little bit – just say, ‘I feel good, I feel fresh, I’m not sore’ – just get out there and give it my best and trust that the coaches are going to take care of you.”

Stevens tears knee

The Seahawks offense took a significant hit when tight end Jerramy Stevens tore the meniscus in his surgically repaired left knee during practice.

The team said Stevens is expected to miss the next six weeks, including the start of the regular season. An afternoon MRI revealed the extent of the injury. Stevens was scheduled for surgery in Seattle today.

He was injured trying to catch a pass from quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. The pass was broken up by Leroy Hill and Stevens fell to the ground with the brunt of his weight landing on his knees. He hobbled off the field and was examined by trainers while sitting on a cart. He was taken back to the locker room on the cart.

Incoming!

A brief altercation broke out between linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski and center Chris Spencer, who is filling in while starter Robbie Tobeck – who underwent surgery on Monday to remove bone chips from his left elbow – continues to mend.

When asked about the scuffle, which ended up with Spencer putting a headlock on Kacyvenski and then ripping off his helmet, Hasselbeck couldn’t resist the opportunity to launch another verbal spear at Tobeck.

“It’s actually a good thing, especially for our offense,” Hasselbeck deadpanned. “It’s about time we got some toughness at center – someone who’ll stick up for himself.”

Then he added, “This is the time to make fun of Robbie. He’s got tennis elbow right now, so he can’t really retaliate. Ironically, though, he’s got tennis elbow but it’s on his left arm, so I assume he’s got a two-hand backhand.”

Following Monday’s practice, Hasselbeck was asked about Tobeck’s absence and responded, “He wasn’t here today? I didn’t notice.”

Nun of that, refs!

The most noticeable fan at the morning’s practice was Sister Mary Tarcisius, who showed up to watch from the bleachers in her habit.

Sister Mary is serving in Louisiana and is a self-professed New Orleans Saints fan. But she is visiting family in North Idaho and couldn’t pass up a chance to watch her second-favorite team, the Seahawks.

After practice, she told reporters she had given Holmgren a St. Michael medal to “protect” him “against evil refs in the Super Bowl.”

She added she felt she could have done a better of job of officiating than the crew that worked Seattle’s 21-10 loss to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XL.

“I know football, and I should have been the referee,” she said. “I’m a nun, and I know football better than they do.”