Stiff back keeps Hasselbeck on sidelines

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck did not practice again because of a stiff back on Wednesday, and he may also miss his second consecutive preseason game – against San Diego.

Coach Mike Holmgren is trying to ensure Hasselbeck is ready for the regular-season opener Sept. 7 at Buffalo.

“Absolutely, your starting quarterback has to be ready for the first regular-season game,” Holmgren said after No. 3 quarterback Charlie Frye again took most of the snaps Wednesday morning – just as he is likely to do on Monday night against the Chargers.

“(With) the guys that have played as long as he has played … you are not quite as concerned about their minutes in the preseason,” Holmgren said of Hasselbeck. “Now, I want him to feel better, that’s my main concern, but as far as not playing or not getting enough reps, I don’t worry about that too much.”

Hasselbeck first felt his back tighten while completing seven of eight passes for 70 yards and a touchdown in two sharp series of the preseason opener Aug. 8 at Minnesota.

That could be the only game action for the three-time Pro Bowler before the opener. Seattle has just one practice day between Monday’s game and the preseason finale against Oakland on Aug. 29.

“We’re going to take it a day at a time and just see how he feels,” Holmgren said when asked if he would shut down Hasselbeck until the week before the regular season.

When asked if this was a setback or if he was any more concerned with Hasselbeck now that he’s out again, Holmgren flatly said, “No. He’ll be fine.”

Jackson ends holdout

St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson ended his holdout while his agent continues negotiations for a new contract.

The 235-pound Jackson, a bruising runner and the centerpiece of the team’s offense, is entering the final year of a five-year, $7 million deal he signed as a first-round pick in 2004.

The Rams cut off negotiations in late July on the first day of training camp after Jackson’s agent, Eugene Parker, turned down a deal the team said would have put Jackson in the top echelon at his position.

At that time, Jay Zygmunt, the Rams’ president of football operations, said there would be no further talks until the running back reported.

“This is certainly a step in the right direction,” coach Scott Linehan said. “We’re hoping we can get this thing squared away real quickly.”

Jackson is scheduled for a physical this morning.

Curtis out indefinitely

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Kevin Curtis will have surgery today to repair a sports hernia and will likely miss the start of the regular season.

Eagles coach Andy Reid believes Curtis, the team’s top receiver last season, will be back during the regular season, but no timetable has been set for his return.

“He’ll be back this season for sure,” Reid said. “I’d like to tell you a time on it, but I can’t. I don’t know what that time is on it.”

Even if Curtis returns to the field during the season, there is a good chance his performance will be adversely affected. Quarterback Donovan McNabb and tight end L.J. Smith each had seasons derailed by a sports hernia in recent years.

Around the league

Linebacker Demorrio Williams will likely miss the final two Kansas City Chiefs preseason games with a broken bone in his right hand, but he expects to be ready for the Sept. 7 opener at New England. Williams, a free agent who signed a five-year contract in March, suffered the injury in practice Tuesday. … Five-time Pro Bowl center Tom Nalen is headed back to the operating table. The only player left from the Denver Broncos’ Super Bowl teams of the late 1990s, Nalen needs another operation on his left knee after surgery in June failed to put him back on the field without pain. The 37-year-old Nalen will undergo another arthroscopic surgery on his left knee today, said coach Mike Shanahan, who is holding out hope that his center will be ready for the season opener at Oakland on Sept. 8. … Troy Smith will be the Baltimore Ravens’ starting quarterback for Saturday’s preseason game against the Rams, coach John Harbaugh said. The former Heisman Trophy winner may play as much as three quarters as the Ravens want to evaluate him as they try to determine who will be the QB in the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7.