Football
Associated Press 17y

Seahawks WR Jackson now iffy for Sunday

KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Darrell Jackson's on-and-off status now
seems closer to "off."

The Seahawks' leading receiver unexpectedly missed practice
again Friday, just before the team boarded an afternoon flight to
Chicago for Sunday's NFC divisional playoff game against the Bears.
Coach Mike Holmgren said Jackson's availability will be a game-time
decision.

Holmgren had said at the beginning of the week that he expected
Jackson, listed as questionable with a turf toe injury on his left
foot, would practice by Friday and that he was "likely" to play
Sunday.

Now, Holmgren's not so sure about him -- or D.J. Hackett. The
emerging fourth receiver sprained his ankle during last week's win
over Dallas and is listed as doubtful against the Bears (13-3).

"Those will be Sunday decisions," Holmgren said. "They're
going to have to show me something (during pregame drills) that
tells me they can play."

It's yet another setback in season full of injuries for the
defending NFC champions.

Last Saturday was the first time this season Seattle (10-7) had
all of its receivers available for a game. The Seahawks started
their ninth different combination of offensive linemen against the
Cowboys. They have also played without quarterback Matt Hasselbeck,
last season's league MVP Shaun Alexander and tight end Jerramy
Stevens for at least a month each.

"Kind of the way it's gone," Holmgren said of Jackson not
practicing. "But I'm hopeful we'll have one or both (Jackson and
Hackett) Sunday."

Jackson, who was leading the NFL in touchdown receptions before
his injury caused him to miss the final three games of the regular
season, also missed practice Wednesday and Thursday. He missed all
practices last week before he ran 21 plays against Dallas.

Jackson pulled himself from that game one play into the third
quarter because he said the pain had become unbearable. He had two
passes come his way but no catches.

By midweek Jackson was optimistic he would play in Chicago,
where Seattle will be seeking its first road playoff win since
1983.

"I'm going to play as much as I can, suck the pain up as much
as I can," Jackson said. "Try to give our team another weapon out
there."

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NOTES:

WEATHER A NON-FACTOR?: About two dozen chilled fans cheered the
Seahawks outside their headquarters as they boarded buses following
the light practice. Defensive end Grant Wistrom blew fans a kiss
before heading to the airport for an earlier-than-usual trip.

The Seahawks normally would fly on Saturday for a Sunday game in
the Central time zone, but Holmgren said the league asked Seattle
to travel a day earlier.

"The league encouraged us, because it's a playoff situation and
the weather can be a lot of snow -- like we have here in Seattle,"
Holmgren said, chuckling.

This week, the normally temperate Puget Sound region got its
second coating of ice and snow in a month, again stranding
motorists unfamiliar with winter driving. And with temperatures
barely reaching 30 degrees this week in the Seattle area, the
Seahawks are ready for Chicago's expected weather on Sunday: 32
degrees with a 40 percent chance of light snow or freezing rain.

"I don't think weather will be a factor," said Holmgren.

He is 14-3 as a head coach against the Bears -- 12-2 as the Green
Bay Packers' coach from 1992-98.

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TRUFANT SHOWS: Starting cornerback Marcus Trufant, out with a
right high ankle sprain since Dec. 24, showed up at practice and
did some moving around. Seattle's best cover man is listed as
doubtful for Sunday, but Holmgren reiterated that Trufant will not
play.

Holmgren said the team's thought is that if "we are fortunate
enough to get to the conference championship game," Trufant might
be able to play next week.

For now, the Seahawks activated rookie Gerard Ross from the
practice squad for Sunday. Ross, an undrafted free agent, will
likely play on special teams and perhaps as an extra defensive back
in passing situations. The secondary will again be missing three of
its top cornerbacks and will have usual safety Jordan Babineaux
starting on the outside.

The Seahawks cut Ross, a former Florida State cornerback, twice
earlier this season before signing him back to the practice squad
each time.

Asked if Ross was ready to contribute, Holmgren smiled and said,
"Well, we'll see."

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