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Hasselbeck suffers concussion, DE Bryant's injury 'significant'

RENTON, Wash. -- Being humbled by Oakland in a 33-3 rout was one thing for Seattle. But Pete Carroll's crew also left significantly beat up.

Carroll spent most of his Monday briefing dealing with a long list of injuries, some with major significance for an already thin Seahawks roster.

Five Seattle starters suffered injuries Sunday that make them question marks for next Sunday's game against the New York Giants.

"We had a day we want to forget, across the board, with a few exceptions," Carroll said.

Topping the list was a "slight" concussion suffered by quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and a significant knee injury to defensive end Red Bryant.

Hasselbeck was just generally beat up by the Raiders defense, sacked eight times -- the most allowed by Seattle since 1992 -- and hit another seven.

Hasselbeck was not made available following Sunday's game after the team said he was "dinged," but Carroll confirmed Hasselbeck does have a concussion and will have to pass the league mandated post-concussion tests to play this Sunday against the Giants.

Still, Carroll remained optimistic that Hasselbeck would be able to play.

"It sounds like it was pretty slight concussion that should be OK," Carroll said. "But he still has to go through the process to make sure he's all right, but we think he'll play."

Bryant's injury is more serious and significant to what the Seahawks try and accomplish on the defensive line. Bryant was injured in the second quarter when teammate Chris Clemons crashed into his right knee while trying to make a tackle.

Additional tests will be needed to finalize the severity of Bryant's injury, but Carroll said "he'll be out a while at best."

Bryant was moved from defensive tackle to defensive end soon after Carroll arrived and has proved to be strong in Seattle's improved run defense. Now that job falls to former San Francisco first-round pick Kentwan Balmer.

"We've really leaned on him as we've made the transition schematically and I've said it numerous times that he's done a great job for us," Carroll said of Bryant. "Now we need to see how we hold up without him. He's shown us the style of the play that we like there and given us a good illustration of what we can do with him, but he's been a significant factor."

Seattle's injury list doesn't end with Hasselbeck and Bryant. Starting defensive tackle Colin Cole has an ankle sprain that makes the Seahawks even thinner up front with tackle Brandon Mebane having missed the previous three games with a calf injury.

At the back end of Seattle's defense, cornerbacks Kelly Jennings (hamstring) and Walter Thurmond (concussion) both were inactive on Sunday, leaving Nate Ness and Kennard Cox to split time at one cornerback spot. Thurmond, a rookie, suffered his concussion against Arizona when he made his first start, but couldn't pass the league-mandated tests and get cleared to play against Oakland.

Offensively, the Seahawks face major depth questions on the line and at receiver. Left guard Ben Hamilton suffered a "pretty significant" concussion against Oakland, while tackle Tyler Polumbus, the replacement for rookie tackle Russell Okung, has a sprained knee. Polumbus left briefly in the fourth quarter but returned later in the game.

Getting Okung back from his second high-ankle sprain would solve some of Seattle's issues up front. Guard Chester Pitts played Sunday for the first time since having microfracture surgery last season while with Houston and could step in for Hamilton. Carroll said he's hopeful Okung will be able to practice on Wednesday.

Whatever the lineup looks like against the Giants, it must be better than it was against the Raiders front seven, who pounded Hasselbeck and allowed Seattle just 47 yards rushing.

"I think it's kind of who you're playing, at the time you're playing, and how you are physically and all of that," Carroll said. "Our left side struggled in this game and they (the Raiders) were able to take advantage of that."

On the outside, leading receiver Mike Williams was held to just one catch against Oakland, partly due to a knee bruise, the result of a collision while blocking. Rookie Golden Tate also sprained his ankle making a reception along the sideline.

When asked about his depth at receiver and the news of Randy Moss being released in Minnesota, Carroll chuckled but wouldn't take the bait.

"A real tall guy that wears number 84? Is that what you're saying?" he said. "No. I'm not doing hypotheticals, but it was a good try."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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