Seahawks Welcome Aaron Curry back to practice after concussion

Published on August 11, 2010 by Seahawk Fanatic     

The second-year linebacker returned to Seattle Seahawks practice Tuesday after missing more than a week with a concussion suffered on the first day of training camp in a collision with diminutive running back Justin Forsett.

And outside of that first day when he was dinged during the afternoon practice, Curry managed to miss every two-a-day the Seahawks are conducting during Pete Carroll’s first camp as Seattle’s coach.

“It is strange, but coach Carroll, he stresses that we need to be fresh when we play,” Curry said. “We don’t need to be overworked or the most conditioned team, but the legs are so beat up that they never have a chance to recover. So I think coach Carroll has done a good job at giving us time to recover versus just working us (until) we can’t work anymore.”

Tuesday was supposed to be the final two-a-day — and one of just five the entire training camp — for the Seahawks. But continuing with the trend of spending less time on the field, Carroll shortened it to only one session in the afternoon.

That doesn’t mean the Seahawks are spending less time at their training facility. There are still morning sessions on the field minus the contact, not to mention the countless meetings throughout the day. Carroll says he’s just taking extra precautions to make sure his players aren’t already fatigued by the time the Sept. 12 season opener against the San Francisco 49ers comes around.

But the changes go beyond just fewer practices. The Seahawks had a day off during their first week and had this past Monday off as well. After hosting the Green Bay Packers in their second preseason game on Saturday, Aug. 21, the Seahawks have two more days to rest.

Carroll believes this is simply a continuing trend.

“I think there is a change happening in football,” Carroll said. “Where it use to be double-days and sometimes three-a-days, that’s not necessary to do that to your teams. When you have small rosters, even compared to college rosters, it makes sense to make sure they are healthy and strong as long as they are learning the football.”

After having a day off, it was a chipper and sometimes overactive group that returned to the practice field Tuesday. Coaches twice had to intercede in scuffles, one between defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson and offensive guard Mike Gibson in which quarterback Matt Hasselbeck briefly found himself involved.

“I was pulling my guy back and a fight broke out,” Hasselbeck said. “That’s a bad place to be — wrong place, wrong time.”

A second scuffle included a few punches and involved most of the offensive and defensive lines, along with a few peripheral players. Carroll said he liked the energy, but he also used the scuffles as a chance to remind his players about controlling their emotions.

“We expect this team to practice at a really high pitch, and play at a really high pitch, and we have to learn how to manage that and not get over the top and make errors in our judgment,” Carroll said. “It was an opportunity to get after them and talk about that.”

Notes: Rookie LT Russell Okung worked with the No. 1 offensive line. Carroll had indicated he wouldn’t rush Okung, but after practice, the coach said he felt the first-round draft pick was ready to jump in with the starting unit. … LB Leroy Hill left practice early with a minor knee sprain. … LB Lofa Tatupu sat out with a sore hamstring.

Tags: Afternoon Practice, coach, Concussion, Contact, Countless Meetings, curry, Entire Training, Good Job, Green Bay Packers, Hosting, Justin Forsett, Legs, Morning Sessions, Pete Carroll, Preseason Game, Rost, San Francisco 49ers, Season Opener, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, training camp