RENTON, Wash. -- Matt Hasselbeck talked Wednesday about the ease of throwing to Mike Williams, especially when the wide receiver is in single coverage.
Then the quarterback proceeded to say he's not planning on Williams playing this week when the Seattle Seahawks host the AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs.
It's not the words Seattle especially wanted to hear, with the rise of its passing game in the past few weeks.
"Right now, I'm treating it like he cannot go," Hasselbeck said. "That's really how I'm going into it -- that's how I'm studying film, that's how I think this game plan is set up, as if he's not playing. So if he can play, that would just be an added bonus."
Williams is the biggest unknown for the Seahawks entering Sunday's home game.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll didn't provide much of an update on the left foot injury that Williams suffered late in last Sunday's loss at New Orleans. Carroll gave a vague description of Williams' injury, calling it a "foot strain" while also saying the specifics of the ailment are something doctors haven't seen.
Carroll said Williams has responded well to treatment during the past few days. Williams didn't participate in practice and was again in a walking boot Wednesday, same as he was after Sunday's game.
"It seems like, from what I'm hearing from the trainers and the doc, that it's the worst it's already been and it's improving from this point forward and there's not a concern about it continuing to worsen," Carroll said. "It's just how long does it take it to get well enough to where he can go full-speed."
Williams has caught 41 of his 52 passes in the last six weeks, including two games with 11 receptions and another with 10. Williams had six catches for 109 yards against the Saints.
Williams' increased catches have coincided with increased production from Hasselbeck. Seattle has mostly abandoned trying to establish its running game the past two weeks, instead relying on Hasselbeck and an increased aggressiveness throwing downfield.
The result: The past two games have been among the 12 best yards passing games in Hasselbeck's career. Hasselbeck threw for 333 yards against the Arizona Cardinals, then picked on the Saints' secondary for 366 yards, the fourth-highest total of his career.
"I'm not sure we've ever been so dependent on one guy just winning one-on-one matchups," Hasselbeck said. "I think we've been more dependent on guys knowing what to do and doing it with the right timing and that kind of thing. And then the system just sort of works that way. But Mike is a guy that if you get him one-on-one, you take advantage. You go for it."
Along with the Williams uncertainty, the Seahawks are always waiting to see about guard Chester Pitts and cornerback Marcus Trufant.
Pitts seems the most unlikely to play Sunday. Carroll wouldn't rule out Pitts with an ankle injury suffered against New Orleans, but the coach spoke as if Mike Gibson or Tyler Polumbus will start at left guard.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
