Trufant, Hill back practicing with Seahawks

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Marcus Trufant squinted into the autumn fog drifting off the Seahawks' practice field. He flashed a sheepish grin.

It was if he was a shy outcast, not a Seattle mainstay since his hometown team drafted him 11th overall in 2003.

"I'm the new guy," the Pro Bowl cornerback from 2007 joked Tuesday, after his first practice since he injured his lower back in July.

"I'd been in rehab so long. I hadn't seen the sun — or the rain —for a long time. I'm outside, man. I'm playing football!"

Trufant, who has been on the physically-unable-to-perform list since the start of training camp, said he hopes to play in Seattle's next game, Nov. 1 at Dallas. So does Leroy Hill. The $38 million outside linebacker practiced for the first time since he tore his groin in Seattle's opener Sept. 13.

Yes, the battered Seahawks are taking advantage of their bye week to get healthier. And not just by resting.

In past seasons, then-coach Mike Holmgren has given the Seahawks the entire bye week off to go on far-flung vacations or just relax and heal at home with family and friends.

Jim Mora is not Mike Holmgren.

Demanding fewer mistakes, and downplaying that a dozen starters have been injured, the Seahawks' new coach has his reeling team (2-4) practicing Tuesday and Wednesday. Then he will give players the weekend.

"We're searching for consistency. That's a struggle for us right now, specifically offensively, with the situation that we are in. But we're fighting for it. We're not accepting that it's not happening," Mora said. "All the things that you need to do in order to overcome adversity, this team is intent on doing."

So days after a sobering, 27-3 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals that showed how far Seattle has fallen in the NFC West, these Seahawks have other visions during this bye week than kids, beaches or the Las Vegas strip.

"While we're all frustrated, just like our fans are frustrated and disappointed in our start, I'm an optimistic guy, and our players are," Mora said. "What I see in their eyes is a determination, and a group that's going to continue to work extremely hard."

Trufant returned from a disk issue in his back to join the second-team defense, as his team went back to basics in the first of the two practices this week. The Seahawks aren't going to game plan for the Cowboys until next week.

Trufant bumped and hounded starting receiver Nate Burleson. He also turned a seemingly meaningless practice during a bye week into hope for a team that needs some.

"I think I'm healed," Trufant said, adding he still has "a little maintenance" with his back.

That includes strengthening core muscles in his torso. The exercises are similar to the ones quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has been doing for most of the last year to compensate for a bulging disk that cost Hasselbeck nine games in 2008.

Trufant said his injury, which occurred when he twisted awkwardly breaking on the ball in a drill just before training camp, was similar. But he joked he's better off than the three-time Pro Bowl passer, and not just because he's 28 and Hasselbeck is 34.

"He's a quarterback. I'm a DB. So I kind of see myself as a better athlete," he said, laughing.

"I've got to stay on it, it's a constant rehab thing."

Rookie defensive coordinator Gus Bradley thinks whether Trufant starts in place of season-long fill-in Josh Wilson at Dallas next week depends on whether he's physically up to it. He thinks learning the new defense he's installed will be a breeze for Trufant, who's been attending meetings and film sessions all season.

"Tru's a smart man. It won't take very long for him to pick up the scheme," Bradley said. "It's more the mentality of how he feels."

Hill said he initially thought his career might be over when he injured his groin when his legs were too wide while trying to make a tackle against St. Louis.

"I'll try to not do that again," he deadpanned.

The fifth-year veteran called it the worst pain he's ever had, but now feels "perfect" following surgery performed by a specialist in Philadelphia.

"Oh, man, it felt good," Hill said of returning Tuesday. "Sitting on the couch seeing what's been going on, it hurt. It showed me how important football is to me."