Seahawks QB Hasselbeck will not need surgery

Oct 28, 2008 - 4:33 PM SEATTLE (Ticker) -- The news was both good and bad for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck on Tuesday.

Hasselbeck, who has missed three straight games with a bulging disk in his back, told Seattle radio station KIRO that he will not need surgery.

However, the veteran also said a doctor has not cleared him to return, meaning he likely will sit out another game Sunday when the Seahawks host the Philadelphia Eagles.

Hasselbeck indicated that he has been unable to walk on his heels after failing tests in Los Angeles. He said he has a "dead leg" feeling in his right leg but no pain in his back or leg.

"(I ) just got a weakness in my leg," he said during the radio interview. "Because of the disk issue in my back, that nerve is shutting off the muscles that are supposed to work in your leg."

Hasselbeck has been sidelined since hyperextending his knee in a 44-6 loss to the New York Giants on October 5. Barring a dramatic improvement in Hasselbeck's health, Seneca Wallace is in line to make his third straight start Sunday.

Charlie Frye started in Seattle's 27-17 loss to Green Bay on October 12 before Wallace took over the following week at Tampa Bay.

Wallace passed for a mere 73 yards in a 20-10 loss to the Buccaneers, but play better last week against San Francisco. He completed 15 of 25 passes for 222 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions as the Seahawks (2-5) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 34-13 victory.