National Football League

Curry returns to Seahawks practice

Published Aug. 11, 2010 2:45 a.m. ET

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Aaron Curry missed all the hard work.

Seattle's second-year linebacker returned to Seahawks' practice on Tuesday after missing more than a week with a concussion suffered on the first day of training camp following 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 till 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 just 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 San Francisco comes around.

''We had so much good work done before. A lot of the guys we know can play and have played before, (but) we're not very deep yet and we wanted to make sure they make it through camp,'' Carroll said. ''And we're getting so much done with everything else going on. We're still on the field in the mornings of the single days now and that session as long as that is a great benefit to us and we're focused and tuned into it where we can get enough done without the burden and wear and tear.''

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

Carroll believes this is simply a continuing trend.

''I think there is a change happening in football. Where it use to be double-days and sometimes three-a-days, that's not necessary to do that to your teams,'' Carroll said. ''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 on Tuesday. Twice coaches had to intercede in scuffles, one between defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson and offensive guard Mike Gibson that quarterback Matt Hasselbeck briefly found himself involved in.

''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 later 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 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: Seattle rookie LT Russell Okung was working with the No. 1 offensive line on Tuesday. Carroll had indicated he wasn't going to rush Okung, but after practice said he felt Okung 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.