The Associated Press

KIRKLAND, Wash. - Patrick Kerney had a belt-like brace strapped over his shoulder. But, hey, that strained calf looked better.

The Seahawks Pro Bowl defensive end and human pain absorber was back on the practice field Thursday for the first time since injuring his calf Saturday. Kerney believes the strain was the result of beginning training camp on grass that was far softer than the surfaces he'd been training on during the offseason.

That was after he had surgery to repair torn labrum cartilage in his left shoulder. He played essentially with one arm through half of last January's playoff win over Washington and the following week's season-ending loss at Green Bay.

Kerney uses an array of things, including an electric stimulation machine, a hyperbaric chamber and "earthing" bed sheets, to help his body heal from injuries. And he's had a few.

He still shows off the dent in the back, upper part of his right arm, the result of a torn triceps in 2006. He's also torn ligaments in his knee and ankle. Yet he has still been selected to two Pro Bowls as a relentless menace to quarterbacks, most recently last season when he was second in the NFL with 14½ sacks.

Kerney believes he won't be going "full-on" until next week, and the Seahawks are likely to take a conservative approach to playing him in preseasons games that begin Aug. 8 at Minnesota. Kerney said he wants to play in all preseason games, but acknowledged "the season is a marathon, not a sprint."

"It is something we want to be smart with," he said. "We are all on the same page."

Lofa Tatupu may be on that page, too. The Seahawks held their Pro Bowl middle linebacker out of some drills Thursday morning with what coach Mike Holmgren said was "a little bump or bruise somewhere." Tatupu was back in the no-pads afternoon workout.

Like Kerney, Tatupu may miss Saturday's team scrimmage.

Eyes up

Throughout the morning, players and coaches looked to the skies as the Blue Angels, the Navy's aerial acrobatic team, roared overhead on their way to nearby Lake Washington. The Blue Angels were practicing for their annual appearances at Seattle's Seafair regatta this weekend.

Though the act has been a Seattle staple for years, the Seahawks haven't been seeing it. This is only the second year their training camp has been at team headquarters, following 10 summers at Eastern Washington University in Cheney - just a tad out of the Blue Angels' annual Washington flight path.

"I think it's very cool," Holmgren said. "We've been in Cheney over the years and I always get reports from my family that say, 'This is the most unbelievable thing.' And I've never been able to see it.

"I've met some of the pilots and it's remarkable what they do. I mean, it's inspiring. I think it's very cool. It's not a distraction."

Kerney was especially interested - and impressed. He's a licensed pilot, though he no longer flies his own planes.

"It is unreal," Kerney said. "When I would fly I would get nervous when I saw a plane a mile from me. I was off in the other direction. These guys are a foot apart from their wing tips.

"Takes a lot of ice in your veins."

Quick hits

Holmgren said a back injury, not a residual effect from offseason shoulder surgery, is what is keeping starting C Chris Spencer out at least until next week. … The coach gushed over the hard work and soft hands shown so far by receiver Michael Bumpus, an undrafted rookie free agent from Washington State, and mentioned he tends to find roster places for guys like him. That was moments after Bumpus made a tough catch in traffic of a bullet pass thrown by Charlie Frye. Then in the afternoon, Bumpus drew the coaches' ire by jumping offsides before a running play. … Rookie fourth-round draft choice Red Bryant, a DT, watched practice with a black sleeve over his left knee and leg. Holmgren said Bryant is out indefinitely pending tests for a knee injury. … WR Courtney Taylor (hamstring) and TE Jeb Putzier (hip) were also out again.